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Great to see this year's London lights, thanks ... hope you're all having a wonderful Christmas ... when is your next box opening ? ☺ there's a Christmas present waiting for you !! 🎅
Covent Garden was the main fruit and vegetable wholesale market for London. Has moved to Nine Elms for easier road links. Renamed New Covent Garden. The original now a shopping area still has market stalls. With different products on different days. Hamleys is the biggest toy store in the world. It has 54,000 sq, feet spread over 7 floors. The lights are not government local or national. They are funded and organised by the local shops in the area.
Hamleys is not just a toy store - it is the largest in the world! The lights are put up by the Retailers Association so nothing to do with the government, either local or national. Merry Christmas
Is it not a mix of the New West End Company , some of the landowners (Grosvenor Estates and Crown Estates own quite a lot of freeholds and tenures), with a bit of City of Westminster encouragement - but never money ! The Corporation of London does some of its own thing in a more subdued way along Cheapside
18:00 The 'crooked' lines mark the approach to and exit from a pedestrian crossing. Parking is prohibited on these and you're not allowed to overtake the leading vehicle when approaching the crossing
I don't drive - don't know anything about surface road signs - and I was going to look it up on google, then you gave me the answer. So thanks for that, and Happy New Year! Robert, UK.
@@2eleven48 Glad to help. Even if you don't drive, as a pedestrian you're a road user and knowing the rules the drivers are supposed to be observing can make you safer.
@@Macilmoyle ....Somehow I've lived for 73 years and survived until now....oops! just almost got run over! Damn, didn't see the zig-zag lines! Oh well, you live and you learn. Thank you. Happy New Year. Robert, UK.
The history of Covent Garden goes back about 1500 years, sometimes settled, sometimes not... but by 1200 it had been walled off by the Abbot of Westminster Abbey as a garden for use by the clergy and nuns so it was called "Convent Garden". After Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries, the area was used for houses - built by Inigo Jones, a famous English architect. By the mid-1600s the area included a fruit and vegetable market but then the area fell into disrepute. In the early 1800s the area was re-developed and the market was restored, selling fruit, vegetables, and flowers. It became the main wholesale market for that produce in England. At some point the first 'n' was dropped and it became known as Covent Garden. During the 1960s and 70s, traffic in central London was so bad that "the Garden" could no longer function as a national distribution centre, particularly for fresh produce, so the market was moved to a new site. The old market buildings were converted to a shopping centre in the 1980s. Opposite the Market there is Covent Garden Opera House, home to the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet. London is an ancient city but much of it was burned down in the Great Fire of 1666 and had to be rebuilt. Another major building programme was needed after WWII when a quarter of London's buildings were destroyed by bombing. However, although both sets of rebuilding allowed for an element of planning, many roads followed the ancient routes and as a result much of London is not based on straight roads and/or the block system - roads bend, there are lots of smaller roads and alleyways cutting through, and turning left, left, and left again will not necessarily bring you back to where you started, unlike most American cities which were mapped out with a ruler.
Covent Garden is also the location for the opening of "My Fair Lady". Eliza Doolittle is a Flower Seller at Covent Garden. Professor Higgins is attending the performance at the Royal Opera House. This is where they first encounter each other.
Fun fact: apparently after the Great Fire in 1666, the great and the good all got together in a building to decide that they'd rebuild London according to a grid pattern as later used in the US...and then came out to find all the annoyed Londoners had used stakes and bits of string to stake out where their burnt homes had stood so all the roads would be rebuilt where they'd started!
@@BlameThande I had not realised that Queen Victoria Street was a new build, demolishing a number of small buildings and churches when constructed. The other main later new road was Kingsway, which took away some of the rookieries that were in that area - it is said that Seven Dials area was also flattened but I think that still exists as a street plan but not all of the older buildings escaped the city planners.
The street you may be thinking of, regarding the police, is Bow Street. This is where the first police operated from - they were called the 'Bow Street Runners'. It's in Covent Garden. x
John Lewis is a department store, it was the shop with the cascading lights. They are more well known for their Christmas television adverts which are always very good. The main window displays seen were of Selfridges, it was founded in 1908 by an American Harry Gordon Selfridge, it the second largest store in the UK after Harrods and a television series called Mr Selfridge was made based on his life which you may find interesting to review when some of the current series come to an end. Mr Selfridge is played by an American so the accent should be good.
I cannot say Oxford Street is losing its character now anymore than in the past, but the changes have lost us a few of the 1950s buildings and a few of the larger retailers now Debenhams and House of Fraser have reduced or ceased high street trading, But then again I still miss Derry and Toms over at Kensington High Street.
German themed market probably.....Birmingham has an authentic German market(run by Frankfurt- Birmingham's twin city in Germany) and is the largest German market outside Germany and 4th largest in the world and has been running since 1997
Hi, Sarah, I hope you are enjoying Christmas. That was interesting. Baubles are defined as small, usually spherical ornaments made from coloured or decorated material and hung from the branches of a Christmas Tree.
I absolutely love covent garden its a nice understated chic part of town. Apart from the annoying Street theatre who get in your face. Lots of veggie and vegan cafés. Very tasteful. baubles are kind of glazed, mirrored decor you hang on the tree.
Hamleys is a toy store, it started 1760 and moved to its present site in Regent Street in 1881. The Regent Street Store covers 7 storeys and is reputed to sell over 50000 different lines of toys.
Love ❤️ Hamleys!! Whenever I visit London, no trip is complete without stopping at my favorite toy store In.The.World! (And always leaving with a lot less cash😅)
Baubles = "light, brightly coloured glass balls or other decorations hung on a Christmas tree". Zig-zag lines along the side of the road - no stopping as it classed as dangerous (usually either side of pedestrian crossings) - the ticket is expensive, but the real cost is 3 points on you licence (12 points is a ban). Merry Christmas from London!
Selfridges - one of the world's first department stores - founded by an American prior to WW1. Now four stores in UK - just been sold for large amounts of money to a Thai-Austrian consortium
Hamleys isn't just a traditional toy store it has 6 floors and a basement, it's the largest toy store in the world which does include everytype of electrical gadgets to wooden toys, it's ridiculously huge and as a child, going to hamleys was just part of Christmas tradition in England.
