Covent Garden is an area in Central London with a rich history. Early in the 13th century the land in the area was used as the pasture and gardens of the Convent of St Peter of Westminster. It was not until the 1670's when, under the ownership of the 5th Earl of Bedford, a license was granted to use the area as a fruit and vegetable market. By the mid 18th Century Covent Garden was a centre for Turkish baths and rather seedy lodgings which also at times doubled as brothels. The area became so renowned for prostitutes that a magistrate of the time called it the Great Square of Venus.