Charing Cross
/ˌtʃærɪŋ ˈkrɒs/
/ˌtʃærɪŋ ˈkrɔːs/
- an area of central London, where Whitehall joins Trafalgar Square. Its name comes from one of the stone crosses left at each place where the body of Queen Eleanor of Castile spent a night on its way to be buried at Westminster Abbey in 1290. The original cross was close to what is now Charing Cross Station, one of London's main train stations, for trains to and from south and south-east England, which also has a station on the London Underground. A copy of the cross stands in front of the station. Charing Cross is considered to be the exact centre of London when measuring distances to other towns.