2024

TQ2980 : Statue of Eros, Piccadilly Circus

taken 2 years ago, near to City of Westminster, England

Statue of Eros, Piccadilly Circus
Statue of Eros, Piccadilly Circus
Piccadilly Circus

Piccadilly Circus is a road junction and public space of London's West End, built in 1819 to connect Regent Street with Piccadilly.
Piccadilly now links directly to the theatres on Shaftesbury Avenue, as well as the Haymarket, Coventry Street (onwards to Leicester Square) and Glasshouse Street. The Circus is close to major shopping and entertainment areas in the West End. Its status as a major traffic junction has made Piccadilly Circus a busy meeting place and a tourist attraction in its own right. The Circus is particularly known for its neon signs mounted on the corner building on the northern side, as well as the Shaftesbury memorial fountain and statue, which is popularly, though mistakenly, believed to be of Eros. It is surrounded by several notable buildings, including the London Pavilion and Criterion Theatre. Directly underneath the plaza is Piccadilly Circus tube station.

Listed Buildings and Structures

Listed buildings and structures are officially designated as being of special architectural, historical or cultural significance. There are over half a million listed structures in the United Kingdom, covered by around 375,000 listings.
Listed status is more commonly associated with buildings or groups of buildings, however it can cover many other structures, including bridges, headstones, steps, ponds, monuments, walls, phone boxes, wrecks, parks, and heritage sites, and in more recent times a road crossing (Abbey Road) and graffiti art (Banksy 'Spy-booth') have been included.

In England and Wales there are three main listing designations;
Grade I (2.5%) - exceptional interest, sometimes considered to be internationally important.
Grade II* (5.5%) - particularly important buildings of more than special interest.
Grade II (92%) - nationally important and of special interest.

There are also locally listed structures (at the discretion of local authorities) using A, B and C designations.

In Scotland three classifications are also used but the criteria are different. There are around 47,500 Listed buildings.
Category A (8%)- generally equivalent to Grade I and II* in England and Wales
Category B (51%)- this appears generally to cover the ground of Grade II, recognising national importance.
Category C (41%)- buildings of local importance, probably with some overlap with English Grade II.

In Northern Ireland the criteria are similar to Scotland, but the classifications are:
Grade A (2.3%)
Grade B+ (4.7%)
Grade B (93%)

Read more at Wikipedia LinkExternal link

Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain, Piccadilly Circus

At the southeastern side of the Circus, stands the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain, erected in 1892–1893 to commemorate the works of Lord Shaftesbury, a Victorian politician, and social reformer. The subject of the Memorial is the Greek god Anteros and was given the name The Angel of Christian Charity but is generally mistaken for his brother Eros.
Grade I listed. LinkExternal link

Grade I and Category A listed buildings and structures

Grade I listed buildings and structures are of exceptional, even international importance. There are over 6,000 in the country. Only 2.5% of listed buildings are Grade I listed.
In Scotland the classification is Category A
Index: LinkExternal link


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright N Chadwick and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: City, Town centre
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
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1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
TIP: Click the map for more Large scale mapping
Grid Square
TQ2980, 5237 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
N Chadwick   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Sunday, 9 June, 2024   (more nearby)
Submitted
Tuesday, 10 June, 2025
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! TQ 2952 8064 [10m precision]
WGS84: 51:30.5911N 0:8.1019W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! TQ 2955 8063
View Direction
WEST (about 270 degrees)
Clickable map
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Image Type (about): geograph 
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