This article is about the Regent Street in London. For other Regent Streets see Regent Street (disambiguation). Several cities have notable streets called Regent Street. The original and most famous is in London England.

The Quadrant at the bottom of Regent Street.

Regent Street is a major shopping street and thoroughfare in London's West End. High Street, or the High Street, is a Metonym for the generic name (and frequently the official name of the primary Business street London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The West End of London is an area of Central London, England, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions businesses headquarters and the commercial Named after the Prince Regent (later George IV), it was built by John Nash. John Nash ( 18 January 1752 – 13 May 1835) was an English Architect responsible for much of the layout of Regency Mistakenly thought to be as part of a ceremonial route from the Regent's residence at Carlton House in St James's to Regent's Park, it was in fact the idea of John Fordyce, then then Surveyor-General of the Dept of Woods and Forests (now The Crown Estate). Carlton House was a Mansion in London, best known as the town residence of the Prince Regent for several decades St James's is an area of central London in the City of Westminster. For other meanings see Regent's Park (disambiguation Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks Starting as Lower Regent Street at its intersection with Charles II Street and Waterloo Place, it runs north to Piccadilly Circus then becomes Regent Street by turning westward, and curves around in a quarter-circle until it is heading north once more. Piccadilly Circus is a famous road junction and public space of London 's West End in the City of Westminster,built in 1819 to connect Regent It then continues past Oxford Circus becoming Upper Regent Street and ends at its intersection with Langham Place, Cavendish Place and Mortimer Street. Oxford Circus is the area of London at the busy intersection of Regent Street and Oxford Street, in the City of Westminster.

There is a yearly Regent Street Festival, and the Christmas light displays are a London tradition, with a "celebrity" being chosen annually to ceremonially light them up. A festival is an event usually and ordinarily staged by a local community which centers on some unique aspect of that community In recent years, the Christmas lights have been used predominantly as just another advertising venue, usually for films aimed at a younger audience. As well as shops, there is a large amount of office accommodation on the upper floors of the buildings. The street features as one of the locations on the standard London version of the Monopoly board game. Monopoly is a Board game published by Parker Brothers, a subsidiary of Hasbro.

2006 Christmas lights in Regent Street.

History

Nash's Regent Street in 1829. John Nash ( 18 January 1752 – 13 May 1835) was an English Architect responsible for much of the layout of Regency These buildings have been replaced.

Regent Street was named after the Prince Regent (later George IV) and formed part of the 1811 town plan prepared by John Nash to, popularly but incorrectly thought, develop a ceremonial route from the Regent's residence at Carlton House in St James's to the newly developed Regent's Park. John Nash ( 18 January 1752 – 13 May 1835) was an English Architect responsible for much of the layout of Regency Carlton House was a Mansion in London, best known as the town residence of the Prince Regent for several decades St James's is an area of central London in the City of Westminster. For other meanings see Regent's Park (disambiguation Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks The street still belongs to The Crown Estate, which keeps its offices adjacent to the street. In the United Kingdom, the Crown Estate is a Property portfolio associated with the monarchy. ^[1]

Nash planned a wide boulevard with a sweeping curve. The optimum use of pockets of Crown Estate land meant that the New Street (as Regent Street was initially known) contained a number of twists; where Portland Place joins Langham Place, and where the street enters Piccadilly Circus. Portland Place is a street in the Marylebone district of central London. Piccadilly Circus is a famous road junction and public space of London 's West End in the City of Westminster,built in 1819 to connect Regent The street was completed in 1825 and was an early example of town planning in England: until this point, London had grown somewhat randomly. Nash saw New Street as a clear dividing line between Soho, which was considered less than respectable, and the fashionable squares and streets of Mayfair. This article is about an area of Manhattan, New York City. For the area in London UK see Soho. Mayfair is an area of central London, England, within the City of Westminster.

20th century redevelopment

By the end of the 19th century at a time when the first leases were expiring many of the retailers in Regent Street wished to rebuild. There were three main reasons for this: first, Nash’s buildings were not of the highest quality, utilising stucco render and composition to imitate stonework; secondly, many of the buildings had already been extensively extended and were structurally suspect; thirdly, they were too small and old fashioned for the type of retail uses which were becoming popular as bespoke shopping died out.

