Cambridge Circus, London

This article is about the traffic intersection. For the 1963 revue, see Cambridge Footlights Revue.
Cambridge Circus and the Palace Theatre

Cambridge Circus is a traffic junction (formerly a roundabout) at the junction of Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road in central London.[1] The junction is situated approximately halfway between Tottenham Court Road tube station (at St Giles Circus) and Leicester Square.

The Palace Theatre is located on the west side of the junction.[1]

In his espionage novels, author John Le Carré placed the headquarters of the fictionalised British intelligence service based on MI6 in buildings on Shaftesbury Avenue and Cambridge Circus;[1][2] it is from this that Le Carré's nickname for MI6, "The Circus", derives. The BBC's Gordon Corera notes that the entrance described by Le Carré most closely resembles that of 90 Charing Cross Road, just north of Cambridge Circus.[3] The actual MI6 has never occupied premises in or near Cambridge Circus.[3] [4]

Film location

Cambridge Circus has featured as location in the following productions:

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Christopher Howse (May 1, 2007). "Exactly where is the Circus?". The Telegraph.
  2. ↑ John Le Carré Call for the Dead
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Gordon Corera (11/09/2011). "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: John Le Carre and reality". BBC News. Retrieved 11/09/2011. Check date values in: |date=, |accessdate= (help)
  4. ↑ "Buildings". Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). Retrieved 11/09/2011. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

External links

Coordinates: 51°30′47″N 0°07′45″W / 51.51306°N 0.12917°W