Covent Garden

Covent Garden
Covent Garden Interior May 2006 crop.jpg
The interior of the former vegetable market
Covent Garden is located in Greater London
Covent Garden

 Covent Garden shown within Greater London
OS grid reference TQ303809
London borough Westminster
Camden
Ceremonial county Greater London
Region London
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town LONDON
Postcode district WC2
Dialling code 020
Police Metropolitan
Fire London
Ambulance London
EU Parliament London
UK Parliament Cities of London and Westminster
Holborn and St. Pancras
London Assembly West Central
Barnet and Camden
List of places: UK • England • London

Covent Garden (pronounced /ˈkɒvənt/) is a district in London, England, located on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane.[1] The area is mainly associated with the former fruit and vegetable market located in the central square which is now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as "Covent Garden". The area is divided by the main thoroughfare of Long Acre; north of which is mainly given over to independent shops centred on Neal's Yard and Seven Dials, while the south contains the central square with its street performers, and most of the elegant buildings, theatres and entertainment facilities, including the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, and the London Transport Museum.

Though mainly fields until the 16th century, it was briefly settled when it became the heart of the Anglo-Saxon trading town of Lundenwic.[2] Returning to fields, part of the area was walled off for use as arable land and orchards by Westminster Abbey by 1200, and was referred to as "the garden of the Abbey and Convent". In 1540 Henry VIII took the land belonging to the Abbey, including, what by now was called "the Covent Garden", and in 1552 this was granted to the Earls of Bedford. The 4th Earl commissioned Inigo Jones to build some fine house in order to attract wealthy tenants.[3] Jones designed the Italianate arcaded square along with the church of St Paul's. The design of the square was new to London, and had a significant influence on modern town planning in London, acting as the prototype for the laying-out of new estates as London grew.[4]

The fruit and vegetable market began as a small open air market on the south side of the fashionable square around 1654. Gradually, both the market and the area became disreputable with taverns, theatres, coffee-houses and prostitutes; and the gentry began to move away, and rakes, wits and playwrights moved in.[5] By the 18th century Covent Garden had become a well-known red-light district, attracting notable prostitutes such as Betty Careless and Jane Douglas;[6] and Harris's List of Covent Garden Ladies, a guidebook to the prostitutes and whore houses, became a best seller.[7] An act of parliament was drawn up to control the area, and Charles Fowler's neo-classical building was erected in 1830 to both cover and help organise the market, and the area declined as a pleasure-ground as the market grew and further buildings were added - the Floral Hall, Charter Market and in 1904 the Jubilee Market. However, by the end of the 1960s, traffic congestion was causing problems, and in 1974 the market relocated to the New Covent Garden Market about three miles (5 km) south-west at Nine Elms. The central building re-opened as a shopping centre in 1980, and is now a popular tourist location containing cafes, pubs, small shops and a craft market called the Apple Market; along with another market held in the Jubilee Hall.

Covent Garden falls within the London boroughs of Westminster and Camden, and is in the Parliamentary constituencies of Cities of London and Westminster and Holborn and St. Pancras.

Contents

History

Early history

Covent Garden in 1572 by Ralph Agas, with the wall surrounding it marked in green

The route of the Strand on the southern boundary of what was to become Covent Garden was used during the Roman period as part of a route to Silchester, known as "Iter VIII" on the Antonine Itinerary,[8] and which later became known by the name Akeman Street.[9][10] Excavations in 2006 at St Martin's in the Fields, revealed a Roman grave suggesting that site had sacred significance from an early date.[11] The area to the north of the Strand was long thought to have remained as unsettled fields until the 16th century; however, theories by Dr Vince and Professor Biddle, that the Anglo-Saxons had a town to the west of the old Roman town of Londinium, were borne out by excavations in 1985 and 2005 that revealed that Covent Garden was the centre of a trading town called Lundenwic that developed around 600 AD,[12][13] and stretched from Trafalgar Square to Aldwych.[2] Alfred the Great gradually moved the settlement into the old Roman town of Londinium from around 886 AD onwards, leaving no mark of the old town, and the site returned to fields.[12]

Around 1200 the first mention of an Abbey garden was used in a document which mentioned a walled garden owned by the Benedictine monks of the Abbey of St. Peter, Westminster;[14] a slightly later document (between 1250 and 1283), referred to "the garden of the Abbot and Convent of Westminster";[14] this garden by the 13th century had become a 40-acre (16 ha) quadrangle of mixed orchard, meadow, pasture and arable land, laying between modern day St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane, and Floral Street and Maiden Lane.[15] The use of the name "Covent", which was an Anglo-French term for a religious community, equivalent to "monastery" or "convent",[16][17] came in a document of 1515, when the Abbey, which had been letting out various parcels of land along the north side of the Strand, for inns and market gardens, granted a lease of the walled garden, naming it as "a garden called Covent Garden", and it is recorded as such from then on.[14]

The Bedford Estate (1552-1918)

John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford acquired Covent Garden in 1552