The first redevelopment was of Regent House, just south of Oxford Circus. However, the stylistic tone for the rebuilding was set by Sir Reginald Blomfield’s Quadrant, which followed the construction of the Piccadilly Hotel, designed by Richard Norman Shaw, which opened in 1908. Sir Reginald Theodore Blomfield ( 20 December 1856 – 27 December 1942) was a British Architect, Garden designer Richard Norman Shaw RA ( Edinburgh, 7 May 1831 &ndash London, 17 November 1912) was the most influential British architect

Although reconstruction was driven by the need to increase the size of the shops, to meet the Edwardian aspiration for department stores, the work was delayed by the Great War and it was not until 1927 that the completion was celebrated, with King George V and Queen Mary driving in state along its length. Class and society Socially the Edwardian era was a period during which the British Class system was very rigid

Regent Street is an example of Beaux Arts ‘façadism’, an architectural set piece designed to impress as it unfurls before the visitor. It is a medley of related styles and decoration, with each building having been designed individually but within strict guidelines. Each block was required to be designed with a continuing unifying façade to the street, regardless of the number of sub-divisions behind the main elevation, and they had to be finished in Portland stone with a uniform cornice level.

All the buildings in Regent Street are listed as being at least Grade II status and together they form the Regent Street Conservation Area. ^[2]

On 6 July 2004, half a million people crowded into Regent Street and the surrounding streets to watch a parade of Formula 1 cars. Events 1044 - The Battle of Ménfő takes place 1189 - Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The success of this event has led to speculation regarding the possibility of a London Grand Prix. Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894

Selected shops and other places of note

Apple retail store

Apple retail store on Regent Street. The Apple Store is a chain of retail stores owned and operated by Apple Inc

The Apple retail store opened on Regent Street at 10am on 20 November 2004. The Apple Store is a chain of retail stores owned and operated by Apple Inc Events 284 - Diocletian was chosen as Roman Emperor. 762 - Bögü Khan of the Uyghurs, "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " At the time this represented the first such store in Europe, and only the fourth outside the United States (the preceding three are in Japan, and since then many more have opened outside the United States). The United States of America —commonly referred to as the For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics.

Austin Reed

Austin Reed's flagship store is located at 103-113 Regent Street. see also Austin Reed (fiction Austin Reed is a British Fashion Retailer founded in 1900 known for its menswear The store has an atrium at its centre, housing glass lifts allowing viewing across all floors. The lower ground floor sells womenswear and also houses Austin's, the refurbished 1920’s Art Deco Barber Shop, offering a full range of hair, face and body treatments for both men and women. Art Deco was a popular international design movement from 1925 until 1939 affecting the decorative arts such as Architecture, Interior design, and Industrial

Broadcasting House

The BBC's headquarters are in Broadcasting House, whose front entrance is in Langham Place but easily visible from Regent St. Broadcasting House is the headquarters and Registered office of the BBC in Portland Place, London, England. Indeed, most Londoners think of Broadcasting House as marking the top end of Regent Street. Several national radio stations broadcast from this 1930s Art Deco building.

All Souls Church

All Souls church, at the top of Lower Regent Street, seen between Broadcasting House and the new Egton Wing

All Souls Church, Langham Place is a church located next to Broadcasting House. All Souls Church is an Anglican Evangelical church in central London, situated in Marylebone at the north end of Regent Street, next Designed by John Nash, is has a distinctive circular portico surmounted with a stone spire. John Nash may refer to John Forbes Nash (born 1928 American mathematician Nobel laureate subject of the book and film titled A Beautiful Mind

Dickins & Jones

In June 2005 owner House of Fraser announced that the department store Dickins & Jones, which traces its origins to 1803 and had been located in Regent Street since 1835, would close in January 2006. House of Fraser is a British Department store group with 63 stores (April 2008 across the United Kingdom and Ireland. A department store is a Retail establishment which specializes in selling a wide range of products without a single predominant merchandise line. Dickins & Jones was a Department store that had operated between 1835 and 2006 (tracing origins as early as 1803 in London, United Kingdom. The store was said to have been making losses for several years and to have failed to keep up with more fashion-conscious rivals such as its neighbour Liberty. Liberty is a well known store in Great Marlborough Street in central London, England at the heart of the West End shopping district The building has been redeveloped with small shop units on the lower floors and flats and offices above. [1]

Hamleys

Hamleys, one of the world's largest toy shops. Hamleys is one of the world's largest Toy shops It is currently located at 188&ndash196 Regent Street in London.

