London Monopoly - Yellows - Free Tours by Foot London Monopoly – Yellows London Monopoly Although an American invention, Monopoly is a popular board game the world over. In the United Kingdom there are a number of Monopoly games available, but easily the most popular version is set in the capital: London. The majority of properties represented on the Monopoly board are still in existence today and can be visited by the general public. Visiting all the spaces on the Monopoly board is a relatively common experience that many Londoners turn into an evening out, taking part in what we call a ‘Monopoly Pub Crawl.’ But with or without the drink, a journey across London’s Monopoly Board is an interesting and unique way to visit London. From those who love to travel, to those who love the game, keep up with our trip around the Monopoly Board and experience London in an entirely new way!

Part 6 – Yellows The Yellows represent London’s West End and Theatre District, occupying spaces where great mansions would have stood in what was, centuries ago, the countryside Top Tourist Tip: Visit the Royal Academy on Piccadilly to see London’s first prototype design of the famous red telephone box, designed by Giles Gilbert Scott in 1926 [Located just inside the entrance gates] Leicester Square (£260) Named after the 2nd Earl of Leicester, who bought property here in 1630, Leicester Square is an entirely pedestrianised square in the centre of the West End. The Square has been a popular site for tourists since the 19th century when many hotels were built there. Today it holds a number of restaurants and movie theatres and plays host to world premiers of many films, such as both the Harry Potter and James Bond franchises. The square is also currently home to the MTV UK studios, as well as broadcasting centres for numerous radio stations including Capital FM, Classic FM, LBC, and Heart. Read our full post on Leicester Square .

THE MONOPOLY BOARD ° THE MONOPOLY BOARD Here are some mnemonic means of recalling the order/value of squares in a British Monopoly game (useful for pub quiz answers!): There are 40 squares (or 41 if JAIL+VISIT): 22-property, 4 x�200-stations, 2 x�150-utility, 3-CC, 3-CH, 2-TAX (�200-income/�100-super), 4-corner (GO!, JAIL/VISIT, PARK, GO-TO-JAIL) CChest/CHance occur alternately (in alpha). Utilities occur in alpha: (Electric then Water) Stations are (alpha)(St-alpha): (K's-X,Mar),(Fen/St,Liv/St) Sets 2-7 = �100-320 in �20 steps (1=2, 3=�20 up). Property sets 1 & 8 (brown/navy) are odd: Set 1 has only 2x�60 (ie. no 3rd at �80!).

Set 8 has only 2, but �350 and �400 (=twice Go!). Opposite Mayfair = Vine St =�200=half-way/value Most people only know the order of sets 1 & 8. The order within sets 2-7 can be recalled by: "AEP, PaWN, BMV, SFT2, L2CoP, ROB" (for key see chart below). Relative settings are also worth noting. For example, "Pentonville Rd" precedes Jail (ie. it's Pentonville-Jail)! "Strand" leads into "Fleet Street", just as in real life! Also note the proximity of TSq & LSq! And just as in the real West End of London, Leicester Square and Piccadilly are at opposite ends of Coventry Street.

Finally the utilities divide the 1st/2nd property of set 3 but the 2nd/3rd of set 6 (ie.WWks), while alternate "Community Chest" and "Chance" squares divide the 1st/2nd properties of sets 1-2 and 4-5 but the 2nd/3rd of set 7 (ie.CCh). For reference, the complete order of all 40 squares is: GO Day 27 (part 1) – Leicester Square – Chinatown – Shaftesbury Avenue – everystreetinlondon WordPress.com Day 27 (part 1) – Leicester Square – Chinatown – Shaftesbury Avenue Back again and into the heart of tourist London; running the gauntlet of the yellow properties on the Monopoly board – Leicester Square, Coventry Street and Piccadilly – along with the streets that make up the capital’s Chinatown. Starting point for today is Piccadilly Circus and as we head east along Coventry Street the first thing we pass is the massive London Trocadero complex, a site with a long and chequered history.