After the dissolution of the monasteries in 1540, Henry VIII took for himself the land belonging to Westminster Abbey, including the convent garden and seven acres to the north called Long Acre; and in 1552 his son, Edward VI, granted it to John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford.[14] The Russell family, who later in 1694 improved their peerage from Earl to Duke of Bedford, would now hold the land for over 350 years.[18] Russell had Bedford House and garden built on part of the land, with an entrance on the Strand; the large garden stretching back to run along the south side of the old walled off convent garden.[19][20] Other than building this house and allowing several poor quality tenements to be erected,[21] the Russells did little with the land until the 4th Earl of Bedford, Francis Russell, an active and ambitious businessman,[22] commissioned Inigo Jones to design and build a church and three terraces of fine houses around a large square or piazza in 1630.[3][21] The commission had been prompted by Charles I taking offence at the condition of the road and houses along Long Acre, which were the responsibility of Russell and Henry Carey, 2nd Earl of Monmouth, and requiring them to put matters right.[23] Russell and Carey complained that under the 1625 Proclamation concerning Buildings, which restricted building in and around London, they could not build new houses; the King then granted Russell, for a fee of £2,000, a licence to build as many new houses on his land as he "shall thinke fitt and convenient".[23] The church of St Paul's was the first building, and was begun in July 1631 on the western side of the square. The last house was completed in 1637.[24]

Plan of Covent Garden in 1690 showing Bedford House and garden

The houses initially attracted the wealthy classes, though when a market developed on the south side of the square, the aristocracy moved out, and coffee houses, taverns and prostitutes moved in.[5] The first record of the market is in 1654 when market traders set up stalls against the garden wall of Bedford House.[25]

On 7 April 1779, the pavement outside the Covent Garden playhouse was the scene of the notorious murder of Martha Ray, mistress of the Earl of Sandwich, by her admirer the Rev. James Hackman.[26]

By the 18th century Covent Garden had become a well-known red-light district, attracting notable prostitutes such as Betty Careless and Jane Douglas.[6] Details of prostitutes and whore houses were provided in Harris's List of Covent Garden Ladies, which was the "essential guide and accessory for any serious gentleman of pleasure".[7]

In 1830 a market hall was built to provide a more permanent trading centre. In 1913, Herbrand Russell, 11th Duke of Bedford agreed to sell the Covent Garden Estate for £2 million to the MP and land speculator Harry Mallaby-Deeley, who sold his option to the Beecham family for £250,000; the sale being finalised in 1918.[27]

The 20th century

The 1830 neo-classical market building is now a busy retail centre

The property was part of Beecham Estates and Pills Limited from 1924 to 1928 and from 1928 it was owned by a successor company called Covent Garden Properties Company Limited, owned by the Beechams and other private investors. This new company sold some properties at Covent Garden, while becoming active in property investment in other parts of London. In 1962 the bulk of the remaining properties in the Covent Garden area, including the market, were sold to the newly established government-owned Covent Garden Authority for £3,925,000.[28]

By the end of the 1960s, traffic congestion had reached such a level that the use of the square as a modern wholesale distribution market was becoming unsustainable, and significant redevelopment was planned. Following protests from the Covent Garden Community Association, in 1973 the Home Secretary, Robert Carr, gave dozens of buildings around the square listed building status, preventing redevelopment.[29] The following year the market moved to a new site (called the New Covent Garden Market) about three miles (5 km) south-west at Nine Elms. The square languished until its central building re-opened as a shopping centre and tourist attraction in 1980. The market buildings, along with several other properties in Covent Garden, were bought by Capital & Counties Properties in 2006.[30]

Governance

The Covent Garden estate was originally under the control of Westminster Abbey and lay in the parish of St Margaret.[31] During a reorganisation in 1542 it was transferred to St Martin in the Fields, and then in 1645 a new parish was created, splitting governance of the estate between the parishes of St Paul Covent Garden and St Martin,[32] both still within the Liberty of Westminster.[33] St Paul Covent Garden was completely surrounded by the parish of St Martin in the Fields.[34] It was grouped into the Strand District in 1855 when it came within the area of responsibility of the Metropolitan Board of Works.[35]

In 1889 the parish became part of the County of London and in 1900 it became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Westminster. It was abolished as a civil parish in 1922. Covent Garden now falls within the London boroughs of Westminster and Camden, and is in the Parliamentary constituencies of Cities of London and Westminster and Holborn and St. Pancras.[36]

Geography

OpenStreetMap of Covent Garden

Covent Garden is bounded by High Holborn to the north, Drury Lane to the east, the Strand to the south and St. Martin's Lane to the west.[1] The main thoroughfare is Long Acre, running north-east from St Martins Lane to Drury Lane.[37]

The area to the south of Long Acre contains the Royal Opera House, the market and central square, and most of the elegant buildings, theatres and entertainment facilities, including the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, and the London Transport Museum; while the area to the north of Long Acre is largely given over to independent retail units centred on Neal Street, Neal's Yard and Seven Dials; though this area also contains residential buildings such as Odhams Walk, built in 1981 on the site of the Odhams print works,[38] and is home to over 6,000 residents.[39]

Shelton Street, running parallel to the north of Long Acre, marks the boundary between Westminster Council and Camden Council.[40]

Neighbouring areas of London
Soho Bloomsbury Clerkenwell
Leicester Square Holborn
   Covent Garden    
Trafalgar Square Strand Temple

Economy

Cheese shop off Neal's Yard - part of the retail economy of Covent Garden

The area's economy relies on retail and entertainment. Covent Garden Market reopened as a retail centre in 1980, after the produce market was moved to its current location in Nine Elms. Currently one of the most famous and popular parts of the covered Covent Garden market is Apple Market, a small subsection of the main market.[41] Shops in the market halls largely sell novelty items, and street performers can be seen almost every day of the year, both on the pitches within the market, and on the streets outside. Long Acre has a range of clothes shops and boutiques, and Neal Street is noted for its large number of shoe shops. London's Transport Museum and the side entrance to the Royal Opera House box office and other facilities are also located on the square.

