Covent Garden – excellent entertainment zone at the heart of London

Covent Garden is nestled at West End in Central London with a history dating back to the 17th century. It was in 1630s that the 4th Earl of Bedford commissioned the British architect Inigo Jones to design and build a residential square in the West Minster Abbey’s Convent Garden. Inspired by his travels to Italy, Jones designed the very first public square of England, the Covent Garden’s piazza.

Inigo Jones introduced innovative town planning features to the English community such as the Palladian architecture for buildings and well organized straight streets. In fact Covent Garden still retains much of its original streets and names unchanged to date.

As time passed Covent Garden was occupied as a fruit and vegetable market. Following the pineapple boom in 1650s, artists and craftsmen adapted pineapple motif into their creative works. As a reminiscent of the olden times, each hanging lantern at the arcade is capped by a golden colour pineapple. Between 19th and 20th century the square was renowned as the main fruit and vegetable market in London which occupied more than 1000 porters. Presently Covent Garden has become a major venue for entertainment, food and shopping recording over 40 million visitors a year.

Covent Garden piazza is a large building with glass roofing, sheltering several arcades. These arcades nestle chic cafes and boutiques in addition to the Apple Market and Jubilee Hall Market showcasing an alluring array of arts and crafts, clothing, jewellery and souvenirs. As the only area licensed for street performing in London, Covent Garden’s open piazza is a concentration of talented performers from across the globe. Visitors are entertained with live shows of musicians, mime artists, magicians and jugglers among many others.

Standing with its classic glass facade is the Royal Opera House, off the north piazza in Covent Garden. Two great fires brought down the previous theatres built on the premises and the current one’s construction began in 1996 and was completed in 2000. The Royal Opera House features a stunning interior and ceiling work. It can also house more than 2000 people with its amphitheatre gallery and 4 tier boxes and balconies. It is also renowned as the home of the Royal Opera Orchestra and the Royal Ballet.

The best restaurants and cafes in London can be found at Covent Garden serving cosmopolitan cuisines. From Scottish to Thai and French to American, the scores of exclusive food outlets here serve delectable choice food to suit every budget and taste. Travellers to London will be able to enjoy all these wonderful experiences while staying at one of the London luxury hotels like Langham Hotel London. These London hotels are strategically located within easy reach of the city’s popular tourist attractions and entertainment zones including the magnificent Covent Garden.