54-702: Great Portland Street is a road in the West End of London which links Oxford Street with the A501 Marylebone Road . A commercial street, it divides Fitzrovia , to the east, from Marylebone to the west. It delineates areas with contrasting identities, the west at strongest in grandiose Portland Place and Harley Street , the east at strongest in artists' and independent businesses of Fitzrovia . Long sections of Great Portland Street fall in two Westminster City Council conservation areas , named after Harley Street and East Marylebone. The street
108-586: A chairman, a vice-chairman and a member for each of the Home Nations of the United Kingdom. Appointments to the BBC Trust are made by Queen-in-Council , on the recommendation of UK government ministers. The final BBC Trust membership comprised: Trustees served for terms of up to five years (usually four), after which they could be re-appointed. Since 2006 the following people were members of
162-420: A single board with a good governance system, you know who's responsible. One of the difficulties in those cases was it wasn't quite clear if the trust were dealing with it or whether the executive board were dealing with it. It fell to both of them and neither of them." The proposal to scrap the trust was officially presented to Parliament as part of a charter review white paper on 12 May 2016. Governance of
216-513: Is cited as one of "London's 50 Outstanding Classical Music Landmarks" because Felix Mendelssohn lodged there during the premiere of Fingal's Cave . Other notables living on the street include James Boswell , 9th Laird of Auchinleck, biographer at №122, Leigh Hunt the essayist and poet at №98, and the artist David Wilkie at №117 (1808–09). Sir Charles Barry , the architect, lived at №94 Great Portland Street from 1828 to 1841. Pagani's restaurant, with its art nouveau frontage by Beresford Pite ,
270-402: Is expected to spend 3 days a week on trust business, and the vice-chairman up to 2 days. Other trustees are expected to spend 1–2 days a week. Since 2010 BBC Trust members have been taking an 8.3% reduction in fees (equivalent to one month's pay). In October 2010 the government announced that the fee for the chairman of the BBC Trust would be reduced from £143,000 to £110,000. In October 2007,
324-588: Is now mainly represented on the street by a few garment importers. The street is split among Westminster Council 's Harley Street Conservation and East Marylebone Conservation Areas. The street has a commercial character with a majority of its buildings dating from the late Victorian or Edwardian period. The street has four Grade II listed buildings , the most common category: Most of the remaining structures on Great Portland Street have been designated as 'Unlisted Buildings of Merit' by Westminster . The Portland Hospital for Women and Children (at first, from 1858,
378-474: Is of 1930 date and is constructed from cream faience tile with a slate mansard roof. Regent's Park tube station is also close to the north end of the street. Buses numbered 88 , 18 , 27 , 30 , 205 , 189 , 3 , 12 and 55 stop on or within a close distance of the road. 51°31′13″N 0°08′34″W / 51.52041°N 0.14287°W / 51.52041; -0.14287 West End of London The West End of London (commonly referred to as
432-537: The City of London in the east, and the City of Westminster in the west. Over time they came to form the centre of modern London, although each kept its own distinct character and its separate legal identity (for example, the City of London has its own police force and is a distinct county ). The City of London became a centre for the banking, financial, legal and professional sectors, while Westminster became associated with
486-597: The City of Westminster wards is called " West End ". This electoral unit includes some of the most prosperous areas of the borough, including Soho , Mayfair and parts of southern Marylebone . The population of this ward at the 2011 Census was 10,575. The West End is laid out with many notable public squares and circuses. London Underground stations in the West End include: 51°30′48″N 0°07′43″W / 51.51333°N 0.12861°W / 51.51333; -0.12861 BBC Trust The BBC Trust
540-489: The Edwardian period. The Blitz made it necessary for further re-building after the war, although the damage incurred along the street was not particularly extensive so there are few modern buildings, and although the aesthetic today is a jumble of architectural styles and eras, the overall feel is that of an historic street. Maps from close to the outset of building help to identify the street's changes. The BBC Trust
594-532: The John F. Kennedy memorial bust adorns the lobby. The street is served at the northern end by Great Portland Street station and at the southern end by Oxford Circus station . Great Portland Street station opened as Portland Road on 10 January 1863 as a station on London's then Metropolitan Railway . The station was renamed Great Portland Street in March 1917. The present station building, designed by Charles Clark,
