Mayfair is a mecca of luxury and opulence but it is also full of history
London's Mayfair district stretches from Marble Arch to Hyde Park Corner and from Oxford Streeet to Regent Street and on to Piccadilly. It took its name from a fair, which was held annually in the l7th and l8th centuries and from this humble beginning has developed into an area which has become one of the most luxurious in the capital.
London - Mayfair - Full of History
Although Mayfair is a cornucopia of 20th-century luxury and opulence, it is also an area chock full of history It wasn't always the sophisticated London "village" that we see today. In the 18th century the streets were full of drunks, prostitutes, crooked traders, donkey races and duck hunts - all combining in such a cacophony of noise and disorder that Queen Anne herself tried to stop the fair; she didn't succeed, but the Earl of Coventry, who had a fine house close to the market, found the noise intolerable and he had the fair closed in 1764.
London - Mayfair - Exclusive Residences
Now, over three centuries since the fair began, the name 'Mayfair' is synonymous with class and style. Quite simply, Mayfair means money, lots of it, and it is London's most exclusive residential address. Today, many of the grand houses which in the 18th century were occupied by dukes, earls and baronets, are home to their present day equivalent - people who want, and can afford, the best that London has to offer.
Although some of the lovely old houses have been taken over by foreign embassies and international businesses, they have not been drastically changed and there is still a well-bred Georgian air about Mayfair which can best be appreciated by strolling around the area, turning into small streets and mews, or sitting in one of the quiet little squares.
The original aristocratic residents of Mayfair required services to be close at hand and the narrow lanes known as mews which lay between the great streets with their grand houses were originally home to stables and coach houses, with armies of grooms and coachmen living in small rooms above. These mews are now converted into stylish small homes, much sought after for their charm.
London - Mayfair - Lots of Cafes and Pubs
Shepherd's Market, the site of the original May Fair, is a network of narrow streets and alleys and is the 'village centre' of Mayfair. There are some good restaurants and interesting pubs and the area has not yet been spoiled by tourism - it caters to the needs of locals as well as visitors. Outdoor cafes abound in the summer months, and even on a cool winter's day - as long as the sun is out - you will see plenty of hardy souls lunching 'al fresco'. Many 18th-century buildings survive and the market has a special charm - definitely worth a wander around and a stop at Ye Grapes pub with its traditional Victorian interior.
London - Mayfair - Quiet Squares
London is renowned for its grassy squares, which are dotted all over the city. Some of the most famous of these are in Mayfair. Berkeley Square, admired in song, is sparse on nightingales these days. It is shaded by two-hundred-year-old trees and is a nice place to rest your feet. Less famous but a little gem worth looking for is Mount Street Gardens, a tranquil spot tucked away behind the Church of the Immaculate Conception on Mount Street.
Grosvenor Square is another green oasis, dominated by the monolithic US Embassy building. The square was the scene of massive demonstrations against US involvement in Vietnam in 1968.
London - Mayfair - The Best Shopping
But all this resting in leafy squares is really a prelude to indulging in what Mayfair is probably most famous for - its shops. Haute couture has its home in Mayfair and small, chic boutiques with famous names above the door are scattered around the area. Both Old Bond Street and New Bond Streets are stuffed with elegance, elegance, elegance. There are world-famous jewellers such as Cartier, Tiffany and Asprey, Men who like to buy the best come to Savile Row to be suited. Then there are the art galleries and antique shops. And if you want one of the world's best haircuts, the Vidal Sassoon Academy on Brook Street will give you the style of your life.
There are a number of delightful shopping arcades in Mayfair that are fun to wander around and which contain shops selling every kind of luxury you could possibly want. One of the most popular is the Burlington Arcade on Piccadilly. Built in 1819, supposedly to prevent passers-by from throwing oyster shells and other rubbish into the garden of nearby Burlington House (now theRoyal Academy of Arts), the arcade is still patrolled by a beadle, a man in traditional dress whose historic function is to ensure shoppers obey the rule against singing, carrying open umbrellas, or running. In the 1870's Charles Dickens reported that the arcade was mainly occupied by "bonnet-makers, ladies' boot-makers, and sellers of knick-knacks." He would see some changes if he were to visit the Burlington Arcade today. There are shops full of exotic jewellery, antique toy soldiers, cashmere and Irish linen.
London - Mayfair - Food, Glorious Food
Although a mecca of luxury, Mayfair still has to cater to the everyday needs of its residents and there are many small traditional food shops which do this. One of the most interesting is R. Allen & Co, on Mount Street, an old-fashioned butcher and poulterer, with pheasants hung in the windows in the same fashion as they were a hundred years ago.
And while on the subject of food, if you really want a treat try Le Gavroche, one of the best French restaurants in London; this is haute cuisine at its finest and most serious.
For something less famous but with good food and popular with Londoners, try Wheelers on South Molton Street There are branches all over the city, easily recognized by their green frontage. Their specialty is fish and seafood - Dover sole, a British favourite, is cooked a staggering 13 different ways.
So there you have it - everything to soothe the inner and outer man (or woman) - and all to be found in that marvellous corner of London called Mayfair.
