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{{short description|Road junction and public place in London, England}}
{{for|the song|Piccadilly Circus (song)}}
{{other uses|Piccadilly (disambiguation)}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox road junction
|country=GBR
|road_type=Street
|name=Piccadilly Circus
|image=Open Happiness Piccadilly Circus Blue-Pink Hour 120917-1126-jikatu.jpg
|image_caption=Piccadilly Circus in 2012
|image_size=300px
|other_names=
|location=[[London]], [[United Kingdom]]
|coord={{Coord|51|30|36|N|0|8|4|W|region:GB_type:landmark_dim:20km|display=title,inline}}
|roads=[[Regent Street]], [[Piccadilly]], [[Shaftesbury Avenue]], [[The Haymarket]], [[Coventry Street]] and Glasshouse Street
|type=Road junction
|const=
|opened=1819
|height=
|maint= 
|tolls=
|map=
}}
'''Piccadilly Circus''' is a [[road junction]] and public space of [[London]]'s [[West End of London|West End]] in the [[City of Westminster]].  It was built in 1819 to connect [[Regent Street]] with [[Piccadilly]]. In this context, a ''[[List of road junctions in the United Kingdom|circus]]'', from the Latin word meaning "circle", is a round open space at a street junction.<ref>"circus", [[Oxford English Dictionary]] 2nd Edition 1989</ref>

The Circus now connects Piccadilly, Regent Street, [[Shaftesbury Avenue]], [[the Haymarket]], [[Coventry Street]] (onwards to [[Leicester Square]]) and Glasshouse Street. It is close to major shopping and entertainment areas in the West End. Its status as a major traffic junction has made Piccadilly Circus a busy meeting place and a tourist attraction in its own right. The Circus is particularly known for its video display and [[Neon lighting|neon]] signs mounted on the corner building on the northern side, as well as the [[Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain]] and statue of [[Anteros]] (which is popularly, though mistakenly, believed to be of [[Eros]]).

It is surrounded by several notable buildings, including the [[London Pavilion]] and [[Criterion Theatre]]. Underneath the plaza is [[Piccadilly Circus tube station|Piccadilly Circus station]], part of the [[London Underground]] system.

==History==
Piccadilly Circus connects to [[Piccadilly]], a thoroughfare whose name first appeared in 1626 as Piccadilly Hall, named after a house belonging to one Robert Baker, a tailor famous for selling [[piccadill]]s, or piccadillies, a term used for various kinds of [[Collar (clothing)|collars]]. The street was known as Portugal Street in 1692 in honour of [[Catherine of Braganza]], the [[queen consort]] of King [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] but was known as Piccadilly by 1743. Piccadilly Circus was created in 1819, at the junction with [[Regent Street]], which was then being built under the planning of [[John Nash (architect)|John Nash]] on the site of a house and garden belonging to a Lady Hutton; the intersection was then known as Regent Circus South (just as Oxford Circus was known as Regent Circus North) and it did not begin to be known as Piccadilly Circus until the mid 1880s, with the rebuilding of the Regent Street Quadrant and the construction of Shaftesbury Avenue. In the same period the circus lost its circular form.<ref>'The rebuilding of Piccadilly Circus and the Regent Street Quadrant', in Survey of London: Volumes 31 and 32, St James Westminster, Part 2, ed. F H W Sheppard (London, 1963), pp. 85-100. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vols31-2/pt2/pp85-100 [accessed 26 November 2019].</ref>

[[File:Piccadillycircus1896.gif|left|thumb|Piccadilly Circus in 1896, with a view towards [[Leicester Square]] via Coventry Street. [[London Pavilion]] is on the left, and [[Criterion Theatre]] on the right.]]
The junction has been a very busy traffic interchange since construction, as it lies at the centre of [[Theatreland]] and handles exit traffic from Piccadilly, which [[Charles Dickens Jr.]] described in 1879: "Piccadilly, the great thoroughfare leading from the Haymarket and [[Regent Street|Regent-<!--SIC-->street]] westward to [[Hyde Park Corner|Hyde Park-<!--SIC-->corner]], is the nearest approach to the [[Paris]]ian boulevard of which London can boast."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Massengale |first1=John |last2=Dover |first2=Victor |title=Street Design: The Secret to Great Cities and Towns |date=2014 |publisher=Wiley |page=122}}</ref>

[[File:Piccadilly_Circus_1908.jpg|thumb|London's Piccadilly Circus in 1908.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://coololdphotos.com/great-photo-of-londons-piccadilly-circus-in-1908/|title=Great Photo of London's Piccadilly Circus in 1908|last=Tom|date=16 September 2015|website=Cool Old Photos|language=en-US|access-date=3 March 2019}}</ref> On the left is the old County Fire Office.]]
[[Piccadilly Circus tube station]] was opened on 10 March 1906, on the [[Bakerloo line]], and on the [[Piccadilly line]] in December of that year. In 1928, the station was extensively rebuilt to handle an increase in traffic. The junction's first electric advertisements appeared in 1910, and, from 1923, electric billboards were set up on the facade of the [[London Pavilion]]. Electric street lamps, however, did not replace the gas ones until 1932.<ref>Marshall 1972, pp. 139–40.</ref> The circus became a one-way roundabout on 19 July 1926.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CS186194662/TTDA?u=kccl&sid=TTDA&xid=7048bf9d |title=One-Way Traffic |work=[[The Times]] |date=6 July 1926 |issue=44316 |page=11 |access-date= 24 April 2020}}</ref> Traffic lights were first installed on 3 August 1926.