In the 1820’s and 30’s there were various attempts to establish a theatre here but by the mid century it was being mainly used as an exhibition space. It was then leased to a wine merchant by the name of Robert Bignell, who reconstructed the existing buildings into Assembly Rooms called the Argyll Subscription Rooms. Thirty years later the place had degenerated into a haunt of prostitutes and their clients and in 1878 was raided and then closed down by the police. Despite losing his license, Bignell was not one to let go lightly and four years later he managed to re-open the building as the Trocadero Palace music hall. Bignell died in 1888, the music hall failed to flourish in his wake and seven years later his daughter sold the building on a 99-year lease to J. Lyons & Co. who converted it into the Trocadero Restaurant. This was decorated in an opulent baroque style with murals on Arthurian themes alongside the grand staircase and a Long Bar which catered to gentlemen only. During World War I, the Trocadero initiated the first “concert tea” served in the Empire Hall and accompanied by a full concert programme.

The restaurant lasted right up until 1965 and after its demise the building played host variously to a dance hall, bowling alley and casino. Then in 1984, the Trocadero was redeveloped as a tourist-oriented entertainment, cinema and shopping complex; the largest in the UK at the time. Sadly for the owners, visitor numbers for attractions such as the Guinness World Records Exhibition and later the Segaworld arcade failed to match the scale of the ambition. By the mid-noughties the place was in a sorry state and, as you can see in the pictures below, most of it is now boarded up. In 2015 however the opening of a new Picturehouse cinema on the Shaftesbury Avenue side of the building at least provided signs of rejuvenation. Turn north up Rupert Street passing this elaborate roof-top embellishment about which I can find no information on whatsoever. Emerge on to Shaftesbury Avenue opposite the run of three theatres that we covered briefly in one of the Soho posts.

First of these, moving west to east, is the Lyric which opened in 1888 but retained the façade of the house built in 1766 by Dr William Hunter, an anatomist, partly as a home and partly as an anatomical theatre and museum. Amazingly, “Thriller Live”, the current production has been running since 2009 which means it could soon become the most successful show this theatre has ever hosted (takes all sorts I guess). Bang next door is the Apollo which opened three years later with an exterior designed in the Renaissance style. The four figures on the top of the facade were created by Frederick Thomas, of Gloucester and Cheltenham, for the Theatre’s opening and represent Poetry, Music, Comedy and Dance. In 2013 part of the auditorium ceiling collapsed during a performance of ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’ and nearly 80 people were injured. The Theatre was subsequently closed for investigation and repairs for over 3 months and by the time it reopened the National Theatre-spawned smash had moved to the Gielgud just a block down.

The Gielgud started life as the Hicks Theatre in 1906 but within three years had been renamed the Globe. It was renamed again in 1994 after the eponymous theatrical knight; partly in celebration of the renowned thespian (who still had six years to live at the time) but also to avoid any confusion with the newly opened Shakespearean Globe Theatre on the south bank. (For this information and most of the rest on the history of London theatres I am greatly indebted to ). Next we cut through Rupert Court to the lower end Wardour Street which marks the western boundary of Chinatown, No 41-43 is the home of the Wong Kei restaurant, renowned back in the day for the “alleged” rudeness of its waiting staff. This was said to only increase the popularity of the restaurant which is generally full but that probably has more to do with the reasonableness of their prices. You can’t expect both value for money and over-politeness.

