Holborn Circus
Holborn Circus is a five-way junction at the western extreme of the City of London, specifically between Holborn (St Andrew) and its Hatton Garden (St Alban) part. Its main, east–west, route is the inchoate A40 road. It was designed by the engineer William Haywood and opened in 1867. The term "circus" describes how the frontages of the buildings facing curved round in a concave chamfer. These, in part replaced with glass and metal-clad buildings, remain well set back. The place was described in Charles Dickens' "Dictionary of London" (1879) as "perhaps... the finest piece of  street architecture in the City". Roads. High Holborn (part of the A40 road) links Holborn Circus to the West End. To the east, Holborn Viaduct leads into the City of London financial district. Charterhouse Street and London's jewellery trade district of Hatton Garden exit Holborn Circus to the north. The district of Clerkenwell is to the north-east. New Fetter Lane (the start of the A4 road) exits to the south, a few metres along which a brief lane, without motor vehicle access at its south end, leads towards Blackfriars, which changes name twice along its course. Layout changes . Holborn Circus was a frequent accident blackspot, topping a list of the worst such sites in 2012. In May 2012 funding was secured for a £4.4 million improvement project to the junction to reduce its high accident rate. Works included the relocation of the statue from the centre of the junction where it obstructed drivers' sight lines to a nearby position on High Holborn. The number of roads feeding into the junction was also reduced from six to five, with St Andrew Street now accessed from New Fetter Lane. Surrounding buildings. On one side lies the church of St  Andrew, Holborn, an ancient guild church that survived the Great Fire of London. However, the parochial authority decided to commission Christopher Wren to rebuild it. Although the nave was destroyed in the Blitz, the reconstruction was faithful to Wren's original. Many other buildings surrounding Holborn Circus were severely damaged during the Blitz. After the Second World War, many were demolished. From 1961 to 1994 the modernist headquarters of the "Daily Mirror", designed by Sir Owen Williams and Anderson, Forster and Wilcox, were a prominent landmark overlooking the junction. The site is now occupied by the headquarters of the supermarket  Sainsbury's. Prince Albert statue. To the west of Holborn Circus there is an equestrian statue of Prince Albert by Charles Bacon (1874) which is the City of London's official monument to him. This bronze statue was originally sited in the middle of the circus and was moved in 2014 as part of improvement works to the junction. The statue features the prince consort in a field marshal's uniform raising his hat. The sculpture sits on an oblong plinth displaying plaques of Britannia, Albert and bronze figures representing commerce and peace. It was presented by Charles Oppenheim, of  the diamond trading company De Beers, whose headquarters is on nearby Charterhouse Street.