Seven Dials in Covent Garden

Seven Dials in Covent Garden

Seven Dials is a road junction where seven streets meet at a small circular space marked by a central column carrying sundials. The pillar stands at the point where the radiating streets converge, and the layout survives from a seventeenth century plan that divided the ground into these narrow wedge shaped blocks. The sundial column is the defining feature of the junction and gives the area its name and its unusual geometry. Today the streets running out from Seven Dials are known for independent shops, restaurants and small boutiques, and the district has become one of the more distinctive retail quarters in Covent Garden. The compact scale and angled corners keep the space busy with people moving between the seven approaches, and the shopfronts along each arm draw a steady stream of visitors. The junction sits within easy reach of the theatres and the market, and its mix of fashion, food and small trade gives it a character of its own within the wider area. Seven Dials works as both a landmark and a gathering point, a place where the street pattern itself is part of the attraction. Its combination of historic layout and active shopping makes it one of the most recognisable corners of the district.