[[File:London , Kodachrome by Chalmers Butterfield.jpg|thumb|left|Piccadilly Circus in 1949]]

During World War II many servicemen's clubs in the West End served American soldiers based in Britain. So many prostitutes roamed the area approaching the soldiers that they received the nickname "Piccadilly Commandos", and both [[Scotland Yard]] and the [[Foreign Office]] discussed possible damage to Anglo-American relations.<ref name="tweedie20051101">{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/4198026/How-our-Piccadilly-Commandos-had-the-GIs-surrounded.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/4198026/How-our-Piccadilly-Commandos-had-the-GIs-surrounded.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | title=How our Piccadilly Commandos had the GIs surrounded | work=The Telegraph | date=1 November 2005 | access-date=21 September 2013 | author=Tweedie, Neil}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

[[File:Piccadilly Circus in London 1962 Brighter.jpg|thumb|right|Piccadilly Circus in 1962]]
At the start of the 1960s, it was determined that the Circus needed to be redeveloped to allow for greater traffic flow. In 1962, [[William Graham Holford|Lord Holford]] presented a plan which would have created a "double-decker" Piccadilly Circus; the upper deck would have been an elevated pedestrian concourse linking the buildings around the perimeter of the Circus, with the lower deck being solely for traffic, most of the ground-level pedestrian areas having been removed to allow for greater vehicle flow. This concept was kept alive throughout the rest of the 1960s. A final scheme in 1972 proposed three octagonal towers (the highest {{convert|240|ft|m}} tall) to replace the Trocadero, the Criterion and the "Monico" buildings.{{sfn|Pevsner|Cherry|1973|p=756}} The plans were permanently rejected by [[Sir Keith Joseph]] and [[Ernest Marples]]; the key reason given was that Holford's scheme only allowed for a 20% increase in traffic, and the Government required 50%.

[[File:Photography by Victor Albert Grigas (1919-2017) Istanbul to London 3-70 March 1970 00387 (47702143251).jpg|thumb|left|Piccadilly Circus in 1970]]
The Holford plan is referenced in the short-form [[documentary film]] "Goodbye, Piccadilly", produced by the [[Rank Organisation]] in 1967 as part of their ''[[Look at Life (film series)|Look at Life]]'' series when it was still seriously expected that Holford's recommendations would be acted upon. Piccadilly Circus has since escaped major redevelopment, apart from extensive ground-level pedestrianisation around its south side in the 1980s.

[[File:Piccadilly circus 1992 07.jpg|thumb|right|Signs in 1992]]
The Circus has been targeted by [[Irish republican]] terrorists multiple times. On 24 June 1939 an explosion occurred, although no injuries were caused.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2008/feb/04/nationalarchives.uknews4|title=Toilet attendant saved London from IRA bomb|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=4 February 2008|access-date=27 January 2019}}</ref> [[1974 London pillar box bombings|On 25 November 1974]] a bomb injured 16 people.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch74.htm#Nov|title=CAIN: Chronology of the Conflict 1974}}</ref> A 2 lb bomb exploded on 6 October 1992, injuring five people.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/two-bombs-bring-chaos-to-london-1556056.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/two-bombs-bring-chaos-to-london-1556056.html |archive-date=26 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Two bombs bring chaos to London|work=[[The Independent]]|date=8 October 1992|access-date=27 January 2019}}</ref>

The [[Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain]] at Piccadilly Circus was erected in 1893 to commemorate the philanthropic works of [[Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury]]. It was removed from the Circus twice and moved from the centre once. The first time was in 1922, so that [[Charles Holden]]'s new tube station could be built directly below it. The fountain returned in 1931. During the [[Second World War]], the fountain was removed for the second time and replaced by advertising hoardings. It was returned again in 1948. When the Circus underwent reconstruction work in the late 1980s, the entire fountain was moved from the centre of the junction at the beginning of Shaftesbury Avenue to its present position at the southwestern corner.<ref>{{cite book|author1=[[Ben Weinreb|Weinreb, Ben]] |author2=[[Christopher Hibbert|Hibbert, Christopher]] |title=[[The London Encyclopaedia]]|edition=reprint|year=1992|page=271|publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan]]}}</ref>

