87-506: Bruton Street is a street in London's Mayfair district. Queen Elizabeth II was born there, and the fashion designer Norman Hartnell lived there for 44 years. It runs from Berkeley Square in the south-west to New Bond Street in the north-east, where it continues as Conduit Street . Notable residents have included Field Marshal John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll , and Richard Brinsley Sheridan . On 21 April 1926, Queen Elizabeth II
174-513: A fixed rental under Elizabeth I. Forest's manor of Marylebone then passed by marriage to the Austen family. The deer park, Marylebone Park Fields, was let out in small holdings for hay and dairy produce. The Ancient Parish's church, St Marylebone Parish Church , has been rebuilt several times at various locations within the parish. The earliest known church dedicated to St John the Evangelist
261-517: A fountain in its centre. In 1963, following the widening of Park Lane, it was rebuilt as the Joy of Life Fountain. Grosvenor Square was planned as the centrepiece of the Mayfair estate. It was laid out from 1725–31 with 51 individual plots for development. It is the second-largest square in London (after Lincoln's Inn Fields ) and housed numerous members of the aristocracy until the mid-20th century. By
348-502: A reputation retained to the present day. Gunter's Tea Shop was established in 1757 at Nos. 7–8 Berkeley Square by the Italian Domenico Negri. Robert Gunter took co-ownership of the shop in 1777, and full ownership in 1799. During the 19th century it became a fashionable place to buy cakes and ice cream, and was well-known for its range of multi-tiered wedding cakes . The shop moved to Curzon Street in 1936 when
435-860: A shop in Conduit Street that was bombed during the Blitz. Grosvenor Chapel on South Audley Street was built by Benjamin Timbrell in 1730 for the Grosvenor Estate. It was used by American armed forces during the Second World War . The parents of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington , are buried in the churchyard. The Mayfair Chapel on Curzon Street was a popular place for illegal marriages, including over 700 in 1742. James Hamilton, 6th Duke of Hamilton , married Elizabeth Gunning here in 1752. The Marriage Act 1753 stopped
522-471: A visit to Brown's. Theodore Roosevelt enjoyed staying at the hotel and married his fiancée Edith Roosevelt with a reception there in 1886. Now part of Rocco Forte Hotels , the Hotel maintains its popular tea room and has expanded to occupy 11 townhouses. Claridge's was founded in 1812 as Mivart's Hotel on Brook Street . It was acquired by William Claridge in 1855, who gave it its current name. The hotel
609-424: Is Marylebone , to the east Soho , and to the southwest Knightsbridge and Belgravia . Mayfair is surrounded by parkland; Hyde Park and Green Park run along its boundary. The 8-acre (3.2 ha) Grosvenor Square is roughly in the centre of Mayfair, and its centrepiece, containing numerous expensive and desirable properties. Following analysis of the alignment of Roman roads, it has been speculated that
696-640: Is Latin for "let it be according to thy word", a phrase used in the Gospel of Luke . The Metropolitan Borough of St Marylebone was a metropolitan borough of the County of London between 1899 and 1965, after which, with the Metropolitan Borough of Paddington and the Metropolitan Borough of Westminster it was merged into the City of Westminster . The Metropolitan Borough inherited the boundaries of
783-496: Is a major shopping street in Mayfair running from north to south from Grosvenor Square to Curzon Street. Originally a residential street, it was redeveloped between 1875 and 1900. Retailers include china and silverware specialists Thomas Goode and gunsmiths James Purdey & Sons . Numerous galleries have given Mayfair a reputation as an international art hub. The Royal Academy of Arts , based in Burlington House,
870-432: Is also served by numerous tube stations: Baker Street , Bond Street , Edgware Road (Bakerloo line) , Edgware Road (Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines) , Great Portland Street , Marble Arch , Marylebone , Oxford Circus , and Regent's Park . Marylebone was an Ancient Parish formed to serve the manors (landholdings) of Lileston (in the west, which gives its name to modern Lisson Grove ) and Tyburn in
957-595: Is an area in London , England and is located in the City of Westminster . It is in Central London and part of the West End . Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropolitan borough , it merged with the boroughs of Westminster and Paddington to form the new City of Westminster in 1965. Marylebone station lies two miles north-west of Charing Cross . The area
SECTION 10
#17327837360011044-416: Is at No. 4 Grosvenor Square. The district has become increasingly commercial, with many offices in converted houses and new buildings, though the trend has been reversed in places. The United States embassy announced in 2008 it would move from its long-established location at Grosvenor Square to Nine Elms , Wandsworth , owing to security concerns, despite constructing an £8m security upgrading after
