Leicester Square was originally set out in 1670. The site was south of Leicester House a former royal building that has since disappeared.
Leicester square was once a very fashionable place to live and boasted among its residents Sir Isaac Newton, the scientist who theorized the idea of gravity. The famous artist Hogarth was also a resident here and painted many of his society portraits from his studio at number sixty-eight. In 1801 Hogarth's house was converted into the areas first restaurant; named Hotel de la Sablionere. Several hotels grew up around the square making it popular with visitors to London.
Hotels in Leicester Square at Pandarooms.com
They Include
Radisson Edwardian Leicester Square
"The ideal hideaway boutique hotel in the heart of the West End, tucked between the National Gallery and Leicester Square. The newly refurbished Radisson Edwardian Leicester Square Hotel is cool, minimalist and clutter free, with beautifully designed furniture, pale leathers and original art throughout."
The Empire Cinema on Leicester square was formerly a popular music hall with the same name. Towards the end of the twentieth century the Leicester square area had become a somewhat undesirable location until Westminster Council invested heavily in the area during the 1990s."
St Martins Lane
"From its dazzling location at the hub of Covent Garden, West End theatres and Trafalgar Square, St Martins Lane is a dramatic and daring reinvention of the urban resort. Smart, witty and sophisticated, Philippe Starck’s design is a brilliant collision of influences from the modern to the baroque, which suffuses the hotel with energy, vitality and magic. Unique features include the acclaimed Asia de Cuba restaurant, wildly popular Light Bar, and interactive light displays in every guest room that encourage guests to personalise their own individual space, and help to turn the hotel into a beautiful and ever changing mosaic of colour."
Leicester Square is the centre of London's cinema land, where four of leading United kingdom cinemas are located at.U K film and Royal premieres are regularly hosted at one of the Leicester Suare's four cinemas. The movie influence is apparent from the statue of Charlie Chaplin. Similar to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Square is surrounded by floor mounted plaques with film stars names and cast handprints on display.
To the North of the square is the Swiss Centre famed for its hourly chiming clock. The Society of West End Theatre's ‘half-priced ticket booth is located in the Clock tower buildings and sells reduced tickets to many of London’s shows on the same day as the performance.