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#1732776623169648-835: The Ami Portland Hospital for the same), at №s 205-209. The street has larger Edwardian buildings in the Marylebone Conservation Area such as №s 160-180; №206; and №228 (The Armitage). The latter building was the headquarters of the Royal National Institute of Blind People from 1914 to 2002. №s45-49 host the Embassy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo . №229 houses International Students House, London , where
702-587: The BBC Trust: The trust was originally to be chaired by Michael Grade , the then chairman of the board of governors. However, in November 2006 before the trust formally took over from the governors as the governing body of the corporation, Grade left the BBC to become executive chairman of ITV . Chitra Bharucha , then vice-chairman, became the acting chairman. Sir Michael Lyons was subsequently appointed
756-540: The BBC makes more programmes outside London. In May 2008 the trust published its review of the BBC's website (bbc.co.uk), criticising the service for financial mismanagement, including a £36 million overspend. The departure of Ashley Highfield , Director of the BBC's technology department has been linked to the findings of the review. In June 2008, the trust was highly critical of the BBC's network news reporting of issues in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales. The trust
810-629: The BBC was transferred to the new BBC Board in April 2017. Sir David Clementi became the new chairman of the board. The trust was supported by a team of 70 staff, known as the Trust Unit. These staff were independent from the BBC Executive and included specialists in audience research, performance analysis, and finance. The Trust Unit was headed by its director, Alex Towers. The BBC Trust had four audience councils, which provided advice to
864-479: The British textile industry. The growing dominance of UK chain stores, with their requirement for supply chain efficiencies from foreign low-cost suppliers, meant that new orders by-passed the showrooms and manufacturer's agents on the street and its vicinity. Major names of the garment industry associated with the street include Shubette of London, Coppernob, Alfred Young, Hildebrand and French Connection. The sector
918-485: The City around Holborn , Seven Dials , and Covent Garden contained poorer communities that were cleared and redeveloped in the 19th century. As the West End is a term used colloquially by Londoners and is not an official geographical or municipal definition, its exact constituent parts are up for debate. Westminster City Council 's 2005 report Vision for the West End included the following areas in its definition: Covent Garden , Soho , Chinatown , Leicester Square ,
972-523: The English textile industry to many West End stores. The sector's activities were most pronounced where the street intersects with Mortimer Street and Margaret Street . Its proximity to buying officers working for the big stores on Oxford Street gave businesses in the area a competitive edge. The sector's local presence declined in the late 1970-80s with the disappearance of both the UK's independent retailer and
1026-657: The Hutton Inquiry as a whitewash, designed to deflect criticism from Tony Blair 's government. In summary, the main roles of the Trust are in setting the overall strategic direction of the BBC, including its priorities, and in exercising a general oversight of the work of the Executive Board. The Trust will perform these roles in the public interest, particularly the interest of licence fee payers. — BBC Royal Charter (2006) The BBC Trust closed on 2 April 2017 at
1080-576: The Liberal Democrats – who comprised the main parliamentary parties other than Labour – were highly critical of the trust model, stating that it has "failed". Both parties favoured some kind of external regulation of the BBC. Despite some early rhetoric about abolishing the trust, the then Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt , made clear that he would only act within the envelope set by the BBC Charter , so major changes were not possible until
1134-704: The UK and in Israel. The complaints included 24 allegations of breaching BBC guidelines on accuracy or impartiality of which three were fully or partially upheld. The Independent's Middle East correspondent Robert Fisk was particularly critical of the ESC report, saying that the BBC Trust is "now a mouthpiece for the Israeli lobby". An editorial in The Independent said that the report demonstrated "a terrible absence of good judgement". Michael Lyons' response to