1131-450: Is named after Joseph Damer, 1st Earl of Dorchester . The first building here was erected by Joseph Damer in 1751, and renamed Dorchester House following the Earl's succession in 1792. The property was purchased by Sir Robert McAlpine and Sons and Gordon Hotels Ltd in 1928 to be converted into a hotel, which opened on 18 April 1931. It was General Dwight Eisenhower 's London headquarters in
1218-659: Is named after a Portman family estate in Buckinghamshire, itself named after a local family there made-good in Tudor days. Tucked away, with a few terraced houses, Bulstrode Street has been the home of minor health care professionals for hundreds of years. The RADA student and aspiring actress Vivien Leigh , aged twenty in 1933, gave birth at the Rahere Nursing Home, then at number 8, to her first child. The north end of Welbeck Street joins New Cavendish Street,
1305-439: Is now Mount Street was known as Oliver's Mount by the 18th century. The May Fair was held every year at Great Brookfield (which is now part of Curzon Street and Shepherd Market) from 1 to 14 May. It was established during the reign of Edward I in open fields beyond St. James. The fair was recorded as "Saint James's fayer by Westminster" in 1560. It was postponed in 1603 because of plague , but otherwise continued throughout
1392-638: Is now the Indonesian Embassy . Berkeley House on Piccadilly was named after John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton , who had purchased its land, and that surrounding it, shortly after the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660. In 1696, the Berkeley family sold the house and grounds to William Cavendish , 1st Duke of Devonshire (who renamed it Devonshire House ), on condition that
1479-511: Is one of the finest surviving Adam houses in London, and now lets rooms. Wimpole Street runs from Henrietta Place north to Devonshire Street, becoming Upper Wimpole en route – the latter where Arthur Conan Doyle opened his ophthalmic practice at number 2 in 1891; Conan Doyle's fictional detective Sherlock Holmes also had his residence in Marylebone at 221b Baker Street . Nearby at a six-floor Grade II 18th-century house at 57 Wimpole Street
1566-409: Is one of the most prestigious and best-known hotels in the world. Mayfair has had a range of exclusive shops, hotels, restaurants and clubs since the 19th century. The district—especially the vicinity of Bond Street—is also the home of numerous commercial art galleries and international auction houses such as Bonhams , Christie's and Sotheby's . From the early 19th century, tailors, attracted by
1653-560: Is where Paul McCartney resided from 1964 to 1966, staying on the top floor of girlfriend Jane Asher 's family home in a room overlooking Browning Mews in the back, and with John Lennon writing " I Want to Hold Your Hand " on a piano in the basement. A further Beatles connection is that they, and many other musicians have recorded at the Abbey Road Studios . At her father's house at number 50 Wimpole Street lived for some time between 1840 and 1845, Elizabeth Barrett, then known as
1740-548: The City of London was destroyed during the Blitz, and many corporate headquarters were established in the area. Several historically important houses were demolished, including Aldford House , Londonderry House and Chesterfield House . In 1961, the old US embassy at No. 1 Grosvenor Square became the Canadian High Commission , and the building was named Macdonald House , after the first Canadian Prime Minister John A. Macdonald . The Italian Embassy
1827-654: The Dukes of Portland landholdings and Georgian-era developments there. In 1879 the fifth Duke died without issue and the estate passed through the female line to his sister, Lucy Joan Bentinck, widow of the 6th Baron Howard de Walden . Most of the Manor of Lileston was acquired by Sir William Portman in 1554, and much of this was developed by his descendants as the Portman Estate in the late 1700s. Both estates have aristocratic antecedents and are still run by members of
SECTION 20
#17327837360011914-689: The England and Wales Cricket Board , with the England national team as one of a number of home venues. The ground is sometimes called the Home of Cricket . The Borough of St Marylebone was granted a coat of arms by the College of Arms in 1901. The crest includes the Virgin Mary wearing a silver robe with a light blue mantle, holding the infant Jesus, dressed in gold. The wavy light blue bars represent
2001-640: The Maybourne Hotel Group . St George's, Hanover Square , constructed between 1721 and 1724 by John James , was one of 50 churches built following the Commission for Building Fifty New Churches Act in 1711. Emma, Lady Hamilton , in 1791, poet Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1814, and Prime Ministers Benjamin Disraeli and H. H. Asquith in 1839 and 1894 respectively were all married in the church. The porch houses two cast-iron dogs rescued from
