Piccadilly Circus
London W1

Probably the best known sight in London, known all over the world, Piccadilly Circus, with its spectacular display of neon advertising signs, marks the entrance to the capital's liveliest entertainment district, with its theatres, cinemas, clubs, pubs and restaurants. 

The Circus takes its name from the stiff collars that were the sartorial specialty of Roger Baker, a 17th-century tailor who lived nearby. 

The junction, originally part of John Nash's master plan for Regent Street, has been considerably altered over the years.  Part of Piccadilly Circus; once a traffic island, has been pedestrianised and the area now features several shopping malls.  One of these is concealed behind the façade of the 1885 London Pavilion, once a famous music hall. 

The statue of Eros is set in the middle of Piccadilly Circus, is one of the great symbols of London.
The statue was originally known as the Shaftebury Monument and was unveiled in 1893, a memorial to the Victorian philanthropist, Lord Shaftesbury. 

Eros, poised delicately with his bow, was intended to be an angel of mercy but was later renamed after the Greek god of love.   The sculptor, Alfred Gilbert RA, incorporated a wide variety of fish and crustacous life into the bronze fountain.  The actual figure of Eros, rising above the fountain, was made of aluminum, a rare material at the time.