Leicester Square Gardens

Situated in the center of popular Leicester Square is the serene park called Leicester Square Gardens. I've always bypassed this park or simply walked around it and this time decided to have a seat to soak up the atmosphere. I was happy to be back in London and wanted to savor the thought. The garden is open only in the daytime and is accessed via four entrances at each corner of the park. The park is popular with both visitors, residents and workers enjoying a break or snack.

Like most other gathering places in London, Leicester Square is never far from other popular neighborhoods. A short walk north is Chinatown, the playhouses of Shaftesbury Ave. and Soho. To the east is trendy Covent Garden. To the south is Trafalgar Square and to the west is Piccadilly Circus and the shops of Regent Street.

The square is host to most movie premieres in London and the official site for London's half-price ticket booth for plays and musicals in addition to numerous other booking agencies also advertising the same specials. During the weekend the square is among the most crowded in the city teeming with people going to and from clubs, bars, restaurants and the movie theaters.

Origins of the square go back to the 1600s when the Earl of Leicester purchased land here and built himself a large home on the north side of the square. By the late 18th, the square began to be the central location for local entertainments in London and remains so today.