2088-568: The River Tyburn while the gold roses and lilies are taken from the arms of Barking Abbey , which held the Manor of Tyburn and first established the parish church. The version used by the Abbey was placed against a red border, and some versions of Marylebone's arms have made extensive use of red. The roses and lilies ultimately derive from the legend that when Mary's tomb was opened it contained those flowers. The motto "Fiat secundum Verbum Tuum"
2175-528: The September 11 attacks including 6 ft (1.8 m) high blast walls. Since the 1990s residential properties have become available again, though the rents are among the highest in London. Mayfair remains one of the most expensive places to live in London and the world, and it possesses some exclusive shopping, London's largest concentration of luxury hotels and many restaurants, particularly around Park Lane and Grosvenor Square. The Al-Thani family,
2262-567: The Tyburn , where in 1400 a parish church dedicated to St Mary was built. Since the 12th century, the area had been synonymous with the Tyburn gallows , where public executions regularly took place at the crossroads of the Tyburn and old Roman road. Eager to distance themselves from the notorious gallows, the villagers took inspiration from their new church and began calling the hamlet St Mary-burne ("the stream of St Mary", burne coming from
2349-472: The "village centre" of Mayfair. The current buildings date from around 1860, and house food and antique shops, pubs and restaurants. The market had a reputation for high-class prostitution. In the 1980s, Jeffrey Archer was alleged to frequent the area and was accused of visiting Monica Coghlan , a call girl in Shepherd Market, which eventually led to a libel trial and his imprisonment for perverting
2436-507: The 17th century. In 1686, the fair moved to what is now Mayfair. By the 18th century, it had attracted showmen, jugglers and fencers and numerous fairground attractions. Popular attractions included bare-knuckle fighting, semolina -eating contests and women's foot racing . By the reign of George I , the May Fair had fallen into disrepute and was regarded as a public scandal. The 6th Earl of Coventry , who lived on Piccadilly, considered
2523-536: The 18th century. Part of its success was its proximity to the Court of St James and the parks, and the well-designed layout. This led to it sustaining its popularity into the 21st century. The requirements of the aristocracy led to stables, coach houses and servants' accommodation being established along the mews running parallel to the streets. Some of the stables have since been converted into garages and offices. The Rothschild family owned several Mayfair properties in
2610-493: The 19th century. Alfred de Rothschild lived at No. 1 Seamore Place and held numerous "adoration dinners" where the only guest was a female companion. The marriage of his brother Leopold to Marie Perugia took place here in 1881. The house was demolished after the First World War when Curzon Street was extended through the site to meet Park Lane. The future Prime Minister Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery ,
2697-476: The American Embassy. The Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane is on the former site of Grosvenor House , the home of Robert Grosvenor, 2nd Earl Grosvenor (who later became the 1st Marquess of Westminster). It was built by Arthur Octavius Edwards in the 1920s and has over 450 bedrooms, with 150 luxury flats in the south wing. It was the first London hotel to have a swimming pool. The Dorchester
Bruton Street - Misplaced Pages Continue
2784-628: The Ancient Parish which had been fixed since at least the 12th century. Marylebone Town Hall was completed in 1920. Marylebone was the scene of the Balcombe Street siege in 1975, when Provisional Irish Republican Army terrorists held two people hostage for almost a week. Marylebone is characterised by major streets on a grid pattern such as Gloucester Place , Baker Street , Marylebone High Street , Wimpole Street , Harley Street and Portland Place , with smaller mews between
2871-693: The Anglo-Saxon word burna for a small stream). This stream rose further north in ( Hampstead ), eventually running along what became Marylebone Lane , which preserves its curve within the grid pattern. In the 17th century, under the influence of names like Mary-le-Bow , the French article le appeared midway in the parish name, and eventually St Mary-le-bourne became St Marylebone. Other spelling iterations include Mariburn , Marybone , and in Samuel Pepys ' diary, Marrowbone . The suggestion that
