What Is London's Most Central...?

M@
By M@ Last edited 11 months ago
What Is London's Most Central...?
Charles I statue with nelsons column in the background. A red cross-hair is in foreground

Coffee, bookshop, toilet... What is the closest stuff to the centre of London?

As any ardent Londonist will know, the official centre of London is represented by the equestrian statue of Charles I, just south of Trafalgar Square. This is the point from which all road distances to the capital are measured. (A rival location is the geometric centre of London, which is actually in Lambeth, but that's another story.)

Given that we know the exact centre of London, we can also work out the most central examples of anything we like. So we did...


What is London's most central statue?

An easy one to start. As already mentioned, the equestrian statue of Charles I is, by definition, the centre of London. The next closest is Nelson himself, if we're going by horizontal distance. However, if you take into account the extra vertical distance to reach his lofty perch, then Charles James Napier is the next closest.

What is London's most central cafe?

This one depends on definition. One answer could be the Pret a Manger, just 20 paces or so south of the Charles statue. This certainly serves London's most central coffee (and sandwich, and pastry, and overpriced fruity water...). But the tiny outlet contains no table seating, so doesn't count as a cafe in our book.

Looking out of an arched window towards Trafalgar Square
A view from inside Waterstones' cafe... not the best view... that's a few tables over... but I wasn't going to interrupt the two serious-looking gentleman occupying that seat #journofail

Instead, the accolade goes to the rather nice Waterstones cafe at the start of Northumberland Avenue, where these very words are being typed. This Waterstones is, of course, also London's most central bookshop. Incidentally, London's most central book — or at least book-for-sale — was that Prince Harry biography, which had the entire window display facing his horse-riding ancestor.

What is London's most central restaurant?

If you want to sit down with a warm meal and table service, then an even more central option presents itself. Little Sicily pizzeria sits immediately round the bend from Pret on Whitehall.

What is London's most central shop?

It's not actually Waterstones... that just happens to harbour the closest caff. The most central bit of retail is the Tesco Express that neighbours Pret. Next closest is Lambert Souvenirs, which has been trading at 3 Whitehall since 1979 (or 1975 or 1982... we're a bit confused by the dates on their page). This is the most central place you can buy a Charles III mug or a plushy Paddington.

What is London's most central pub?

View of the Silver Cross pub from whitehall

The title of most central pub is a close battle. The most famous Trafalgar Square watering hole is probably the Chandos, but as this lies to the north, it's not particularly close to Charlie's statue. The Admiralty pub is closer but, at the time of writing, is closed for a refurb. In any case, two Whitehall pubs are even more central. These are Greene King's Silver Cross and the Horse and Guardsman. The Cross just about edges it as London's most central pub — a wonderful thing to be able to boast, but absent from their website. Note that Walkers of Whitehall would be closer by a whisker, but it sits closed at the time of writing.

What is London's most central embassy?

A white stone embassy building with the Ugandan flag

As many will be aware, Canada's prominent High Commission stands to the west of Trafalgar Square, but it's not the most central. Rather, the Uganda High Commission is immediately Southwest of the Charles I statue. The building (Uganda House, pictured) also houses the Burundi Embassy, so the two equatorial African countries share the distinction as London's most central embassies.

What is London's most central residence?

A tricky one to ascertain. A tour of the area revealed no obvious residential addresses anywhere near, though we can't rule out private apartments hidden in the storeys above Whitehall or Northumberland Avenue. London's most central private address will likely soon be in Admiralty Arch, which is currently under conversion into a hotel and super-posh apartments. It was previously home to such eminent statesmen as Winston Churchill and Lord Mountbatten. John Prescott also lived there.

What is London's most central tube station?

It's clearly and obviously Charing Cross. Indeed, one of the pedestrian tunnels debouches into Trafalgar Square itself, just a few metres from Charles I. A now-closed subway entrance on the corner of Cockspur Street and the Mall was even closer. The second most central tube station is Embankment.

What is London's most central railway station?

Another easy one — that would be Charing Cross station. Next closest is Waterloo.

What is London's most central public toilet?

The public loos built into the north wall of Trafalgar Square are London's most central. If you don't want to pay the 50p entrance fee, then London's most central free public toilets are those beneath Charing Cross station.

What is London's most central office?

A huge crowd in trafalgar square seen from above

I believe I've actually been in it. This is the view from a Regus office-for-hire in One Northumberland Avenue. It's just a few metres from the statue and commands exceptional views of Trafalgar Square — such as this one of the Lionesses celebrating their Euro win in 2022.

What is London's most central airport?

"You put that one in purely for the SEO, didn't you?" Well... maybe a bit. But the answer isn't as clear cut as you might think. The obvious answer is City Airport, which is only a few miles out of centre in Docklands. But you can catch a private flight closer to the centre at the London Heliport, which is on the Thames near Clapham Junction. Heliports are often classed as a type of airport, so this tiny facility wins if we're using the widest definition. In case you're wondering, London's Air Ambulance in Whitechapel is a very similar distance from the official centre of London, though does not support private flights other than its own copter.

What is London's most central school?

This once again depends on the definition. The closest places of academic study is an outpost of Boston Management and Law Business School, where Pall Mall meets Haymarket. If we're looking for a school full of kids, then Soho Parish Primary School on Great Windmill Street seems to just pip the famous Westminster School beside the Abbey.

What is London's most central bit of reportage?

This sentence, which I'm typing on my iPhone while leaning against the Charles I statue. To get any more central, you'd have to straddle Charles's horse.

Last Updated 03 April 2023

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