Charing Cross Road

Charing Cross Road is one of the biggest streets in London, acting as a connection point for many tourists and London commuters due to its central location and being near many places of interest. The road was originally formed in 1877, following an Act of Parliament designed to make London easier to navigate by road. This proved to be an incredibly sensible move, as decades later the invention of the motor car meant London would have been even more congested than it is today had the Act of Parliament not existed.

The route was taken from several other streets, merging them together and making it easier for traffic to move freely. Charing Cross Road flows onto Tottenham Court Road, another huge street and navigation point for anyone visiting London. The route runs roughly from St. Martin in the Fields – an Anglican church next to Trafalgar Square, one of the most popular tourist destinations of London – and St. Giles’ Circus, a huge intersection linking Charing Cross Road with Oxford Street among others. The road is primarily in the City of Westminster.

Charing Cross Road is most famous for its bookshops and support of authors. Even today, the road is full of independent book retailers – a refreshing nuance in a world of Borders and WH Smith. There are also a number of specialist bookshops, the like of which can rarely be found on any main road of a major city; Zwemmer’s specializes in books on art and culture, while Murder One has crime books and romance. There are also specialist shops for travel, history and classic literature, as well as shops that are more general in their stock.

This historic association of books and Charing Cross Road was, however, the subject of controversy in 2001. The housing association that owns the majority of the buildings which the bookstores are located in, decided to raise their rent. This was supposed to be to keep the rents in line with market rates; it had long been known that those renting their book shops in Charing Cross Road were getting an extremely good deal for their central London location. The decision of rent increases was, however, protested against heavily by both the book store owners and local residents. A particularly problematic point was due to housing associations supposedly being not-for-profit schemes.

The protests were partially successful. Though the rents for the book shops were increased, it was not the full increase originally suggested. This, however, was not enough for some of the book stores to stay afloat; many businesses still folded, perhaps a proof of just how cheap the rents had previously been. Some stores moved location rather than pay the rent increases, most to the adjoining area Cecil Court. However, the Charing Cross reputation for book selling has continued nevertheless, though in albeit smaller numbers than their once was.

The area in general serves as a transport link, both by road and by rail. Charing Cross railway station is nearby, which is the fifth busiest overground station on the London network. There are also two Underground stations nearby; Charing Cross and Embankment. This all helps make Charing Cross an easy and enjoyable place to visit, particularly for those with an interest in literature.