==Location and sights==
Piccadilly Circus is surrounded by tourist attractions, including the [[Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury|Shaftesbury]] Memorial, [[Criterion Theatre]], London Pavilion and retail stores. Nightclubs, restaurants and bars are located in the area and neighbouring [[Soho]], including the former [[Chinawhite (nightclub)|Chinawhite]] club.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gervat|first1=Claire|last2=Gavin|first2=Francesca|editor=Alan S. Davis|title=Night+Day London|series=the Cool Cities series from pulseguides|type=travel guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7PB0EguDsIUC&pg=PA238|year=2006|publisher=ASDavis Media Group|isbn=978-0-9766013-7-1|page=238}}</ref>
[[File:Piccadilly Circus Dawn BLS.jpg|thumb|center|800px|[[Panorama]] of Piccadilly Circus in 2015 from the southern side in front of [[Lillywhites]]]]

===Illuminated signs===
[[File:MK17684 Piccadilly Circus.jpg|thumb|Illuminated signs of Piccadilly Circus in 2014]]

Piccadilly Circus was surrounded by illuminated advertising hoardings on buildings, starting in 1908 with a [[Perrier]] sign,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vols31-2/pt2/pp85-100#h3-0006 |title=The rebuilding of Piccadilly Circus and the Regent Street Quadrant |website=British History Online |publisher=London County Council |access-date=25 March 2015}}</ref> but only one building now carries them, the one in the northwestern corner between Shaftesbury Avenue and Glasshouse Street. The site is unnamed (usually referred to as "Monico" after the [[Café Monico]], which used to be on the site); its addresses are 44/48 Regent Street, 1/6 Sherwood Street, 17/22 Denman Street and 1/17 [[Shaftesbury Avenue]], and it has been owned by property investor [[Land Securities Group]] since the 1970s.

The earliest signs used [[incandescent light bulb]]s; these were replaced with [[neon light]]s and with moving signs (there was a large [[Guinness]] clock at one time). The first Neon sign was for the British meat extract [[Bovril]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/constructionandproperty/8796899/Piccadilly-Lights-A-timeline.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/constructionandproperty/8796899/Piccadilly-Lights-A-timeline.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Piccadilly Lights: A timeline |website=The Telegraph |date=29 September 2011 |access-date=25 March 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref> From December 1998, [[digital projector]]s were used for the Coke sign, the square's first digital billboard,<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/235776.stm | work=BBC News | title=Piccadilly shows sign of the times | date=16 December 1998}}</ref> while in the 2000s there was a gradual move to [[light-emitting diode|LED]] displays, which completely replaced neon lamps by 2011. The number of signs has reduced over the years as the rental costs have increased, and in January 2017 the six remaining advertising screens were switched off as part of their combination into one large ultra-high definition curved [[Daktronics]] display, turning the signs off during renovation for the longest time since the 1940s. On 26 October 2017, the new screen was switched on for the first time.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-38233520 | work=BBC News | title=Piccadilly Circus lights to be switched off for revamp | date=8 December 2016}}</ref>

Until the 2017 refurbishment, the site had six LED advertising screens above three large retail units facing Piccadilly Circus on the north side, occupied by [[Boots Group|Boots]], [[Gap (clothing retailer)|Gap]] and a mix of smaller retail, restaurant and office premises fronting the other streets. A [[Burger King]] located under the Samsung advert, which had been a [[Wimpy Bar]] until 1989, closed in early 2008 and was converted into a [[Barclays]] Bank.

