Exchange Court in Covent Garden

Exchange Court in Covent Garden

Exchange Court is a short passage running between Strand and Maiden Lane on the southern edge of Covent Garden. It is a narrow, largely pedestrian route that threads through the block behind the Strand frontage, giving access to service entrances, small premises and the rear of larger buildings. The court is quiet and enclosed, with tall walls on either side that make it feel tucked away from the traffic of the Strand. Passages of this kind are characteristic of this part of Covent Garden, where the medieval and later street pattern left a series of alleys and yards linking the main roads. Exchange Court functions today mainly as a pedestrian shortcut and access lane rather than a shopping street, serving the businesses and buildings that back onto it. Its position places it close to the theatres and hotels of the Strand and within easy walking distance of Covent Garden piazza. The court has little in the way of shopfronts, and its interest lies in its survival as one of the small connecting ways that give this district its intricate ground-level texture.