During the late 1970s and 1980s the Rock Garden music venue was popular with up and coming Punk and New Wave artists.

In August 2007, Covent Garden launched the UK's first food Night Market. Fresh produce from over 35 different stalls included Neal's Yard's specialist cheeses, Spore Boys' mushroom sandwiches, Gourmet Candy Company, Ginger Pig sausages and Burnt Sugar fudge. The aim of the Night Market was to bring Covent Garden back to its roots as the "Larder of London". Organisers are hoping to make it a permanent event in 2008 as part of a wider initiative to regenerate interest in the Covent Garden area.

The market halls and several other buildings in Covent Garden were bought by Capital & Counties Properties (CapCo) in partnership with GE Real Estate in August 2006 for £421 million, on a 150-year head lease.[42] The buildings are let to the Covent Garden Area Trust, who pay an annual peppercorn rent of one red apple and a posy of flowers for each head lease, and this prevents the property from being redeveloped.[43] In March 2007 CapCo also acquired the shops located under the Royal Opera House.[44] The complete Covent Garden Estate owned by CapCo consists of 550,000 sq ft (51,000 m2), and has a market value of £650 million.[42]

The largest Apple Store in the world opened at 1 The Piazza on Saturday 7th August 2010 on the site previously occupied by the Rock Garden.[45][46]

Landmarks

Royal Opera House

Main article: Royal Opera House
Edward Barry's 1858 façade of the Royal Opera House

The Royal Opera House, often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", was constructed as the "Theatre Royal" in 1732 to a design by Edward Shepherd.[47] During the first hundred years or so of its history, the theatre was primarily a playhouse, with the Letters Patent granted by Charles II giving Covent Garden and Theatre Royal, Drury Lane exclusive rights to present spoken drama in London. In 1734, the first ballet was presented; a year later Handel's first season of operas began. Many of his operas and oratorios were specifically written for Covent Garden and had their premières here.[48] It has been the home of The Royal Opera since 1945, and the Royal Ballet since 1946.[49]

The current building is the third theatre on the site following destructive fires in 1808 and 1857. The façade, foyer and auditorium were designed by Edward Barry, and date from 1858, but almost every other element of the present complex dates from an extensive £178m reconstruction in the 1990s.[50] The Royal Opera House seats 2,268 people and consists of four tiers of boxes and balconies and the amphitheatre gallery. The proscenium is 12.20 m wide and 14.80 m high. The main auditorium is a Grade 1 listed building. The inclusion of the adjacent old Floral Hall, previously a part of the old Covent Garden Market, created a new and extensive public gathering place.[50]

Covent Garden square

Balthazar Nebot's 1737 painting of the square before the 1830 market hall was constructed[51]

The central square in Covent Garden is simply called "Covent Garden". It was the first modern square in London,[3] and was originally a flat, open space or piazza with low railings. A casual market started on the south side, and by 1830 the present market hall was built. The space is popular with street performers, who audition with the site's owners, Capital & Counties Properties to get an allocated slot.[52] The square was originally laid out in 1630 when the 4th Earl of Bedford, Francis Russell, commissioned Inigo Jones to design and build a church and three terraces of fine houses around the site of a former walled garden belonging to Westminster Abbey.[3] Jones's design was informed by his knowledge of modern town planning in Europe, particularly Leghorn in Tuscany, Piazza San Marco in Venice, Piazza Santissima Annunziata in Florence, and Place des Vosges in Paris.[53] The centrepiece of the project was the large square, the concept of which was new to London, and this had a significant influence on modern town planning in London,[3] acting as the prototype for the laying-out of new estates as London grew.[4] Isaac de Caus, the French Huguenot architect, designed the individual houses under Jones' overall design.[54][55]

The church of St Paul's was the first building, and was begun in July 1631 on the western side of the square. The last house was completed in 1637.[24] Seventeen of the houses had arcaded portico walks organised in groups of four and six either side of James Street on the north side, and three and four either side of Russell Street. These arcades, rather than the square itself, took the name Piazza;[1] the group from James Street to Russell Street became known as the "Great Piazza" and that to the south of Russell Street as the "Little Piazza".[24]

The houses initially attracted the wealthy classes, though when a market developed on the south side of the square, along with taverns, coffee-houses and brothels, the aristocracy moved out, and playwrights and rakes moved in.[5] None of Inigo Jones' houses remain, though part of the north group was reconstructed in 1877-79 as Bedford Chambers by William Cubitt to a design by Henry Clutton.[56]

Covent Garden market

Scharf's illustration of the market before Fowler's hall was built in 1830

The Covent Garden fruit and vegetable market began in the 17th century as a small open air market to the south of Inigo Jones's Covent Garden square, with the central market hall being erected in 1830, and other buildings joining later. The market relocated to the New Covent Garden Market in 1974, and the central building re-opened as a shopping centre in 1980. The first record of a "new market in Covent Garden" is in 1654 when market traders set up stalls against the garden wall of Bedford House.[25][18] The Earl of Bedford acquired a private charter from Charles II in 1670 for a fruit and vegetable market.[57] The charter permitting the Earl and his heirs to hold a market on every day except Sundays and Christmas Day.[58] The original market consisted of wooden stalls and sheds, and became disorganised and disorderly, so that the 6th Earl had to request an Act of Parliament in 1813 to regulate the market, and then commission Charles Fowler in 1830 to design and build the neo-classical market building that is the heart of Covent Garden today.[5] Further building were added - the Floral hall, Charter Market and in 1904 the Jubilee Market for foreign flowers was built by Cubitt and Howard.[59] By the end of the 1960s, traffic congestion in central London was causing problems for the market, which required increasingly large lorries for deliveries and distribution. Redevelopment of the Covent Garden area was considered. Following a public outcry, in 1973 the Home Secretary, Robert Carr, gave dozens of buildings around the square listed building status, preventing redevelopment. The following year the market relocated to the New Covent Garden Market about three miles (5 km) south-west at Nine Elms. The central building re-opened as a shopping centre in 1980, and is now a popular tourist location containing cafes, pubs, small shops and a craft market called the Apple Market;[60] another market, the Jubilee Market, in held in the Jubilee Hall on the south side of the square.[61][62] The market halls and several other buildings in Covent Garden were bought by Capital & Counties Properties (CapCo) in August 2006 for £421 million.[42]

