Piccadilly Circus came into being as one of the main intersections on the Royal Route (I’m afraid it was never a circus with clowns and animals). Some high points in its history are given below.

In 1688 building work started along Piccadilly itself, a road running south-west from the Circus, and the name comes from an old word for a stiff collar, 'pickadil', taken from the clothing work that used to be done by a tailor in nearby Haymarket. The tailor built himself a house that he called Piccadilly Hall.

In 1707 Fortnum and Mason’s shop was opened on Piccadilly.

In 1819 Piccadilly Circus was constructed according to plans by architect John Nash.

In 1893 one of the symbols of London, the famous statue of ‘Eros’ was unveiled. The winged angel in fact depicts Charity, not Eros, and is a memorial to the philanthropist Lord Shaftesbury. The figure rises above a fountain, which is made in bronze, but Eros is made out of aluminium, at that time a rare and novel material.

In 1910 the first electrically illuminated advertisements on the facades of Piccadilly Circus buildings appeared. The other sides of the Circus are free from adverts because the ground leases granted by the Crown strictly prohibit all signs.

1914-18, a First World War trench song especially for Dr Bill:
I don't want to join the army,
I don't want to go to war.
I'd rather hang around Piccadilly underground,
Living off the earnings of a lady typist.
I don't want a bayonet in my belly,
I don't want my bollocks shot away.
I'd rather stay in England, in merry merry England,
And fornicate this bleeding life away.
There are many different versions of this – most are very crude and not for this sophisticated forum. If you are familiar with the reputation of Piccadilly Circus at that period and for some decades before and after, you will guess that ‘lady typist’ is a euphemism.

In 1917 the last of the zeppelin raids of WW 1 dropped bombs on the Swan and Edgar store in Piccadilly Circus.

In 1926, to ease traffic congestion, the first roundabout system was introduced – in Piccadilly Circus. A few years ago Eros was moved towards the south side of the Circus and the pavement was built out to surround it, so there is no longer a roundabout here.

I made a potted history of London’s development to put Piccadilly into a context. If you are interested see the post following this one.