The one tree not featured here is the tree in Trafalgar Square. It’s about 85ft high and decorated with the lights hung vertically. The tree is an annual gift from Norway to the UK. It is selected years in advance, then cut down amid much celebration on a televised tree felling service in Norway. The tree is then shipped to the UK as a thank you for all the help the UK provided Norway in WW2. The tree is then decorated with the lights hanging vertically, as is the traditional way to decorate trees in Norway. The tree is symbolic of our friendship and partnership with Norway and gratefully received. Though, it does sometimes fall victim to mockery by those not understanding or appreciating it’s significance!
At least the abysmal Trafalgar Square tree this year was not shown, it suffered during its shipping from Norway and arrived a bit threadbare. It is a gift from the Norwegian Government annually in recognition of our support during WWII. Most of the main shopping streets in Central London are now partly pedestrianised, hence the narrow traffic lanes, with most of London now an ULEZ, unless one has an EV the cost of driving in London is an expensive burden. Hamley's is a world famous toy store about 150 years old. Selfridge & Co is London's first ever department store dating back to 1900 or so, founded by an American.
Its probably not wrong to associate the Christmas lights with a shopping mall as all these roads with lights are the main oldest shopping districts in London. Its my experience that towns and cities that put up lights like these put them up around the shopping districts as typically its paid for by the local businesses to attract shoppers.
Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former ...
Merry Christmas! Covent garden is a part of London dedicated to being a open Market (Open mall). Normally this time of year, it would be almost shoulder to shoulder with people. Zig Zag lines indicate "strictly no parking or overtaking"... normally due to a junction, critical location or a pedestrian crossing. Other than the lights, this part of London looks pretty much the same 24/7 365 days a year... just it's normally busier.
Regents street was built in the time of the Regency and its Neo Classical architecture. A lot of the buildings are in that period in the centre of London.
The crooked lines are called zig zag lines ,they are either side of a pedestrian crossing, vehicles are not allowed to park on them or overtake also pedestrians are not allowed to cross on them although I don't think most pedestrians know that.
I spent a lot of time in the London and DC when I was an executive of Qantas, they celebrate Christmas very differently to us in the Southern Hemisphere, our Christmas was celebrated with prawns, ham, turkey, cheese, pavlova.
The word was 'baubles' and is any showy decoration hung up for display. Covent Garden was the site of the extremely large fruit, vegetable and flowers market which serviced London and the south east of England. When the traders moved the market to modern facilities out of the city with its excessive traffic problems, the old existing buildings were revamped into the large shopping and entertainment complex you saw in this video. A must visit if you ever come to London. Regent street, Oxford street and Bond street are the primary shopping streets of London where almost all the most famous departement stores, jewelers, tailors and fashion icons have outlets.
The zig zag lines in the road normally indicate an area either side of a pedestrian crossing. Traffic can not park or overtake within the zig zags and pedestrians should not cross the road within zig zags.
Baubles are round tree ornaments, decorations, trinkets, tchotchkes, etc. You know, the kind of things you see at Christmas time. 😁 Merry Christmas and happy new year everyone!
Regent Street (completed in 1825) is a major shopping street in the West End of London & one of the world's most prestigious lifestyle destinations, famous for flagship stores / international brands as well as fine dining ... equivalent to Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills
Bond Street,and New Bond street are most like Rodeo Drive.All the most expensive shops are on those roads.Like Chanel,YSL,Gucci,Valentino and a large Ralph Lauren shop
Having once been a regular visitor to London, I haven't been there for many years. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool country hick now, so this was quite an education for me.
The crooked lines are on either side of Zebra crossings - you can’t park on them, to keep sight lines open so drivers can see pedestrians crossing in the Zebra.
A grey Christmas day here today but his wander brought back memories of meeting with a friend there on Wednesday . A bit cool now for sitting down outside, but a pub off Covent Garden was a pleasant spot to have a couple of beers. Covent Garden isn’t a mall but a small district. An entertainment hub for shopping, theatre, restaurants, bars and culture, such as the Royal Opera House. The undercover part shown with mistletoe lights and big Christmas tree outside is a former fruit and veg. market. The zigzag lines are just the standard way of marking either side of a pedestrian crossing. They also signify that you shouldn’t park or overtake on them for obvious reasons.
You may unconsciously associate Regent Street with the police, because in normal pre covid times, the police have to police with megaphones every pedestrian crossing to allow the normal traffic to flow. Because it gets so busy that the traffic is halted for literally hours. We have a ruLE where traffic must legally give way to pedestrians. When a pedestrian steps into the road approaching vehicles must give way.
Baubles are spherical Christmas tree decorations, usually made of thing glass and lacquered, as you see. Covent Garden was London's main fruit market until the early 1980s, when it was moved to a new site in the suburbs. The building was then refurbished and used as a shopping, eating and entertainments centre - one of the first such centres of its kind in the UK. Regent Street refers to the Prince Regent, who deputised for his father, King George III during his periods of incapacity (1811-1820, after which he ruled as King George IV until 1830). Much of the architecture in film also dates from that period. Zig-zag warning lines appear on roads either side of a pedestrian crossing, in the UK.
Covent Garden was the fruit and vegetable market in London (I think it started around 300 years ago?), if you've ever seen the movie My Fair Lady, that was where Eliza Dollittle was found. The market moved, so, around 1980, the area became a shopping area, with mostly arts and crafts, but increasingly more tourist focused. Its also really close to a lot of theatres, so popular for the local bars and restaurants for before or after show refreshments!
Fruit and Flower Market, the vegetable market was Borough Market. Covent Garden only started wholesale veg when Borough was being run down as an wholesale market.
@@michaelmelbourne6688 I felt sorry for the Head Chefs of London Hotels and Restaurants scuttling between Smithfield, Billingsgate, Borough and Covent Garden in the early mornings. At least they had Sunday's and Monday's away from doing it. I had only two to visit, Billingsgate and Borough.
Regents street is named after the Prince Regent as most of the buildings were built and planned out in the Regency period. George the 3rd went mad so his son was made the prince regent who handled the role of king but could not be called a King until after his father died.
A lot of London streets have had pavements (sidewalks) widened for pedestrians as taking a car into central London is crazy expensive with a congestion charge of roughly $22 a day, emission charge also for older vehicles of an additional $22 and finally parking for the day can run to $100 plus! Hence why most people use public transport! A lot of London streets are curved as they go back so far a horse and cart was all that was on the 'roads' at the time!
