| Finsbury Circus (picture by Peter Watts) |  |
Finsbury Circus
Photographer Description of Finsbury Circus
This panorama shows Finsbury Circus in London. As can be seen in the picture, the gardens here host a bowling green as well as planted areas and lawns. It is very restful here at weekends.Finsbury Circus - Further Information
Finsbury Circus in London is tucked away in the City of London close to the Barbican, Monument and the Museum of London. Unlike many other squares in London this one is elliptical, and in the center is an immaculate bowling green used by the City of London Bowls Club, as evidenced by the people in white shown in this picture.Finsbury Circus is a quiet place to let time pass in the summer. Much of the square is occupied by the bowling green, but there is plenty of seating area around this and some beautiful planted areas. While this image shows the bowling green, the full panoramic image also shows the bed behind where the plantations form the crest for the City of London. It also contains a band stand and it is not uncommon to hear live jazz or other music drifting across the square in the summer.
The history of Finsbury Gardens goes back a long way, to Roman times, when the area, known as 'Fesnbury' and effectively a moor. In the early 15C the city wall was breached at this point and nearby Moorgate was completed. By the early 17C the area had been raised and planted with trees becoming a public park, the first in London, in 1606. The land of Finsbury Circus was acquired by the Corporation of London in 1900 and the bowling green laid in 1904.
None of the buildings around Finsbury Circus are original (William Montegue built some fine houses here around 1815), but those that do now surround the oval square are graceful curved terraces typically occupied by banks, insurance companies and the like. The HQ of British Petroleum is also currently located on Finsbury Circus.
Travel Directions and Getting There:
Bus: Finsbury Circus, Moorgate
Rail: Moorgate
Tube: Moorgate (Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Northern lines)