Sicilian Avenue is an open air pedestrian shopping parade in Holborn, London,[1] that runs diagonally between Southampton Row and Bloomsbury Way.
Designed by Robert Worley, construction began in 1906 and concluded in 1910. The avenue is designed in a baroque Edwardian style,[2] using Italian marble, colonnades and turrets.[3] Ionic columns on plinths are located at both entrances of the avenue and carry the street name in gold characters Above the ground floor commercial units there are an additional four floors, the top three of which are decorated with terracotta bands. Originally residential apartments these floors are now commercial offices.
Prior to redevelopment into its current state, the area contained shops and houses dating back to the 17th century. Development was made possible as land was cleared to widen what is now the A40, at the north/west end of the avenue.[4]
The avenue is open for pedestrian use but as of 2024 commercial trading has ceased and many of the units have been empty for several years.
Several scenes of the 2018 film The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society were filmed in Sicilian Avenue,[5] as was a scene from the 2017 film Wonder Woman.[6]
Units 1–29, 6–20, 25–35 and 35A are listed Grade II on the National Heritage List for England. The three lamp posts located on Sicilian Avenue are also listed Grade II.