The building is another designed in the baroque style (with added touches of Art Nouveau) and as the blue plaque attests was once owned by Willy Clarkson (1861 – 1934), theatrical costumier and perruquier (that’s wigmaker to you). Dansey Place is basically just a back alley that runs behind the restaurants on the north side of Gerrard Street and emerges into Macclesfield Street. Despite all the visits I’ve made to this area I’d never even noticed it before but it has a distinct dingy, unchanged for decades charm to it. Next we’re on to Gerrard Street itself which at mid-morning with a parade of white vans lined up making deliveries manages, if anything, to look slightly tackier than normal. Though I have to confess to a bit of a soft spot for its gaudy accoutrements. The part of London originally known as Chinatown was down in Limehouse in the East End and consisted of businesses that catered to Chinese sailors visiting the docks. It wasn’t until the Seventies following an influx of immigrants from Hong Kong and a growing taste for oriental cuisine that Gerrard Street and the surrounding area began to assume the name.

This slideshow requires JavaScript. Those two carved Chinese lions in the one of the slides above were donated by the People’s Republic of China and were unveiled by the Duke of Gloucester in 1985 at a formal naming ceremony (which coincided with the quatercentenary of the City of Westminster). Appropriately, given the Chinese fondness for gambling, they are now backdroppped by a Betfred bookmakers. There are a couple of atypical commemorative plaques on Gerrard Street. At no.37 is one to John Dryden (1631 – 1700), England’s first Poet Laureate. The phrase “blaze of glory” is believed to have originated in Dryden’s 1686 poem The Hind and the Panther (which celebrated his conversion to Catholicism), in that it refers to the throne of God as a “blaze of glory that forbids the sight.” (The portrait of Dryden above was taken in the National Portrait Gallery which will feature in the next post.) The second plaque is at no.37 in honour of the Anglo-Irish statesman Edmund Burke (1729 – 1979).

Burke, who was both a philosopher and politician, was supportive of American independence and Catholic emancipation but vehemently antipathetic to the French Revolution. Although a member of the Whigs he is widely touted as the “father of modern conservatism”. As noted in an earlier post, the original Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club was at no. 39. If you nip up Gerrard Place, at the western end of the street, you hit Shaftesbury Avenue opposite the Curzon Cinema which, to my mind, is one of the best in London. Its existence is under threat from the proposed Crossrail 2 (Gawd help us) and though the building it occupies the basement of is nothing to write home about, the cinema would be sorely missed. (So go on – sign the petition). Next we go south down Newport Place and veer left down the alleyway that is Newport Court. This brings us out onto Charing Cross Road where we turn right almost immediately back up Little Newport Street. The building on the corner that is now a branch of Pizza Express is Grade II listed and was once an outlet of the costumiers, Morris Angel & Son.

Pass round the back of the Hippodrome (more of that next time) and continue along Lisle Street which probably has a better selection of Chinese restaurants than its parallel neighbour. At the end we’re back out on Wardour Street opposite what used to be the Chuen Cheng Ku restaurant which served the best Dim Sum in Chinatown in bamboo baskets wheeled round on trolleys. Not sure what it is now and the splendid Dragon Pole is gone, in its place a plaque commemorating the building as the site where the Magic Circle was founded in 1905. Bizarrely a website for the restaurant still lives on as a ghostly reminder so you can see what’s been lost here . A couple of doors down no. 9 was once the residence of Benjamin Smart, a goldsmith and dealer in bullion, who wasn’t shy of advertising the fact as you can see. A left turn at the southern end of Wardour Street and Swiss Court takes you into Leicester Square and face-to-face with the Swiss Glockenspiel , a 10m high structure, with 27 bells, an automated musical clock with a procession of herdsmen and their animals ascending an alpine meadow.

This rather charmless confection was only erected here in 2011 in an attempt to replace the far more impressive glockenspiel and clock which in 1985 was installed on the front of the Swiss Centre that occupied the north-west corner of the square, from 1966 until its demolition in 2008. I don’t think I ever really understood the purpose of the Swiss Centre but its demise seems to be lamented by quite a few online commentators. In any event it was preferable to the building which has replaced it and incorporates yet another luxury hotel and M&M’s World which stretches to a mind-boggling four floors. About as necessary as another Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.(For people of a certain age – M&Ms are like an American version of Smarties). Leicester Street runs north from the square to Lisle Street emerging opposite no.5 which was designed by Frank T. Verity in 1897 in the early Renaissance style of northern Europe. The building was first occupied in 1900 by the French Club and subsequently by Pathé of France and Pathéscope Limited, film-makers.

