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Bedfordbury is a narrow, winding street in the western part of Covent Garden, running between New Row and Chandos Place and threading through the tight block behind St Martin's Lane. Its name reflects the long ownership of much of Covent Garden by the Bedford estate, the family whose development shaped the district from the seventeenth century onward. The street has a modest, worked-in character, historically a poorer service quarter behind the grander frontages, and it retains an intimate scale with close-set buildings and a curving line. Present use is a mix of residential flats, small businesses and occasional ground-floor trade, with steady but unhurried pedestrian traffic. Bedfordbury connects several of the smaller lanes in this corner of Covent Garden and gives useful pedestrian access between the theatres of St Martin's Lane and the streets running down toward the Strand. Its narrowness and gentle bends preserve the older grain of the area, offering a quieter alternative to the main routes. For visitors, Bedfordbury is a characterful back street rather than a shopping destination, valued for its position within the historic western edge of the market district.