[[File:International Piccadilly- Overseas Troops in London, 1942 D9794.jpg|thumb|right|[[Guinness]] advertisement with their [[Advertising slogan|slogan]], "Guinness is good for you", at Piccadilly Circus in 1942]]
*[[Coca-Cola]] has had a sign at Piccadilly Circus since 1954.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2011/june/coca-cola-neon-sign-piccadilly-circus |title=The making of a Coca-Cola neon sign, 1954 |author=Mark Sinclair |date=24 June 2011 |website=Creative Review |access-date=25 March 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150320014636/http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2011/june/coca-cola-neon-sign-piccadilly-circus |archive-date=20 March 2015 }}</ref> In September 2003, the previous digital projector board and the site that had been occupied by [[Nestlé|Nescafé]] was replaced with a state-of-the-art LED video display that curves round with the building. Before Nescafé, a neon advertisement for [[Foster's Lager|Foster's]] occupied the spot from 1987 until 1999, and from 1978 to 1987 it was used by [[Philips|Philips Electronics]]. For several months in 2002, the Nescafé sign was replaced by a sign featuring the quote "Imagine all the people living life in peace" by former [[The Beatles|Beatle]] [[John Lennon]]. This was paid for by his widow [[Yoko Ono]], who spent an estimated £150,000 to display an advert at this location.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/imagine-some-peace-in-piccadilly-circus-9206521.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/imagine-some-peace-in-piccadilly-circus-9206521.html |archive-date=26 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | location=London | work=The Independent | first=Paul | last=Peachey | title=Imagine: some peace in Piccadilly Circus | date=5 March 2002}}</ref> Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero, Fanta, Sprite and Vitamin Water have all been advertised in the space. 
*[[Hyundai Motors]] sign launched on 29 September 2011.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.mediaweek.co.uk/news/1096115/ | location=London | work=Media Week| first=Arif | last=Durrani | title=Hyundai replaces Sanyo as Piccadilly Circus advertiser | date=29 September 2011}}</ref> It replaced a sign for [[Sanyo]] which had occupied the space since around early 1988 (slightly modified in 2004), the last to be run using neon lights rather than Hyundai's computerised LED screen. Earlier Sanyo signs with older logos had occupied the position since 1978, although these were only half the size of the later space.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/8327688/Red-Sanyo-sign-in-Piccadilly-Circus-to-be-switched-off.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/8327688/Red-Sanyo-sign-in-Piccadilly-Circus-to-be-switched-off.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | location=London | work=The Telegraph | first=Danielle | last=Demetriou | title=Red Sanyo sign in Piccadilly Circus to be switched off | date=16 February 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
*[[McDonald's]] added its sign in 1987, replacing one for [[BASF]]. The sign was changed from neon to LED in 2001. A bigger, brighter screen was installed by Daktronics in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|title = Interactive Display at Piccadilly Circus launches McDonald's and Daktronics in the Spotlight|url = http://www.daktronics.com/Company/NewsReleases/Pages/McDonaldsInteractiveDisplay.aspx|website = Daktronics|access-date = 16 February 2016|last = BROOKINGS|first = S. D.|date = 25 August 2009|archive-date = 18 September 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180918004656/https://www.daktronics.com/Company/NewsReleases/Pages/McDonaldsInteractiveDisplay.aspx|url-status = dead}}</ref>[[File:COVID-19 - Piccadilly Circus, London UK.jpg|thumb|Piccadilly Circus during the [[COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom|COVID-19 lockdown]] in March 2020]]
*[[Samsung]] added its sign in November 1994,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eng.ksignnews.com/news/article.html?no%3D2543 |title=한국광고신문 |access-date=2 February 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081227051916/http://eng.ksignnews.com/news/article.html?no=2543 |archive-date=27 December 2008 }}</ref> the space having been previously occupied by [[Canon Inc.]] (1978–84) and [[Panasonic]] (1984–94). The sign was changed from neon to LED in summer 2005. The screen was upgraded and improved in autumn 2011.
*[[L'Oreal]], Hunter Original and [[eBay]] both had signs in the Piccadilly circus billboards since October 2017.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.mediacom.com/uk/news/news/2017/ebay-completes-advertiser-roster-for-piccadilly-lights-relaunch.html| title=Ebay completes advertiser rooster for Piccadilly Lights relaunch.|access-date=20 October 2017}}</ref>{{efn|name=Piccadilly|The Piccadilly lights have switched off for Refurbishment until [[Autumn]], But eBay, L'Oreal, and Hunter have planned to advertise in the Piccadilly Circus lights since the refurbishment is done, and instead of [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]], eBay instead advertise on the Billboards, which may be the former spot for [[Nikon]].}} 
*One Piccadilly, the highest resolution of all the LED displays was installed by Daktronics, in late 2013, underneath the Samsung and McDonald's signs. It allowed other companies to advertise for both short- and long-term leases, increasing the amount of advertising space but using the same screen for multiple brands. Prior to this an earlier, smaller LED screen called ''Piccadilly Lite'' occupied the space from 3 December 2007 to 2013. The space has also been occupied by [[JVC]] (1978–84), [[Carlsberg Group|Carlsberg]] (1984–2003) and [[Budweiser (Anheuser-Busch)|Budweiser]] (2003–07).
*The Curve, a similar space to One Piccadilly, was added in 2015, replacing a space previously occupied by [[Schweppes]] (1920–61), [[BP]] (1961–67), [[Cinzano]] (1967–78), [[Fujifilm]] (1978–86), [[Kodak]] (1986–90) and [[TDK]] (1990–2015).<ref>{{Cite news|title = TDK ad at Piccadilly Circus: lights go out on 25 years of history|url = https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/mar/11/tdk-ad-london-piccadilly-circus|newspaper = The Guardian|date = 11 March 2015|access-date = 16 February 2016|issn = 0261-3077|language = en-GB|last = Monkey}}</ref> [[Burberry]] was using the space as of December 2015.<ref>{{cite news |title=Burberry lets passers-by take over Piccadilly Circus screen to create personalised scarves |url=https://www.marketingweek.com/burberry-lets-passers-by-take-over-piccadilly-circus-screens-to-create-personalised-scarves/ |access-date=10 December 2024 |work=Marketing Week}}</ref>
*[[LG Group|LG]] was added in February 2007 on the roof of Coventry House, which diagonally faces Piccadilly Circus.<ref>{{cite web|title = LG giant LED screen in Piccadilly Circus LetsGoMobile|url = http://www.letsgomobile.org/en/0832/piccadillycircus/|website = LetsGoMobile|access-date = 16 February 2016|last = Jurrien|date = 14 February 2007|first = Ralf}}</ref> Its sign is a large LED video advertising display for LGE, the British arm of the South Korean electronics group. The new display also incorporates a scrolling [[news ticker|ticker]] of [[Sky News]] headlines. Before LG, [[Vodafone]] had a neon sign installed on that spot, which displayed both its logo and personal messages that could be submitted on a special website and displayed at a certain time and date.

