Piccadilly is an artery of approximately 1,5 kilometers to London, in the West End. This way extends from Hyde Park Corner in South-west with Piccadilly Circus in the North-East and separates two districts: in North Mayfair and the South St James' S. Moreover, this street gave its name to the crossroads quoted herebefore, Piccadilly Circus.

The street is bordered of luxurious stores, of hotels of prestige, agencies of airline companies, residences cossues, often transformed into clubs, which does of them one of the most run walks of London.

Supposed origin of the name " Piccadilly"

At the 16th century, the district (Piccadilly) was property of Eaton College and Mercer' S Compagny, when a tailor, Robert Baker, indirectly gave him his current name. This man had grown rich in the trade by the " piccadils" , high collars empesés very in favor near frivolous youth of time of Stuarts. With this money, it will buy grounds in the West of London, part little inhabited at the time, and will make there build a luxurious house in 1612, at the Southern end of Great Windmill Street. Its residence will quickly be called " the Piccadilly Hall". Even if the current street Piccadilly were known in 1692 under the name of Portugal Street , name given in the honor of Catherine de Bragance, wife of the king Charles II of England, since 1743, it is attested that the name used for the street was already that which one knows to him still nowadays.

Description of Piccadilly

The following paragraphs describe the buildings of the street Piccadilly and the directly surrounding places.

The Albany hotel

This private mansion in the shape of H has a court of entry giving on Piccadilly. It was built by William Chambers on behalf of the second wire of George III, Frederic, duke of York and Albany. It is this title which gave its name besides to the building and one sees his statue in the Evil. Overpowered debts, it sold it to a promoter who divided the residence into 69 luxurious apartments. Nowadays, the hotel is famous to have accommodated boarders of re-elected: Lord Byron, Graham Greene, Thomas Babington Macaulay.

Burlington House

In 1664, the first count de Burlington wanted to be made build a private mansion close to St James' S. The third count de Burlington rebuilt the building (it was called the count architect ), with the assistance of Colen Campbell, in the Style palladien. The residence was then modified of 1867 to 1873 to make of it a building of style Néorenaissance. In 1869, the back of Burlington House was transformed into Style neogothic. Decorated turns, of a monumental gantry and a porch, the wing of the building carries a score of statues of magistrates.

During many years the place was the seat of the University off London . Founded in 1836, this one did not gain Bloomsbury (its current residence) only at the end of the Second world war. Nowadays, the places accommodate the Royal Academy , i.e. the Academy of the Art schools.

Royal Academy

The Academy of the Art schools sat before at Somerset House before occupying these places. In the other direction, the Royal Society was before with Burlington House before settling elsewhere.

Currently, in addition to the Royal Academy , five learned societies occupy the Western wing or Is, here:

  • Geological Society off London (geological Company of London-Picadilly/wing Is)

  • Linnean Society off London (Company linnéenne of Western London-wing)
  • Royal Astronomical Society (royal Company of Western astronomy-wing)
  • Society off Antiquaries off London (Company of the antique dealers of London-Picadilly/wing Western)
  • Royal Society off Chemistry (royal Company of chemistry-wing Is)

In the court is set up the statue of the first president of the Royal Academy , the portraitist Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792).

The Royal Academy can count more to the 80 members who must be painters, engravers, sculptors or architects. It organizes two annual exposures; one in summer, devoted since 1769 to the alive artists, and the other in winter which relates to old art. In 1999, the exposure which it organized Monet at the 20th century attracted 800  000 people, world records of paying entries for an exposure of an impressionist painter.

The permanent collections of the Royal Academy are exposed in the private rooms (Private Rooms) where one can see there fabrics of the famous former members of the Academy, such J.M.W. Turner, Thomas Gainsborough, John Constable or Joshua Reynolds, but also a Madonna with the Child of Michel-Angel and celebrate it copy of Cène of Léonard de Vinci.

Burlington Arcade

Arranged in 1819, Burlington Arcade is a private property supervised by " beadles" (about " bedeaux" , although the term is not completely exact insofar as they do not have any relationship with the religion), equipped " with the ancienne" and bearing frock coat and top hats. This arcade gathers top-of-the-range stores: jewelry, jewelry, mode. There are also sales of drugs

Old Street Jump

This part of Street Jump is characterized by the luxury trades which compose it: stores of porcelain, jewelry and antiquities.

Albemarie Street

Rosalie Duthé, ballerina and large courtesan of the 18th century, favorite of the count d' Artois and the London banker Perregaux lived there a small hotel at the time of her passage to London.

" clubs"

In the North of Piccadilly remain houses géorgiennes often reconverted in clubs. Thus with number 94, one finds installed in Cambridge House the Naval and Military Club so known under the name " In and Out Club". Cambridge House was built at the 18th century for Lord Egremont then inhabited by George IV, duke of Cambridge of 1829 to 1850 and by Palmerston of 1855 to 1860.

With number 127, the Cavalry Club is attended by the riders and with number 128, the Royal Air Force Club attended by the aviators.

Ritz Hotel

See detailed article: Hotel Ritz.

Barclays Bank

At number 160 of the street a sumptuous subsidiary company of the Barclays bank sits. Its outside is in the American neo-classic style and its exotic interior is in tons black, red and gold.

The building at summer builds in 1922 and was used for the origin like showroom for Wolseley Motors before being repurchased by Barclays and transformed under the direction of the architect William Curtis-Green (1875-1960).

Apsley House

The residence was built between 1771 and 1778 per Robert Adam on behalf of the Lord-chancellor Bathurst, baron Apsley. In 1807, Richard Wellesley repurchases it, an enlarging of the house takes place in 1812, then it yields it in 1817 to his younger brother, Arthur Wellesley, 1er duke of Wellington. This one will order work has Benjamin Wyatt: a Corinthian gantry is plated on the principal frontage and from the stone of Bath comes to cover the walls of the residence.

The residence will be offered at the English State in 1947 by Gerald Wellesley, 7th duke of Wellington. The Londoners name it " Number One, London" (number one, London) undoubtedly because of the fact that it was about the first important house at the entry of the city.

This house shelters Wellington Museum (Wellington museum).

Wellington Museum

This museum in the honor of Arthur Wellesley, 1er duke of Wellington gathers objects having a close link with its life: orders and decorations, of which the medal of silver Waterloo, 85 Tricolours of the parade of the 1er June 1815 in Paris. It presents also personal objects of the duke: porcelain, silverware, jewels, snuffboxes, orders of knighthood, sticks of marshal, the candlesticks of the 19th century of English manufacture. Lastly, it presents a collection of Masters English, Spanish, Dutch and Flemish, including more than one hundred tables which come from the royal collection of Spain seized by Wellington in the vans of king Joseph, brother of Napoleon, after the battle of Victoria (1813).

Internal bond

In 1929, Ewald André Dupont carried out a film named Piccadilly, arisen in room in 2004 (in the United Kingdom) in a restored version.

External bonds

  • the official site of Royal Academy.
  • www.geolsoc.org.uk the official site of Geological Society off London.
  • www.linnean.org the official official site of Linnean Society off London.
  • www.ras.org.uk the official site of Royal Astronomical Society.
  • www.sal.org.uk the official site of Society off Antiquaries off London.
  • www.rsc.org the official site of Royal Society off Chemistry.

  • www.siefar.org a biography of Rosalie Duthé.

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