VicLondon-Covent Garden
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Packed between Longacre Road and the Embankment is Covent Gardens, so named for a convent that once stood here. The main businesses here are cheaper retail outlets and the theatre. The district is centred on Covent Gardens Market, a large square of street vendors, shops and department stores in a square between Carrick Street and Russell Street. The market is open for business about six in the morning, with the street vendors at work before the retail shops open at eight. Along the main road of Covent Gardens, the Strand, are some of the more famous stages in London. The Adelphi, the Gaiety, and Lyceum, the Vaudeville (which gives its name to the variety show format) and the Exeter Hall all crowd along the north side of the Strand. Excellent hotels like the Cecil Street and the Savoy are tucked between the Strand and the gardens running along the Embankment.
The famed Drury Theatre on Drury Lane is one of the largest of the establishments in the district. Along Drury Lane, there are many gentlemen’s clubs, essentially brothels, where men “slumming” can bring actresses after their shows. The life of an actor or actress is not much different throughout time. Very few are successful enough to live well; not everyone can be a Sarah Bernhardt, a Henry Irving, or an Ellen Terry. Many supplement their income by escorting men after their shows, hoping to be taken on as a lover and kept in style (preferably with a house in St. Johns Wood).
As a result, another major “industry” here is law enforcement. The Police Courts are on Bow Street, along with the original station house for the Bow Street Runners, the precursor to the Metropolitan Police Force, and still a major station for the middle of London. Their main concern is robbery and assault. While there is a strong police presence in the area, there are a lot of small streets and alleyways in Covent Gardens, and adjacent to Covent Gardens is “the Rookery” (St. Giles), a neighbourhood even flying squads will avoid, if at all possible. Keeping the riff-raff out of Covent Gardens and in St. Giles is a full time job.