2958-495: The Grosvenor. Of the original properties constructed in Mayfair, only the Grosvenor estate survives intact and owned by the same family, who became the Dukes of Westminster in 1874. Chesterfield Street is one of the few streets that has 18th-century properties on both sides, with a single exception, and is probably the least altered road in the area. Hanover Square was the first of three great squares to be constructed. It
3045-493: The Marylebone Road there is an area with a colourful history, which includes the former Marylebone Gardens, whose entertainments including bare-knuckle fighting, a cemetery, a workhouse, and the areas frequented by Charles Wesley , all shut down by the close of the 18th century, where today there are mansion blocks and upper-end retail. At No. 1 Dorset Street resided mid-Victorian scientist Charles Babbage , inventor of
3132-621: The National Gallery scattered throughout the house, walls covered in tack holes and a drawing room inhabited by cats with no tails. During the same period a few hundred yards to the east, Chandos House in Chandos Street was used as the Austro-Hungarian Embassy and residence of the fabulously extravagant Ambassador Prince Paul Anton III Esterhazy, seeing entertainment on a most lavish scale. The building
3219-553: The Oxford Road (now Oxford St), commissioned the surveyor and builder John Prince to draw a master plan that set Cavendish Square in a rational grid system of streets. The Harley heiress Lady Margaret Cavendish Harley married William, 2nd Duke of Portland , and took the property, including Marylebone High Street , into the Bentinck family. Such place names in the neighbourhood as Cavendish Square and Portland Place reflect
3306-613: The Queen, as well as supplying several high-profile restaurants. After accruing spiralling debts, it was sold to Rare Butchers of Distinction in 2006. The Mayfair premises closed in 2015, but the company retains an online presence. Scott's restaurant moved from Coventry Street to Nos. 20–22 Mount Street in 1967. In 1975, the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) bombed the restaurant twice, killing one and injuring 15 people. South Audley Street
3393-666: The Romans settled in the area before establishing Londinium . Whitaker's Almanack suggested that Aulus Plautius built a fort here during the Roman conquest of Britain in AD 43 while waiting for Claudius . The theory was developed in 1993, with a proposal that a town grew outside the fort but was later abandoned as it was too far from the River Thames. The proposal has been disputed because of lack of archaeological evidence. If there
3480-572: The Second World War. In 1960s two-some John Dunbar and TV repairman " Magic Alex " lived on the street, where the former introduced the latter to John Lennon in 1967. Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife , who was a qualified nurse, founded a nursing home in Bentinck Street, and served as its matron. Manchester Square, west of Bentinck Street, has a central private garden with plane trees, laid out in 1776-88. The mansion on
3567-546: The Second World War. The Duke of Edinburgh held his stag night at the hotel prior to his marriage to Princess Elizabeth . The May Fair Hotel opened in 1927 on the site of Devonshire House in Stratton Street . It also accommodates the May Fair Theatre, which opened in 1963. The Ritz opened on Piccadilly on 24 May 1906. It was the first steel-framed building to be constructed in London, and it
Bruton Street - Misplaced Pages Continue
3654-460: The Younger is sited at the southern end of the square. In 1725, Mayfair became part of the new parish of St George Hanover Square , which stretched as far east as Bond Street and to Regent Street north of Conduit Street . It ran as far north as Oxford Street and south near to Piccadilly. The parish continued into Hyde Park to the west and extended southwest to St George's Hospital . Most of
3741-400: The affluent and influential residents, began to take up premises on Savile Row in south-eastern Mayfair, beginning in 1803. The earliest extant tailor to move to Savile Row was Henry Poole & Co in 1846. The street's reputation steadily grew throughout the late 19th and early-20th centuries, under the patronage of monarchs, moguls and movie stars, into the global home of men's tailoring ;
3828-507: The aforementioned families. The Howard de Walden Estate owns, leases and manages the majority of the 92 acres (37 ha) of real estate in Marylebone which comprises the area from Marylebone High Street in the west to Robert Adam 's Portland Place in the east and from Wigmore Street in the south to Marylebone Road in the north. In the 18th century the area was known for the raffish entertainments in Marylebone Gardens ,
3915-648: The analytical engine. Babbage complained that two adjacent hackney-coach stands in Paddington Street ruined the neighbourhood, leading to the establishment of coffee and beer shops, and furthermore, the character of the new population could be inferred from the taste they exhibited for the noisiest and most discordant music. An acclaimed international venue for chamber music, the Wigmore Hall , opened at 36 Wigmore Street in 1901. It hosts over 500 concerts each year. The Marylebone Low Emission Neighbourhood