Hamleys toy shop can be found 100 metres south of Oxford Circus on the east side of the road. Hamleys is one of the world's largest Toy shops It is currently located at 188&ndash196 Regent Street in London. Oxford Circus is the area of London at the busy intersection of Regent Street and Oxford Street, in the City of Westminster. Until the 1990s it was the world's largest toy store (now Toys "R" Us, in New York), with six floors devoted to playthings. Toys "R" Us ( currently typeset as Toys Я Us in the logo and before as Toys "Я" Us) is a Toy store chain based New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous The fifth floor was recently opened with an open cafe. The ground floor is always decked out with a variety of soft toys, from small puppets to life-sized giraffes, and demonstrators. A stuffed animal is Toy Animal sewn from Cloth,

Liberty

Main article: Liberty (department store)

The Liberty department store was originally known for its role at the retail end of the Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts Movement styles. Liberty is a well known store in Great Marlborough Street in central London, England at the heart of the West End shopping district Liberty is a well known store in Great Marlborough Street in central London, England at the heart of the West End shopping district Art Nouveau ( nu vo anglicised /ˈɑːt nuːvəu/ ( French for 'new art' also known as Jugendstil ( German for 'youth style' is an international The Arts and Crafts Movement was a British, Canadian, and American Aesthetic movement occurring in the last years of the 19th century and the Set up by the entrepreneur Arthur Lasenby Liberty, who took out a loan for £2000 in 1874 and purchased 218a Regent Street. The shop opened in 1875 with only three staff. Lasenby’s shop sold ornaments, fabric and objects of art from Japan and the East. In the 1920s the now iconic Tudor-style building was designed and built by architects Edwin T. Hall and his son Edwin S. Hall, constructed from the timbers of two ships, the HMS Impregnable, and the HMS Hindustan.

Oxford Circus tube station

Oxford Circus is the junction where Regent Street crosses Oxford Street, and the site of one of the busiest of London's underground stations. Oxford Circus is the area of London at the busy intersection of Regent Street and Oxford Street, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Circus is a London Underground station serving Oxford Circus at the junction of Regent Street and Oxford Street, with entrances on The Central, Bakerloo and Victoria lines all meet here. The Central line is a line of the London Underground and coloured red on the Tube map. The Bakerloo line is a line of the London Underground, coloured brown on the Tube map. Victoria Line train leaving depotjpg|thumb|right|300px|1967 Stock train leaving Northumberland Park Depot]] The Victoria line is part of the London Underground

The Crown Estate redevelopment

The Williams Formula One team participated in a demonstration in London's Regent Street prior to the 2004 British Grand Prix. Not to be confused with Frank Williams Racing Cars, formed by Frank Williams 1967 London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The 2004 British Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 11 July 2004 at the Silverstone Circuit.

Since the turn of the millennium, the Crown Estate has embarked on a major redevelopment programme in Regent Street and some of its side streets. In the United Kingdom, the Crown Estate is a Property portfolio associated with the monarchy. This involves replacing some of the smaller shops with larger units. More importantly from a commercial point of view, many of the early 20th century offices, which typically for that era have many corridors and small individual offices, are being replaced with the open plan accommodation which is now required by tenants. This is being done by completing stripping out the interiors and rebuilding behind retained facades.

The Crown Estate moved its own headquarters from Carlton House Terrace to Regent Street in 2006. In the United Kingdom, the Crown Estate is a Property portfolio associated with the monarchy. Carlton House Terrace refers to a street in the St James's district of London, England, and in particular to two terraces of white Stucco -faced

The largest element of the plan is the reconstruction of the Quadrant at the southern end of the street close to Piccadilly Circus. In addition to shops and offices, a five star hotel and a small number of flats will be created here.

Trivia

The photograph for the album cover of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars by David Bowie was shot in Heddon Street, just off Regent Street. An album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially-released audio recording product or Album. David Bowie (ˈboʊiː born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947 is an English Musician, actor producer, and arranger.

Nearest tube stations

• Oxford Circus tube station
• Piccadilly Circus tube station

Notes

References

• The Architecture of Regent Street, The Crown Estate, London, 2005

See also

• List of eponymous roads in London

External links

• http://www.regentstreetonline.com/
• http://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/

Coordinates: 51°30′39″N 0°08′19″W / 51.5108, -0.1387