Garden of Plenty

Famed as a shopping district and entertainment hotspot in 21st-century London, Covent Garden has nevertheless changed more than almost any other part of the British capital. What began as an apple orchard in the 13th century would become the home of the world’s largest Apple store in 2010. It has been patronised by royalty and courtesans, filled with flowers yet overwhelmed by traffic, and cited as both an architectural example and a “mud-salad” disgrace. Nowhere is that changeable personality more evident than at the movies, where the area has provided the setting for both the wholesome musical My Fair Lady and the deadly Hitchcock thriller Frenzy. So, which is the real Covent Garden?

The truth is all and none of the above. Covent Garden has become such a hotly-contested area thanks to its very central location, just a few minutes’ walk north from the old Charing Cross, which is often viewed as the