4002-586: The area belonged to (and continues to be owned by) the Grosvenor family, though the freehold of some parts belongs to the Crown Estate . A water supply to the area was built by the Chelsea Water Works , and a royal warrant was issued in 1725 for a reservoir in Hyde Park that could supply water at what is now Grosvenor Gate. In 1835, the reservoir was decorated with an ornamental basin and
4089-401: The author of a volume of poems, and who afterwards escaped and was better known as Elizabeth Barrett Browning . Today, at the bottom end of Wimpole at Wigmore can be found a sandwich shop named Barrett's. Bentinck Street leaves Welbeck Street and touches the middle of winding Marylebone Lane . Charles Dickens lived at number 18 with his indebted father (on whom the character Wilkins Micawber
4176-536: The course of justice . Alongside Burlington House is one of London's most luxurious shopping areas, the Burlington Arcade . It was designed by Samuel Ware for George Cavendish, 1st Earl of Burlington , in 1819. The arcade was designed with tall walls on either side to prevent passers-by throwing litter into the Earl's garden. Ownership of the arcade passed to the Chesham family . In 1911, another storey
4263-563: The early 18th century. It became well-known for the annual May Fair that took place from 1686 to 1764 in what is now Shepherd Market . Over the years, the fair grew increasingly downmarket and unpleasant, and it became a public nuisance. The Grosvenor family (who became Dukes of Westminster ) acquired the land through marriage and began to develop it under the direction of Thomas Barlow. The work included Hanover Square , Berkeley Square and Grosvenor Square , which were surrounded by high-quality houses, and St George's Hanover Square Church . By
4350-477: The east. The parish is likely to have been in place since at least the twelfth century and will have used the boundaries of the pre-existing manors. The boundaries of the parish were consistent from the late twelfth century to the creation of the Metropolitan Borough which succeeded it. The name Marylebone originates from an ancient hamlet located near today's Marble Arch , on the eastern banks of
4437-473: The eastern side of Berkeley Square was demolished, until closing in 1956. The business as a whole survived until the late 1970s. Mount Street has been a popular shopping street since Mayfair was developed in the 18th century. It was largely rebuilt between 1880 and 1900 under the direction of the 1st Duke of Westminster, when the nearby workhouse was relocated to Pimlico. It now houses a number of shops dealing with luxury trades. Shepherd Market has been called
SECTION 50
#17327837360014524-649: The end of the 18th century, most of Mayfair had been rebuilt with high-value housing for the upper class; unlike some nearby areas of London, it has never lost its affluent status. The decline of the British aristocracy in the early 20th century led to the area becoming more commercial, with many houses converted into offices for corporate headquarters and various embassies . Mayfair retains a substantial quantity of high-end residential property, upmarket shops and restaurants, and luxury hotels along Piccadilly and Park Lane . Its prestigious status has been commemorated by being
4611-487: The end of the 19th century, the Grosvenor family were described as "the wealthiest family in Europe" and annual rents for their Mayfair properties reached around £135,000 (equivalent to £18,558,000 in 2023). The square has never declined in popularity and continues to be a prestigious London address into the 21st century. Only two original houses have survived; No. 9, once the home of John Adams , and No. 38 which
4698-544: The fair to be a nuisance and, with local residents, led a public campaign against it. It was abolished in 1764. One reason for Mayfair's subsequent boom in property development was that it was able to keep out lower-class activities. Building on Mayfair began in the 1660s on the corner of Piccadilly, and progressed along the north side of that street. Burlington House was started between 1664 and 1665 by John Denham and sold two years later to Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Burlington , who asked Hugh May to complete it. The house
4785-419: The former birthplace of HM Queen Elizabeth II ) Mayfair Mayfair is an area of London , England, in the City of Westminster . It is in Central London and part of the West End . It is between Oxford Street , Regent Street , Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts in the world. The area was originally part of the manor of Eia and remained largely rural until
