Long-time London resident and avid museum and theatre-goer. I started this blog in 2014, and got serious about it in 2020 when I realised how much I missed arts and culture during lockdowns. I go to a lot more events than anyone would think is sensible, and love sharing my thoughts in the forms of reviews, the occasional thought piece, and travel recommendations when I leave my London HQ.
An illustrated walk around Mayfair, once notorious for ‘wantonness’ but now a model of respectability. Walking from Green Park Station to Grosvenor Square, we will encounter peaceful parks, historic shops and touches of luxury.
We are following another walk today from Discovering Off-Beat Walks in London by John Wittich and Ron Phillips.
Mayfair? We Are Pretty Far From The Docklands Now!
Yes we are, aren’t we? Both geographically, and in terms of the history and reputation of Mayfair vs. the Docklands. We have done a number of walks in the East End and the City of London because that is local to me, but when I had to make a trip into the office recently it offered the opportunity to do some lunchtime exploring in a new part of the city. And even excluding the restrictions of the last year which have kept me close to home, Mayfair is relatively new to me. I don’t have much cause to go to expensive restaurants or exclusive shops, so don’t spend much time here. It was nice to have a structured way to do it, by following a walk from Discovering Off-Beat Walks in London by John Wittich and Ron Phillips.
The walk, ‘Mayfair – On the Course of the Tyburn’, references one of London’s lost rivers. The Tyburn once ran from somewhere in Hampstead through to Pimlico, passing through Mayfair. I am hoping to do a walk along the full length at some stage though, so that isn’t my primary focus on today’s walk. Instead, I would like to introduce you to some interesting stories and sights in Mayfair’s history.
It’s one of those things we don’t really think about, but Mayfair is named for a fair. It took place, of course, in the first two weeks of May. It sounds like great fun – it was described as “a nursery of Vice and Atheism.” It died out in the 18th Century, as development in the area increased and wealthy neighbours complained. Today there is little of these playful origins remaining. Most of what we will see dates to the initial Georgian development or later. There are many sights to see, however, so let’s get stuck in!
Mayfair – Green Park to Shepherd Market
We start our walk on Piccadilly, just outside Green Park station. As I related recently in our walk around St James’s, Piccadilly comes from ‘pickadill’, a fashionable ruff. Mr. George Baker was the tailor who became rich from selling pickadills, and eventually built Piccadilly Hall, one of many large mansions along the road to Hyde Park. A pickadill looked like this.
A long stretch of Piccadilly is bordered by Green Park. These gates are more of a decorative feature than an entrance, but have an interesting history. They fronted the house of a Lord Heathfield at Turnham Green, until the Duke of Devonshire purchased them in 1837. He installed them at Chiswick House, and later at his Piccadilly mansion. Prior to demolition of the mansion in 1921 they were installed here at the park.
At the time our guidebook was written (1995 reprint of a 1969 original), this was still the In & Out Club. Properly the Naval and Military Club, the name came about because of prominent In and Out signs on the vehicle entrance and exit gates. The Club moved to St James’s Square in 1999, and Cambridge House, which we see here, underwent a few rounds of planned conversion before the current scheme which will transform it into a hotel and serviced apartments. You can see here what it used to look like.
White Horse Street apparently follows the former course of the Tyburn. The construction works which you can see forced me on a bit of a detour!
Hmmm, I thought I could get to Shepherd Market this way, but maybe not. Let’s continue our detour.
Look, we made it! Shepherd Market is at the heart of Mayfair, and was also the site of the May Fair. Now it is like a quaint little village, with shops and restaurants. At one stage it was also a notorious red light district!
Mayfair – Curzon Street to the Footman
Exiting Shepherd Market onto Curzon Street, the first thing we come across is the Church of Christ, Scientist. The church dates to 1911 and the tower to 1930.
Also on Curzon Street are several chic shops. The top image includes G. F. Trumper – we saw another branch on our walk in St James’s. And the second image is Heywood Hill booksellers, royal warrant holders and one time home to Nancy Mitford.
Turning into Queen St, Mayfair, this rather non-descript building has an interesting royal connection. It was once home to Mrs. FitzGeorge. Who was she, you ask? Well, she secretly married Prince George, grandson to George III, without the knowledge of Queen Victoria who would certainly have put a stop to it otherwise. The marriage was not legally recognised, their sons were not granted titles, and it was several decades before the royal family really acknowledged the situation at all.
Wittich and Phillips point out Charles St as the epitome of Mayfair – enormous (mostly) 18th Century houses with rather plain exteriors, but sumptuous interiors.