In the time when King George IV was the Prince Regent this street was part of a processional route built from Regents Park through London to the Prince Regents home but as he became King it ended up in a square that was nowhere as he moved into Buckingham Palace instead. Built early 1800s. Covent Garden was built on the site of a covent (where nuns live). The market building was built for fruit, vegetables and flowers and was closed in the 1970s. It appears in many films when trading and supplied London with all it's goods as did the original Billingsgate fish market when it was near the Monument to the fire of London until the 1980s and Smithfield Market which was the butcher's/meat market for London until recently and where traitors where hung, drawn and quartered throughout history including William Wallace, but sadly not Mel Gibson for his inaccurate film. These markets were also wholesale markets for the rest of the country until the late 1960s and into the 1970s.
Regent Street was started in 1819 under the direction of architect John Nash, it was named after the Prince Regent. I can find no particular connection to the police. Again if you ever visit London its well worth a look.
Covent Garden is in the West End just north of the Thames, it is an area of entertainment, shops and places to eat and also home to the Royal Opera House, if you ever visit London its worth a look.
Not far from Oxford Street is Trafalgar Square with Nelson’s Column. In the square is a big Norwegian Spruce, a gift from the Government of Norway in thanks for helping them get their country back from the Germans in WWII. The governments of many European countries and especially the royal families of Norway, Netherlands became exiled here for the duration. I'm a little surprised he didn’t walk on to Harrods because, perhaps one of London’s most renown shops, usually have excellent light shows.
I should have added, Outside London is one of the worlds leading botanical gardens. This is Royal Botanic Gardens. Kew. There they have a fantastic light show and Christmas market. There are some clips on You Tube.
Its a darned long walk from Marble Arch to Harrods Via Hyde Park Corner - done it and if it is after doing Covent Garden to Oxford Circus then along Oxford Street and detour down Bond the old plates get knackered,
I'm actually undewhelmed by these lights, most cities/towns and even some villages across the UK have their own Christmas decorations. Norway has gifted a Christmas tree to the UK every year since WW2 as a thank you and it is placed in Trafalga Square.
I suppose a familarity breeds contempt. Regent Street has always tended to use white lights where the pattern is often a tie in to a film or other commercial sponser. looks like bond street has gone blue LED mad. While I got my annual trip to Hamleys in (but did not buy anything - must do the new year sales though), I always like looking out for other local high street displays around the country, but with covid and other care duties not out and about so much.
Covent Garden was once the very centre for Fruit and Vegetables in London. See the film Oliver Twist by Lionel Bart it's the set of the market scene in "who will buy" song Norway had a tradition of sending a Christmas tree every year to London for appreciation of their liberty I think it was after the war.
As a Brit, comparing my last visit to London in 2018 to this video 2021 I can honestly say that It isn't a true representation of London at Christmas. London in 2021 looks bland and trying to be 'festive' Before Covid it would take hours to walk along Oxford St and the surrounding areas, every store in London would be decked with amazing Christmas window displays, every side street would have a Christmas market - I hope one day you will get to experience a real British Christmas. Happy New Year to you and yours. x
The walk was only indicative, it didnt cover Liberties or Carnably Street, Slone Square, Harrods , Piccadilly down to Fortnums, Cheapside in the city , Strand (though no cross stringing there), Charing Cross Road or Soho/Chinatown.
Though I live in the UK, I'm as clueless as you but it was brilliant to take a stroll down the Old City at the festive season, You know when your a true Treky through and through if you cheer at the toys in window displays ❄️✨
For a not (Very) Christmas one, look at John Rodgers most recent london walk - St Clement Danes To St Brides loads of history in a little less than a mile of the extended city outwith the original city gates
A regent is a person appointed to administer a state because the monarch is a minor or is absent or incapacitated. Regent Street is a major shopping street in the West End of London. It is named after George, the Prince Regent (later George IV) and was laid out under the direction of the architect John Nash and James Burton.
Balbals are large spherical ornaments that adorn Christmas trees. Covent Garden is formally an apple Market on Central West London. It houses the Royal Opera house and the London Transport Museum. Covent Garden is on different levels because it actually was used as a burial ground for the Bubonic Plague victims of the black death in the 1340s when the plague first hit the UK. Covent Garden is now a shopping area that has a flea market all yr round in the old Apple Market and it holds a great Christmas Market each year too also a lot of places around Covent gdn at Christmas sell mulled wine and hot roasted sweet chestnuts. Leicester Square is in the district of Soho London along with Piccadilly Circus his area is a must at Christmas because of the lights along with Oxford Circus and New Bond street which is the major shopping areas of London but be warned this area of London is very very expensive to buy your Christmas gifts it's a bit like Rodeo Drive in Beverly hills Regent Street doesn't really have a link with the police but this whole area has its own dedicated Police force who's actual base or police station is in Oxford Street itself Hamley's is the traditional go to toy shop in London's west end. The zigzag lines are to do with something we in the UK call Zebra crossings or Pelican crossings they earn drivers that there is a designated crossing ahead and drivers mustn't overtake or park in the zigzag lines The reason for the street patterns of London and other cities in the UK is because they weren't built for modern life they've sort of evolved over the centuries with all the old buildings some of which have preservation orders on them so can't be demolished so the cities just have to adapt to modern life
Merry Christmas, SoGal! 20:57 Those are Selfridges' windows, not John Lewis. When I was a student I lived on Oxford Street, in a flat directly opposite Selfridges, and their Christmas window displays were always very imaginative.
Selfridges is an expensive designer store that sells all different high end brands, from clothes to fragrances, shoes, accessories, technology and so on. Also that Christmas fair in Leicester Square is usually there every year, however due to covid it wasn't there for a couple years I believe.
Covent Garden (originally Convent Garden) is in central London and was formerly the main distribution centre for fruit and vegetables. By the 1970s, traffic made that impractical so the fruit market was moved out of London. There was a move to knock down the old market but there was a big public outcry and the area was protected. The area is now full of craft shops, cafes, pubs, and small shops. The Royal Opera House is in Covent Garden.
Hello SoGal and Roger. Before this I watched the Queen's speech. My friend I mentioned on Prince Philip video used to be in the police. He said met a former colleague by chance, who he found had transferred to Metropolitan Police, on Regent Street when he was on a mini break in London. I found a connection, but rather tenuous? Are you vibing with London so much you are psychic? I was more familiar with London years ago and although there was money then, it has gone very up market in this area on screen.
The Regent was the person acting on behalf of the monarch if they were incapable. In this case it was named after the Prince Regent when his dad (George III) was having a bout of madness.
used to be a great tea shop in Covent Garden..not sure it will still be there...last time I was there was like nearly 20 years ago. But they had a great selection of teas.....Got some "Monkey Picked China Oolong".....so good!.
