Useful local Information

Just Moved to Covent Garden?

Below is a brief selection of information which you might find useful… but please let us know if anything is missing or out of date!

Unusually, Covent Garden is divided by the borough boundary between two local authorities and the boundary between two parliamentary constituencies. We work hard to encourage the authorities, who happen to be of different political persuasions, to work together as much as possible.

Local authorities:

The London Borough of Camden (Camden Council) is responsible for Covent Garden north of Shelton Street and the City of Westminster (Westminster City Council) for the southern part.

Contact your local council to register on the relevant electoral roll, for council tax, residents’ parking permits, to register births, deaths and marriages, and for services such as rubbish collection and recycling.

You can also contact your local council members directly by post or email or in person at their ‘surgeries’.

• Camden Council tel. 020 7974 4444 (8am-6pm Monday-Friday)
  Holborn & Covent Garden Ward Councillors: Julian Fulbrook, Awale Olad, Sue Vincent
• Westminster City Council tel. 020 7641 6000 (24 hours)
  St James’s Ward Councillors: Louise Hyams, Tim Mitchell, Mark Shearer

Members of Parliament

Similarly, Covent Garden is part of two constituencies:

• Holborn and St Pancras: Kier Starmer MP
  020 7219 6234, kier.starmer.mp@parliament.uk
• Cities of London and Westminster: Nickie Aiken MP
  020 7219 4553, nickie.aiken.mp@parliament.uk

Education

There are no secondary schools in Covent Garden, but our two primary schools are both rated Outstanding by Ofsted:

• St Clement Danes CoE Primary School, Drury Lane, London WC2B 5SU: Ages 3-11.
• St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Macklin Street, London, WC2B 5NA; Ages 3-11.

A wide range of adult education classes is available at:

• The City Lit, 1-10 Keeley Street, London WC2B 4BA

Health:

GP practices in Covent Garden and the immediate vicinity include:

• Covent Garden Medical Centre, 47 Shorts Gardens, London WC2H 9AA
• Soho Square General Practice, 1 Frith Street, London W1D 3HZ
• Soho Square Surgery, 30 Soho Square (entrance via 1 Frith St.) London W1D 3QS

There is a no-appointment NHS clinic at:

• Soho Walk-In Centre, 1 Frith Street, London W1D 3HZ, open 8am-8pm Mon-Fri, and 10am-8pm Saturday & Sunday

The nearest Accident and Emergency Department is at:

• University College Hospital (UCH), 235 Euston Road, London NW1 2BU

Recreational facilities:

There are two lending libraries serving Covent Garden:

• Charing Cross Road Library (Westminster), 4-6 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H
• Holborn Library (Camden), 32-38 Theobalds Rd, London WC1X 8PA

Details of nearby open spaces, some with play and sports facilities, can be found here. There are also four community sports centres in or very near Covent Garden:

• Oasis Sports Centre – Session rates or membership. Includes fully accessible open air swimming pool (yes, right at the heart of the West End!), indoor swimming pool, gym, classes, treatments, glass sauna box by the pool and 3 sun terraces. 32 Endell Street, London WC2H 9AG
• Jubilee Hall Sports Centre – Session rates or membership.  Gym and classes. 30 The Piazza, London WC2E 8BE
• YMCA Club – Session rates or membership. Free 4-month membership for Camden residents referred by their GP. Includes pool, gym, classes, Saturday morning Children’s Club and Summer Playscheme. 112 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3NQ
• Marshall Street Leisure Centre – Session rates or membership. Includes beautifully-restored 1930s pool, classes, gym and spa. 15 Marshall Street, London W1F 7EL

Community Facilities:

• Dragon Hall, 17, Stukeley Street, London WC2B 5LT, offers an extensive programme of child and youth focused activities, from drop-in sessions for under-5s, youth and after-school clubs, Brownies pack (n.b. Scouts and Cubs meet at nearby Corams Fields), an innovative Tech Hub, a radio station, youth training and holiday activity schemes. For grown ups, it offers choirs, tea dances, yoga and pilates, tap dancing, zumba and more.
• The Seven Dials Club at the Covent Garden Community Centre, 42 Earlham Street, London WC2H 9LA, hosts Quiz Night, Tango lessons, Jazz Club and other live music, spoken word and comedy nights, art exhibitions, Art Club, Chair Yoga and Bridge Club. It also provides a stylish venue for weddings, parties and other celebrations.

Visiting Covent Garden?

We strongly recommend that you use public transport when visiting Covent Garden.

The four underground stations which serve Covent Garden are Covent Garden (Piccadilly Line); Leicester Square (Piccadilly and Northern Lines); Holborn (Central and Piccadilly Lines); and Tottenham Court Road (Central and Northern Lines). The RV1 bus runs between Catherine Street and Tower Gateway Station and there are too many buses to list that run along the boundaries of Charing Cross Road, Shaftesbury Avenue, Kingsway and the Strand. See TfL for full details. You’ll soon find out that it is almost always quicker to walk if you can.