The Other Square(ish) Mile

Throughout the Middle Ages the population of the Cities of London and Westminster, linked by the riverside palaces of the nobility along the Strand, remained tightly packed against the north bank of the Thames.

To the west and north, and over all what is now Mayfair, were fields and woods scattered with outlying farms and hamlets.

But during the first half of the eighteenth century successive developments of houses spread rapidly over the open country, and between 1720 and 1740 a network of new streets was laid out between Regent Street and Park Lane by the Grosvenor family on land which had come to them by Sir Thomas Grosvenor’s marriage with the heiress Mary Davies in 1677.

Other landowners built here including the Earl of Chesterfield around what is now Curzon Street. By the nineteenth century Mayfair had become one of the most fashionable places in London to live and housed many of the great aristocratic families (as well as Anglican bishops) in magnificent mansion houses.

During the twentieth century many of the great aristocratic families moved elsewhere and many of their mansion houses were either demolished or destroyed during the war. Many of the houses were turned into flats and offices after the war.

Recently these have been returned to residential use as a result of which the residential population of Mayfair is once again growing. Many of the converted houses have been returned to single households and there are now many international business people who have their London homes here. Real Estate in Mayfair is now amongst the most expensive in the world.

There is still a strong community in Mayfair, and the population is very mixed as it always has been, containing a large Peabody Estate in the north as well as many smaller flats, service apartments and of course the great hotels along Park Lane and within Mayfair itself.

Commercially, Mayfair is a very vibrant place with many financial institutions and private banks having their homes here. Bond Street, which runs through the middle of Mayfair, has now become the centre of London’s fashion industry and the world’s most famous designers now have showcase stores there. Many Embassies are also found in Mayfair, including the American Embassy and Canadian High Commission in Grosvenor Square, but many others too, including the Egyptian, Bahamas, Italian and Brazilian.

Mayfair is in many ways an amazing place to live or work in and visit. It is truly a microcosm - all life is here from all over the world. Yet with its beautiful squares and parks to rest in it, it also remains a peaceful haven in the centre of this great city.