The Whole of Regents Street is part of the Crown Estates Regents Street was built as a processional route from his London home Carlton House (demolished on his accession to the Throne ) to his recreational Park (Regents Park ) He became George 4th.
@@highpath4776 The ICA In Carlton Terrace on the Mall is still going but I don't know if its open at the moment due tothe restrictions?? Carlton Terrace is all that remains of the Prince Regents House the rest was demolished when he Aceeded the Throne
I'm old enough to remember the Oxford Street Christmas lights fiasco of 1978. They decided to go all out high-tech with lasers scanning back and forth reflecting off mirrors placed on buildings. Should have been really impressive, especially for 1978. Immediate public outcry because, as everyone knows, lasers = death-rays ☠️😱. Ended up with a couple of pathetic static beams and the next year back to regular old reindeer lights.
My Dad used to take me to Hamleys every Christmas, it used to be the best Santa's Grotto in London. It's kind of lost some of it's magic over the years. But still worth a visit. There's basically two chain store toy shops over here and Hamleys. Most toys seem to come from out of town large supermarkets these days I guess.
The Entertainer does its own thing, ELC is a bit specialist, Fenwicks department stores have moderate sized toy departments as does Harrods, the smaller retailers trade under the Toymaster banner, some of the discount shops (Home Bargains, Poundland B&M run a variety of toys mostly made in China aimed at the US market and we get overspill), otherwise its the Argos catelogue
if you came to London at Christmas, would you kiss me under the mistletoe or under the baubles (you either get the joke or not) lol. it would be worth you looking at the Blackpool illuminations too. most major city's in England have a Christmas/German Market. they tend to sell German food and drink, Christmas tree decorations, tin or wooden toys/trainsets and other traditional German fair. lets face it, Germany invented the majority of the things we associate with Christmas.
Absolutely fantastic video! Missing London (and England) so much right now. New York looked almost barren this year by comparison. Anyway, have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy, Healthy, New Year!
15:48, if you're ever in London coming up to Christmas, it's the law (ok, it's tradition) that you go into Hamley's Toy Store on Regent Street. 8 Floors (I think) of toys and games. Even if you don't have kids, you really should visit.
I did some of the last Harvest shopping in Covent Garden Market early one Friday Morning, before the wholesale market moved to Nine Elms as New Covent Garden Market. While the fight to re-make Covent Garden as a tourist/shopping area was not straightforward I still prefer the Jubillee Market and Hall, and I have photos I took of Princess Anne opening the London Transport Musuem situated in the former Flower Market Hall. Nearby Bow Street ( one time police station and cells ) and Long Acre , are some of my favourite short walks - they avoid the crowd that Covent Garden itself Creates.
Hi Sarah , zigzag lines are no parking area's on either side of pedestrian crossings to allow an unobstructed view for drivers approaching . Merry Christmas .🇬🇧
You're probably thinking of Bow Street Runners formed in 1749as the first organized Police force before Sir Robert Peel formed the Metropolitan Police were formed in 1829 and still going today.
Hey glad you liked my home city and it’s Christmas lights. Regent St has nothing to do with the police it’s a major shopping thoroughfare going from norths to south whilst Oxford St goes from west to east. Oxford St is famous for its flagship department stores and is a mile long in length it also has 4 tube stations on it whilst Regent St has smaller but more expensive stores and a must see is Liberty’s of London. Hamlyes is one of the largest toy store in the world and probably the oldest dating back to 1700s. Off Oxford St is Bond St one of the most expensive streets in the world full of high end stores. Covent Garden is not a Mall as you associate with but an old fruit, vegetables and flower market dating back to early 1600s. It closed in the 1970s and converted into an extremely popular shopping district and entertainment. Both Oxford St and Regent Sts are the busiest shopping streets in Europe.
I was expecting the open top bus tour that covers regent street and oxford street. ( there are also normal daytime open top bus tours and a london by night evening tour done by different companies). For an ordinary bus fare the 88 bus route and the 14 are probably the best for now.
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Great to see this year's London lights, thanks ... hope you're all having a wonderful Christmas ... when is your next box opening ? ☺ there's a Christmas present waiting for you !! 🎅
Covent Garden was the main fruit and vegetable wholesale market for London. Has moved to Nine Elms for easier road links. Renamed New Covent Garden. The original now a shopping area still has market stalls. With different products on different days.
Hamleys is the biggest toy store in the world. It has 54,000 sq, feet spread over 7 floors.
The lights are not government local or national. They are funded and organised by the local shops in the area.
fun fact: Selfridges doesn't sell fridges.
@@jeanlongsden1696 funner fact, Selfridges has just been sold.
Hamleys is not just a toy store - it is the largest in the world!
The lights are put up by the Retailers Association so nothing to do with the government, either local or national.
Merry Christmas
Is it not a mix of the New West End Company , some of the landowners (Grosvenor Estates and Crown Estates own quite a lot of freeholds and tenures), with a bit of City of Westminster encouragement - but never money ! The Corporation of London does some of its own thing in a more subdued way along Cheapside
18:00 The 'crooked' lines mark the approach to and exit from a pedestrian crossing. Parking is prohibited on these and you're not allowed to overtake the leading vehicle when approaching the crossing
I don't drive - don't know anything about surface road signs - and I was going to look it up on google, then you gave me the answer. So thanks for that, and Happy New Year! Robert, UK.
@@2eleven48 Glad to help. Even if you don't drive, as a pedestrian you're a road user and knowing the rules the drivers are supposed to be observing can make you safer.
@@Macilmoyle ....Somehow I've lived for 73 years and survived until now....oops! just almost got run over! Damn, didn't see the zig-zag lines! Oh well, you live and you learn. Thank you. Happy New Year. Robert, UK.
The history of Covent Garden goes back about 1500 years, sometimes settled, sometimes not... but by 1200 it had been walled off by the Abbot of Westminster Abbey as a garden for use by the clergy and nuns so it was called "Convent Garden". After Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries, the area was used for houses - built by Inigo Jones, a famous English architect. By the mid-1600s the area included a fruit and vegetable market but then the area fell into disrepute. In the early 1800s the area was re-developed and the market was restored, selling fruit, vegetables, and flowers. It became the main wholesale market for that produce in England. At some point the first 'n' was dropped and it became known as Covent Garden.
