Mayfair Property Guide
Mayfair was originally a village and it still retains much of that feeling today, despite being on the doorstep of some of central London's busiest retail and tourist destinations.
Mayfair is neatly delineated by Piccadilly to the south, Oxford Street to the north, Regent Street to the east and Hyde Park to the west. It comprises some of the most famous residential addresses in London — Park Lane, Curzon Street, Berkeley Square, Grosvenor Square — as well as the capital’s most exclusive shopping streets, including Bond Street and Mount Street.
The local scene
Mayfair is all about sophistication and discernment. Judicious management by the Grosvenor estate has seen Mayfair regain its historic reputation for gracious living. Not only are major buildings returning to residential use, but the careful management of retail space has created some of the finest and most varied shopping streets in London. Bond Street, Piccadilly and the Burlington Arcade are synonymous with luxury and designer brands. Mount Street is a vibrant contrast, with its high-end boutiques and individual retailers providing delightful variety.
Mayfair boasts some of the finest private members clubs in London, including Birley’s, Annabel’s and the Arts Club; its fashionable restaurants include Scotts, Le Gavroche and The Wolseley, with any amount of fine dining available in London’s leading hotels: the Dorchester, the Connaught, Claridge’s and the Ritz.
Cultural interest focuses on the Royal Academy on Piccadilly, with its regular programme of major exhibitions, while the adjacent green swathes of Hyde Park, Green Park and St James’s Park provide hundreds of acres of open space and outdoor recreation, including tennis, riding, boating and cycling.
Shopping
Mayfair offers a world-famous shopping experience, and people travel from far and wide to enjoy the range of exclusive designer shops, hotels, restaurants and nightclubs in the area. The area is home to the Burlington Arcade, which is one of London’s most luxurious shopping areas.
In the Bond Street area of Mayfair, you will find a broad array of commercial art galleries, as well as international auction houses such as Bonhams, Christies and Sothebys. Antique lovers enjoy exploring Gray’s Antique Market for rare items, artwork and out-of-print books.
Savile Row is a street in Mayfair that is known principally for its bespoke tailoring for men.
Green Spaces
One of the great pleasures of living or working in Mayfair is exploring hundreds of acres of open space provided by nearby Hyde Park, Green Park and St. James’s Park. Outdoor pursuits abound in the form of tennis, riding, boating, walking, cycling and even roller-blading.
Transport
Although Mayfair does not have its own London Underground station, Marble Arch, Bond Street, Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus, Green Park and Hyde Park Corner are all within easy reach, giving people living and working in Mayfair excellent access to the rest of London and transport links throughout the UK.
You can use the Jubilee Line via Bond Street station – this will take you to Westminster, Waterloo and Canary Wharf, as well as giving you access to Central Line services into the City.
From Green Park, the Piccadilly line runs south to Heathrow Airport (you can also catch the Heathrow Express from Marylebone Station) or north to King’s Cross St. Pancras. You can take the Victoria line to Victoria Station and mainline train services to the South Coast; the Gatwick Express provides a fast shuttle service between Victoria and Gatwick airport.
The opening of the Crossrail station at Bond Street in 2018 will cut journey times to Canary Wharf by 13 minutes and mean that Heathrow will be just 27 minutes away.
Only one bus route runs through Mayfair itself – this is the 24-hour C2 route – but, again, there is a vast selection of bus routes along Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly, and Park Lane.
The A40 is a major ‘trunk’ road that connects central London to Wales, becoming the M40 and connecting with the M25. The A4 (Piccadilly) is also within easy reach of Mayfair, running through Kensington and Hammersmith to join the M4 at Chiswick.
Education
Mayfair has a good selection of schools nearby. In-demand primary schools in the area include St. Peter’s Eaton Square CofE Primary School, St. George’s Hanover Square CofE Primary School, Soho Parish CofE Primary School, Queen’s College London, Connaught House School and St. Vincent’s Roman Catholic Primary School.
Popular secondary schools include Davies Laing and Dick College, Queen’s College London, Abbey College, Halcyon London International School, The St. Marylebone Church of England Bridge School, Westminster City School, and the world-famous Sylvia Young Theatre School.
The Good Schools Guide and Ofsted reports provide excellent starting points for more information.
All of London’s colleges and universities are within easy reach of Mayfair, thanks to its central location and excellent transport links.