Pictures of Mayfair

About Mayfair

This is one of London's most fabulous regions. Mayfair has it all, it is the haunt of the rich and famous, with elegant houses and apartment buildings that are the sole province of the wealthy. It is also a romantic area having featured in several 20th century films such as Maytime in Mayfair, The Courtney's of Curzon Street and Spring in Park Lane, all of which starred Dame Anna Neagle.

The upper-crust image of Mayfair has prevailed for centuries, after-all the area has been owned by the illustrious Grosvenor family since 1677. Here you will find the cre'me-de-la-cre'me of hotels, The Dorchester, London Hilton and Grosvenor House, together with some of the nations finest sights and places including Marble Arch and Wellington Arch.

Mayfair is truly an area to relish, where else could you find such stately squares, for the handsome squares of Berkley, Hanover and Grosvenor are all within the boundary of Mayfair. Grosvenor Square is dominated by the U.S. Embassy with its towering statue of Franklin D. Roosevelt. And in Berkeley Square, doors do not come much more impressive than the rich blue and gold panelled entrance to Annabel's, a night club frequented by London's aristocracy and the rich from around the world.

Crammed into the heart of Mayfair are intriguing boutiques, jewellers, antique shops, galleries, all with prices at the upper end of the market. Sir Paul McCartney's designer daughter Stella has her showroom in Mayfair. Saville Row, famed for fine tailoring is here, so too is New and Old Bond Street - in recent years New Bond Street has become known throughout the world as the home of auction houses, the most famous being Sotheby's and Phillip's, whilst in Old Bond Street there is Tiffany & Co, De Beers - famous for diamonds and Agnew's Art Gallery for British and European Old Masters.

The Royal Arcade in Albemarle Street offers a feast for everyone eye's, and if you visit Burlington Arcade be prepared to spend spend spend! The streets all around Mayfair are enriched with exquisitely decorated pubs and old inns. Take a peep at Shepherds Tavern, or the black and white timber-framed Coach and Horses, both are quaint watering holes in what is considered to be "the posh part" of London.

Mayfair also has several places of worship, St.Georges was built in 1721 to a design by John James. Visitors to the church will note the magnificent work of Grinling Gibbons, a painting of "The Last Supper" by William Kent, and glorious windows containing fragments of early Flemish glass. The classic neo-American style of the almost untouched Grosvenor Chapel attracts many of our overseas cousins, this church was built during the 18th century around the time most of Mayfair was being laid out. London's American Church is known as The Whitfield Memorial Church, it is housed in a building formerly belonging to The United Reform Church - an American Church has been in London since World War II.

Property here comes with a hefty price-tag, but if you happen to have a few million to part with houses do not come more special than the picturesque Farm House in Farm Street, Mayfair - this gracious property has a half-timbered fascia with glorious mullioned and leaded casement windows, it looks just as if it had stepped right out Nell Gwynne's era!

There is much about Mayfair that is appealing, perhaps it is the pleasantness of everything that puts a spring in your step as you stroll its footpaths, look at its fabulous buildings and soak up the genteel atmosphere of a place where it really is as though the pavements were made of gold. To wander around Mayfair is an uplifting experience - one that should not be missed!