15 Fascinating Photos of the Piccadilly Circus Over the Decades

Cars in Piccadilly in 1945

Where does the word ‘Piccadilly’ come from? In 1612 a man named Robert Baker built a mansion house near what is now Piccadilly Circus. He got wealthy selling Picadils, stiff collars worn by gentlemen in court. Locals derisively called his mansion Picadil Hall – and the name stuck.