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#17327766231691188-502: The West End ) is a district of Central London , London, England, west of the City of London and north of the River Thames , in which many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings and entertainment venues, including West End theatres , are concentrated. The term was first used in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross . The West End covers parts of
1242-400: The block between Clipstone and Carburton Streets. The trend of period groupings is another result of the slowness of the first development. As buildings in the south were built earlier than those in the north, their leases expired earlier, setting off a wave of redevelopment which meant that rebuilding in the south took place in the late- Victorian era, whilst that in the north was delayed until
1296-466: The boroughs of Westminster and Camden . While the City of London is the main financial district in London, the West End is the main commercial and entertainment centre of the city. It is the largest central business district in the United Kingdom. It is one of the most expensive locations in the world in which to rent commercial and office space. Medieval London comprised two adjacent cities –
1350-513: The charter expired after the end of 2016. Mr Hunt has instead expressed his support for changing the name of the trust and installing a new non-executive chairman on the BBC's executive board. The subsequent Culture Secretary , Maria Miller , had not made clear a position on whether the BBC Trust would exist under the next BBC Charter, although it was widely expected that there would be some form of management and governance re-structure. On 1 March 2016, an independent review by Sir David Clementi
1404-417: The contrasting areas to either side. To the east, are artistic areas such as Fitzrovia , which have historically been less well-to-do than the west, with its grand parade of Portland Place , residential areas for the gentry, and doctors and medical institutions on Harley Street . Development of the estate was gradual but particularly so on Great Portland Street. This had an effect during its redevelopment in
1458-407: The districts falling within the West End are Mayfair , Soho , Covent Garden , Fitzrovia and Marylebone . By this definition, the West End borders Temple , Holborn and Bloomsbury to the east, Regent's Park to the north, Paddington , Hyde Park and Knightsbridge to the west, and Victoria and Westminster to the south. Other definitions include Bloomsbury within the West End. One of
1512-595: The editorial, also published in The Independent, said that it is important to take complaints seriously and to be scrupulously careful about standards of accuracy and impartiality so that the BBC's reputation for fairness and impartiality is maintained. The concept of the BBC Trust came under severe political criticism once the Labour government had left power, in 2010. Both the Conservative Party and
1566-443: The expiry of the 2007 royal Charter, which had a 10-year lifespan. Labour had lost power in 2010, and other political parties had established a parliamentary majority by the time it came to the moment for a new royal charter to be written. Governance of the BBC was transferred to the new BBC Board in April 2017, with Ofcom assuming regulatory duties. The royal charter established that the trust should have twelve trustees, including
1620-531: The first permanent chairman of the BBC Trust, taking up the position from 1 May 2007. In September 2010 Sir Michael wrote to the secretary of state, Jeremy Hunt , stating that he did not wish to be considered for a second term as chairman. He stood down from the post in April 2011. Following a recruitment process led by the government, Chris Patten was appointed to the role and began a four-year term on 1 May 2011. Patten resigned in May 2014 following heart surgery. He
1674-459: The late-19th/early-20th centuries when rebuilding was dictated by the expiration of individual 99-year leases, and is evident in the buildings in existence today. The most coherent element to the architecture is the predominance of Edwardian buildings to the north and Victorian buildings towards Oxford Street , particularly noticeable when there has been occasional consolidation of plots, leading to consistent façades above street level such as in
Great Portland Street - Misplaced Pages Continue
1728-420: The leisure, shopping, commerce, and entertainment sectors, the government, and home to universities and embassies . The modern West End is closely associated with this area of central London. Lying to the west of the historic Roman and medieval City of London, the West End was long favoured by the rich elite as a place of residence because it was usually upwind of the smoke drifting from the crowded City. It