During the 1960s and 70s, traffic in central London was so bad that "the Garden" could no longer function as a national distribution centre, particularly for fresh produce, so the market was moved to a new site. The old market buildings were converted to a shopping centre in the 1980s. Opposite the Market there is Covent Garden Opera House, home to the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet.
London is an ancient city but much of it was burned down in the Great Fire of 1666 and had to be rebuilt. Another major building programme was needed after WWII when a quarter of London's buildings were destroyed by bombing. However, although both sets of rebuilding allowed for an element of planning, many roads followed the ancient routes and as a result much of London is not based on straight roads and/or the block system - roads bend, there are lots of smaller roads and alleyways cutting through, and turning left, left, and left again will not necessarily bring you back to where you started, unlike most American cities which were mapped out with a ruler.
Covent Garden is also the location for the opening of "My Fair Lady". Eliza Doolittle is a Flower Seller at Covent Garden. Professor Higgins is attending the performance at the Royal Opera House. This is where they first encounter each other.
Fun fact: apparently after the Great Fire in 1666, the great and the good all got together in a building to decide that they'd rebuild London according to a grid pattern as later used in the US...and then came out to find all the annoyed Londoners had used stakes and bits of string to stake out where their burnt homes had stood so all the roads would be rebuilt where they'd started!
@@BlameThande I had not realised that Queen Victoria Street was a new build, demolishing a number of small buildings and churches when constructed. The other main later new road was Kingsway, which took away some of the rookieries that were in that area - it is said that Seven Dials area was also flattened but I think that still exists as a street plan but not all of the older buildings escaped the city planners.
The street you may be thinking of, regarding the police, is Bow Street. This is where the first police operated from - they were called the 'Bow Street Runners'. It's in Covent Garden. x
Those “crooked lines” indicate the approach to a pedestrian crossing and also mean no stopping, parking or overtaking in that marked zone.
Sarah: See also the musical Kismet (1953) - Baubles, bangles and beads
John Lewis is a department store, it was the shop with the cascading lights. They are more well known for their Christmas television adverts which are always very good. The main window displays seen were of Selfridges, it was founded in 1908 by an American Harry Gordon Selfridge, it the second largest store in the UK after Harrods and a television series called Mr Selfridge was made based on his life which you may find interesting to review when some of the current series come to an end. Mr Selfridge is played by an American so the accent should be good.
I cannot say Oxford Street is losing its character now anymore than in the past, but the changes have lost us a few of the 1950s buildings and a few of the larger retailers now Debenhams and House of Fraser have reduced or ceased high street trading, But then again I still miss Derry and Toms over at Kensington High Street.
Every town and city in the UK has a German Christmas market. This 'tradition' started about 20 years ago as I remember.
German themed market probably.....Birmingham has an authentic German market(run by Frankfurt- Birmingham's twin city in Germany) and is the largest German market outside Germany and 4th largest in the world and has been running since 1997
zalig Kerstfeest en een gelukkig nieuwjaar from The Netherlands.
Hartelijk bedankt. Jij ook.
Hi, Sarah, I hope you are enjoying Christmas. That was interesting. Baubles are defined as small, usually spherical ornaments made from coloured or decorated material and hung from the branches of a Christmas Tree.
I absolutely love covent garden its a nice understated chic part of town. Apart from the annoying Street theatre who get in your face. Lots of veggie and vegan cafés. Very tasteful. baubles are kind of glazed, mirrored decor you hang on the tree.
The zig zag lines on the edge of the road are telling you that parking and overtaking are strictly prohibited.
Only on the approach to a crossing. Elsewhere it'd be double yellow/red lines or signs for no parking and solid center line for no overtaking.
Hamleys is a toy store, it started 1760 and moved to its present site in Regent Street in 1881. The Regent Street Store covers 7 storeys and is reputed to sell over 50000 different lines of toys.
Hamleys is older than American from the founding fathers signing the declaration in 1776 🙂
Love ❤️ Hamleys!! Whenever I visit London, no trip is complete without stopping at my favorite toy store In.The.World! (And always leaving with a lot less cash😅)
Baubles = "light, brightly coloured glass balls or other decorations hung on a Christmas tree". Zig-zag lines along the side of the road - no stopping as it classed as dangerous (usually either side of pedestrian crossings) - the ticket is expensive, but the real cost is 3 points on you licence (12 points is a ban). Merry Christmas from London!
Selfridges - one of the world's first department stores - founded by an American prior to WW1. Now four stores in UK - just been sold for large amounts of money to a Thai-Austrian consortium
Hamleys isn't just a traditional toy store it has 6 floors and a basement, it's the largest toy store in the world which does include everytype of electrical gadgets to wooden toys, it's ridiculously huge and as a child, going to hamleys was just part of Christmas tradition in England.
Don’t forget to watch the Queen’s Christmas Speech if you can!!
The one tree not featured here is the tree in Trafalgar Square. It’s about 85ft high and decorated with the lights hung vertically. The tree is an annual gift from Norway to the UK. It is selected years in advance, then cut down amid much celebration on a televised tree felling service in Norway. The tree is then shipped to the UK as a thank you for all the help the UK provided Norway in WW2. The tree is then decorated with the lights hanging vertically, as is the traditional way to decorate trees in Norway. The tree is symbolic of our friendship and partnership with Norway and gratefully received. Though, it does sometimes fall victim to mockery by those not understanding or appreciating it’s significance!
At least the abysmal Trafalgar Square tree this year was not shown, it suffered during its shipping from Norway and arrived a bit threadbare. It is a gift from the Norwegian Government annually in recognition of our support during WWII. Most of the main shopping streets in Central London are now partly pedestrianised, hence the narrow traffic lanes, with most of London now an ULEZ, unless one has an EV the cost of driving in London is an expensive burden.
Hamley's is a world famous toy store about 150 years old. Selfridge & Co is London's first ever department store dating back to 1900 or so, founded by an American.
He missed out Mayfair's lights, Green Park and the lovely Fortnum & Mason Christmas window displays and he missed iconic Carnaby Street.
The white zigzag lines are either side of pedestrian crossings ... parking & overtaking is not allowed in those areas
Its probably not wrong to associate the Christmas lights with a shopping mall as all these roads with lights are the main oldest shopping districts in London. Its my experience that towns and cities that put up lights like these put them up around the shopping districts as typically its paid for by the local businesses to attract shoppers.
New Bond Street and effectively Piccadilly (Burlington Arcade etc) were specifically built as shopping places, others have just sort of arisen.
