Tottenham Court Road
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Tottenham Court Road is a road in Central London running from St Giles' Circus (the junction of Oxford Street and Charing Cross Road) north to Euston Road, near the border of the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden. The road is one-way; all three lanes are northbound only.
The south end of the road is very close to the British Museum and Centre Point, the West End's tallest building. The road is served by three stations on the London Underground: Tottenham Court Road, Goodge Street and Warren Street.
Tottenham Court Road is a significant second tier shopping street. It is known for its large number of low-end electrical (mainly audio-visual and IT equipment) shops. Further north there are many furniture shops including Habitat and Heals. The road gained notoriety in 2001 when the first branch in Central London of the Spearmint Rhino chain of lap-dancing clubs opened. The "Church of Scientology" has a shop at 60 Tottenham Court Road.
Opposite Habitat and Heals is an open public space called Whitefield Gardens. On the side of a house is a painting, the "Fitzrovia Mural" over 60 feet high, showing many people at work and at leisure, but none are recognisable. It was painted in 1980 in a style resembling Diego Rivera. In 2005 12 so-called "Our Glass" panels were erected in the gardens. Each is about 5 feet high, with two sides showing a collage of people associated with the area, from Hogarth to Boy George. There is 13th panel showing an index to the people. Each panel has a title, for example "1. Whitfield Gardens and the Reverend Whitefield", "2. The Soul Catchers", "3. Hub of the Anti-Slavery campaign"... up to "12. Our Glasses Public Art Club Land".
It is the only thoroughfare in the W1 postal district to feature the word road in its name - all the others are streets, squares, etc.
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