Piccadilly Circus is a busy plaza in
the heart of London at the junction of five major streets:
Regent street, Shaftesbury Avenue, Piccadilly and Covent
Street.
The Circus

was created by John Nash as part of King George IV's plan
to connect Carlton House with Regent's Park.
The creation of the Shaftesbury Avenue
in 1885 turned the plaza into a busy traffic junction.
This attracted the first illuminated advertisements
in London in 1895. The plaza used to be surrounded by
billboards, creating London's version of
Times
Square, but currently only one building still carries
large (mostly electronic) displays.
At the center of the Circus stands
the Shaftesbury memorial fountain. It was built in 1893
to commemorate Lord Shaftesbury, a philanthropist known
for his support of the poor. The nude statue on top
of

the
fountain depicts the Angel of Christian Charity but
was later renamed Eros. The fountain itself was made
in bronze, but the statue is made of aluminum, at the
time a novel and rare material.
The name 'Piccadilly' originates from
a 17th century frilled collar named piccadil. Roger
Baker, the tailor who became rich making piccadils lived
in the area. The word 'Circus' refers to the roundabout
around which the traffic circulated.
The Piccadilly Circus is now partly
pedestrianized and a favorite place from where to access the nearby
shopping and entertainment areas. Soho, Chinatown, Shaftesbury
Avenue and
Trafalgar Square
are all within walking distance.