Charing Cross is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Since the early 19th century, Charing Cross has been the notional "centre of London" and became the point from which distances from London are measured. Clockwise from north, the routes that meet at Charing Cross are: the east side of Trafalgar Square leading to St Martin's Place and then Charing Cross Road; the Strand leading to the City; Northumberland Avenue leading to the Thames Embankment; Whitehall leading to Parliament Square; The Mall leading to Admiralty Arch and Buckingham Palace; and two short roads leading to Pall Mall.
Charing Cross roundabout, with a Statue of Charles I on the site of the original Eleanor Cross in the then hamlet of Charing, an important junction since the middle ages.
The old Eleanor cross at Charing (c. 1293 to 1643)
Frontage onto Strand/Charing Cross of Northumberland House in 1752 by Canaletto. The statue of Charles I is at the right of the painting. At the left is the Golden Cross Inn, with signboard outside.
The Victorian replacement of the original Eleanor Cross 200 metres (200 yards) away, along the Strand in front of Charing Cross Station/Hotel. The area derives its name from the original monument destroyed by Parliament in the 1600s; the memorial replacement dates from the 1800s.
Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral, Trafalgar Square and much of the West End cultural centre including the entertainment precinct of West End Theatre.
The Palace of Westminster
Western facade of Westminster Abbey
St Peter's Abbey at the time of King Edward the Confessor’s funeral, depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry
Westminster City Hall, completed in 1965