On special occasions the lights are switched off, such as the deaths of [[Winston Churchill]] in 1965 and [[Diana, Princess of Wales]] in 1997. On 21 June 2007, they were switched off for one hour as part of the Lights Out London campaign.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/6225108.stm|title=London lights out for environment|date=22 June 2007|work=BBC News}}</ref> After the [[Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II|death of Elizabeth II]], all advertising on Piccadilly Circus was replaced with an image honouring the Queen, as part of a suspension of [[out-of-home advertising]] agreed upon by the industry.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Media and advertising on the day of The Queen's funeral: everything you need to know |url=https://www.thedrum.com/news/2022/09/15/media-and-advertising-the-day-the-queen-s-funeral-everything-you-need-know |access-date=28 November 2022 |website=The Drum}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Innes |first1=Molly |last2=Carroll |first2=Niamh |date=9 September 2022 |title=Ads paused, plans on hold: How the industry is paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth II |url=https://www.marketingweek.com/brands-media-respond-queens-death/ |access-date=28 November 2022 |website=Marketing Week |language=en}}</ref>

Other companies and brands that have had signs on the site were [[Bovril]], [[Volkswagen]], [[Max Factor]], [[Wrigley's Spearmint]], [[Skol]], [[Air India]] and [[Gold Flake]] (as Will's Gold Flake Cigarettes).<ref>Marshall 1972, pp. 136–143.</ref>

Since 2020, the [[Cultural Institute of Radical Contemporary Arts]] has broadcast specially commissioned two-minute artworks for the screens, broadcast at the same time each evening. In 2022 the segments were shown at 8:22&nbsp;p.m.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Buck |first1=Louisa |title=Circa's Piccadilly Circus billboard offers Christmas lights with a difference |url=https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2022/11/30/piccadilly-circus-shines-a-light-on-artists |access-date=20 December 2022 |work=The Art Newspaper - International art news and events |date=30 November 2022}}</ref>

===Shaftesbury Memorial and the statue of Anteros===
{{Main|Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain}}
[[File:Statue of Eros.jpg|thumb|upright|Tourists sitting on the steps of the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain]]

At the south-eastern side of the Circus, moved after [[World War II]] from its original position in the centre, stands the [[Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain]], erected in 1892–1893 to commemorate the philanthropic works of [[Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury|Lord Shaftesbury]], a Victorian [[politician]], [[philanthropist]] and social reformer. The subject of the Memorial is the Greek god [[Anteros]] and was given the name ''The Angel of Christian Charity'' but is generally mistaken for his brother [[Eros]].<ref>Lloyd & Mitchinson (2006) The book of general ignorance "Because of the bow and the nudity... everybody assumed it was Eros, the Greek god of love"</ref>

===Criterion Theatre===
{{Main|Criterion Theatre}}
[[File:Canopy, Criterion Theatre - geograph.org.uk - 4367006.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Entrance canopy to the Criterion Theatre in 2015 showing ''[[The 39 Steps (play)|The 39 Steps]]'']]
The [[Criterion Theatre]], a Grade II* [[listed building]], stands on the south side of Piccadilly Circus.<ref>{{NHLE |num=1265753 |desc= Criterion Theatre |date=5 February 1970 |access-date=25 April 2025}}</ref> Apart from the box office area, the entire theatre, with nearly 600 seats, is underground and is reached by descending a tiled stairway. [[Columns]] are used to support both the dress circle and the upper circle, restricting the views of some of the seats inside.

The theatre was designed by [[Thomas Verity]] and opened as a theatre on 21 March 1874, although original plans were for it to become a concert hall. Actor and theatre proprietor [[Charles Wyndham (actor)|Charles Wyndham]] became the manager of the Criterion in 1875, and under him it became one of the leading light comedy houses in London.<ref>"Death of Sir Charles Wyndham", ''The Times'', 13 January 1919, p. 11</ref> In 1883, it was forced to close to improve ventilation and to replace gaslights with electric lights and was reopened the following year. The theatre closed in 1989 and was extensively renovated, reopening in October 1992. Recent productions at the Criterion include ''[[The 39 Steps (play)|The 39 Steps]]'', a parody play adapted from the [[The 39 Steps (1935 film)|1935 film]] by [[Alfred Hitchcock]], with the play running for nine years at the venue from 2006 to 2015.<ref>[https://www.officialtheatre.com/criterion-theatre/39-steps/review-37 "Criterion Theatre: ''The 39 Steps'' Review"]. 25 April 2025</ref>

