Strand, The

Street in central London, England, between Charing Cross and Fleet Street. It was originally a track along the strand, or margin, of the River Thames, connecting the cities of London and Westminster.

The road does not appear to have been paved before the time of Richard II (1367–1400). From early times, but especially in the Tudor and Stuart periods, it was lined with mansions. There are two churches in the Strand: St Clement Danes and St Mary-le-Strand, the former by Christopher Wren (1680–82) and James Gibbs (1719), and the latter wholly by Gibbs, (1714–17). There are also banks, theatres, and hotels, including the Savoy (1889). Somerset House (1776–86) by William Chambers, at the foot of Waterloo Bridge, houses the Courtauld art collection. The Adelphi 18th-century housing development is off the Strand.