List of London Monopoly locations

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

London Monopoly locations were chosen in 1935 by Victor Watson, then managing director of John Waddington Limited. After his son tried the US version, Watson and his secretary Marjory Phillips spent a day in London picking spots. By 1936 the London edition was exported worldwide and became the standard board in the British Commonwealth. The game’s popularity led to competitions in the UK, including one held at Fenchurch Street station.

In 2003, Victor Watson’s grandson unveiled a plaque at the Angel, Islington (the original location of the Angel) to mark his grandfather’s contribution to British popular culture. The board’s fame has also inspired the Monopoly pub crawl, where players visit each location and have a drink at a pub.

Wealth on the board has shifted a bit: Whitechapel Road is the cheapest property, while Mayfair remains the most expensive. In 2016, house-price estimates put Whitechapel around £590,000 and Mayfair around £3,150,000.

The list blends famous landmarks with lesser-known spots. There’s no clear documented reason for how they were chosen, and a travel writer who checked the Waddingtons archives found no obvious notes.

Grouping and themes on the board:
- Light blue: London Inner Ring Road (the New Road opened in 1756). From west to east it runs Euston Road → King’s Cross → Pentonville Road → Angel, Islington.
- Pink/purple: converge at Trafalgar Square.
- Red: along the A4, a major road west of central London.
- Orange: locations related to police and law.
- Yellow: entertainment and nightlife — Leicester Square (cinemas/theatres), Coventry Street (clubs/restaurants), Piccadilly (hotels).
- Green: retail and commercial properties.
- The four London termini of the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) sit on the board, with King’s Cross serving Waddingtons’ Leeds home town. Early boards labeled “L.N.E.R.”; later boards say “British Railways.”

Some elements mirror the US board. The Go To Jail police officer wears a New York City Police Department hat, not a British police helmet, and the Free Parking car features a Whitewall spare tyre, uncommon in the UK. The Community Chest name from the US Depression era isn’t used in Britain.