From 1935 to 1989 it was the home of St. John’s Hospital for Diseases of the Skin. After that it became the aptly-named Crooked Surgeon pub until in 2007 it was (sigh) taken over by the owners of the ubiquitous Slug and Lettuce Chain. In the next block down on the square itself is the Empire Cinema and Casino. The current building is the third incarnation of the Empire Theatre to occupy this site. The first version opened in 1884 as a high-end variety theatre but within three years had repositioned itself as a popular music hall. That building was demolished in 1927 and the second Empire Theatre which opened a year later operated primarily as a cinema. After WW2 the theatre became known for its Cine-Variety programmes – a combination of film showings and live performances – and example of which you can see here . In 1959, the Empire installed 70mm projectors and a new screen in front of the proscenium to show Ben-Hur, which ran for 76 weeks.

Following this, in 1961, the Empire was closed for extensive internal reconstruction to a design by Architect George Coles. It reopened in 1962 with a new 1,330 seat auditorium in place of the circle and a Mecca Ballroom where the stalls used to be. The latter is now the Casino. The cinema today comprises 9 screens, one of which is an IMAX. Next door to the Empire is Queen’s House which was built in 1897 and opened as the Queen’s Hotel in 1899. In 1920 the socialist MP Victor Grayson vanished mysteriously after telling friends that he had to pay a quick visit to hotel. It was rumoured that the MP, who had made a number of enemies in high places, was killed to stop him revealing details of government corruption. In 1936 the building was remodelled to accommodate office space on the upper floors but today it is once again a hotel (wait for it) as part of the Premier Inn stable. It also plays host to yet another casino (Napoleon’s).

On that note it’s time to bring things to a conclusion but we’ll be back with more of Leicester Square in the next post. Until then here’s a reminder of what it’s really all about – foreign tourists and half-baked street performers. Leicester Square (incl. Leicester House), London, England Leicester Square (incl. Leicester House), London, England William Hogarth (1697 - 1764) William Hogarth (10 November 1697 – 26 October 1764) was an English painter, printmaker, pictorial satirist, social critic, and editorial cartoonist who has been credited with pioneering weste... history Leicester Square (incl. Leicester House), London, England Leicester Square Listeni/ˈlɛstər/ is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. It was laid out in 1670 and is named after the contemporary Leicester House, itself named after Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester . The square was originally a gentrified residential area, with notable tenants including Frederick, Prince of Wales and artists William Hogarth and Joshua Reynolds .

It became more down-market in the late 18th century as Leicester House was demolished and retail developments took place, becoming a centre for entertainment. Several major theatres were established in the 19th century, which eventually became converted to cinemas towards the mid-20th. Leicester Square holds a number of nationally important cinemas frequently used for film premières, including the Odeon Leicester Square, Empire, Leicester Square and Odeon West End, while the nearby Prince Charles Cinema is popular for showing cult films and marathon film runs. The square remains a popular tourist attraction, including hosting events for the Chinese New Year. The square has always had a park in its centre, which was originally Lammas land. The park's fortunes have varied over the centuries, reaching near dilapidation in the mid-19th, but it has since been restored. The square was extensively refurbished and remodelled for the 2012 London Olympics. Geography The square lies within an area bound by Lisle Street, to the north; Charing Cross Road, to the east; Orange Street, to the south; and Whitcomb Street, to the west.

