West End is a neighborhood in Greenville, South Carolina. Located across the Reedy River in downtown, the west end became home to Furman University when it was first established in 1852. The school expanded to fill fifty acres and then moved to its current location northwest of the city in 1958. The Greenville and Columbia Railroad (now part of Norfolk Southern) arrived there in 1853, bringing increased commercial activity to the neighborhood that had been first settled in the 1830s.

This activity was truncated less than a decade later with the coming of the American Civil War of 1861–65. After the war, though, the introduction of new fertilizers made cotton farming profitable again in the area. Cotton and fertilizer warehouses and numerous support industries sprung up. The commercial success, with its accompanying residential requirements, brought churches and schools to the west end. Chicora College for Women was established in 1893 for women before relocating to Columbia 22 years later. (It merged with Queens University of Charlotte in North Carolina in 1930.)

The West End is a part of Richmond, Virginia. Comparable to Upstate New York, the West End is a relative term. It may include only the western part of the city of Richmond or extend as far as western Henrico County. As there is no one municipal organization that represents this specific region, the boundaries are loosely defined as being north of the James River, west of I-195, and south of Broad Street. Historically, the Richmond neighborhoods of the Fan and the Museum District were a part of the West End. A primary conduit through the West End is Interstate 64.

Geographic description

This section is arranged by exits off Interstate 64. In previous decades, the term "The West End" generally referred to the western area of the city itself. However, in recent years, the urbanized area has expanded residentially and commercially into Henrico County, and new developments in the western portion of the city and county in combination are now also considered to be part of "The West End."

West End theatre is a common term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of "Theatreland" in and near the West End of London. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world. Seeing a West End show is a common tourist activity in London.

Total attendances first surpassed 12 million in 2002 and then 13 million in 2007, setting a new record for the West End. In 2013, ticket sales reached a record 14.5 million. Famous screen actors regularly appear on the London stage.

History

The Theatre in London flourished after the English Reformation. The first permanent public playhouse, known simply as The Theatre, was constructed in 1576 in Shoreditch by James Burbage. It was soon joined by The Curtain. Both are known to have been used by William Shakespeare's company. In 1599, the timber from The Theatre was moved to Southwark, where it was used in building the Globe Theatre in a new theatre district formed beyond the controls of the City corporation. These theatres were closed in 1642 due to the Puritans who would later influence the interregnum of 1649.