4872-466: The greater part of the manor; in 1544 his son Thomas exchanged it with Henry VIII, who enclosed the northern part of the manor as a deer park , the distant origin of Regent's Park . Lilestone Manor also passed into the hands of the Crown at this time. Tyburn manor remained with the Crown until the southern part was sold in 1611 by James I, who retained the deer park, to Edward Forest, who had held it as
4959-614: The major streets. Mansfield Street is a short continuation of Chandos Street built by the Adam brothers in 1770, on a plot of ground which had been underwater. Most of its houses are fine buildings with exquisite interiors, which if put on the market now would have an expected price in excess of £10 million. At Number 13 lived religious architect John Loughborough Pearson who died in 1897, and designer of Castle Drogo and New Delhi Sir Edwin Lutyens , who died in 1944. Immediately across
5046-525: The most expensive property square on the London Monopoly board. Mayfair is in the City of Westminster , and mainly consists of the historical Grosvenor estate and the Albemarle , Berkeley , Burlington , and Curzon estates. It is bordered on the west by Park Lane , north by Oxford Street , east by Regent Street , and the south by Piccadilly . Beyond the bounding roads, to the north
5133-635: The name derives from Marie la Bonne , or "Mary the Good", is not substantiated. Both manors were mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. Domesday recorded eight households in each manor, implying a combined population of less than a hundred. At Domesday the Manor of Lilestone was valued at 60 shillings and owned by a woman called Ediva. Tyburn was a possession of the Nunnery of Barking Abbey and valued at 52 shillings. The ownership of both manors
5220-480: The name of which changed from Upper Marylebone Street after World War I . Number 13 in New Cavendish Street, at its junction with Welbeck Street and on the corner of Marylebone Street, was the birthplace in 1882 of the orchestral conductor Leopold Stokowski , the son of a Polish cabinet maker. He sang as a boy in the choir of St Marylebone Church. At the northern end of Marylebone High Street towards
5307-410: The names of former American residents in and visitors to Mayfair. The death of Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster in 1899 was a pivotal point in the development of Mayfair, following which all redevelopment schemes not already in operation were cancelled. In the following years, Government budget proposals such as David Lloyd George 's establishment of the welfare state in 1909 greatly reduced
SECTION 60
#17327837360015394-649: The north side of the square, now the home of the Wallace Collection , once housed the Spanish ambassador, whose chapel was in Spanish Place . From the north-west corner is Manchester Street, final home of Georgian-era prophet Joanna Southcott , who died there in 1814. Marylebone has some Beatles heritage, with John Lennon's flat at 34 Montagu Square, and the original Apple Corps headquarters at 95 Wigmore Street. Bulstrode Street, small and charming,
5481-650: The power of the Lords. Land value fell around Mayfair, and some leases were not renewed. Following World War I , the British upper class was in decline, for the reduced workforce meant servants were less readily available and demanded higher salaries. The grandest houses in Mayfair became more expensive to service; consequently, many were converted into foreign embassies. The 2nd Duke of Westminster decided to demolish Grosvenor House and move his residence to Bourdon House . Mayfair attracted commercial development after much of
5568-566: The practice of unlicensed marriages. The chapel was demolished in 1899. Having opened in 1837, Brown's Hotel is considered one of London's oldest hotels. Straddling Albemarle and Dover streets, it is thought to have been a popular tea location for Queen Victoria , and it was from the hotel that in 1876 Alexander Graham Bell made the first successful telephone call in Britain. Certain writers were known to stay there frequently; Rudyard Kipling 's The Jungle Book and Agatha Christie 's At Bertram's Hotel were each partly written during
5655-403: The properties being rebuilt. Barlow proposed a grid of wide, straight streets, with a large park (now Grosvenor Square) as a centrepiece. Buildings were constructed in quick succession, and by the mid-18th century the area was covered in houses. Much of the land was owned by seven estates: Burlington , Millfield, Conduit Mead , Albemarle Ground, the Berkeley, the Curzon and, most importantly,
5742-503: The road at 61 New Cavendish Street lived Natural History Museum creator Alfred Waterhouse . Queen Anne Street is an elegant cross-street which unites the northern end of Chandos Street with Welbeck Street. The painter J. M. W. Turner moved to 47 Queen Anne Street in 1812 from 64 Harley Street, now divided into numbers 22 and 23, and owned the house until his death in 1851. It was known as "Turner's Den", becoming damp, dilapidated, dusty, dirty, with dozens of Turner's works of art now in