The park at the centre of the Square is bound by Cranbourn Street, to the north; Leicester Street, to the east; Irving Street, to the south; and a section of road designated simply as Leicester Square, to the west. It is within the City of Westminster, and about equal distances north of Trafalgar Square, east of Piccadilly Circus, west of Covent Garden, and south of Cambridge Circus.[1] The nearest tube station is Leicester Square tube station, which opened in 1906.[2] London bus routes 24, 29 and 176 run on nearby Charing Cross Road.[3] History The land where Leicester Square now lies once belonged to the Abbot and Convent of Westminster Abbey and the Beaumont family. In 1536, Henry VIII took control of 3 acres (1.2 ha) of land around the square, with the remaining 4 acres (1.6 ha) being transferred to the king the following year.

The Square is named after Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester, who purchased this land in 1630.[4] By 1635, he had built himself a large house, Leicester House, at the northern end. The area in front of the house was then enclosed, depriving inhabitants of St Martin in the Fields parish of their right to use the previously common land. The parishioners appealed to King Charles I, and he appointed three members of the privy council to arbitrate. Lord Leicester was ordered to keep part of his land (thereafter known as Leicester Field and later as Leicester Square) open for the parishioners.[5] The square was laid out to the south of Leicester House and developed in the 1670s. The area was originally entirely residential, with properties laid out in a similar style to nearby Pall Mall.[4] In 1687, the northern part of the square became part of the new parish of St Anne, Soho. Leicester House was once the residence of Frederick, Prince of Wales[5] while the poet Matthew Prior lived at what is now No.

21 around 1700 and artist William Hogarth lived at No 30 between 1733 and 1764, where he produced some of his best known works including Gin Lane.[4] The magistrate Thomas de Veil, later to found Bow Street Magistrates' Court, lived at No 40 between 1729 and 1737; this location is now the Odeon West End.[6] The painter Joshua Reynolds lived at No 47 from 1760 until his death in 1792; this location is now Fanum House, once the Automobile Association head office.[4] Leicester House 1748 At the end of the 17th century, Lord Leicester's heir, Philip Sidney, 3rd Earl of Leicester, permitted a small amount of retail development in booths along the front of Leicester House.[4] A statue of King George I was built on the square in 1760 following the coronation of his grandson, George III.[7] The square remained fashionable throughout most of the 18th century, with notable residents including the architect James Stuart at No 35 from 1766 to 1

788 and the painter John Singleton Copley at No.

28 from 1776 to 1783.[6] Towards the end of the century, the square stopped becoming a desirable address and began to serve as a venue for popular entertainments.[5] Brothels started appearing around Leicester Square during the century, and visitors could pay to watch the severed heads of traitors executed at Temple Bar through a telescope.[8] Leicester House became home of a museum of natural curiosities called the Holophusikon in the 1780s.[5][9] It was demolished in 1791–72 due to rising debts following the extinction of the Leicester peerage, and replaced by Leicester Place. That in turn was converted into a church in 1865 and is now the site of the Prince Charles Cinema.[4] In 1790, a new Royal Opera House was proposed to be built in Leicester Square. The scheme was led by The Prince of Wales, Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford and James Cecil, 1st Marquess of Salisbury and aimed to re-establish London as a centre for Italian opera and ballet, with an opera house to rival those in mainland Europe.

The opera house was never built, as the royal patent, needed at that time to license a theatre, was refused.[10] The plans for the original design are preserved in Sir John Soane's Museum and a 1790 painting by William Hodges, showing the finished design, is part of the Museum of London's collection.[11] By the 19th century, Leicester Square was known as an entertainment venue, with many amusements peculiar to the era, including Wyld's Great Globe, which was built for The Great Exhibition of 1851 and housed a giant scale map of the Earth.[12] The construction of New Coventry Street made it easier for traffic to access the square, resulting in private residences being replaced by shops, museums and exhibition centres. Savile House, built in 1683, had become a museum by this time.[13] Several hotels were established around the square, making it popular with visitors to London. The Alhambra Theatre was built in 1854 on the east side of the square, dominating the site.

