Piccadilly

The first position on the list of the oldest streets in London is Piccadilly. Between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east, Piccadilly is a street in the City of Westminster neighborhood of London, to the south of Mayfair. It is a section of the A4 highway that links Hammersmith, Earl's Court, Heathrow Airport, and the M4 freeway in the west to downtown London. The eastern half is to the south of St James's, and the western section is only developed on the northern side. One of the largest and straightest streets in the heart of London, Piccadilly is slightly under a mile (1.6 km) long. In 1663, Catherine of Braganza, Charles II's wife, inspired the renaming of Piccadilly as Portugal Street. After a previous road from Charing Cross to Hyde Park Corner was blocked off in order to make room for the development of Green Park in 1668, its significance to traffic increased.

Since the Middle Ages, upscale Piccadilly has been a significant London thoroughfare further west. Robert Baker, a local tailor, and landowner who resided in Piccadilly Hall and made his wealth selling piccadills (large lace collars popular in the 17th century), gave the area its name.

The Rothschild family, nobles, and even Count Dracula from Bram Stoker's 1897 novel have all lived on this long, wide street over the years. Dicken's readings and Tchaikovsky concerts were held at St James's Hall, which was destroyed in 1905. The Royal Academy of Arts, the Ritz hotel, and Fortnum & Mason, which were all founded in 1705, and 1906, respectively, all still serve as links to an illustrious past.

Location: between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east