Dartmouth House is home to the English Speaking Union. It seems such an old-fashioned concept (to bring together and give assistance to all those who speak the English language) that I was surprised to find it still exists. They seem to have modernised themselves quite well, but still occupy part of this great old building.
This pub’s original name was I Am The Only Running Footman. How much more fun is that? A Running Footman’s job was to run ahead of a nobleman’s coach, paying tolls, assisting passengers, and carrying a torch at night. If he got tired from all that running, he could refresh himself with wine and egg whites from the top of his wand. The fourth Lord Queensbury was the last to have such a servant – he died in 1810 (Lord Queensbury, not the footman).
Mayfair – Berkeley Square to Farm Street
Leafy Berkeley Square (or, you know, pre-leafy springtime Berkeley Square). These are some of the largest plane trees in London, planted in 1789 so as old as the French Revolution. The Berkeley family owned much of this part of the West End in the 18th Century.
45-46 Berkeley Square. William Chambers was the architect, and Clive of India lived here. Today he appears to us a much more problematic figure than he probably was when the plaque was installed. An employee of the East India Company, he is one of those responsible for laying the foundation of the British Empire in India. He did this through military defeats, installing puppet governments, and looting to the tune of billions in today’s values. This won him riches and a title of Baron. As discussed on this walk, I don’t personally think leaving statues and plaques in place with no commentary does much to spark debate.
Wittich and Phillips describe no. 44 Berkeley Square as “the finest terrace house in London.” The apparently splendid interior is home to the Clermont Club, a swanky gambling establishment. Or at least it was when Wittich and Phillips were writing. The club closed in 2018 (and had moved to a new location by this point), and Annabel’s nightclub in the basement has since moved next door.
We are now around the corner in Farm Street. This is part of the Grosvenor Estate, one of the large freehold parcels of London land that makes a few English nobles very wealthy. Farm Street gets its name because there was a farm here. Very imaginative. It later became mews for larger houses nearby – as you can see the mews houses have now become luxury living for Mayfair residents.
Also on Farm Street is this Catholic church. This is the London church of the Jesuit fathers, with a high altar by Pugin and apparently a lovely interior.
Mayfair – Mount Street Gardens to South Audley Street
Mount Street Gardens is a lovely secluded spot to stop and rest on our walk. The ‘mount’ in Mount Street comes from a Civil War fortification, Oliver’s Mount. These gardens occupy the site of a former burial ground.
Some nice shop detailing on the way to our next stop
South Audley Street is full of lots of lovely Victorian brick, to see it so decorative, clean and bright is characteristic of Mayfair.
Goodes is a famous china and glassware shop, dating back to 1827. There are two elephants in the window, as per the second image, made by Minton for the Goode family in 1889 and retained by them ever since.
Grosvenor Chapel, in Colonial style, looks as if it should be in New England. Dating to 1730, it was originally a ‘proprietary chapel’, meaning Benjamin Timbrell built it to make money from renting out pews, and it was not a fully-fledged and consecrated church.
And finally on South Audley Street, we have Purdey’s. Another very historic business, Purdey’s are primarily gunmakers. Concerned about putting all their eggs in the gun basket, the family built a picture gallery inside to diversify their business. This was not necessary, they did just fine selling guns and associated items.
Mayfair – Grosvenor Square
Grosvenor Square is the final stop on our Mayfair walk, but there is quite a lot to see here. This is not surprising as at 6 acres, Grosvenor Square is London’s largest! This was the site of Oliver’s Mount, but by 1725 was full of wealthy residences such as you see today. The top image shows redevelopment of Eero Saarinen’s former US-Embassy building. Amazingly, developers have been able to retain only the facade. This seems a real shame for a modernist classic.
Currently on display in Grosvenor Square is this sculpture by Morag Myerscough, See Through. It is part of the Wander Art sculpture trial which we will see in more detail in an upcoming blog post. For now, it is a fun pop of colour while we wait for warmer weather to arrive.
The connection to the USA due to the Embassy formerly standing in Grosvenor Square is everywhere in evidence. At the top is a 1948 statue of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, while at the bottom is a 9/11 memorial. This was of course not here at the time Wittich and Phillips were writing, but is a pleasant and peaceful spot.
And finally on our Mayfair walk, a coincidental US connection. John Adams was the first US citizen to live in Grosvenor Square, here at no. 9. He was of course later President of the United States, probably never thinking that his country’s embassy would later be a short stroll away.
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