It temporarily closed two years later when the original owner, Edward Clarke, became bankrupt, but then reopened in 1858 as the Alhambra Palace. It enjoyed a surge in popularity after Queen Victoria and family came to see "Black Eagle – The Horse of Beauty". It burned down in 1882, but reopened the following year. Leicester Square 1880 In the early 20th century, the theatre became a popular venue for ballet. It was demolished in 1936 and replaced by the Odeon Cinema.[14] The Empire Theatre of Varieties opened in 1881 on the former site of Savile House, but had a troubled start, closing for a time, until the end of the decade. The theatre had a notorious reputation for high-class prostitutes frequenting the theatre, and in 1894 the London County Council ordered the promenade on the upper balcony to be remodelled. A young Winston Churchill, then a cadet at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, helped destroy canvas screens that had been erected to prevent access to the balcony.

The theatre closed in 1927, to be replaced by the Empire Cinema.[15] During the Winter of Discontent, where the incumbent Labour Party struggled to meet demands of trade unions and a shrinking economy, refuse collectors went on strike in January 1979.

Leicester Square was turned into a de facto dump, earning it the nickname of "Fester Square".[16] In the 1980s, the square was pedestrianised, cutting off all vehicular traffic.[17] Access to the square for goods and deliveries is now controlled by specially designated marshals.[18] By the start of the 21st century, Westminster City Council were concerned that the square was too dangerous at night, and wanted to demolish sections of it to accommodate more cafes, theatres and cinemas, and less nightclubs.[19] In 2010, a major redevelopment of Leicester Square took place as part of a Great Outdoors scheme proposed by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.[20] The improvements included 12,000 square metres of granite paving and a water feature surrounding the Shakespeare statue.[21] The square re-opened in May 2012 after 17 months' work at a total cost of £15.3 million.

The Greater London Authority said the refurbishments would accommodate more than 1,000 new jobs.[20] The re-opening coincided with the 2012 Summer Olympics later that year.[21] Features Gardens square In the middle of the Square is a small park. This was originally Lammas land that was available for common use on Lammas Day (12 August) for washing clothes and herding cattle. The Earl of Leicester was obliged to preserve these grounds, which were separated from the rest of the square with railings. In 1808, the garden was sold by the Leicester Estate into private ownership and subsequently deteriorated to the point of severe dilapidation by the mid-19th century.[6] In 1848, the land was subject to the significant legal case of Tulk v Moxhay. The plot's previous owner had agreed upon a covenant not to erect buildings but the law would not allow buyers who were not "privy" to the initial contract to be bound by subsequent promises. The judge, Lord Cottenham, decided that future owners could be bound by promises to abstain from activity.

Otherwise, a buyer could sell land to himself to undermine an initial promise.[22] When the Great Globe was erected, the statue of George I was buried under 12 foot of earth with the globe stuck on top. The statue was subsequently uncovered following the globe's demise, but by 1866 it had deteriorated due to vandalism and was sold for £16.[7] Arguments continued about the fate of the garden, with Charles Augustus Tulk's heirs erecting a wooden hoarding around the property in 1873. These were quickly removed after the Master of the Rolls ordered that the land must be preserved for its original purpose.[6] The garden was saved by the Member of parliament Albert Grant , who purchased the park in 1874 for £11,060 and donated it to the Metropolitan Board of Works.[23] The title deed for the square passed to the succeeding public bodies and is now in the ownership of the City of Westminster.[24] After the purchase, the architect James Knowles redesigned the park. A statue of William Shakespeare surrounded by dolphins was constructed in the centre.

