Tottenham Court Road

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tottenham Court Road looking north with the Euston Tower in the distance
Tottenham Court Road looking north with the Euston Tower in the distance

Tottenham Court Road is a road in Central London, England, running from St Giles' Circus (the junction of Oxford Street and Charing Cross Road) north to Euston Road, near the border of the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden. The road is one-way; all three lanes are northbound only.

The south end of the road is very close to the British Museum and Centre Point, the West End's tallest building. The road is served by three stations on the London Underground - from south to north these are: Tottenham Court Road, Goodge Street and Warren Street.

Tottenham Court Road is a significant shopping street, known for its large number of electrical shops, which range from shops specialising in wires and computer components, to shops dealing in package computers and audio-video systems. Further north there are many furniture shops including Habitat and Heals. The road gained notoriety in 2001 when the first branch in Central London of the Spearmint Rhino chain of lap-dancing clubs opened. The Church of Scientology has a branch at 60 Tottenham Court Road.

In the 1950s and 1960s Tottenham Court Road and a few of the adjoining streets became a mecca for World War Two surplus radio and electronics equipment. Shops such as Proops Brothers and "Z & I Aero Services" lined both sides of the road in those days and thousands of British youngsters traveled there to buy amplifiers, radios and electronic components. There were many stores there selling all kinds of electro mechanical and radio parts. By the 1960s they were also selling a myriad of Japanese transistor radios audio mixers and such. Many British-made tube stereos were offered too. This area was quite similar to New York City's famous Radio Row around Cortland Street.

Opposite Habitat and Heals is an open public space called Whitefield Gardens. On the side of a house is a painting, the "Fitzrovia Mural" over 60 feet high, showing many people at work and at leisure, but none are recognisable. It was painted in 1980 in a style resembling that of Diego Rivera. In 2005 12 so-called "Our Glass" panels were erected in the gardens. Each is about 5 feet high, with two sides showing a collage of people associated with the area, from satirical cartoonist Hogarth to singer Boy George. There is 13th panel showing an index to the people. Each panel has a title, for example "1. Whitfield Gardens and the Reverend Whitefield", "2. The Soul Catchers", "3. Hub of the Anti-Slavery campaign"... up to "12. Our Glasses Public Art Club Land".

It is the only thoroughfare in the W1 postal district to feature the word road in its name - all the others are streets, squares, etc.

Tottenham Court Road was home to the Horse Shoe Brewery for many years. In October 1814 a giant vat full of porter (beer) burst, demolishing some housing on the road and killing eight people.

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