London Estate Agents Area Guides
The Howard de Walden Estate is owned directly and indirectly by members of the Howard de Walden Family. The Estate owns, leases and manages the majority of the 92 acres of real estate in Marylebone which comprises the area from Marylebone High Street in the west to Robert Adam’s Portland Place in the east and from Wigmore Street in the south to Marylebone Road in the north. The area contains some of London’s most beautiful Georgian architecture and our portfolio of properties to let includes not only residential accommodation and offices, but also medical units centred on Harley Street and…
The Portman Estate dates back to 1553 when the then Lord Chief Justice, Sir William Portman, bought the ancient manor of Lileston. Today, its 110 acres include Oxford Street from Marble Arch to Orchard Street and extends from Edgware Road to beyond Baker Street. To the north it stretches almost as far as Crawford Street. The estate still supports the Portman family headed by Viscount Portman. Henry Portman began to lay out the estate in the 18th century with magnificent wide roads and elegant squares that were then leased to developers who built the actual houses. The most magnificent of…
Marylebone Village Property, History & Transport Marylebone Village is centred on Marylebone High Street and Marylebone Lane, which have become famous in recent years as the place the chain shops forgot. No ‘High Street names’ here – just local shops catering for discerning customers. Shops offering jewellery, shoes, eyewear, buttons, ribbons and books, rub along with the wide range of womenswear, beauty treatments, and more. Food outlets include a traditional butcher championed by Jamie Oliver, a cheese shop, an artisan baker, several wine shops and a grocer’s shop like they used to be. The Village also has two weekly markets,…
Mayfair Property, History & Transport In Medieval times, London’s May Fair was a combination of market, entertainment and booze-up that ran for a fortnight from May Day at today’s Haymarket. That became too small, and in 1686 the fair moved westwards to a site just north of Green Park where a new suburb was being built. In time, the whole area became known as Mayfair. The Fair and the new residents did not get on, however. It was a pretty riotous event “for musick, showes, drinking, gaming, raffling, lotteries, stageplays and drolls,” according to an observer in the reign of…
Paddington Property, History & Transport It is difficult to believe now, but in the 18th century Paddington was famous for its gardens. The Count and Countess de Vandes, exiles from the French Revolution, established notable gardens at Bayswater and the Hon Charles Greville, founder of the Royal Horticultural Society, lived in Paddington Green. Artists such as George Morland and Paul Sandby had studios here to record the pastoral scene. Everything changed with the Industrial Revolution. First the canal arrived, providing London with its first direct trade route to Birmingham. Then Brunel built his masterpiece, Paddington Station, the cathedral of ‘God’s…
Maida Vale Property, History & Transport Maida is a town in Calabria, in the toe of Italy. So how was the name attached to a wealthy area of central London? In 1806, a British force under Sir John Stuart defeated the French there, a minor victory but welcome at a time when Napoleon was all-conquering, and it was celebrated by naming a new pub on the Edgware Road ‘Hero of Maida’. The pub was the first building in a new district on land owned by the Church of England, which gradually got to be known as Maida Vale. The streets…
Little Venice Property, History & Transport You wouldn’t expect a canal junction to be a beauty spot, but Little Venice is one of London’s lovely places. The tranquil, tree-lined canals are home to a community of colourful narrowboats and stuccoed early Victorian villas form a classical backdrop. Small wonder that Little Venice has always been popular with poets. It was Lord Byron who first compared it with Venice, and Robert Browning lived here when he returned from Italy after the tragically early death of his wife, Elizabeth Barrett Browning. The poet laureate John Masefield lived in Maida Avenue for many…
Fitzrovia Property, History & Transport The street names of Fitzrovia derive from Henry Fitzroy, the illegitimate son of Charles II by his mistress, Barbara Villiers, later Duchess of Cleveland. He was later created Earl of Euston and Duke of Grafton. His wife Isabella inherited the Manor of Tottenham Court, and their descendents developed the area in the following centuries. The architectural gem is Fitzroy Square, laid out by Charles Fitzroy in 1790s to designs by the famous Adam brothers. Unusually, the elegant Grecian terraces are entirely faced in stone. At its height, Fitzrovia was the home of artists such as…
Hampstead Property, History & Transport West Hampstead used to be a small country village called West End, but when the Metropolitan Railway arrived in 1879 it called the station West Hampstead to avoid confusion with the other, rather better known West End further to the south. But to this day West End’s little village green survives with its shops, restaurants and bars. Indeed, although the whole area is now covered with mainly late Victorian houses, it still retains a village feel and is a local destination for a good night out. But for many, the big advantage of West Hampstead…
South Hampstead Property, History & Transport South Hampstead is home to a young, vibrant community attracted by the extremely good value its properties represent – you get more floor space for your money. There is a mix of Victorian houses around Canfield Gardens and apartment blocks round Langtry Walk, the name commemorating an estate where Lillie Langtry, the actress, beauty and mistress of the Prince of Wales, lived in Victorian times. The area has excellent transport links. Finchley Road and Swiss Cottage stations on the Jubilee Line have quick and frequent services to the West End, the South Bank and…
