The
Strand
Continuing eastwards
towards the city, The Strand (originally a bridle path along
the river), links the City of Westminster to the City of
London. Although the area has some interesting shops and has
a club centre near Charing Cross it is still primarily a
link road. It has a strange combination of rich and poor and
perhaps the area is haunted by the spirit of the Count of
Savoy. In the 13c the great Savoy Palace stood here. It was
destroyed several hundred years later in a peasant revolt
and rebuilt as a hospital for the poor. In 1884 the Savoy
Hotel (the most opulent hotel in the world) was built just
yards from the soup kitchens of the Embankment. ~Today the
area is a commercial hub, but by night its doorways house
homeless London.
Charing
Cross
District and Circle lines