===London Pavilion===
{{Main|London Pavilion}}
[[File:LondonPavilion1964.jpg|thumb|[[London Pavilion]] cinema in 1964 showing ''[[A Hard Day's Night (film)|A Hard Day's Night]]'']]
On the north-eastern side of Piccadilly Circus, on the corner between Shaftesbury Avenue and Coventry Street, is the [[London Pavilion]]. The first building bearing the name was built in 1859 and was a [[music hall]]. In 1885, Shaftesbury Avenue was built through the former site of the Pavilion, and a new London Pavilion was constructed, which also served as a music hall. In 1923, electric billboards were erected on the side of the building.<ref name="Pavilion">[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=41455 "Shaftesbury Avenue", ''Survey of London'': volumes 31 and 32: St James Westminster, Part 2] (1963), pp. 68–84. Accessed 24 April 2025</ref>

In 1934, the building underwent significant structural alteration and was converted into a [[movie theatre|cinema]].<ref name="Pavilion"/> In October 1962 it premiered ''[[Dr. No (film)|Dr. No]]'', the first [[James Bond in film|James Bond film]], and in July 1964 was the venue for the premiere of ''[[A Hard Day's Night (film)|A Hard Day's Night]]'', the musical comedy film starring [[the Beatles]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Miles |first1=Barry |author1-link=Barry Miles |title=The Beatles Diary Volume 1: The Beatles Years |date=2001 |publisher=[[Omnibus Press]] |location=London |isbn=978-0-7119-8308-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=trRB-lo4qR8C}|page=153}}</ref> In 1986, the building was rebuilt, preserving the 1885 façade, and converted into a [[shopping mall|shopping arcade]]. In 2000, the building was connected to the neighbouring [[Trocadero Centre]], and signage on the building was altered in 2003 to read "London Trocadero". The [[basement]] of the building connects with the Underground station.

===Major shops===
[[File:Regent Street 2020.jpg|thumb|The view from Picadilly Circus onto Regent Street, December 2020]]
The former [[Swan & Edgar]] department store on the west side of the circus between [[Piccadilly]] and [[Regent Street]] was built in 1928–29 to a design by [[Reginald Blomfield]].{{sfn|Pevsner|Cherry|1973|pp=639–40}} Since the closure of the department store in the early 1980s, the building has been successively the flagship London store of music chains [[Tower Records (music retailer)|Tower Records]], [[Virgin Megastore]] and [[Zavvi Entertainment Group Ltd|Zavvi]].

[[Lillywhites]] is a major retailer of [[Sports equipment|sporting goods]] located on the corner of the circus and Lower Regent Street, next to the Shaftesbury fountain. It moved to its present site in 1925. Lillywhites is popular with tourists, and they regularly offer sale items, including international football jerseys up to 90% off. Nearby [[Fortnum & Mason]] is often considered to be part of the Piccadilly Circus shopping area and is known for its expansive food hall.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spoonfed.co.uk/london/area/piccadilly-66/|title=Things to do in London, London Events – Spoonfed|website=www.spoonfed.co.uk|access-date=22 June 2009|archive-date=30 April 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090430202827/http://www.spoonfed.co.uk/london/area/piccadilly-66/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===County Fire Office===
[[File:County Fire Office attic storey, Piccadilly Circus.jpg|thumb|Roof of the County Fire Office, with dome and statue of [[Britannia]]]]
Dominating the north side of the circus, on the corner of Glasshouse Street, is the County Fire Office building, with a statue of [[Britannia]] on the roof. The original building was designed by [[John Nash (architect)|John Nash]] as the extreme southern end of his Regent Street Quadrant. Its dramatic façade was clearly influenced by [[Inigo Jones]]'s old Somerset House. Although Robert Abraham was the County Fire Insurance Company's architect, it was probably Nash who was instrumental in choosing the design.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hobhouse|first=Hermione|title=A History of Regent Street|publisher=Macdonald and Jane|date=1975|page=47}}</ref> In 1924 the old County Fire Office was demolished and replaced with a similar but much coarser building designed by [[Reginald Blomfield]], but retaining the statue of Britannia.<ref>Marshall 1972, p. 136.</ref> During the [[The Blitz|London Blitz]] it was the only building in the Circus to be damaged, with a few window panes blown out.<ref>Marshall 1972, p. 141.</ref> The building is Grade II listed.<ref>{{NHLE|desc=The County Fire Office|num= 1227630|access-date=9 May 2020}}</ref>

==Underground station and the Bakerloo and Piccadilly lines==
{{Main|Piccadilly Circus tube station}}
[[File:Eingang zur London Underground am Piccadilly Circus (cropped).jpg|thumb|Station subway entrance to [[Piccadilly Circus tube station]]]]

The [[Piccadilly Circus tube station|Piccadilly Circus]] station on the [[London Underground]] is located directly beneath Piccadilly Circus itself, with entrances at every corner. It is one of the few stations which have no associated buildings above ground and is fully underground. The below ground concourse and [[subway (underpass)|subway]] entrances are Grade II [[listed building|listed]].<ref name="eh_1226877">{{National Heritage List for England |num=1226877 |desc=Piccadilly Circus Underground Station Booking Hall Concourse and Bronzework to Pavement Subway Entrances |access-date=24 January 2014}}</ref>

The station is on the Piccadilly line between [[Green Park tube station|Green Park]] and [[Leicester Square tube station|Leicester Square]], and the Bakerloo line between [[Charing Cross tube station|Charing Cross]] and [[Oxford Circus tube station|Oxford Circus]].

