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For details on the adjacent London Underground station, see Leicester Square tube station
Leicester Square (pronounced 'Lester Square') is a pedestrian square in the West End of London, United Kingdom, lying to the west of Charing Cross Road, north of Trafalgar Square and east of Piccadilly Circus. In the centre of the Square is a small park in the centre of which is a statue of William Shakespeare surrounded by dolphins. At each corner gate of the park is a statue: those featured are: Sir Isaac Newton (famous scientist), Sir Joshua Reynolds (the first President of the Royal Academy), John Hunter (a pioneer of surgery), William HogarthWilliam Hogarth ( November 10, 1697 October 26, 1764) was a major British painter, engraver, pictorial satirist, and editorial cartoonist who has been credited as a pioneer in western sequential art. His work ranged from excellent realistic portraiture to (famous painter). The most recent addition is a statue of Charlie ChaplinFor the Jamaican musician named Charlie Chaplin, see Charlie Chaplin (singer). Sir Charles "Charlie" Spencer Chaplin ( April 16, 1889 December 25, 1977) was the most famous actor in early to mid Hollywood cinema, and later also a notable director. His pri (film star).
Leicester Square is the centre of London's cinemaA movie theater or cinema is a location, usually a building, for viewing movies. Other colloquial names include the silver screen and the big screen (contrasted with the "small screen" of television). Generally, theaters are not owned by individuals, but land. UK filmFor other uses see film (disambiguation Film — also called movies the cinema the silver screen moving pictures motion pictures photoplays picture shows and flicks — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as part of the entertainment premiereA premiere is a first performance. Premieres for theatrical, musical, and other productions are often extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much media attention. Premiere is also the name of a magazine devoted to movies and movies are typically hosted at one of the four cinemas located directly within the square. Various claims about the cinemas in the Square are made including that it contains the cinema with the largest screen and the cinema with the most number of seats (over 2000). It is named and built on the site of 'Leicester Fields', which were the fields in front of the Earl of LeicesterThe Earl of Leicester was created in the 12th century as a title in the Peerage of England (title now extinct), and is currently a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, created in 1837. History The title was first created for Robert de Beaumont.'s mansion. The area was developed in the 1670sCenturies: 16th century 17th century 18th century Decades: 1620s 1630s 1640s 1650s 1660s 1670s 1680s 1690s 1700s 1710s 1720s Years: 1670 1671 1672 1673 1674 1675 1676 1677 1678 1679 Events and Trends Newton and Leibniz independently discover calculus..
The square is also the home for 'tkts', formerly known as the Official London Half-Price Theatre Ticket Booth. This booth is jointly owned and operated by various theatre groups. Tickets for theatre performances taking place around the West End that day are sold from the booth for around half-price. The popularity of the booth has given rise to many other booths and stores around the square advertising 'half price' tickets for West End shows. It is claimed that at least some of these booths are fraudulent. Despite having names like 'Official Half-Price Ticket Booth', they are neither official nor do they offer half-price tickets.
The square is home to several nightclubs and is consequently often very busy, particularly on Friday and Saturday evenings. Some claim that the Square has a relatively 'seedy' atmosphere.
Capital Radio moved its headquarters and London studios to Leicester Square in 1997. XFM, an "indie music" radio station, owned by Capital Radio also share the building.
