Covent Garden London
The heart of London's West End
Living and Working in Covent Garden
The first time I saw Covent Garden, 23 years ago, was when I was looking for my first club in London. It was depressing to say the least - it could have fitted a horror movie. The famous Piazza was boarded up, as was Long Acre, and Neal Street had one restaurant.
But even then there was a major plan in place as to how Covent Garden was to be developed. It did not take much imagination for me to know this was the area I wanted to be part of.
When I took the lease on Stringfellows, everyone in the business thought it was a big mistake, but I knew different. Over the years, I have seen Covent Garden bloom. But not everywhere is as I would like it. Personally, I would like more restaurants and bigger shop names like Gucci, Versaci, Prada, etc. What I do like is the Piazza. The markets are a delight and I love to see street performers. What I intensely dislike is the large number of rough sleepers and beggars. I know this sounds harsh, but as far as I am concerned, the authorities should have zero-tolerance. On my recent visit to Rome, I saw no more than two rough sleepers and no beggars in the whole of the centre of Rome.
What I do love about Covent Garden is the mix of businesses and residents. A much better mix than in Soho. All in all, I see Covent Garden residents as very understanding, city-loving people, who love where they live - and that goes for me, too. As a resident, it can be noisy, but that suits me. Sure, we can all live somewhere much quieter, but it would not have the soul and fun of Covent Garden.
Peter Stringfellow
Covent Garden Community Association Annual Report 2000-2001
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