The Strand (commonly referred to with a leading "The", but formally without[a]) is a major street in the City of Westminster, Central London.

The river side of the street was home to grand houses, interspersed with slum alleys, between the 12th and 17th centuries.

The aristocracy moved to the West End during the 17th century, and the Strand became known for its coffee shops, restaurants and taverns.

The street was a centre point for theatre and music hall during the 19th century, and several venues have survived to the current day.

[2][3][4][5][6] Several authors, poets and philosophers have lived on or near the Strand, including Charles Dickens, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Virginia Woolf.

[7] It runs eastward from Trafalgar Square, parallel to the River Thames, to Temple Bar which is the boundary between the two cities at this point; the road ahead being Fleet Street.

[14] During Roman Britain, what is now the Strand was part of the route to Silchester, known as "Iter VIII" on the Antonine Itinerary,[15] and which later became known by the name Akeman Street.

[16][17] It was briefly part of a trading town called Lundenwic that developed around 600 AD,[18] and stretched from Trafalgar Square to Aldwych.

Most of its length was in the Liberty of Westminster,[23] although part of the eastern section in St Clement Danes was in the Ossulstone hundred of Middlesex.

[25] All of these parishes and places became part of the Strand District in 1855, except St Martin in the Fields which was governed separately.

[28] From the 12th century onwards, large mansions lined the Strand including several palaces and townhouses inhabited by bishops and royal courtiers, mainly on the south side, with their own river gates and landings directly on the Thames.

It was demolished around 1674 and Essex Street, leading up to the Strand, was built on the location by property speculator Nicholas Barbon.

After Seymour was executed in 1549, the property was sold to Henry FitzAlan, Earl of Arundel, and was owned by the Earldom for much of the 16th and 17th century.

[32] Savoy Palace was the London residence of John of Gaunt, King Richard II's uncle and the nation's power broker.

During the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, rebels, led by Wat Tyler, inflamed by opposition to the poll tax promoted by John of Gaunt, systematically demolished the Savoy and everything in it.

[36] A menagerie was built on the upper floors in 1773, which was later run by Edward Cross, who housed lions, tigers, monkeys and hippopotami.

The exchange was demolished in 1829, with the menagerie moving to the Surrey Zoological Gardens, and replaced by Exeter Hall, noted for its Evangelical meetings.

[42][44] In the time of the Civil War, the Nag's Head tavern was the venue of a meeting between Henry Ireton and some of the Levellers which resulted in the production of Remonstrance of the Army, demanding the abolition of the monarchy and the trial of King Charles I.

[7] The Strand was also notable in the 18th century as a centre for the British book trade, with numerous printers and publishers along the street.

The historic King's Building, based next to the church of St Mary-le-Strand, was designed by Robert Smirke and constructed in 1829–1831 to complete the riverside frontage of Somerset House.

[55] Charing Cross railway station was built on the Strand in 1864, providing a boat train service to Europe, which stimulated the growth of hotels in the area to cater for travellers.

Today, there are several luggage outlets and tourist agents on the Strand, as well as old postage stamp dealers.

The name may have come from Harold Harefoot, a Danish king who ruled England around 1035–1040 and is buried in the church, or from a place of refuge for Danes after the conquest of Alfred the Great.

The building was damaged during the Blitz in 1941, gutting much of the interior, and was rebuilt in 1958 by Sam Lloyd, since when it has served as the central church of the Royal Air Force.

[69] St Mary le Strand was designed by James Gibbs and completed in 1717, to replace a previous church demolished to make way for Somerset House.

It was restored after the war, and now serves as the denominational headquarters of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches.

[29] Virginia Woolf regularly travelled along the Strand,[74] and a King's College building named after her is in nearby Kingsway.

[77] The chorus of "Let's all go down the Strand – have a banana"[b] is now recognised as a stereotypical part of Cockney music hall[12] and parodied by English comedian Bill Bailey.

[82] Virginia Woolf wrote about the Strand in several of her essays, including "Street Haunting: A London Adventure,"[83] and the novel Mrs.

[89] The standard British Monopoly board has Strand in a group with the nearby Fleet Street and Trafalgar Square.