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

Main article: Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
Interior of the Drury Lane Theatre by Pugin and Rowlandson, 1808

The current Theatre Royal on Drury Lane is the most recent of four incarnations, the first of which opened in 1663, making it the oldest continuously used theatre in London.[63] For much of its first two centuries, it was, along with the Royal Opera House, a patent theatre granted rights in London for the production of drama, and had a claim to be one of London's leading theatres.[64] The first theatre, known as "Theatre Royal, Bridges Street", saw performances by Nell Gwyn and Charles Hart. After it was destroyed by fire in 1672, English dramatist and theatre manager Thomas Killigrew engaged Christopher Wren to build a larger theatre on the same spot, which opened in 1674. This building lasted nearly 120 years, under leadership including Colley Cibber, David Garrick, and Richard Brinsley Sheridan. In 1791, under Sheridan's management, the building was demolished to make way for a larger theatre which opened in 1794; but that survived only 15 years, burning down in 1809. The building that stands today opened in 1812.[65] It has been home to actors as diverse as Shakespearean actor Edmund Kean, child actress Clara Fisher, comedian Dan Leno, the comedy troupe Monty Python (who recorded a concert album there), and musical composer and performer Ivor Novello. Today, the theatre is owned by composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and generally stages popular musical theatre.[66] It is a Grade I listed building.[67]

London Transport Museum

The London Transport Museum is in a Victorian iron and glass building on the east side of the market square. It was designed as a dedicated flower market by William Rogers in 1871 and was first occupied by the museum in 1980. Previously the transport collection had been held at Syon Park and Clapham. The first parts of the collection were brought together at the beginning of the 20th century by the London General Omnibus Company (LGOC) when it began to preserve buses being retired from service. After the LGOC was taken over by the London Electric Railway (LER), the collection was expanded to include rail vehicles. It continued to expand after the LER became part of the London Passenger Transport Board in the 1930s and as the organization passed through various successor bodies up to TfL, London's current transport authority.[68] The Covent Garden building has on display many examples of buses, trams, trolleybuses and rail vehicles from 19th and 20th centuries as well as artifacts and exhibits related to the operation and marketing of passenger services and the impact that the developing transport network has had on the city and its population.[69]

St Paul's

St Paul's, commonly known as the Actors' Church,[70] was designed by Inigo Jones as part of a commission by Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford in 1631 to create "houses and buildings fitt for the habitacons of Gentlemen and men of ability".[22] Work on the church began that year and was completed in 1633, at a cost of £4,000, with it becoming consecrated in 1638. In 1645 Covent Garden was made a separate parish and the church was dedicated to St Paul.[71] It is uncertain how much of Jones' original building is left, as the church was damaged by fire in 1795 during restoration work by Thomas Hardwick; though it is believed that the columns are original - the rest is mostly Georgian or Victorian reconstruction.[72]

Culture

A street performer on the designated performance space by St Paul's church

The Covent Garden area has long been associated with both entertainment and shopping, and this continues today.[73] Covent Garden has 13 theatres, and over 60 pubs and bars, with most south of Long Acre, around the main shopping area of the old market.[74][75]

The Seven Dials area in the north of Covent Garden was home to the punk rock club The Roxy in 1977,[76] and the area remains focused on young people with its trendy mid-market retail outlets.[77]

Street performance

The first mention of a Punch and Judy show in Britain was recorded by diarist Samuel Pepys, who saw such a show in the square in May 1662. Street entertainment at Covent Garden was first mentioned in Samuel Pepys' diary in 1662.[78] Today Covent Garden is the only part of London licensed for street entertainment with performers having to undertake auditions for the market's management and representatives of the performers' union and signing up to timetabled slots. Currently performers operate in a number of venues around the market, including the North Hall, West Piazza, and South Hall Courtyard. The courtyard space is dedicated to classical music only. There are street performances at Covent Garden Market every day of the year, except Christmas Day. Shows run throughout the day and are approx 30 minutes in length. In March 2008, the market owner, CapCo, proposed to reduce street performances to one 30-minute show each hour.[79]

Pubs and bars

The Covent Garden area has over 60 pubs and bars,[74] with several of them listed buildings as well as being on CAMRA's National Inventory.[80] The Lamb & Flag in Rose Street has a reputation as the oldest pub in the area,[81] though records are not clear; the 1958 brick exterior conceals what may be an early 18th century frame of a house replacing the original one built in 1638.[82] The first records of a pub on the site are 1772 when it was called the Cooper's Arms; the name changing to Lamb & Flag in 1833.[82] It has a reputation for staging bare-knuckle prize fights during the early 19th century when it acquired the nickname "Bucket of Blood".[83] The alleyway beside the pub was the scene of an attack on John Dryden in 1679 by thugs hired by John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester,[84] with whom he had a long-standing conflict.[85]

Transport

Covent Garden is served by the Piccadilly line at Covent Garden tube station on the corner of Long Acre and James Street. The station was opened by Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway on 11 April 1907, four months after services on the rest of the line began operating on 15 December 1906.[86] Covent Garden station is one of the few stations in Central London for which platform access is only by lift or stairs.

