Built in 1819 to connect Regent Street to Piccadilly, Piccadilly
Circus is a major road junction and open space in the centre of
London, famous for its illuminated video and advertising boards on
the north junction with Shaftesbury Avenue, as well as the
Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain and a large statue of Eros on the
junction with Haymarket. Originally a true circular junction (the
Circus in the name originates from the Latin use, as reflected in
the number of 'Circus' junctions in Ancient Roman cities), the
completion of construction of Shaftesbury Avenue in 1886 saw
Piccadilly Circus become a simple road junction, yet it remains one
of the busiest in the capital.
Hence the placement of one of Moriarty's unfortunate bomb
victims in the centre of the Circus' layout in The Great Game.
In the canon though, Piccadilly Circus has a more important role
to play. In the Criterion Bar, on the south side of the Circus,
Doctor John Watson first heard mention of the name 'Sherlock
Holmes' from his friend Stamford. In the original un-broadcast
pilot for the series, John encounters Mike Stamford on the street
outside the Criterion Theatre, and the pair then lunch inside the
Criterion Restaurant, where Stamford first name drops Sherlock,
completely reflecting the original canon. In the final version of A
Study in Pink, the pair instead meet in Russell Square Gardens, but
still partake in a Criterion Coffee on a park bench.
Piccadilly Circus also appears in the opening credits montage of
every episode of the series.