The four corner gates of the park had one bust each of famous former residents in the square: the scientist Sir Isaac Newton; Sir Joshua Reynolds, the first President of the Royal Academy; John Hunter, a pioneer of surgery; and William Hogarth, the painter. The most recent addition was a statue of film star and director Charlie Chaplin in 1981.[23] On the pavement were inscribed the distances in miles to several Commonwealth countries, including Canada, Kenya and Jamaica.[25] After the Great Outdoors refurbishment of the square, only the statue of Shakespeare still remains. Leicester Square 1910 Entertainment Leicester Square is the centre of London's cinema land, and one of the signs marking the Square bears the legend "Theatreland".[26] It contains the cinema with the largest screen and another with the most seats (over 1,600).[27] The square is the prime location in London for film premières and co-hosts the London Film Festival each year.[28] Similar to Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, the square was surrounded by floor mounted plaques with film stars' names and cast handprints.

During the 2010–2012 refurbishment, many of the plaques were removed, confusing tourists who still expected to find them there.[29] The Leicester Square Theatre is based in nearby Leicester Place. It was constructed in 1955 as a church, before becoming the Cavern in the Town, a popular live music venue in the 1960s and 70s. The Sex Pistols played one of their first gigs at the club. It was converted into a theatre in 2002 as The Venue, and refurbished as the Leicester Square Theatre in 2008.[30] In 2014, it began a production of a musical based on Oscar Wilde's De Profundis.[31] The Square has been the home for TKTS, formerly known as the Official London Half-Price Theatre Ticket Booth, since 1980. Tickets for theatre performances taking place around the West End that day and during the week are sold from the booth at a significant discount.[32] The popularity of the booth has given rise to other booths and stores around the Square that advertise half-price tickets for West End shows.

The Official London Theatre Guide recommends avoiding these booths as they are not official and do not contain the Society of Ticket Agents & Retailers (STAR) logo.[33] The Square is home to the 93,000 square feet (8,600 m2) Hippodrome Casino. Following a £40m refurbishment in 2012, the premises can now accommodate 2,000 patrons.[34] Global Radio has its headquarters on the east side of Leicester Square at No. 30, close to the Odeon. The building houses the radio stations Capital, Capital Xtra, Classic FM, Gold, Heart, LBC, Smooth Radio and Radio X.[35] Cinemas The Odeon Leicester Square, which dominates the east side of the square, hosts many film premières. It has a capacity for 1,683 people, arranged in circle and stalls.[27] The last 70mm film showing was Armageddon in 1998, after which the theatre began to use digital technology.

The projection room still contains some of the original 1930s decor and normally houses two projectors.[36] The Empire opened in 1962. It was previously the largest cinema on the square, but in 2013 it was subdivided to cater for an IMAX screen.[37] The Odeon West End, on the south side, opened in 1930. It was not generally used for premières and was earmarked for demolition in 2014, to be replaced by a ten-storey hotel including a two-screen cinema. Westminster City Council reported 400 new jobs would be available after the redevelopment.[38] Vue West End, on the north side, near the north east corner, was the first cinema in Europe to show a 3D film with Chicken Little in 2006.[39] A short distance from the west of the Square, on the south side of Panton Street, is the Odeon Panton Street.[40] The Prince Charles Cinema, to the north of the square opened in 1962 with a "satellite dish" design where the audience looks upwards to the stage.

The cinema became notorious for showing pornographic films during the 1970s, including Emmanuelle. It later became a favourite venue for showing cult films, including the The Rocky Horror Picture Show and a sing-along version of The Sound of Music, and marathon performances including all seven Muppet films back to back. Prices are considerably cheaper than the main cinemas in the square; in 2013 a ticket for a new release at the Prince Charles cost £10, compared to £24 at the Odeon.[41] Other attractions Leicester Square is one of several places in the West End that puts on events relating to the Chinese New Year. The celebrations are organised by the London Chinatown Chinese Association and include music, acrobatics and dancing. In 2015, the celebrations attracted more than 1,000 participants, becoming the largest of their kind in the UK.[42] Infrastructure The main electrical substation for the West End is beneath the Square.