Stations just outside the area include, the tube and mainline station at Charing Cross; Leicester Square tube station, and Holborn tube station. While there are no bus routes in Covent Garden itself, there are over 30 routes which pass close by.[87]

Cultural connections

Covent Garden, and especially the market, have appeared in a number of works. Eliza Doolittle, the central character in George Bernard Shaw's play, Pygmalion, and the musical adaptation by Alan Jay Lerner, My Fair Lady, is a Covent Garden flower seller.[88] Alfred Hitchcock's father had been a wholesale greengrocer in the market,[89] where he set his 1972 film Frenzy about a fruit vendor who becomes a serial sex killer[90]

The daily activities of the market was the topic of a 1957 Free Cinema documentary by Lindsay Anderson, Every Day Except Christmas, which won the Grand Prix at the Venice Festival of Shorts and Documentaries.[91]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Christopher Hibbert, Ben Weinreb, The London Encyclopaedia, pp 213-214. Pan Macmillan, 2008, ISBN 1405049243. http://books.google.com/books?id=wN_H-__MBpYC&pg=PA214&dq=The+London+encyclopaedia+1904+the+Jubilee+Market&hl=en&ei=93hPTOKpBIm74Aa48ICeCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 2010-07-28. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Museum of London - Early years of Lundenwic". www.museumoflondon.org.uk. http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/EventsExhibitions/Past/MissingLink/Themes/TML_themes_Lundenwic.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-27. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Survey of London: volume 36 - Covent Garden". www.british-history.ac.uk. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.aspx?pubid=362. Retrieved 2010-07-27. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Garden party - Property, House & Home - The Independent". www.independent.co.uk. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/property/garden-party-491936.html. Retrieved 2010-07-27. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Roy Porter, London: A Social History, pp 5-6. Harvard University Press, 1998, ISBN 0674538390. http://books.google.com/books?id=DyZfYaLXsuUC&pg=PR22&dq=the+market+in+covent+garden&hl=en&ei=bWNPTImRA87R4waAvaiACA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCQQ6AEwADgU#v=onepage&q=the%20market%20in%20covent%20garden&f=false. Retrieved 2010-07-28. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Burford, E.J. (1986). Wits, Wenchers and Wantons - London's Low Life: Covent Garden in the Eighteenth Century. Hale. pp. 260. ISBN 0709026293. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Gerald Isaaman, "The A to Z of Covent Garden’s prostitutes", on camdennewjournal.com retrieved 19 July 2008
  8. ↑ "ANTONINE ITINERARY". www.roman-britain.org. http://www.roman-britain.org/geography/itinerary.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-31. 
  9. ↑ Thomas Codrington, Roman Roads in Britain. Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, London, 1903 (republished on LacusCurtius). http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Periods/Roman/Topics/Engineering/roads/Britain/_Texts/CODROM/home.html. Retrieved 2010-07-31. 
  10. ↑ "Archaeology - The Romano-British Period". www.british-history.ac.uk. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22101. Retrieved 2010-07-31. 
  11. ↑ "BBC NEWS". news.bbc.co.uk. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6196972.stm. Retrieved 2010-07-31. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "King Alfred's London and London's King Alfred", John Clark, "London Archaeologist" Volume 9 No.2 Autumn 1999
  13. ↑ "PCA - News - Highlights - 15-16 Bedford Street". www.pre-construct.com. http://www.pre-construct.com/Sites/Highlights/Bedford.htm. Retrieved 2010-08-13. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Burford, E.J. (1986). Wits, Wenchers and Wantons - London's Low Life: Covent Garden in the Eighteenth Century. Hale. pp. 1-3. ISBN 0709026293. 
  15. ↑ "The Bedford Estate - Covent Garden and the seven acres in Long Acre". www.british-history.ac.uk. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=46082. Retrieved 2010-08-01. 
  16. ↑ "Online Etymology Dictionary". www.etymonline.com. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=convent. Retrieved 2010-07-31. 
  17. ↑ The Concise Oxford Dictionary, page 202, H W Fowler and F G Fowler, Clarendon Press, Fourth Edition, 1951
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Alzina Stone Dale, Barbara Sloan-Hendershott, Mystery Reader's Walking Guide: London, page 56. iUniverse, 2004, ISBN 0595315135. http://books.google.com/books?id=kyXfTbVxYOQC&pg=PA56&dq=Mystery+Reader%27s+Walking+Guide:+London+Earl+of+Bedford&hl=en&ei=8nBPTLOzN-ig4QaK0N3WBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 2010-07-27. 
  19. ↑ John Richardson, The annals of London: Volume 2000 Part 2, page 105. University of California Press, 2000, ISBN 0520227956. http://books.google.com/books?id=0wUCjfE6Lk4C&pg=PA171&dq=The+annals+of+London:++Bedford+House+Built&hl=en&ei=GnJPTL2sF5yL4gbt0uniBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 2010-07-27. 
