Fitzroy Square, the home away from home for many Indian students

This post is about my walk today through three places which I often feel are the very soul of this city: Fitzrovia, Piccadilly, and the Strand. The former is home to University College London, the first university institution to be founded in London, and the first university institution in the country to admit students regardless of religion or sex.

Piccadilly is where every Londoner’s and my favourite art gallery is—the Royal Academy of Arts. The Royal Academy, founded by Sir Joshua Reynolds, enjoys a unique position in being led by renowned artists and architects to promote art through education, debate and exhibitions. Bliss for the artist!

And finally the Strand with the imposing Victorian Gothic Royal Courts of Justice, the country’s main civil courts containing around 1,000 rooms, including 88 court rooms, and 3.5 miles of corridors. In appearance it falls between a grand church and a palace. In front of it is the Temple Bar Memorial which memorializes the spot where the original Temple Bar archway designed by Christopher Wren once stood. The archway marked the boundary between the cities of London and Westminster; it now stands at one end of the Pater Noster Square in the City.

Education, art, law. Somewhere they do all connect. Opening our minds through learning and creative expression, within the realms of society. Is it not what being ‘civilized’ is purported to be and what ‘London’ has always been perceived to be. Plus it makes for a great walk! 🙂

University College London (UCL); Top left: Detail, Cruciform Building, UCL’s Medical School

My favourite artist, JW Waterhouse, and Joshua Reynolds, founder of the Royal Academy of Arts



Iconic landmarks on The Strand: Royal Courts of Justice and Temple Bar Memorial