5829-482: The ruling family of Qatar , and their relatives and associates owned a quarter of the 279 acres of Mayfair by 2006. The north-western part of Mayfair has subsequently been nicknamed " Little Doha ". The area has also been called a "Qatari quarter" and 'Qataropolis'. Prominent properties owned in Mayfair by Qataris include Dudley House on Park Lane and Lombard House on Curzon Street. Family members also own The Connaught and Claridge's hotels in Mayfair through
5916-409: The scene of bear-baiting and prize fights by members of both sexes, and for the duelling grounds in Marylebone Fields. The Marylebone Cricket Club , for many years the governing body of world cricket, was formed in 1787 and initially based at Dorset Fields before moving a short distance to its current home at Lord's Cricket Ground in 1814. Lord's is also home to Middlesex County Cricket Club and
6003-523: The south and Watling Street ( Edgware Road ) to the west, and positioned on both sides of the former River Tyburn which flowed from north to south. To the north (Boundary Road in St John's Wood) and east (running through Regent's Park and along Cleveland Street ), the area's boundaries have later been inherited as part of the northern and eastern boundary of the modern City of Westminster . This area includes localities such as St John's Wood , Lisson Grove and East Marylebone. East Marylebone has since
6090-485: The view from the rear of the house should not be spoiled. Berkeley Square was laid out to the rear of the house in the 1730s; because of the conditions of sale, houses were only built on the east and west sides. The west side still has various mid-18th-century buildings, and the east side now contains offices including Berkeley Square House. The expansion of Mayfair moved upper-class Londoners away from areas such as Covent Garden and Soho, which were already in decline by
6177-441: Was a fort, it is believed the perimeter would have been where the modern Green Street , North Audley Street, Upper Grosvenor Street and Park Lane now are, and that Park Street would have been the main road through the centre. This area was the manor of Eia in the Domesday Book , and owned by Geoffrey de Mandeville after the Norman Conquest . It was subsequently given to the Abbey of Westminster, who owned it until 1536 when it
6264-546: Was added by Beresford Pite , who also added the Chesham arms. The family sold the arcade to the Prudential Assurance Company for £333,000 (now £24,413,000) in 1926. It was bombed during the Second World War and subsequently restored. Allens of Mayfair , one of the best-known butchers in London, was founded in a shop on Mount Street in 1830. It held a Royal warrant of appointment to supply meat to
6351-658: Was based) while working as a court reporter in the 1830s, and Edward Gibbon wrote much of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire while living at number 7 from the early 1770s. James Smithson wrote the will that led to the foundation of the Smithsonian Institution while living at number 9 in 1826, while number 10 was briefly graced by Chopin in 1848, who found his apartment too expensive and moved to Mayfair. More recently, Cambridge spies Anthony Blunt and Guy Burgess lived at 5 Bentinck Street during
6438-711: Was born at No. 17, the London home of her maternal grandfather, the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne . The house was commonly thought to have been damaged in the Blitz and demolished in the aftermath, but archival documents at the British Library prove that the house had been demolished by property developers between 1937 and 1939, before the start of the war. The fashion designer Norman Hartnell lived and worked at No. 26 from 1935 until his death in 1979. 51°30′37″N 0°08′42″W / 51.51032°N 0.145°W / 51.51032; -0.145 ( Location of
6525-833: Was born in Charles Street in 1847, and grew up in the area. Mayfair has had a long association with the United States. Pocahontas is believed to have visited in the early 17th century. In 1786, John Adams established the US Embassy on Grosvenor Square. Theodore Roosevelt was married in Hanover Square, and Franklin D. Roosevelt honeymooned in Berkeley Square. A small memorial park in Mount Street Gardens has benches engraved with
6612-568: Was bought by the Savoy Company in 1895 and rebuilt in red brick. It was extended again in 1931. Several European royal families in exile stayed at the hotel during the Second World War. Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia , was born there on 17 July 1945; the Prime Minister Winston Churchill is said to have declared the suite he was born in to be Yugoslav territory. Flemings Mayfair on Half Moon Street