1782-476: The motor trade on the street. They were represented by the Carlton Carriage Co; and well-established firms included light car specialists Mebes & Mebes, founded in 1893 amongst numerous others. Speedometer House, built in 1913 at №179, was a London motor industry landmark. Its top two floors were devoted to the production of Smiths speedometers, gauges and other instruments, while the basement
1836-539: The shopping streets of Oxford Street , Regent Street and Bond Street , the area encompassing Trafalgar Square , the Strand and Aldwych , and the district known as Theatreland . The Edgware Road to the north-west and the Victoria Embankment to the south-east were also covered by the document but were treated as "adjacent areas" to the West End. According to Ed Glinert's West End Chronicles (2006)
1890-404: The street as a basis; from the street many others start or end. Great Portland Street runs straight, north-south. The layout, combined with its width and the concentration of shops along its length, means it has for a long time been a local centre and thoroughfare, connecting the residential areas around Regent's Park with the West End . It has also resulted in it becoming a divider, emphasising
1944-539: The street in the first decades of the last century. Other manufacturers with offices and or showrooms on Great Portland Street included Beardmore Motors Limited as well as the Le Zebre , Maxwell , Morgan Motor and Phoenix Car companies. The Indian Motorcycle Company opened its showroom at №s 168-202 in 1908. Coach builders in Great Portland Street were a crucial prerequisite for the development of
1998-561: The street's layout and character. Edward Harley – Earl of Oxford and Mortimer, who married Lady Henrietta Cavendish – was responsible for the development of the Portland Estate , building up Cavendish Square in 1717 then the rest of its land to the north and east. Great Portland stresses the descent of the land and buildings through Dukes' successive ownerships. Many local street names reflect their overall ownership, albeit less obviously. Development up to Great Titchfield Street
2052-408: The street. Discovery Channel Europe and Mac 7 TV, among some other TV channels that were also based here. Double Negative (VFX) , a British full-service motion picture company, is located on the Great Portland Street. Great Portland Street, also known as "Motor Row", was a primary street for cars and related accessories in the early years of the 20th century. The Benz Motor dealership was located in
2106-539: The trust approved the BBC's strategic direction for the next six years, demanding a high-quality and more distinctive BBC. The trust has approved several new services, including the iPlayer , HDTV and the Gaelic Digital Service , BBC Alba . The trust denied a proposal to launch a new local video service in late 2008 due to concerns about competition with commercial producers, especially newspapers moving online. The trust has also recently demanded that
2160-517: The trust was "flawed" and unable to sufficiently self-regulate. He suggested that the BBC be overseen by a unitary board "charged with responsibility for meeting the obligations placed on it under the royal charter and agreement, and responsibility for the interests of licence fee payers", and that Ofcom take on the BBC's regulatory oversight. Clementi stated that his proposal would give the BBC "no hiding place", and explained that "no good governance system will ever guarantee good outcomes, but if you have
2214-513: The very early 20th century on the street at its intersection with Weymouth Street where Villandry Restaurant was located (now Sixes Cricket). By the mid-Twenties Great Portland Street had become a dominant motor vehicle trading venue—with no less than 33 showrooms located along the street. Other manufacturers, including the big names of Vauxhall , Jaguar , Austin , Auto-Union DKW , and the DORT Motor Company were also represented on
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2268-474: Was a favourite gathering place for many artists and musicians. This was perhaps due in part to the restaurant's proximity to Queen's Hall on Langham Place. Its Artist Room walls were decorated by over 5,000 notes and signatures of its many important artists of the period who included Paderewski , Puccini , Chaminade , Chevalier , Calvé , Piatti , Plançon , De Lucia , Melba , Menpes , Tosti , Sarah Bernhardt , Whistler amongst numerous others. Pagani's
2322-634: Was based at №180 until 2017 BBC Radio 1 's headquarters were also on Great Portland Street in Yalding House until 2012. Similarly, Radio 2 and 6 Music were also on the street at № 99 ( Wogan House ) until 2024. Virgin Media (including Virgin Mobile ) was based at № 160 Great Portland Street, which also at one time housed UKTV, Virgin Media Television and IDS during Virgin's presence on