  20. ↑ "Map of Bedford House & Covent Garden c1690.". archivemaps.com. http://archivemaps.com/mapco/london/1690coventgardenb.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-27. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Burford, E.J. (1986). Wits, Wenchers and Wantons - London's Low Life: Covent Garden in the Eighteenth Century. Hale. pp. 6. ISBN 0709026293. 
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Summerson, John. Inigo Jones. Penguin, 1966. p. 96. http://books.google.com/books?ei=Sq5yTLty1ZGMB9rkiP0I&ct=result&id=cM1PAAAAMAAJ&dq=inigo+jones&q=Isaac+de+Caus#search_anchor. Retrieved 2010-08-23. 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "The Bedford Estate - From 1627 to 1641". www.british-history.ac.uk. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=46085. Retrieved 2010-08-24. 
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 "The Piazza". www.british-history.ac.uk. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=46092. Retrieved 2010-07-28. 
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 "Covent Garden Market". www.british-history.ac.uk. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=46106. Retrieved 2010-07-27. 
  26. ↑ Rawlings, Philip, Hackman, James (bap. 1752, d. 1779), in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press, 2004) and online at Hackman, James (subscription required), accessed 16 March 2008
  27. ↑ "The Bedford Estate - The Sale of the Estate". www.british-history.ac.uk. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=46089. Retrieved 2010-07-27. 
  28. ↑ Survey of London, Volume 36, pp. 48–52.
  29. ↑ "Museum of London - Covent Garden". www.museumoflondon.org.uk. http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/Collections/OnlineResources/X20L/Themes/1337/1120/. Retrieved 2010-07-31. 
  30. ↑ "Covent Garden London Official Guide". www.coventgardenlondonuk.com. http://www.coventgardenlondonuk.com/about. Retrieved 2010-07-28. 
  31. ↑ "The Bedford Estate". www.british-history.ac.uk. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=46081. Retrieved 2010-07-27. 
  32. ↑ "Plan pocket - Map of the Parish of St. Paul, Covent Garden". www.british-history.ac.uk. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=46079. Retrieved 2010-07-27. 
  33. ↑ Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN 0901050679. 
  34. ↑ Port, M. H. (Edr.) (1986). "Illustrative map of London parishes". The Commissions for building fifty new churches: The minute books, 1711-27, a calendar. London Record Society. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=38869. 
  35. ↑ Registration Districts infosheet 5 westminster.gov.uk
  36. ↑ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007 No. 1681". www.opsi.gov.uk. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2007/uksi_20071681_en_1. Retrieved 2010-07-29. 
  37. ↑ "Covent Garden London : 200 years of history for London streets including ghosts, fire, disaster, joy, heroes and villains, markets, architecture, Events, Historic Celebrities". www.coventgarden.uk.com. http://www.coventgarden.uk.com/featureshistory/fh_streets.php?street=91&submit=Go&submitted=TRUE&p_id=features&c_id=street. Retrieved 2010-07-30. 
  38. ↑ "Odhams Walk". showcase.homesandcommunities.co.uk. http://showcase.homesandcommunities.co.uk/case-study/odhams-walk.html. Retrieved 2010-07-30. 
  39. ↑ "About Us". www.coventgarden.org.uk. http://www.coventgarden.org.uk/id1.html. Retrieved 2010-07-30. 
  40. ↑ "Camden elections 2010". www3.camden.gov.uk. http://www3.camden.gov.uk/votes/map/. Retrieved 2010-07-28. 
  41. ↑ London Covent Garden
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 42.2 "Covent Garden, Selfridges style". Property Week. 2007-11-02. http://www.propertyweek.com/story.asp?storycode=3099054. Retrieved 2008-03-31. 
  43. ↑ "Capital & Counties JV wins Covent Garden". www.propertyweek.com. http://www.propertyweek.com/capital-and-counties-jv-wins-covent-garden/3071263.article. Retrieved 2010-08-05. 
  44. ↑ "CapCo grows in Covent Garden". Shopping-centre.co.uk. 2007-03-26. http://www.shopping-centre.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/1783/CapCo_grows_in_Covent_Garden.html. Retrieved 2008-03-31. 
  45. ↑ "Apple chooses London to open its biggest store in the world". guardian.co.uk. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/aug/05/apple-london-biggest-store. Retrieved 2010-08-07. 
  46. ↑ "The Press Association: 'Biggest' Apple store opens its doors". www.google.com. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5hczb4PBFCGjSD-ybQIHPxmudR00A. Retrieved 2010-08-07. 
  47. ↑ Merriam-Webster's collegiate encyclopedia, page 407. Merriam-Webster, 2000, ISBN 0877790175. http://books.google.com/books?id=V2d12iZkgOwC&pg=PA407&dq=royal+opera+house+constructed+in+1732&hl=en&ei=GQBOTN3PF4__4Ab0u-GZDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 2010-07-26. 
