"Marylebone Village" - the heart of W1

Right in the heart of London's busiest shopping area, hidden behind Oxford Street and Baker Street, "Marylebone Village" is an exclusive residential and chic retail/lifestyle enclave with a surprisingly quiet, village ambience, despite its central location.

The area of Marylebone is one of the oldest parts of London, known for its distinctive red-brick Georgian architecture and with some of the finest gothic Victorian buildings in the capital. It is primarily made up of Georgian terraces and Victorian mansion blocks with a number of lovely gorgeous mews scattered between them.

Potted history

It's mentioned back in the Domesday book, tracing its beginnings back to the the Norman Conquest, and consisting (it's believed) of two manors, Tyburn to the east and Lilestone (which became Lisson Grove) to the west.

The original parish name, Marybourne, was named after its church, St Mary, originally built on the bank of a small stream - the Tybourne or Tyburn and the "le" is believed to have been added in the 17C. Potentially MaryleBourne or possibly Marie La Bonne...

The area began to be urbanised in the 1700s after Lady Henrietta Cavendish Holles, whose family owned the Tyburn Manor, married to Edward Harley, Earl of Oxford, decided to create some much-needed fashionable housing north of the Oxford Road (now Oxford St) and commissioned the well known surveyor and builder John Prince to draw a grid system of streets that centred around Cavendish Square.

Their daughter, Lady Margaret Cavendish Harley then married William, 2nd Duke of Portland, who took the property into the Bentinck family, but most of the streets are named after members of the Harley, Holles, Portland and Bentinck families.

Most of the Manor of Lileston was acquired by Sir William Portman in 1554, and much of this was developed by his descendants as the Portman Estate in the late 1700s. The Portman Estate still owns and runs a lot of this area while the Howard de Walden Estate owns, leases and manages the majority of the 92 acres of the original Tyburn Manor, including Marylebone High Street in the west to Portland Place, and from Wigmore Street in the south to Marylebone Road in the north.

Marylebone Village Lifestyle

Marylebone Village centres around Marylebone High Street with its eclectic mix of chic boutiques and fabulous restaurants, juxtaposed with the queues of tourists who flock to Madame Tussauds and the Sherlock Holmes Museum at 221b Baker Street.

Other key streets include:

  • Moxon Street a destination for food lovers

  • Marylebone Lane is a very cute and meandering collection of small shops and cafes

  • New Cavendish Street is known for its specialist retailers

  • Chiltern Street, voted “London’s Coolest Street” by Condé Nast Traveller, is known for its Grade II listed Victorian fire station, now transformed into a boutique hotel and restaurant, The Chiltern Firehouse, frequented by a steady stream of the world's best known celebrities.

Our favourites:

  • The Chiltern Firehouse (obvs)

  • The Monocle Shop

  • Hamilton and Hare

  • Niwaki Japanese

  • Cromford Leather Co.

  • Grey Flannel

  • Cadenhead's Tasting Room

Find out all about the shops, lifestyle and history of Marylebone Village on its dedicated website, https://www.marylebonevillage.com.

Famous residents include:

Adam Ant (Stuart Leslie Goddard born and brought up in Marylebone

Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and John Lennon all lived in the area in the 60s and of course famously recorded in Abbey Road studios.

David Cameron

Jimi Hendrix

Charles Dickens

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Jane Asher

Jacqueline du Pré

T. S. Eliot

Hayley Mills

Stephen Ward

H. G. Wells

Charles Wesley

Norman Wisdom

Property for Sale in Marylebone

If you want to join the well-heeled and well-known residents of Marylebone Village, we currently have an outstanding 3 bedroom (all ensuite) mansion flat with lift and porter, available off-market only.

To find out more, email info@roseandpartners.co.uk