==Demonstrations==

The Circus' status as a high-profile public space has made it the destination for numerous political demonstrations, including the [[February 15, 2003 anti-war protest]]<ref>{{cite web|author=Photograph: Andrew Parsons, PA |url=https://www.theguardian.com/pictures/image/0,8543,-10704594282,00.html |title=West End congestion (15.02.03: Stop the war protest). Marches from two central London starting points converge at Piccadilly Circus. |work=The Guardian |access-date=2 June 2017}}</ref> and the "Carnival Against Capitalism" protest against the [[39th G8 summit]] in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lbc.co.uk/riot-police-in-soho-as-stop-g8-protests-start-73379#poll-result-266 |title=Riot police in Soho as stop G8 protests start |publisher=[[LBC]] |access-date=2 June 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408054004/http://www.lbc.co.uk/riot-police-in-soho-as-stop-g8-protests-start-73379 |archive-date=8 April 2016 }}</ref>

==In popular culture==
The phrase ''it's like Piccadilly Circus'' is commonly used in the UK to refer to a place or situation which is extremely busy with people. It has been said that a person who stays long enough at Piccadilly Circus will eventually bump into everyone they know. Probably because of this connection, during World War II, "Piccadilly Circus" was the code name given to the Allies' [[D-Day]] invasion fleet's assembly location in the English Channel.<ref>{{cite book |title= D-Day, The Invasion of Europe |year= 1962 |publisher= American Heritage Publishing Co, Inc. |location= New York, New York|page= 36 |quote= . . .the ten-mile (16 km) circle in the Channel nicknamed Piccadilly Circus, where the troop convoys would meet . . .}}</ref>

Piccadilly Circus has inspired artists and musicians. ''Piccadilly Circus'' (1912) is the name and subject of a painting by British artist [[Charles Ginner]], part of the [[Tate Britain]] collection. Sculptor [[Paul McCarthy]] also has a 320-page two-volume edition of video stills by the name of ''Piccadilly Circus''. In the lyrics of their song "Mother Goose", on the ''[[Aqualung (Jethro Tull album)|Aqualung]]'' album from 1971, the rock band [[Jethro Tull (band)|Jethro Tull]] tells "And a foreign student said to me: 'was it really true there were elephants, lions too, in Picadilly Circus?'". [[Bob Marley]] mentioned Piccadilly Circus in his song "Kinky Reggae", on the ''[[Catch a Fire]]'' album from 1973.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Album: A Guide to Pop Music's Most Provocative, Influential, and Important Creations |date=2012 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |page=260}}</ref>

[[L. S. Lowry]]'s painting ''Piccadilly Circus, London'' (1960), part of Lord [[Charles Forte]]'s collection for almost three decades,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/oct/03/lowry-painting-auction-piccadilly-circus|title=LS Lowry painting set to fetch £6m at auction|date=2 October 2011|work=The Guardian}}</ref> sold for £5,641,250 when auctioned for the first time at [[Christie's]] 20th Century British & Irish Art sale on 16 November 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/laurence-stephen-lowry-ra-piccadilly-circus-london/5502310/lot/lot_details.aspx?from%3Dsalesummary%26intObjectID%3D5502310%26sid%3D1ad9bbb7-8f04-4d8c-a7cb-feeb8e2f33e2 |title=Laurence Stephen Lowry, R.A. (1887-1976) {{!}} Piccadilly Circus, London {{!}} 20th Century, Paintings |access-date=3 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304085822/http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/laurence-stephen-lowry-ra-piccadilly-circus-london/5502310/lot/lot_details.aspx?from=salesummary&intObjectID=5502310&sid=1ad9bbb7-8f04-4d8c-a7cb-feeb8e2f33e2 |archive-date=4 March 2016 }}</ref> Contemporary British painter [[Carl Randall]]'s painting 'Piccadilly Circus' (2017) is a large monochrome canvas depicting the area at night with crowds, the making of which involved painting over 70 portraits from life.<ref name="Piccadilly Circus painting and video – Making a Mark">{{citation | title= Carl Randall paints 70 people in Piccadilly Circus. | publisher= Making a Mark, Art Blog, London | year=2018 | url= https://makingamark.blogspot.com/2018/05/video-carl-randall-paints-70-people-in-piccadilly-circus.html }}</ref><ref name="Carl Randall - Piccadilly Circus painting video">{{citation | title= Carl Randall – Piccadilly Circus painting video. | publisher= Youtube | year=2018 | url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHSL6K6FPDM&t=0s&list=PLr4FR68VOrCI-Q-n41OHKXjiwzmiiSI1E&index=2 | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/zHSL6K6FPDM| archive-date=17 November 2021 | url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="Carl Randall - Piccadilly Circus">{{citation | title= Carl Randall – Piccadilly Circus painting. | publisher= carlrandall.com | year=2018 | url= http://www.carlrandall.com/london-portraits/piccadilly-circus-london-painting }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|London}}
*[[Bukit Bintang]], [[Kuala Lumpur]]
*[[Cambridge Circus, London]]
*[[Chinawhite (nightclub)]]
*[[Oxford Circus]]
*[[Punto Obelisco]] (Obelisk Point, Buenos Aires)
*[[Shaftesbury Avenue]]
*[[Shibuya Crossing]], noted public space and crossroads in [[Tokyo]]
*[[Times Square]], a noted road junction and public space in [[New York City|New York]]
*[[Yonge–Dundas Square]], a major public square with commercial signage in [[Toronto]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==References==