  48. ↑ Winton Dean, Handel's operas, 1726-1741, pp 274-285. Boydell Press, 2006 ISBN 1843832682. http://books.google.com/books?id=ekWgum0Vr0QC&pg=PA274&dq=covent+garden+handel%27s+first+season+of+operas&hl=en&ei=1QBOTKOkH8b34gbQl_WaDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=covent%20garden%20handel%27s%20first%20season%20of%20operas&f=false. Retrieved 2010-07-26. 
  49. ↑ "Royal Opera House Collections Online". www.rohcollections.org.uk. http://www.rohcollections.org.uk/CollectionPersDeValois.aspx. Retrieved 2010-07-27. 
  50. ↑ 50.0 50.1 "Our History - Royal Opera House". www.roh.org.uk. http://www.roh.org.uk/discover/royaloperahouse/history.aspx. Retrieved 2010-07-26. 
  51. ↑ "Tate Britain". www.tate.org.uk. http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/exhibitions/hogarth/rooms/room5.shtm. Retrieved 2010-07-28. 
  52. ↑ "Street performer auditions". www.coventgardenlondonuk.com. http://www.coventgardenlondonuk.com/events-entertainment-culture/articles/street-performer-auditions. Retrieved 2010-08-01. 
  53. ↑ "The Architecture of the Piazza and St. Paul's Church". www.british-history.ac.uk. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=46091. Retrieved 2010-07-28. 
  54. ↑ Summerson, John. Inigo Jones. Penguin, 1966. p. 96. http://books.google.com/books?ei=Sq5yTLty1ZGMB9rkiP0I&ct=result&id=cM1PAAAAMAAJ&dq=inigo+jones&q=Isaac+de+Caus#search_anchor. Retrieved 2010-08-23. 
  55. ↑ Christy Anderson. Inigo Jones and the Classical Tradition. Cambridge University Press, 2007. p. 204. ISBN 0521820278. http://books.google.com/books?id=rXUe0vcVIM0C&pg=PA202&dq=Bedford+House+covent+garden+1552&hl=en&ei=9c1yTMXUDJOhONTC4bAL&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CEMQ6AEwBDgK#v=onepage&q=Isaac%20de%20Caus&f=false. Retrieved 2010-08-23. 
  56. ↑ Proposed Development at Bedford Chambers, page 7 July 2008, ifoman.com
  57. ↑ Clive Boursnell, Peter Ackroyd, Covent Garden: The Fruit, Vegetable and Flower Markets. Frances Lincoln Publishers. 2008. p. 7. ISBN 0711228604. http://books.google.com/books?id=ktSeoUGe_mgC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Covent+Garden:+The+Fruit,+Vegetable+and+Flower+Markets&hl=en&ei=5ypPTNKUNc_-4Aab1q3nBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 2010-07-27. 
  58. ↑ Robert Thorne, Covent Garden Market: Its History and Restoration. Architectural Press. 1980. p. 9. ISBN 0851390986. http://books.google.com/books?ei=pipPTPCDEYaQ4Qax2YWACA&ct=result&id=ezBNAAAAYAAJ&dq=the+market+in+covent+garden&q=1670#search_anchor. Retrieved 2010-07-27. 
  59. ↑ Christopher Hibbert, Ben Weinreb (2008). The London Encyclopaedia. Pan Macmillan. pp. 214–215. ISBN 1405049243. http://books.google.com/books?id=wN_H-__MBpYC&pg=PA214&dq=The+London+encyclopaedia+1904+the+Jubilee+Market&hl=en&ei=93hPTOKpBIm74Aa48ICeCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 2010-07-28. 
  60. ↑ "The London Encyclopaedia". Google Books. http://books.google.com/books?id=wN_H-__MBpYC&pg=PA214&dq=apple+market+covent+garden&hl=en&ei=KZtVTNqvBNKe4Qaux4inBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=apple%20market%20covent%20garden&f=false. Retrieved 2010-08-01. 
  61. ↑ "Suzy Gershman's Born to Shop London ...". Google Books. http://books.google.com/books?id=9ICxQVu9WxQC&pg=PA238&dq=apple+market+covent+garden&hl=en&ei=KZtVTNqvBNKe4Qaux4inBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=apple%20market%20covent%20garden&f=false. Retrieved 2010-08-01. 
  62. ↑ "Market overview". www.jubileemarket.co.uk. http://www.jubileemarket.co.uk/market-overview/. Retrieved 2010-08-01. 
  63. ↑ "Information from". Victorian Web. 2007-05-09. http://www.victorianweb.org/mt/theaters/pva234.html. Retrieved 2010-03-20. 
  64. ↑ Martin Banham, The Cambridge Guide to Theatre. Cambridge University Press. 1995. p. 309. ISBN 0521434378. http://books.google.com/books?id=_MxJbvpz_rwC&pg=PA309&dq=drury+lane+could+reasonably+have+claimed+to+be+London%27s+leading+theatre&hl=en&ei=lBtOTL39KeKS4gaN7dGaDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=drury%20lane%20could%20reasonably%20have%20claimed%20to%20be%20London%27s%20leading%20theatre&f=false. Retrieved 2010-07-27. 
  65. ↑ Martin Banham (1995). The Cambridge Guide to Theatre. Cambridge University Press. p. 310. ISBN 0521434378. http://books.google.com/books?id=_MxJbvpz_rwC&pg=PA309&dq=drury+lane+could+reasonably+have+claimed+to+be+London%27s+leading+theatre&hl=en&ei=lBtOTL39KeKS4gaN7dGaDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=drury%20lane%20could%20reasonably%20have%20claimed%20to%20be%20London%27s%20leading%20theatre&f=false. Retrieved 2010-07-27. 
  66. ↑ "The Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Catherine Street, Westminster, London". www.arthurlloyd.co.uk. http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/DruryLane.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-27. 
  67. ↑ Mike Kilburn, Alberto Arzoz, London's Theatres, page 41. New Holland Publishers, 2002 ISBN 1843300699. http://books.google.com/books?id=hR2zTYj7vqMC&pg=PA41&dq=Drury+Lane+theatre+listed+building&hl=en&ei=nB9OTLnuBZOd4AaZyZmaDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Drury%20Lane%20theatre%20listed%20building&f=false. Retrieved 2010-07-27. 
