Coutts Bank

If we carry on walking down the Strand away from Charing Cross station, we soon see, on the north side of the street, the imposing sight of Coutts bank: Dickens would probably be pleased to see that his old bank is still on the Strand, although it used to be on the other side of…

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Adelphi Theatre

Carrying on along the north side of the Strand, heading east towards Fleet Street and away from Trafalgar Square, we reach the Adelphi theatre. This gorgeous Art Deco-style building is the latest incarnation of the theatre, built in 1930. However, the Adelphi started life as the Sans Pareil in 1806. It was renamed in 1819,…

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Overlooking the Strand

One day, that happened to be the two hundred and first anniversary of Bastille Day, I was chatting with a friend. Overlooking the area surrounding the Strand, we were submerged in the questions that unexpectedly occupied our consciousnesses in the way nothing short of total. Our conversation lead to an insight into a peculiar truth…

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Northumberland House

Northumberland House was one of the last survivors of the noblemen’s palaces which originally lined the Strand. It stood on the south side of Trafalgar Square at the start of the Strand, and was recognised by its distinctive lion on the top of the roof. This lion is the symbol of the Dukes of Northumberland,…

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Charing Cross Station

To me, Charing Cross Station is such a fixture of the western end of the Strand that is difficult to think that it is not yet 150 years old. I pass the station often when I leave the tube at Embankment on my way to King’s College. In the nineteenth-century, Charing Cross was an example…

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Building construction and demolition Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square marks the western entrance to the Strand. Trafalgar Square was begun in 1840, to provide a more dignified frontage to the new National Gallery as well as a memorial to Nelson’s naval victory at Trafalgar and a reminder of the might of the burgeoning British Empire. After much arguing, Nelson’s column was finally…

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Friendship and Thoroughfares

Originally submitted by Alex Belsey The Strand is London’s greatest thoroughfare, its huge volumes of human traffic easily eclipsing the throngs of cabs, cars and buses that provide its restless soundtrack. As a pedestrian on the Strand, the predominant feeling is often one of swimming against a tide of people, one of having to anticipate…

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A memory of the Strand

This story has been kindly contributed by Gerald Collins. The Strand is the gateway to Temple Bar and the City boundary. Originally lined with palaces and mansions, the only reminder of these old estates today are the street names i.e. Essex Street, Villiers Street. As a child in the early 1950’s my parents would take…

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St Mary Le Strand

In 1147 the site of St Mary le Strand was occupied by the church of The Nativity Of Our Lady and the Innocents. This was demolished in 1549 to make way for Somerset House, Protector Somerset promised to rebuild it but never did so and for nearly 200 years the parishioners had used the Savoy…

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