Strand, London

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St. Clement Danes church, near Fleet Street

Strand is a street in London; it was the original road between the City of London and the Royal centre of Westminster, which were separate settlements in the Middle Ages - although until the 16th or 17th century the River Thames rivalled it as the main route between the two. Nowadays it starts at Trafalgar Square and runs east to the boundary of the City of London, where it flows into Fleet Street. Temple Bar marks the boundary of the City at this point.

The street is popularly referred to as The Strand although the street address is actually just "Strand", hence, strictly speaking, "366 Strand" and not "366, The Strand". On the Monopoly board it is written as "Strand", while on the title deed card it is "The Strand".

The name Strand comes from the Old English word for 'shore' or 'river bank' and is the Danish/Norwegian, German and Dutch word for beach - many beaches in Ireland are still called strands. Before the construction of The Embankment, Strand ran directly next to The Thames. Strand and Aldwych have been inhabited since Saxon times, when the area was a major place of settlement, just outside of the old Roman city walls. Throughout the Middle Ages this area remained a link of development and activity between the commercial centre to the east and the political to the west.

Two of the churches in the Strand now stand on island sites amidst the traffic. St Clement Danes is believed to date back to the 9th century, but the present building is mainly a 17th century work by Sir Christopher Wren. St Mary-le-Strand was designed by James Gibbs and completed in 1717.

There are two tube stations: Charing Cross and Aldwych which is disused. Both were called "Strand" during their history - Aldwych when it opened in 1908 until a renaming in 1915 and the Northern Line part of what is now Charing Cross tube station was called "Strand" from 1915 until 1973 when it temporarily closed for works that merged it with the Bakerloo Line station Trafalgar Square and the terminus platforms for the new Jubilee Line (which has since been rerouted away from the station), reopening in 1979 as the new Charing Cross tube station.

[edit] Prominent buildings

Image:SomersetHousebyAnonpublAckermann&Co1836.jpg

Australia House
The Adelphi Theatre
Bush House
Charing Cross railway station
King's College London
Northumberland House, demolished circa 1866
Royal Courts of Justice
Savoy Palace, demolished 1381
Shell Mex House
Simpson's-in-the-Strand
Somerset House
St Clement Danes
St Mary-le-Strand
Strand Palace Hotel

The Savoy Hotel and Theatre are just off Strand. Bush House is occupied by the BBC, mainly by the BBC World Service, but the BBC staff will soon be moving to another building. Their address is "BBC World Service, Strand, London WC2B 4PH, UK" but the main entrance is on the North side facing Aldwych and Kingsway.

The main campus of King's College London is also on Strand, next to Somerset House. The campus is named the Strand Campus.