About the town » Charing Cross, Greater London, England, Great Britain

Charing Cross denotes the junction of the Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square in central London. It gives its name to several local landmarks, including Charing Cross railway station, one of the main London rail termini. Charing Cross is named after the now demolished Eleanor cross that stood there, in what was once the hamlet of Charing. The original site of the cross has been occupied since 1675 by an equestrian statue of King Charles I. A Victorian replacement, in different style from the original, was later erected a short distance to the east outside the railway station. Formerly, until 1931, "Charing Cross" also referred to the part of what is now Whitehall lying between Great Scotland Yard and Trafalgar Square. At least one property retains a "Charing Cross" postal address: Drummonds Bank, on the corner of Whitehall and The Mall, which is designated "49 Charing Cross" (not to be confused with the separate Charing Cross Road). Since the second half of the 18th century, Charing Cross has been seen by some as the exact "centre of London". It is one of the points used for measuring distances from London.