Open · since 1906
Why is it called Leicester Square?
PiccadillyNorthern
Where the name comes from
Named after Leicester Square, a short distance west of the station; early plans listed it as Cranbourn Street. The square was laid out in 1670 as Leicester Fields, after Leicester House, the home of Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester, who bought the land in 1630.
Worth knowing: Its Piccadilly line escalators were the longest in the world when they opened in 1935.
Where it is
See Leicester Square on the interactive map, 1863 to today
Next stations
- Northern Charing Cross
- Northern Tottenham Court Road
- Piccadilly Covent Garden
- Piccadilly Piccadilly Circus
At a glance
- Opened
- 1906
- Status
- Open
- Lines
- Piccadilly, Northern
- Fare zone
- 1
- Local authority
- City of Westminster
- Earlier names
- Cranbourn Street: proposed before opening
Sources
Station list and dates: Wikipedia’s lists of London Underground stations, citing Douglas Rose and Cyril Harris. Line routes Powered by TfL Open Data.
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