The electrical cables to the substation are in a large tunnel ending at Leicester Square, and originating in Wimbledon, at Plough Lane, behind the former Wimbledon FC football ground, before which the cables are above ground.[43] Cultural references Leicester Square is commemorated in the lyrics of the music hall song "It's a Long Way to Tipperary" along with nearby Piccadilly, which became popular with soldiers during World War I.[6] During the war, British inmates of Ruhleben Prisoner of War camp mentioned the square in a song: "Shout this chorus all you can.

We want the people there, to hear in Leicester Square, That we're the boys that never get downhearted."[44] The square is mentioned in the lyrics of several rock group tracks, including the Rolling Stones' notorious "Cocksucker Blues",[45] "Jeffrey Goes To Leicester Square" on Jethro Tull's album Stand Up,[46] "Emit Remmus" on the album Californication by the Red Hot Chili Peppers,[47] and "Leicester Square" on Rancid's Life Won't Wait.[48] Leicester Square has acquired a reputation of having a confusing pronunciation to non-native British English speakers. A report by Premier Inn said it was the most mispronounced place in Britain by tourists, usually as "/laɪˈtʃɛstər/" ("Lie-chester") Square.[49] It is one of a group of three on the British Monopoly board along with Coventry Street and Piccadilly.[50] References Jump up ^ "Leicester Square". Google Maps. Retrieved 9 October 2015. Jump up ^ Follenfant, H. G. (1975). Reconstructing London's underground. London Transport Executive.

p. 45. Jump up ^ "Central London Tube Map" (PDF). Transport for London. Retrieved 2 October 2015. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Weinreb et al 2008, p. 479. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Leicester Square, North Side, and Lisle Street Area: Leicester Estate: Leicester House and Leicester Square North Side (Nos 1–16)". Survey of London. 33–34 : St Anne Soho: 441–472. 1966. Retrieved 2 October 2015. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Weinreb et al 2008, p. 480. ^ Jump up to: a b Moore 2003, p. 89. Jump up ^ Moore 2003, pp. 87,89. Jump up ^ Weinreb et al 2008, pp. 478–479. Jump up ^ Price, Curtis; Milhous, Judith; Hume, Robert D. (March 1990).

"A Royal Opera House in Leicester Square (1790)". Cambridge Opera Journal. 1 (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press) 2: 1–28. Jump up ^ "Leicester Square, London, with the Design for a Proposed New Opera House". BBC. n.d. Retrieved 20 January 2015. Jump up ^ A Journey Round the Globe Punch (Jul.-Dec. 1851) (Victorian London) accessed 6 November 2007 Jump up ^ Weinreb et al 2008, pp. 480, 822. Jump up ^ Weinreb et al 2008, pp. 16–17. Jump up ^ Weinreb et al 2008, p. 272. Jump up ^ "Then was the winter of our discontent". BBC Radio 4. 5 September 2008. Retrieved 3 October 2015. Jump up ^ "Leicester Square Gardens". Westminster City Council. 2010. Retrieved 6 October 2015. Jump up ^ "Marshals". Westminster City Council.

Retrieved 6 October 2015. Jump up ^ "Facelift hope for Leicester Square". BBC News. 18 March 2003. Retrieved 3 October 2015. ^ Jump up to: a b "Transformed Leicester Square Brings New Jobs and Boost to West End". Greater London Authority. 23 May 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2015. ^ Jump up to: a b "New-look Leicester Square reopens". The Independent. 23 May 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2015. Jump up ^ Tulk v. Moxhay (1848) 41 ER 1143 (Court Rolls) ^ Jump up to: a b Weinreb et al 2008, p. 481. Jump up ^ "Leicester Square Area: Leicester Estate". Survey of London. 33–34 : St Anne Soho: 416–440. 1966. Retrieved 2 October 2015. Jump up ^ Fullman 2008, p. 72.

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ISBN 978-1-136-05449-5. Further reading

Question: On a Monopoly board what makes up the set with Coventry Street and Leicester Square?
Answer: Piccadilly