An excellent series of Christmas videos keep them coming if you have time.Happy Christmas,
Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former ...
Merry Christmas!
Covent garden is a part of London dedicated to being a open Market (Open mall). Normally this time of year, it would be almost shoulder to shoulder with people.
Zig Zag lines indicate "strictly no parking or overtaking"... normally due to a junction, critical location or a pedestrian crossing.
Other than the lights, this part of London looks pretty much the same 24/7 365 days a year... just it's normally busier.
He missed the Christmas Tree in Trafalgar Square. It's donated by the government of Norway for Britain's support in WWII
Last years tree was a touch on the thin side. Normally they do a sound job.
Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you and your family loved all your reactions from across the pond in the UK
Have you watched a Queen's speech yet? Highly recommend as a Christmas reaction!
Regents street was built in the time of the Regency and its Neo Classical architecture. A lot of the buildings are in that period in the centre of London.
The crooked lines are called zig zag lines ,they are either side of a pedestrian crossing, vehicles are not allowed to park on them or overtake also pedestrians are not allowed to cross on them although I don't think most pedestrians know that.
I spent a lot of time in the London and DC when I was an executive of Qantas, they celebrate Christmas very differently to us in the Southern Hemisphere, our Christmas was celebrated with prawns, ham, turkey, cheese, pavlova.
the checked lines are a road marking usually by schools, traffic lights, it means no parking at anytime
The word was 'baubles' and is any showy decoration hung up for display. Covent Garden was the site of the extremely large fruit, vegetable and flowers market which serviced London and the south east of England. When the traders moved the market to modern facilities out of the city with its excessive traffic problems, the old existing buildings were revamped into the large shopping and entertainment complex you saw in this video. A must visit if you ever come to London. Regent street, Oxford street and Bond street are the primary shopping streets of London where almost all the most famous departement stores, jewelers, tailors and fashion icons have outlets.
It has rather a deoggerative term as in the Puritans believed "baubles" were not necessary to worship God
During what was called the little ice age frost fairs where held on the river Thames in London when it froze solid
The zig zag lines in the road normally indicate an area either side of a pedestrian crossing. Traffic can not park or overtake within the zig zags and pedestrians should not cross the road within zig zags.
Baubles are round tree ornaments, decorations, trinkets, tchotchkes, etc. You know, the kind of things you see at Christmas time. 😁 Merry Christmas and happy new year everyone!
Regent Street (completed in 1825) is a major shopping street in the West End of London & one of the world's most prestigious lifestyle destinations, famous for flagship stores / international brands as well as fine dining ... equivalent to Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills
Bond Street,and New Bond street are most like Rodeo Drive.All the most expensive shops are on those roads.Like Chanel,YSL,Gucci,Valentino and a large Ralph Lauren shop
Having once been a regular visitor to London, I haven't been there for many years. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool country hick now, so this was quite an education for me.
The crooked lines are on either side of Zebra crossings - you can’t park on them, to keep sight lines open so drivers can see pedestrians crossing in the Zebra.
A grey Christmas day here today but his wander brought back memories of meeting with a friend there on Wednesday . A bit cool now for sitting down outside, but a pub off Covent Garden was a pleasant spot to have a couple of beers. Covent Garden isn’t a mall but a small district. An entertainment hub for shopping, theatre, restaurants, bars and culture, such as the Royal Opera House. The undercover part shown with mistletoe lights and big Christmas tree outside is a former fruit and veg. market.
The zigzag lines are just the standard way of marking either side of a pedestrian crossing. They also signify that you shouldn’t park or overtake on them for obvious reasons.
You may unconsciously associate Regent Street with the police, because in normal pre covid times, the police have to police with megaphones every pedestrian crossing to allow the normal traffic to flow. Because it gets so busy that the traffic is halted for literally hours. We have a ruLE where traffic must legally give way to pedestrians. When a pedestrian steps into the road approaching vehicles must give way.
Baubles are spherical Christmas tree decorations, usually made of thing glass and lacquered, as you see. Covent Garden was London's main fruit market until the early 1980s, when it was moved to a new site in the suburbs. The building was then refurbished and used as a shopping, eating and entertainments centre - one of the first such centres of its kind in the UK. Regent Street refers to the Prince Regent, who deputised for his father, King George III during his periods of incapacity (1811-1820, after which he ruled as King George IV until 1830). Much of the architecture in film also dates from that period. Zig-zag warning lines appear on roads either side of a pedestrian crossing, in the UK.
Just to confuse you more, as a child we referred to "christmas baubles" as wessel cups in Leeds, Yorkshire, presumably for the old word Wassail.
wow, really old usage, forgot that
Covent Garden was the fruit and vegetable market in London (I think it started around 300 years ago?), if you've ever seen the movie My Fair Lady, that was where Eliza Dollittle was found. The market moved, so, around 1980, the area became a shopping area, with mostly arts and crafts, but increasingly more tourist focused. Its also really close to a lot of theatres, so popular for the local bars and restaurants for before or after show refreshments!
Fruit and Flower Market, the vegetable market was Borough Market. Covent Garden only started wholesale veg when Borough was being run down as an wholesale market.
@@tonys1636 - thanks for that! Thought I was mixing fact with myth, but knew the buildings pre-dated the shopping mall look and fame it has now!
As someone in my 70's and a London child I so remember Covent Garden as a busy fruit and flower 🌼 🌸 market .
@@michaelmelbourne6688 I felt sorry for the Head Chefs of London Hotels and Restaurants scuttling between Smithfield, Billingsgate, Borough and Covent Garden in the early mornings. At least they had Sunday's and Monday's away from doing it. I had only two to visit, Billingsgate and Borough.
Regents street is named after the Prince Regent as most of the buildings were built and planned out in the Regency period. George the 3rd went mad so his son was made the prince regent who handled the role of king but could not be called a King until after his father died.
Yes, Baubles, as in the much recorded song "Bangles, Baubles and Beads" from the Broadway show "Kismet" later made into a great film (1955).
ruclips.net/video/xc0mL1ro0W4/видео.html
A lot of London streets have had pavements (sidewalks) widened for pedestrians as taking a car into central London is crazy expensive with a congestion charge of roughly $22 a day, emission charge also for older vehicles of an additional $22 and finally parking for the day can run to $100 plus! Hence why most people use public transport!
A lot of London streets are curved as they go back so far a horse and cart was all that was on the 'roads' at the time!