6699-915: Was established at No. 148 New Bond Street in 1876. Other galleries in Mayfair include the Maddox Gallery on Maddox Street , and the Halcyon Gallery . The Handel House Museum at No. 25 Brook Street opened in 2001. George Frideric Handel was the first resident from 1723 until his death in 1759. Most of his major works, including Messiah , and Music for the Royal Fireworks were composed here. The museum held an exhibition of Jimi Hendrix , who lived in an upper-floor flat in neighbouring No. 23 Brook Street in 1968–69. Marylebone Marylebone (usually / ˈ m ɑːr l ɪ b ən / MAR -lib-ən , also / ˈ m ær ɪ ( l ə ) b ən / MARR -i(l-ə)b-ən )
6786-455: Was established by Barking Abbey, which held Manor of Tyburn, at an unknown date, but probably sometime in the 12th century. This church was located on the north side of Oxford Street, probably near the junction with Marylebone Lane. This site was subject to regular robbery and in 1400 a new church was built, around 900 metres further north. and given the name St Mary by the Bourne . This church
6873-744: Was established in 2016 to improve the air quality of the area. Westminster City Council in partnership with local residents, businesses and stakeholders completed a green grid of 800 new trees on Marylebone's streets in 2019. The area was represented by the St Marylebone UK Parliament constituency between 1918 and 1983. The area is currently divided between the Cities of London and Westminster and Westminster North parliamentary constituencies. These are represented by Nickie Aiken and Karen Buck respectively. The parish and borough were bounded by two Roman roads, Oxford Street to
6960-432: Was extensively modified through the 18th century, and is the only one of this era to survive into the 21st century. The origins of major development began when Sir Thomas Grosvenor, 3rd Baronet , married Mary Davies, heiress to part of the Manor of Ebury , in 1677. The Grosvenor family gained 500 acres (200 ha) of land, of which around 100 acres (40 ha) lay south of Oxford Street and east of Park Lane. The land
7047-614: Was founded in 1768 by George III and is the oldest fine arts society in the world. Its founding president was Sir Joshua Reynolds . The academy holds classes and exhibitions, and students have included John Constable and J. M. W. Turner . It moved from Somerset House to Trafalgar Square in 1837, sharing with the National Gallery , before moving to Burlington House in 1868. The academy hosts an annual Summer Exhibition , showing over 1,000 contemporary works of art that can be submitted by anyone. The Fine Art Society gallery
7134-534: Was named after King George I, the Elector of Hanover, soon after his ascension to the throne in 1714. The original houses were inhabited by "persons of distinction" such as retired generals. Although most have been demolished, a small number have survived to the present day. The Hanover Square Rooms became a popular place for classical music concerts, including Johann Christian Bach , Joseph Haydn , Niccolò Paganini and Franz Liszt . A large statue of William Pitt
7221-516: Was opened in 1851 by Robert Fleming, who worked for Henry Paget, 2nd Marquess of Anglesey . It is the second-oldest independent hotel in London. The London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square on the corner of Grosvenor Square and Duke Street was the first Marriott Hotel in Britain. It opened as the Europa Hotel in 1961 and was bought by Marriott in 1985. It was a popular place for visitors to
7308-439: Was rebuilt in 1740 with a new building erected a little further north in 1817. In 1710, John Holles, Duke of Newcastle , purchased the manor for £17,500, and his daughter and heir, Lady Henrietta Cavendish Holles , by her marriage to Edward Harley, Earl of Oxford , passed it into the family of the Earl of Oxford, one of whose titles was Lord Harley of Wigmore. She and the earl, realising the need for fashionable housing north of
7395-479: Was referred to as "The Hundred Acres" in early deeds. In 1721, the London Journal reported "the ground upon which the May Fair formerly was held is marked out for a large square, and several fine streets and houses are to be built upon it". Sir Richard Grosvenor, 4th Baronet , asked the surveyor Thomas Barlow to design the street layout, which has survived mostly intact to the present day despite most of
7482-673: Was taken over by King Henry VIII during the dissolution of the monasteries . Mayfair consisted mainly of open fields until development began in the Shepherd Market area around 1686–88 to accommodate the May Fair, which had moved from Haymarket in St James's because of overcrowding. There were some buildings before 1686. A cottage in Stanhope Row, dating from 1618, was destroyed in the Blitz in late 1940. A 17th-century English Civil War fortification established in what
7569-653: Was the same as it had been before the Conquest. Lilestone became the property of the Knights Templar until their suppression in 1312. It then passed to the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , whose name is the origin of the place name St John's Wood . Early in the 13th century Tyburn was held by Robert de Vere, 3rd Earl of Oxford . At the end of the 15th century Thomas Hobson bought up
#999