2376-472: Was bombed during the Blitz but survived for a time after the war. It had first opened in 1871. The Philharmonic Hall was erected on the site of the new St. James Hall on Great Portland Street in 1907. Sir Ernest Shackleton appeared in person there in 1920 when he presented a film of his Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Some of the artistic and entertainment energy of the area dissipated after Queen's Hall
2430-500: Was close to the royal seat of power at the Palace of Westminster (now home to parliament ), and is largely contained within the City of Westminster (one of the 32 London boroughs ). Following initial development by Henry Jermyn, 1st Earl of St Albans in the 1660s, during the late 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, it was built as a series of palaces, expensive town houses, fashionable shops and places of entertainment. The areas closest to
2484-432: Was destroyed by incendiary bombs in May 1941. Great Portland Street still hints at its past when it was a major centre for London's women's clothing industry. During the late 1950 and 1960s, garment related businesses could be found all along the length of the street. The clothing trade took to this street, setting up small stock and workrooms in the early 1900s. Over time, these grew into larger showrooms which represented
2538-474: Was established by the 2007 BBC Charter , which came into effect on 1 January in that year. The trust, and a formalised Executive Board , replaced the former Board of Governors . The decision to establish the trust followed the Hutton Inquiry , which had heavily criticised the BBC for its coverage of the death of David Kelly ; Labour's political opponents, as well as large numbers of its supporters, saw
2592-672: Was given over to the production of carburettors. John Donald "Jack" Barclay, after leaving the Royal Flying Corps at the end of the First World War , set up the Barclay & Wyse partnership at №91 in 1922 to sell Vauxhall automobiles. The head offices of the UK's Retail Motor Industry Federation was located at №201 until 2024. The German composers Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847) and Carl Maria von Weber (1786–1826) both lived and worked on Great Portland Street. №103
2646-587: Was gradually developed by a senior branch of the Cavendish-Bentinck family, the Dukes of Portland , who owned most of the eastern half of Marylebone in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was first rated as John Street in 1726. Great Portland Street then went on to have some prominence with the arts, the motor, garment and broadcast industries. A campaign to add to its trees began in 2009. Different owners and interests influenced development; these shaped
2700-567: Was heavily criticised in the popular press for its review of the amount the BBC pays for "top talent" and failing to answer whether stars like Jonathan Ross and Graham Norton were value for money. Ross was reported to earn £6 million a year. In April 2009, the Editorial Standards Committee (ESC) of the BBC Trust published a report into three complaints brought against two news items involving Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen . The report received widespread coverage in
2754-483: Was published, which recommended that the BBC Trust be disbanded. Citing previous controversies involving the BBC, such as its handling of the Jimmy Savile sexual abuse scandal , a Newsnight report which falsely implied that Lord McAlpine of West Green was involved in child abuse (due to mistaken identity), controversies involving Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross , and other internal issues, he concluded that
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#17327766231692808-472: Was replaced by the vice chairman, Diane Coyle , in an acting capacity until a new chairman was selected. On 31 August 2014 it was announced that Rona Fairhead would become the new chairman of the trust. The remuneration for BBC Trustees was determined by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and paid for by the BBC. The table below shows the base fees for Trustees during 2014–15. The chairman
2862-576: Was the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) between 2007 and 2017. It was operationally independent of BBC management and external bodies, and its stated aim was to make decisions in the best interests of licence-fee payers . On 12 May 2016, it was announced in the House of Commons that, under the next royal charter , the regulatory functions of the BBC Trust were to be transferred to Ofcom . The trust
2916-566: Was through the Portland Estate, competing against adjoining estates. The Berners family owned land to the east; they developed Wells Street and Rathbone Place in the mid-18th century. At the same time the Middlesex Hospital expanded on land on a 99-year lease around Mortimer Street, encroaching on Riding House and Cleveland Streets . These unrelated developers with different designs explains the asymmetrical street grid using
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