In the time when King George IV was the Prince Regent this street was part of a processional route built from Regents Park through London to the Prince Regents home but as he became King it ended up in a square that was nowhere as he moved into Buckingham Palace instead. Built early 1800s.
Covent Garden was built on the site of a covent (where nuns live). The market building was built for fruit, vegetables and flowers and was closed in the 1970s.
It appears in many films when trading and supplied London with all it's goods as did the original Billingsgate fish market when it was near the Monument to the fire of London until the 1980s and Smithfield Market which was the butcher's/meat market for London until recently and where traitors where hung, drawn and quartered throughout history including William Wallace, but sadly not Mel Gibson for his inaccurate film. These markets were also wholesale markets for the rest of the country until the late 1960s and into the 1970s.
Regent Street was started in 1819 under the direction of architect John Nash, it was named after the Prince Regent. I can find no particular connection to the police. Again if you ever visit London its well worth a look.
So Gal was either thinking of Scotland Yard or Bow Street (Bow and Regent both being on the monopoly board)
Covent Garden is in the West End just north of the Thames, it is an area of entertainment, shops and places to eat and also home to the Royal Opera House, if you ever visit London its worth a look.
Hi Sarah. Merry Christmas and A' the best for 2022!
Not far from Oxford Street is Trafalgar Square with Nelson’s Column. In the square is a big Norwegian Spruce, a gift from the Government of Norway in thanks for helping them get their country back from the Germans in WWII. The governments of many European countries and especially the royal families of Norway, Netherlands became exiled here for the duration.
I'm a little surprised he didn’t walk on to Harrods because, perhaps one of London’s most renown shops, usually have excellent light shows.
I should have added, Outside London is one of the worlds leading botanical gardens. This is Royal Botanic Gardens. Kew. There they have a fantastic light show and Christmas market. There are some clips on You Tube.
Its a darned long walk from Marble Arch to Harrods Via Hyde Park Corner - done it and if it is after doing Covent Garden to Oxford Circus then along Oxford Street and detour down Bond the old plates get knackered,
Nice to see some good xmas content, just waiting for the ads 2nd part and eagerly await the panto you teased about in another vid. Merry Xmas!
I'm actually undewhelmed by these lights, most cities/towns and even some villages across the UK have their own Christmas decorations. Norway has gifted a Christmas tree to the UK every year since WW2 as a thank you and it is placed in Trafalga Square.
I suppose a familarity breeds contempt. Regent Street has always tended to use white lights where the pattern is often a tie in to a film or other commercial sponser. looks like bond street has gone blue LED mad. While I got my annual trip to Hamleys in (but did not buy anything - must do the new year sales though), I always like looking out for other local high street displays around the country, but with covid and other care duties not out and about so much.
Covent Garden was once the very centre for Fruit and Vegetables in London. See the film Oliver Twist by Lionel Bart it's the set of the market scene in "who will buy" song Norway had a tradition of sending a Christmas tree every year to London for appreciation of their liberty I think it was after the war.
As a Brit, comparing my last visit to London in 2018 to this video 2021 I can honestly say that It isn't a true representation of London at Christmas. London in 2021 looks bland and trying to be 'festive' Before Covid it would take hours to walk along Oxford St and the surrounding areas, every store in London would be decked with amazing Christmas window displays, every side street would have a Christmas market - I hope one day you will get to experience a real British Christmas. Happy New Year to you and yours. x
The walk was only indicative, it didnt cover Liberties or Carnably Street, Slone Square, Harrods , Piccadilly down to Fortnums, Cheapside in the city , Strand (though no cross stringing there), Charing Cross Road or Soho/Chinatown.
Random naked Christmas trees should not be allowed anywhere ! ... unless they are still rooted to the ground where they are growing
London is still the greatest city in the world
Though I live in the UK, I'm as clueless as you but it was brilliant to take a stroll down the Old City at the festive season,
You know when your a true Treky through and through if you cheer at the toys in window displays ❄️✨
Happy Christmas Sarah xx I think a lot of the buildings in Regents St are Georgian, stemming from the Prince Regent ? George 1V .
For a not (Very) Christmas one, look at John Rodgers most recent london walk - St Clement Danes To St Brides loads of history in a little less than a mile of the extended city outwith the original city gates
A regent is a person appointed to administer a state because the monarch is a minor or is absent or incapacitated. Regent Street is a major shopping street in the West End of London. It is named after George, the Prince Regent (later George IV) and was laid out under the direction of the architect John Nash and James Burton.
Balbals are large spherical ornaments that adorn Christmas trees. Covent Garden is formally an apple Market on Central West London. It houses the Royal Opera house and the London Transport Museum. Covent Garden is on different levels because it actually was used as a burial ground for the Bubonic Plague victims of the black death in the 1340s when the plague first hit the UK. Covent Garden is now a shopping area that has a flea market all yr round in the old Apple Market and it holds a great Christmas Market each year too also a lot of places around Covent gdn at Christmas sell mulled wine and hot roasted sweet chestnuts.
Leicester Square is in the district of Soho London along with Piccadilly Circus his area is a must at Christmas because of the lights along with Oxford Circus and New Bond street which is the major shopping areas of London but be warned this area of London is very very expensive to buy your Christmas gifts it's a bit like Rodeo Drive in Beverly hills
Regent Street doesn't really have a link with the police but this whole area has its own dedicated Police force who's actual base or police station is in Oxford Street itself
Hamley's is the traditional go to toy shop in London's west end.
The zigzag lines are to do with something we in the UK call Zebra crossings or Pelican crossings they earn drivers that there is a designated crossing ahead and drivers mustn't overtake or park in the zigzag lines
The reason for the street patterns of London and other cities in the UK is because they weren't built for modern life they've sort of evolved over the centuries with all the old buildings some of which have preservation orders on them so can't be demolished so the cities just have to adapt to modern life
...and it's spelled "baubles". =:o}
@@therealpbristow
Thank you I wasn't sure
Selfridges displays have always been different, it was run as an attraction as much as a shop
Merry Christmas, SoGal!
20:57 Those are Selfridges' windows, not John Lewis. When I was a student I lived on Oxford Street, in a flat directly opposite Selfridges, and their Christmas window displays were always very imaginative.
Merry Christmas @SoGal hope you had a great day
the zigzag lines indicate no parking because of the pedestrian crossing
A lot of the streets in central London have been either pedestrianised, or prioritised for pedestrians. :)
Selfridges is an expensive designer store that sells all different high end brands, from clothes to fragrances, shoes, accessories, technology and so on.
