A local’s London memories to visiting Neal’s Yard, Covent Garden for the first time – jump on the train of my thoughts and feelings about London life!
This new series about my London Memories is something I’ve been feeling like writing for a long time now.
While I love creating full guides to help you know London’s history, life, culture and customs better, after 5 years spent living in London both full-time and part-time, I really feel like diving deeper into this facet of London: the one lived through my eyes.
And today’s starting the series with Covent Garden‘s very own Neal’s Yard.
London Memories #1: Neal’s Yard, Covent Garden
A small courtyard located off Monmouth Street, two steps away from bustling street food-filled Seven Dials Market, Neal’s Yard is like one of those family secrets everyone’s aware of.
It’s a hidden gem, sure, if you take in the fact that it’s not easy to find when coming from the heart of Covent Garden, like Mercer Walk and Henrietta Street: I know the first time I visited, I got lost and ended up going round Seven Dials several times.
But when you finally come across either Monmouth Street or even Neal Street, a pretty colorful street lined with ice cream shops and other clothing boutiques, you know you’re going in the right direction.
On Neal Street is where vintage shops galore are established, but also a branch to the gorgeous jewelry shop Astrid & Miyu.
They have some of the prettiest earrings and piercings, made with high quality materials, and with a minimalist yet statement vibe to them: once you go Astrid & Miyu, all you want is pretty much to collect every new piece.
A mural of Princess Diana and her two little boys adorns the entrance of Neal’s Yard off Monmouth Street; a black and white mural that intensely contrasts with how colorful the courtyard is.
I’ve always felt that this mismatched edginess, in the end, is what truly makes London’s charm.
Inside Neal’s Yard, coffee shops like 26 Grains, great for coffee and a quick breakfast, Homeslice for huge and affordable pizza, and a few beauty shops offer treats of all kinds.
If you’re like many of us London locals, when living in London, you’re living in London on a budget.
Such beauty shops and indie coffee shops definitely call for some budget, and I’ve always kept them for occasions, like my birthday – although I would almost always go for a massages at N&N Knightsbridge (they used to have a nice Groupon discount at that time!) and a nice bite for my birthday.
On the other side of Neal’s Yard, when coming from Monmouth Street, you’ll reach Short’s Gardens, which, at the right, leads to the historic Seven Dials, a roundabout so small it looks like it belongs to a village area rather than Central London.
All around you, plenty of unique shops; Covent Garden is filled with them, from stationery to vintage shops, and, on nearby Long Acre, one of the biggest TK Maxx you’ll find in London.
This unending winding of shops would almost make you lose your mind; I know I didn’t know which to visit first – independent? Kilo shops? Makeup shops? Bookshops?
The same goes for the restaurants, cafes and many bakeries located in the Covent Garden area; it would take months to go through them all, even eating all three meals and a snack in the neighborhood on the daily.
Neal’s Yard, though, is still a place in which, despite influencers and picture takers, you can feel at peace for a bit, especially in the morning and on cool fall and winter days.
If you would like to learn more about the Covent Garden area and nearby areas like Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square, The Strand, Piccadilly and Tottenham Court Road, check out these guides I’ve written: