THE WEST END

Do you know the West End? The West End means the west of London literally. It is an area of central London. If you have ever been to London, you must have visited the West End. All guidebooks of London take up the West End. It is because In the West End, there are many lots of the main tourist attractions, businesses, headquarters and commerce. We introduce the details of The West End through three different subjects.

LOCATION

         

          First, we introduce the location. The River Thames flows across the capital city with meandering from the east. The northwest of the area that the river bends at an angle of 90 degrees to the south in central London is the West End.

          So the West End contains city of Westminster, Soho, Mayfair, and parts of Fitzrovia, Marylebone and some other places. There are also many famous streets like a Regent Street, Oxford Street, Charing Cross Street and Bond Street. In London, it is very important to know the names of streets because each of them has their own characteristics. Lots of first-class shops line in the Bond Street, so the street is similar to Ginza. And there are many shops for young women――for example H&M, ZARA and TOPSHOP――at the Oxford Street, it looks like Shinjuku. Trafalgar square and Piccadilly are also here. Moreover, the area is near the Buckingham Palace. That is a one of the reason why the East End is flourishing

WHERE TO VISIT

           In the West End, there are so many attractive spots where you should visit. We recommend some special spots. First, Leicester Square and Covent Garden are known for the entertainment. There are some popular theatres and you can enjoy plays and movies. Second, if you like to go shopping, it is a good idea to go Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street. They are famous for the world-renowned shopping street. When you want to study arts, you should go to Tottenham Court Road. There is the British Museum which is one of the most famous museums in the world. We recommend that you should visit the National Gallery located in Trafalger Square.

History of the West End

          As we mentioned above, the West End is the centre of entertainments in London. Therefore, many upper-class people live there. On the other hand, there are many lower-class people in the east. The difference has been continuing since ancient times. Why?  We will introduce one of the main reasons. The term, the East End, has been begun to use in a pejorative sense in 19^th century. At that time, the population of London increased rapidly and overcrowded. So many poor people and immigrants moved to the east. In addition, construction of the St Katharine Docks that was an important port of marine transportation and the central London railway termini cleared away the slums. Therefore, lower-class and immigrants live in the East End, and upper-classes live in the West End there are many entertainments.

 

           When you visit London, you might enjoy the West End. Still, the more you know about the West End, the more you enjoy not only the West End but also London. It might be interesting for you to visit both the West End and the East End with being aware of the difference between them.