Tuesday 26 March 2013

Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Fountain WC2

My friend Johnny and I share a fascination for London and in particular its hidden, forgotten or abandoned spaces.  At one of our infrequent but always entertaining lunches, he posed the question of what the small enclosed area at the junctions of High Holborn, Shaftsbury Ave and St Giles High St (which happens to be right next to where we both work) was called and also wanted to know what the deal was with the decorative but rather forlorn and forgotten (and dry) fountain at its centre.  Being a more intrepid detective than me, he managed to work out over the next few days that the odd little triangle of land was called Princes Circus and the monument was to celebrate 60 years of Queen Victoria's reign.  Unfortunately the area around the fountain is fenced off and never seems to be open so it's only the rather radioactive looking lichen that gets to enjoy this little oasis of tranquillity in the middle of three busy roads.

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