Mayfair area and property guide
Mayfair is an exclusive residential area that offers the best of central London living. It has some of the finest properties, shops, restaurants, bars, clubs and hotels in London. And is a short walk from Mayfair to parks, theatres, cinemas and vibrant nightspots.
Mayfair is the home of...
- New Bond Street, with its world-class shops and restaurants
- Green Park, which offers tranquillity in the centre of London
- Park Lane, one of the most desired residential locations in the UK
History of Mayfair
Urbanisation
Mayfair takes its name from the May Fair, which was held in an area now known as Shepherd Market until 1709. The land on which the Grosvenor Estate of Mayfair now stands came in to the hands of the Grosvenor family in 1677 as the dowry of Mary Davies when she married Sir Thomas Grosvenor. Development of this land began in the 1720s and the Grosvenor Estate now occupies North Mayfair, while southern Mayfair, including Berkeley Square, is known as the Berkeley Estate.
Home to prime ministers
Mayfair has housed numerous British Prime Ministers from the 18th Century to the 21st century, including:
- Benjamin Disraeli, who lived in Curzon Street
- Sir Robert Peel, twice prime minister and as home secretary responsible for the creation of the Metropolitan Police Force
- William Pitt the Younger, Britain’s great war leader and the man who created income tax
- Winston Churchill, who lived in various Mayfair properties and sheltered in the disused underground station in Down Street during the war
Residential heritage
Before the Second World War, it was London’s premier residential address. During the War, heavy bombing in the City forced a large number of businesses to relocate to Mayfair. From the mid 1990’s these buildings started to revert back to residential use and once again Mayfair is London’s most exclusive address. The most famous Mayfair resident is the Queen, who was born in Bruton Street and lived in Mayfair as an infant. Many French aristocrats in exile from the French Revolution also resided in the area.
Ties to the USA
America has always had very close links with Mayfair since John Adams, the first American emissary to Britain and later America’s second president, lived at 9 Grosvenor Square (now the office of Tony Blair).
Four other US Ambassadors who were resident in Grosvenor Square, went on to become President and General Dwight D Eisenhower commanded the allied expeditionary force from his base in Grosvenor Square. The US Embassy is still based here, on a site that was put together by Knight Frank.
Property types
Mayfair was originally urbanised in the 18th century. As a result, many buildings here data from the Georgian period. A second extensive building programme was carried out at the end of the 19th century when the famous terracotta buildings in Mount Street were erected. Mount Street has been described as a “paradise of pink terracotta.”
There is an abundance of town houses from both periods, some of which remain intact whilst others have been divided into apartments. There are also a number of purpose- built apartment buildings dating from the end of the 19th century to the present day.
Places of Interest in Mayfair
The Church Of The Immaculate Conception, Farm Street
St George’s Hanover Square Church
The Grosvenor Chapel, Mayfair
St Mark’s Church, North Audley Street
Shepherd Market
Royal Academy
Berkeley Square
Mount Street Gardens
Grosvenor Square
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Getting to Mayfair
Bond Street Underground Station (Jubilee line, Central line)
Green Park Underground station (Jubilee line, Piccadilly line, Victoria line)
Good bus services run from Park Lane, Piccadilly, Oxford Street and Regent Street.
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Mayfair Local authority
Westminster City Council
P.O. Box 240
Westminster City Hall
64 Victoria Street
London
SW1E 6QP
T: 020 7641 6000
Embassies
Angola
Antigua & Barbuda
Argentina
The Bahamas
Brazil
Burma
Canada
Cyprus
Egypt
Indonesia
Italy
Japan
Liberia
Malawi
Malta
Mauritania
Monaco
Panama
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
United States of America
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Where to go out in Mayfair
Parks
Hyde Park
Green Park
Restaurants
Scotts
Cipriani
Gordon Ramsay at Claridges
Maze
Le Gavroche
Nobu
Harry’s Bar
George
Le Petit Maison
Hotels
Claridges
Connaught
Ritz
Dorchester
Grosvenor House
The Metropolitan
Four Seasons
Hilton
Intercontinental
Browns
Millennium
Marriott, Marble Arch
Marriott, Grosvenor Square
Flemings
Washington
Casinos
Aspinalls
Crockfords
Clermont Club
Ambassadors Club
Rendezvou
Clubs
Annabel’s
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