Also that Christmas fair in Leicester Square is usually there every year, however due to covid it wasn't there for a couple years I believe.
Love London at Christmas time 💕
My little village (in the UK) has good decorations this year.
those zig zag lines meen no stopping,it means your next to a pedestrians crossing and no car can stop there.
Covent Garden (originally Convent Garden) is in central London and was formerly the main distribution centre for fruit and vegetables. By the 1970s, traffic made that impractical so the fruit market was moved out of London. There was a move to knock down the old market but there was a big public outcry and the area was protected. The area is now full of craft shops, cafes, pubs, and small shops. The Royal Opera House is in Covent Garden.
Hello SoGal and Roger. Before this I watched the Queen's speech. My friend I mentioned on Prince Philip video used to be in the police. He said met a former colleague by chance, who he found had transferred to Metropolitan Police, on Regent Street when he was on a mini break in London.
I found a connection, but rather tenuous? Are you vibing with London so much you are psychic?
I was more familiar with London years ago and although there was money then, it has gone very up market in this area on screen.
The Regent was the person acting on behalf of the monarch if they were incapable. In this case it was named after the Prince Regent when his dad (George III) was having a bout of madness.
I've never been to London during Christmas but a lot of other cities and towns in the UK look pretty similar to this over the holidays
That dog is so adorable.
used to be a great tea shop in Covent Garden..not sure it will still be there...last time I was there was like nearly 20 years ago. But they had a great selection of teas.....Got some "Monkey Picked China Oolong".....so good!.
The Whole of Regents Street is part of the Crown Estates Regents Street was built as a processional route from his London home Carlton House (demolished on his accession to the Throne ) to his recreational Park (Regents Park ) He became George 4th.
Is Carlton House Gallery still standing ?
@@highpath4776 The ICA In Carlton Terrace on the Mall is still going but I don't know if its open at the moment due tothe restrictions?? Carlton Terrace is all that remains of the Prince Regents House the rest was demolished when he Aceeded the Throne
I'm old enough to remember the Oxford Street Christmas lights fiasco of 1978. They decided to go all out high-tech with lasers scanning back and forth reflecting off mirrors placed on buildings. Should have been really impressive, especially for 1978. Immediate public outcry because, as everyone knows, lasers = death-rays ☠️😱. Ended up with a couple of pathetic static beams and the next year back to regular old reindeer lights.
Lol
@@stephaneherringtoniowritin4986 Pic Circus not the same without the warm neon,
"to me the city looks like a mall or Disney Land" where do you think they got the idea!!!!!! LOLOLOLOL!!!!
Merry Christmas to one & all.
My Dad used to take me to Hamleys every Christmas, it used to be the best Santa's Grotto in London. It's kind of lost some of it's magic over the years. But still worth a visit. There's basically two chain store toy shops over here and Hamleys. Most toys seem to come from out of town large supermarkets these days I guess.
The Entertainer does its own thing, ELC is a bit specialist, Fenwicks department stores have moderate sized toy departments as does Harrods, the smaller retailers trade under the Toymaster banner, some of the discount shops (Home Bargains, Poundland B&M run a variety of toys mostly made in China aimed at the US market and we get overspill), otherwise its the Argos catelogue
if you came to London at Christmas, would you kiss me under the mistletoe or under the baubles (you either get the joke or not) lol.
it would be worth you looking at the Blackpool illuminations too.
most major city's in England have a Christmas/German Market. they tend to sell German food and drink, Christmas tree decorations, tin or wooden toys/trainsets and other traditional German fair. lets face it, Germany invented the majority of the things we associate with Christmas.
Absolutely fantastic video! Missing London (and England) so much right now. New York looked almost barren this year by comparison.
Anyway, have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy, Healthy, New Year!
15:48, if you're ever in London coming up to Christmas, it's the law (ok, it's tradition) that you go into Hamley's Toy Store on Regent Street. 8 Floors (I think) of toys and games. Even if you don't have kids, you really should visit.
just bring along your seven-year-old self to look at all the toys. that is what I do
Did he miss out Fortnum and Mason's iconic xmas windows, and Carnaby street? He's a little light on the lights!
Merry Christmas and God bless America
I did some of the last Harvest shopping in Covent Garden Market early one Friday Morning, before the wholesale market moved to Nine Elms as New Covent Garden Market. While the fight to re-make Covent Garden as a tourist/shopping area was not straightforward I still prefer the Jubillee Market and Hall, and I have photos I took of Princess Anne opening the London Transport Musuem situated in the former Flower Market Hall. Nearby Bow Street ( one time police station and cells ) and Long Acre , are some of my favourite short walks - they avoid the crowd that Covent Garden itself Creates.
Hi Sarah , zigzag lines are no parking area's on either side of pedestrian crossings to allow an unobstructed view for drivers approaching . Merry Christmas .🇬🇧
You're probably thinking of Bow Street Runners formed in 1749as the first organized Police force before Sir Robert Peel formed the Metropolitan Police were formed in 1829 and still going today.
Curved buildings on the Crescent in Bath and Buxton has a Circular building
Scotland Yard is the home of the Metropolitan Police in London based in Westminster's Whitehall.
Hamley’s isn’t just any toy shop, it’s the oldest and largest one in the world!
Hey glad you liked my home city and it’s Christmas lights. Regent St has nothing to do with the police it’s a major shopping thoroughfare going from norths to south whilst Oxford St goes from west to east. Oxford St is famous for its flagship department stores and is a mile long in length it also has 4 tube stations on it whilst Regent St has smaller but more expensive stores and a must see is Liberty’s of London. Hamlyes is one of the largest toy store in the world and probably the oldest dating back to 1700s. Off Oxford St is Bond St one of the most expensive streets in the world full of high end stores.
Covent Garden is not a Mall as you associate with but an old fruit, vegetables and flower market dating back to early 1600s. It closed in the 1970s and converted into an extremely popular shopping district and entertainment. Both Oxford St and Regent Sts are the busiest shopping streets in Europe.
I was expecting the open top bus tour that covers regent street and oxford street. ( there are also normal daytime open top bus tours and a london by night evening tour done by different companies). For an ordinary bus fare the 88 bus route and the 14 are probably the best for now.
Merry Christmas !
Covent Garden was a Wholesale Marget but they movd it to another Area. BAUBLES are the Decorations.
All done by the local businesses & local town councils & trade charities (Round Tables,Lions,etc.) Nationwide throughout the UK.