We took a stroll down Regent Street in London’s West End, which borders the suburbs of Mayfair and Soho. You’ve probably seen it on the movies or TV – it’s the curved street lined with tall, elegant cream buildings, and there always seems to be a lot of buses and taxis along it. That’s exactly what we saw when we arrived!

Regent Street is famous for its high end shopping and dining establishments. It was developed in the 1820s as the world’s first shopping centre, and there are strict rules around buildings, signage and the like to preserve its unique look and feel.

It also led the way in late night shopping, beginning in 1850 when retailers kept their doors open until 7pm to appease customers.

Regent Street was named after Prince Regent (who later became King George IV), and was built as a royal street connecting his home at Carlton House to Regent’s Park. It is still owned by the Crown Estate.

In 1954 the first Christmas lights went on display here and they’ve made Christmas special ever since, apart from a few years skipped in the 1970s. The third last photo shows a dormant display (we visited in October), and the last two images are stock photos of the displays lit up. It would be great to come back to see the display at Christmas time.