===Citations===
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Sources===
'''Books'''
*{{Cite book
 | author      = [[Charles Dickens Jr.|Dickens, Charles Jr.]]
 | orig-year    = 1888, 1879
 | year        = 1993<!--FIRST REPRINT-->
 | chapter     = Piccadilly (online copy)
 | chapter-url = http://www.victorianlondon.org/dickens/dickens-pol.htm
 | title       = [[Dickens's Dictionary of London|Dickens's Dictionary of London, 1888]]
 | edition     = facsimile
 | location    = Devon
 | publisher   = Old House Books
 | pages       =   <!-- SECTION CONSULTED, OR USE TOPICAL op. cit. REF GIVING PAGES -->
 | isbn        = 1-873590-04-0
}}
*Harris, C. M. ''What's in a name? The origins of the names of all stations in current use on the London Underground and Docklands Light rail with their opening dates''. Midas Books and London Transport, fourth edition, 2001. {{ISBN|1-85414-241-0}}.
*Lange, D. ''The Queen's London: A Pictorial and Descriptive Record of the Streets, Buildings, Parks and Scenery of the Great Metropolis''. Cassell and Company, London, 1896.
*Marshall, Prince ''Wheels of London; The story of London's street transport''. [[The Sunday Times Magazine]], 1972. {{ISBN|0-7230-0068-9}}.
*Mills, Anthony David ''Dictionary of London Place Names''. [[Oxford University Press]], 2001. {{ISBN|0-19-280106-6}}.
*{{cite book |last1=Pevsner |last2=Cherry |first1=Nickolaus |first2=Bridget |author-link1=Nickolaus Pevsner |title=London Volume One: The Cities of London and Westminster |series=[[Pevsner Architectural Guides|The Buildings of England]] |year=1973 |edition=third |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |isbn=0-14-071012-4}}
*''Piccadilly Circus: From Controversy to Reconstruction''. Greater London Council, 1980. {{ISBN|0-7168-1145-6}}.

'''Articles and websites'''
*Hadley, P. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20050220052314/http://lurs.org.uk/un/picc.htm Piccadilly Circus, How a typical 1906 London tube station was built]", ''Underground News'' 412, April 1996.
*Jacob, S. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20050307174735/http://www.icon-magazine.co.uk/issues/november/piccadilly.htm Review: Piccadilly Circus]", ''Icon Magazine'', November 2003.
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6225108.stm "London lights out for environment"], ''BBC News'', 22 June 2007

==External links==
{{Commons category|Piccadilly Circus}}
*[http://www.piccadilly.london/  Piccadilly.london] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160419142707/http://www.piccadilly.london/ |date=19 April 2016 }} Things to do in Piccadilly area
*[http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/Pavilion.htm Theatre History]
*[http://www.thisistheatre.com/londontheatre/criteriontheatre.html This is London] theatre guide to Criterion Theatre
*[http://www.ihbc.org.uk/context_archive/42/clarke.htm Metallurgical study] of the statue of Eros following restoration in 1990
*[http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?P2M?P=W1V9LB&Z=1 Map from www.streetmap.co.uk] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041014173948/http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?P2M%3FP=W1V9LB&Z=1 |date=14 October 2004 }}
*[https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=piccadilly+london+UK+&layer=&sll=51.500197,-0.126197&sspn=0.157727,0.433273&ie=UTF8&om=1&z=18&ll=51.510105,-0.134615&spn=0.002464,0.00677&t=k Aerial photo from maps.google.com]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090122113052/http://lltv.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=351487 ''London Landscape'' TV episode (5 mins) about Piccadilly Circus]
*[https://thelightsofpiccadilly.blogspot.com/  The Lights of Piccadilly]

{{London landmarks}}
{{Coca-Cola buildings and structures|state=collapsed}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1819 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Transport infrastructure completed in 1819]]
[[Category:Piccadilly Circus| ]]
[[Category:Busking venues]]
[[Category:Entertainment districts in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Road junctions in London]]
[[Category:Streets in the City of Westminster]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in the City of Westminster]]
[[Category:A4 road (England)]]
[[Category:Advertising in the United Kingdom]]