| When traveling to London, among all the great | | | | Shepherd's Market, the site of the original |
| world famous historical and cultural | | | | May Fair is the 'village centre' of Mayfair. |
| landmarks, make sure not to miss the historic | | | | There are some good restaurants and |
| and quite cosmopolitan Mayfair. This famous | | | | interesting pubs and the area has not yet |
| area of London is a heaven of luxury and | | | | been spoiled by tourism - it caters to the |
| opulence. But you don't have to be too | | | | needs of locals as well as visitors. Outdoor |
| wealthy to sit in a pub and watch the rich go | | | | cafes abound in the summer months, and even |
| by. | | | | on a cool winter's day - as long as the sun |
| | | | is out - you will see plenty of hardy souls |
| A part of London where history has been alive | | | | lunching 'al fresco'. Many 18th-century |
| for centuries | | | | buildings survive and the market has a |
| | | | special charm - definitely worth a wander |
| Mayfair is an area of central London in the | | | | around and a stop at Ye Grapes pub with its |
| City of Westminster, named after the annual | | | | traditional Victorian interior. |
| fortnight-long May Fair that took place there | | | | |
| from 1686 until it was banned in that | | | | Mayfair- a treat for special food lovers |
| location in 1764. Prior to 1686, the May Fair | | | | |
| was held in The Haymarket, and after 1764, it | | | | Mayfair also has to cater for all the tastes |
| moved to Fair Field in Bow. It is roughly | | | | in food of the residents and tourists alike |
| bordered by Hyde Park to the west, Oxford | | | | and there are many small traditional food |
| Street to the north, Piccadilly and Green | | | | shops which do this. One of the most |
| Park to the south and Regent Street to the | | | | interesting is R. Allen & Co, on Mount |
| east. Most of the area was first developed | | | | Street, an old-fashioned poulterer, with |
| between the mid 17th century and the mid 18th | | | | pheasants hung in the windows in the same |
| century as a fashionable residential | | | | fashion as they were a hundred years ago. |
| district, by a number of landlords, the most | | | | |
| important of them the Grosvenor family. The | | | | And while on the subject of food, if you |
| freehold of a large section of Mayfair also | | | | really want a treat try Le Gavroche, one of |
| belongs to Queen Elizabeth II. Queen | | | | the best French restaurants in London; this |
| Elizabeth II was born in Bruton Street and | | | | is haute cuisine at its finest and most |
| lived in Mayfair during her infant years. | | | | serious. |
| | | | |
| Although Mayfair is a wealth of 20th-century | | | | For something less famous but with good food |
| luxury and opulence, it is also an area full | | | | and popular with Londoners, try Wheelers on |
| of history. However, this wasn't always the | | | | South Molton Street There are branches all |
| stylish London neighborhood that we see | | | | over the city, easily recognized by their |
| today. In the 18th century the region was a | | | | green frontage. Their specialty is fish and |
| paradise for prostitutes, drunks and crooks, | | | | seafood - Dover sole, a British favourite, is |
| a daily scene for donkey races and duck | | | | cooked a staggering 13 different ways. |
| hunts- all in an almost impossible | | | | |
| combination of noise and disorder, especially | | | | Last but not least- haute couture and plenty |
| during the fair. As a result of all that | | | | of style |
| clatter, the fair was closed in 1764, at the | | | | |
| insistence of the Earl of Coventry. | | | | Haute couture has its home in Mayfair and |
| | | | small, chic boutiques with famous names above |
| From popular fair to exclusive location for | | | | the door are scattered around the area. Both |
| big pockets | | | | Old Bond Street and New Bond Streets are |
| | | | stuffed with elegance. There are world-famous |
| Now, two and a half hundred years later, the | | | | jewelers such as Cartier, Tiffany and Asprey; |
| name 'Mayfair' is synonymous with class and | | | | men who like to buy the best come to Saville |
| style. To put it quite simply, Mayfair means | | | | Row to be suited. Then there are the art |
| money, loads, and has turned into London's | | | | galleries and antique shops. And if you want |
| most exclusive residential address. Today, | | | | one of the world's best haircuts, the Vidal |
| many of the grand houses which in the 18th | | | | Sassoon Academy on Brook Street will give you |
| century were occupied by dukes, earls and | | | | the style of your life. |
| baronets, are home to a modern type of higher | | | | |
| class, mainly people who can afford the best | | | | There are a number of delightful shopping |
| of luxury that London has to offer | | | | arcades in Mayfair that are fun to wander |
| | | | around and which contain shops selling every |
| Although some of the lovely old houses have | | | | kind of luxury you could possibly want. One |
| been taken over by foreign embassies and | | | | of the most popular is the Burlington Arcade |
| international businesses, they have not been | | | | on Piccadilly. Built in 1819, supposedly to |
| drastically changed and there is still a | | | | prevent passers-by from throwing garbage into |
| distinct Georgian air about Mayfair which can | | | | the garden of nearby Burlington House (now |
| best be appreciated by strolling around the | | | | the Royal Academy of Arts), the arcade is |
| area, turning into small streets and mews, or | | | | still patrolled by a beadle, a man in |
| sitting in one of the quiet little squares. | | | | traditional dress whose historic function is |
| | | | to ensure shoppers obey the rule against |
| The district is now mainly commercial, with | | | | singing, carrying open umbrellas, or running. |
| many offices in converted houses and new | | | | In the 1870's Charles Dickens reported that |
| buildings, including major corporate | | | | the arcade was mainly occupied by |
| headquarters and a concentration of hedge | | | | "bonnet-makers, ladies' boot-makers, and |
| funds. Rents are among the highest in London | | | | sellers of knick-knacks." He would see some |
| and the world. The area encompasses London's | | | | changes if he were to visit the Burlington |
| largest concentration of luxury hotels and | | | | Arcade today. There are shops full of exotic |
| many fine restaurants. | | | | jewelry, antique toy soldiers, cashmere and |
| | | | Irish linen. |