This major commercial thoroughfare links Soho to Somers Town, travelling from St Giles Circus and Oxford Street to Euston Road. A one-way street occupied predominantly by buses and black cabs, Tottenham Court Road forms the boundary between Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia and is marked at either end by two of London’s iconic buildings, Centre Point and University College Hospital (UCH). The street is lined by numerous bank branches, sandwich shops, pubs and bars catering to the area’s varying clientele. It is also famous for its electrical retailers, with specialists in photography, audio, and computer equipment, as well as a number of large furniture stores. Peter Stringfellow’s adult club, Spearmint Rhino, and the London Dianetics and Scientology Centre are some of the road’s more interesting spots. The majority of the population is made up of office workers and students from the nearby University College London, who make use of the local green space and museums. Its transport links are also second to none, with Warren Street, Euston Square, Goodge Street, and Tottenham Court Road tube stations providing visitors and locals with Underground links on almost every line.

In the 13th century a manor house known as Tottenhall occupied the site of what is now UCH, surrounded by swathes of rural fields. The manor was later leased to Queen Elizabeth, by which time its name had transformed into Tottenham Court. The road that subsequently developed in front of it became a centre of entertainment in the 17th century, hosting fairs, street entertainment, and taverns. The Horse Shoe Brewery opened at the southern end of the road in 1764, which was the site of the deadly London Beer Flood of 1814 which killed eight people. The area slowly became known for the manufacture of furniture, cabinets, and pianos - Heal’s furniture store was opened on the street in 1818, and has recently celebrated its 200th anniversary on Tottenham Court Road. The stations began opening in 1900, encouraging a local manufacturing industry, which only promoted the furniture trade. The Dominion Theatre opened in 1929 and was converted into a cinema in 1932.

William Hogarth was no stranger to Tottenham Court Road, setting his 1750 painting, The March of the Guards to Finchley, outside the Adam and Eve pub.

The road has also been referenced in such well-known songs as Underworld’s Born Slippy and Denmark Street by The Kinks. It has featured in multiple books as well.

When it was still a one-way road, Tottenham Court Road had issues with traffic and pollution. The area’s tube stations also have a tendency to get very congested, particularly at peak times, because of the number of nearby offices. In response to these challenges, Camden Council developed the West End Project, which intends to transform the Tottenham Court Road Area to a greener, more pedestrian and cyclist friendly space. Areas of Tottenham Court Road are now restricted to buses and cyclists only from Monday to Saturday for most of the daytime. The road was also turned into a two-way system to traffic and major public realm improvements, including the development of new open spaces, the refurbishment of existing ones and the expansion of pavements down the street, were completed. These developments were initiated in anticipation of the Elizabeth line, which is now operation and stops at Tottenham Court Road station. Capacity at the station was also increased by 40 percent, to mitigate issues relating to the increased usage of the station.