The square was originally a gentrified residential area, with tenants including Frederick, Prince of Wales and the artists William Hogarth and Joshua Reynolds.

The area in front of the house was then enclosed, depriving inhabitants of St Martin in the Fields parish of their right to use the previously common land.

The 7th Earl of Leicester took ownership of the property in 1728 and it was the residence of Frederick, Prince of Wales, from 1742 until his death in 1751 and that of his wife Princess Augusta until 1771.

[4] The painter Joshua Reynolds lived at No 47 from 1760 until his death in 1792; this location is now Fanum House, once the Automobile Association head office.

[16] The square remained fashionable throughout most of the 18th century, with notable residents including the architect James Stuart at No 35 from 1766 to 1788 and the painter John Singleton Copley at No.

[15] Brothels began to appear around Leicester Square during the century, and visitors could pay to watch the severed heads of traitors executed at Temple Bar through a telescope.

[21][a] The construction of New Coventry Street made it easier for traffic to access the square, resulting in private residences being replaced by shops, museums and exhibition centres.

[25] The Empire Theatre of Varieties opened in 1884 on the former site of Savile House, but had a troubled start, closing for a time, until the end of the decade.

A young Winston Churchill, then a cadet at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, helped destroy canvas screens that had been erected to prevent access to the balcony.

[26] During the Winter of Discontent, where the incumbent Labour Party struggled to meet demands of trade unions and a shrinking economy, refuse collectors went on strike in January 1979.

[29] By the start of the 21st century, Westminster City Council were concerned that the square was too dangerous at night, and wanted to demolish sections of it to encourage the growth of theatres and cinemas, and reduce popularity of nightclubs.

[30] In 2010, a major redevelopment of Leicester Square took place as part of a Great Outdoors scheme proposed by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.

[31] The improvements included 12,000 square metres (130,000 sq ft) of granite paving and a water feature surrounding the Shakespeare statue.

[32] In the middle of the square is a small park that was originally available for common use on Lammas Day (12 August), such as washing clothes and herding cattle.

The plot's previous owner, Moxhay, had agreed upon a covenant not to erect buildings but the law would not allow buyers who were not "privy" to the initial contract to be bound by subsequent promises.

The judge, Lord Cottenham, decided that future owners of land could be bound by promises to abstain from activity, subject to the doctrine of notice (actual or constructive).

[4] The garden was saved by the Member of Parliament (MP) Albert Grant, who purchased the park in 1874 for £11,060 and donated it to the Metropolitan Board of Works.

The four corner gates of the park had one bust each of famous former residents in the square: the scientist Sir Isaac Newton designed by William Calder Marshall; Sir Joshua Reynolds, the first President of the Royal Academy by Henry Weekes; John Hunter, a pioneer of surgery, by Thomas Woolner; and William Hogarth, the painter, by Joseph Durham.

[33] The most recent addition was a bronze statue of film star and director Sir Charlie Chaplin, designed by sculptor John Doubleday in 1981.

[40] The Odeon Leicester Square, on the site of the old Alhambra theatre, is the cinema with the most seats in a single screen in the United Kingdom.

[41] Similar to Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, the square was surrounded by floor mounted plaques with film stars' names and cast handprints.

Tickets for theatre performances taking place around the West End that day and during the week are sold from the booth at a significant discount.

[63] The Prince Charles Cinema, to the north of the square opened in 1962 with a "satellite dish" design where the audience looks upwards to the stage.

Prices are considerably cheaper than the main cinemas in the square; in 2013 a ticket for a new release at the Prince Charles cost £10, compared to £24 at the Odeon.

[65] In February 2020, eight sculptures were installed which depict characters from the last 100 years of cinema including Laurel and Hardy, Mary Poppins, Batman, Bugs Bunny, Don Lockwood portrayed by Gene Kelly, Paddington Bear, Mr. Bean, and Wonder Woman.

The event was widely reported around London, attracting interest from King George I and Royal Society president Hans Sloane.

[4] Leicester Square is commemorated in the lyrics of the music hall song "It's a Long Way to Tipperary" along with nearby Piccadilly, which became popular with soldiers during World War I.

"[79] It is mentioned in the lyrics of several rock & pop band tracks, including the Rolling Stones' notorious "Cocksucker Blues", (1970)[80] "Jeffrey Goes To Leicester Square" on Jethro Tull's album Stand Up (1969),[81] "Emit Remmus" on the album Californication by the Red Hot Chili Peppers (1999),[82] "He's on the Phone" (1995) by Saint Etienne[83] and "Leicester Square" on Rancid's Life Won't Wait (1998).

The board was set out by designers Victor Watson and Marge Phillips in the order of entertainment on a Saturday night: film at Leicester Square, meal in Coventry Street and hotel on Piccadilly.

[86] The word Leicester features the ending cester which is with rare exceptions spoken as a simplified pronunciation, so is counterintuitive, a quirk of British English.