  68. ↑ "Brief history of the Museum". London Transport Museum. http://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/aboutus/135.aspx. Retrieved 2007-12-10. 
  69. ↑ "Collections". www.ltmuseum.co.uk. http://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/collections/28.aspx. Retrieved 2010-07-26. 
  70. ↑ "The Actor's Church HOME". www.actorschurch.org. http://www.actorschurch.org/. Retrieved 2010-07-26. 
  71. ↑ "St. Paul's Church". British History Online. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=46105. Retrieved 2010-07-26. 
  72. ↑ Summerson, John. Inigo Jones. Penguin, 1966. p. 95. http://books.google.com/books?ei=Sq5yTLty1ZGMB9rkiP0I&ct=result&id=cM1PAAAAMAAJ&dq=inigo+jones&q=Victorian+reconstruction#search_anchor. Retrieved 2010-08-23. 
  73. ↑ Party Earth publisher=Party Earth LLC, 2010. Party Earth - Europe, 4th Edition. ISBN 0976112078. http://books.google.com/books?id=cpf2OBfjNlgC&pg=PA330&dq=Covent+Garden+shopping+and+entertainment&hl=en&ei=PDF1TK2OCMKSjAf7n-CxBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Covent%20Garden%20shopping%20and%20entertainment&f=false. Retrieved 2010-08-25. 
  74. ↑ 74.0 74.1 "pubs in Covent Garden. Find pub reviews for pubs in London, UK and Ireland". www.fancyapint.com. http://www.fancyapint.com/area/00273.php. Retrieved 2010-07-30. 
  75. ↑ "Theatres Index Page". www.covent-garden.co.uk. http://www.covent-garden.co.uk/Theatres/index.html. Retrieved 2010-08-25. 
  76. ↑ "Roxy music". guardian.co.uk. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2007/oct/04/roxymusic. Retrieved 2010-08-25. 
  77. ↑ "Neal Street", The Open Guide to London online retrieved 19 July 2008
  78. ↑ "Covent Garden and the Story of Punch and Judy". CoventGardenLife.com. http://www.coventgardenlife.com/info/street_entertainers/punch_judy/punch_judy.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-31. 
  79. ↑ "Buskers fear 'thin end of wedge'". BBC News. 2008-03-27. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7316214.stm. Retrieved 2008-03-28. 
  80. ↑ "CAMRA London Pubs Group - past Pub Crawls". www.camranorthlondon.org.uk. http://www.camranorthlondon.org.uk/londonpubsgroup/crawls.html#017. Retrieved 2010-07-30. 
  81. ↑ "The Lamb and Flag, Westminster, London WC2E 9EB". Pubs.com. http://www.pubs.com/main_site/pub_details.php?pub_id=136. Retrieved 2010-07-30. 
  82. ↑ 82.0 82.1 "King Street and Floral Street Area — Rose Street". British History Online. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=46110. Retrieved 2010-07-30. 
  83. ↑ Darwin Porter, Danforth Prince, Frommer's England 2008. Frommer's. 2007. p. 215. ISBN 047013819X. http://books.google.com/books?id=v66bMh6yqfsC&pg=PA215&dq=bucket+of+blood+lamb+%26+flag&hl=en&ei=bbBSTP7LJ87V4wbR2NmyAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CFgQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=bucket%20of%20blood%20lamb%20%26%20flag&f=false. Retrieved 2010-07-30. 
  84. ↑ John Richardson, The Annals of London. University of California Press. 2000. p. 156. ISBN 0520227956. http://books.google.com/books?id=0wUCjfE6Lk4C&pg=PA156&dq=Lamb+%26+Flag+covent+garden&hl=en&ei=2KZSTK7MOZKe4QbclYjoAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CE8Q6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=Lamb%20%26%20Flag%20covent%20garden&f=false. Retrieved 2010-07-30. 
  85. ↑ "John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester". www.luminarium.org. http://www.luminarium.org/eightlit/rochester/wilmotbio.htm. Retrieved 2010-08-02. 
  86. ↑ "Line facts". Transport for London. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/corporate/modesoftransport/tube/linefacts/?line=piccadilly. Retrieved 2010-07-26. 
  87. ↑ "Covent Garden London: Getting to Covent Garden by bus". www.coventgarden.uk.com. http://www.coventgarden.uk.com/getting/Covent-Garden-by-bus.html. Retrieved 2010-07-26. 
  88. ↑ David S. White (2000). Let's Take the Kids to London: A Family Travel Guide. Take the Kids to London. p. 43. ISBN 0595139531. http://books.google.com/books?id=tkrt0rHAQl8C&pg=PA43&dq=my+fair+lady+covent+garden&hl=en&ei=96hOTMSFCOCM4gbX64HdBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CDwQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=my%20fair%20lady%20covent%20garden&f=false. Retrieved 2010-07-27. 
  89. ↑ "The Alfred Hitchcock Collection: Frenzy : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". www.dvdtalk.com. http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/1629/alfred-hitchcock-collection-frenzy-the/. Retrieved 2010-07-27. 
  90. ↑ Clive Boursnell, Peter Ackroyd (2008). Covent Garden: The Fruit, Vegetable and Flower Markets. Frances Lincoln Publishers. p. 142. ISBN 0711228604. http://books.google.com/books?id=ktSeoUGe_mgC&pg=PA142&dq=Frenzy+covent+garden&hl=en&ei=xa1OTOLSM87M4AamtMmYCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Frenzy%20covent%20garden&f=false. Retrieved 2010-07-27. 
  91. ↑ "BFI Screenonline: Every Day Except Christmas (1957)". www.screenonline.org.uk. http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/438953/. Retrieved 2010-07-27. 
Bibliography

External links

Local authorities
Community
History