Charing Cross

Charing Cross is officially the centre point of London, a busy junction in the City of Westminster just south of Trafalgar Square. The name derives from the memorial cross that King Edward I erected in 1290 at the last resting place of his late wife Eleanor of Castile – one of twelve Eleanor Crosses along her funeral procession to Westminster Abbey. The original was destroyed by Puritans in 1647; a Victorian replica now stands outside Charing Cross station. Six streets converge here in a star pattern, and since 1675 all distances from London have been measured precisely from this point. Today more a transport hub than a sight, but layered with dense history.