Center of London – England - Atlas Obscura

Center of London

The purported midpoint in London from which all distances are measured has a tragic love story at its core.  

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MOST LIKELY NOT THE GEOGRAPHICAL center that makes up the many boroughs of the city of London, but rather the distances to other cities in the United Kingdom are measured from since the 1800’s. To discover how this came to be, we have to turn the clocks back a few hundred years, to the end of the 13th century.

King Edward I was visiting Scotland in 1290 and was eagerly awaiting the arrival of his much beloved wife, Queen Eleanor of Castile. Unfortunately, she had developed a fever and perished on the outskirts of Nottinghamshire, not far from Lincoln, which was some 300 miles to the south. The heartbroken king decided that he would commemorate her passing by erecting a cross at every overnight stop the funeral party made on their way to her final resting place in Westminster Abbey.

In total, there were twelve sites for these memorial crosses: Lincoln, Grantham, Stamford, Geddington, Hardingstone, Stony Stratford, Woburn, Dunstable, St. Albans, Waltham, Cheapside (West Cheap), and Charing Cross. Only three of these original monuments, (in partial form), exist today; Geddington, Hardingstone and Waltham. All of these tributes would have included carved statues of the Queen. 

The original shrine at Charing Cross was located just south of Trafalgar Square where the statue of King Charles I now stands. At the time of its placement this area would have seen six roads converge. The etymology of the word Charing is derived from an Old English word: “cierring”, meaning bend in the River Thames. Misfortune would see this first cross destroyed by Oliver Cromwell in the middle of the 17th Century.

A much more elaborate reproduction, built in the latter part of the 1800’s, would replace the original. It stands a few yards away, just outside Charing Cross railway station, located along the Strand. In its place resides a brass plaque with the inscription:

“On the site now occupied by the statue of Charles I, was erected the original Queen Eleanor’s Cross. A replica of which stands in front of Charing Cross Station.  Mileage from London are measured from the site of the original cross.”

Know Before You Go


The plaque is situated on the ground in front the statue of Charles I Statue, (he is astride a horse) which is located on a traffic island across from the lions of Trafalgar Square. Use caution as you'll have to traverse several pedestrian crossings to get to it. There are underground passageways that circumvent the Trafalgar Square roundabout, that will help to navigate a car free route.


Freely accessible at any time. The traffic island also offers a picturesque vantage point of Nelson's Column and The National Gallery.



 

 

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