The Abbot of Westminster Abbey walls off the deserted fields to create a protected patch of arable land, leading to the name Convent Garden.

Newly built, the fashionable Italianate arcaded square designed by Inigo Jones attracts a long list of notable residents and the Grande Piazza becomes the place to be seen.

Theatre Royal, now known as the Royal Opera House, is built and marks the beginning of Covent Garden’s reign as London’s hub of entertainment and frivolities.

The neoclassical Covent Garden Market building designed by Charles Fowler is built on the square.

First records of the Grainhouse site appear for Whitefield Church and subsequently R. Evered & Co. Ltd, a brass and iron foundry showroom.

The Jubilee Market building joins the Floral Hall and Charter Hall – completing the show-stopping square.

Following the relocation of the flower market, the historic buildings are transformed into trendy boutiques and cafés.

A fashionable reputation and authentic edge attract locals and visitors alike to Covent Garden’s cobbled lanes, where they frequent favourite boutiques, spill outside bohemian cafés, and queue up for the latest opening night or newest entrant on the thriving foodie scene.