Marlebone London

Tourist Information on Marylebone

Marylebone, to the south and east of Regent's Park, is bounded by Great Portland Street, Oxford Street and Edgware Road. 

This district was once made up of the two ancient manors, Lileston and Tyburn, after the stream that flowed through the area. 

By the 14th century the two areas were disreputable and violent. Tyburn was the site of a famous gallows between 1388 and 1783 and a plaque on the traffic island at Marble Arch marks its original position.  The parish church, which once stood in what is now Oxford Street, was ransacked so frequently that a second church was built halfway up today's Marylebone High Street.  This church, standing opposite the long-gone manor house, was named St Mary by the Bourne. Shortened to Marylebone, this name was given to the whole area.  In the 16th century the northern half of Marylebone, Regent's Park, became a royal hunting ground, while the southern half was purchased by the Portman family. ....more >

Until the 18th century Marylebone was surrounded by fields and a pleasure garden but as fashionable London shifted westwards, these rural areas were developed by Robert Harley, Earl of Oxford.   The Portman family also developed many of the elegant streets and squares of the area, including Portman Square and Manchester Square, now the home of the Wallace Collection.  

Leading to Regent's Park is Portland Place, and although most of the original buildings have gone its spacious proportions remain.  To the north of Portland Place is Park Crescent, dating from 1818.  Designed for the Prince Regent by John Nash, this was intended to be a circus at the northern end of a ceremonial route from St James's to Regent Park, where the Prince intended to build a palace.  Today Marylebone has the most quality Georgian housing in London.

By the mid-19th century professional people, especially doctors, were attracted to the elegant terraces of Marylebone.  These spacious family houses also provided consulting rooms for their wealthy clients.  Harley Street and Wimpole Street are still well known for the medical profession, though several doctors now fill the houses.

Marylebone meets Mayfair at Oxford Street.  The capital's most famous shopping street, Oxford Street, is full of high street chains and rather tacky stalls but the Selfridges department store makes a visit worthwhile. 

Marylebone High Street, however, has recently undergone a renaissance, lead by the Conran Shop, and today has many interesting shops and restaurants. 

Congested Marylebone Road has Madame Tussaud's and the London Planetarium, while nearby, Baker Street is home to the Sherlock Holmes Museum.  Just to the north of Marylebone, in St John's Wood, stands Lord's, the world famous cricket ground.  Lord's is the headquarters of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the governing body of the sport.     

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