Mayfair
Encyclopedia : M : MA : MAY : Mayfair
- For other uses, see Mayfair (disambiguation)}}}.
Mayfair is an area in the City of Westminster in London, named after the fortnight-long May Fair that took place there from 1686 until it was banned in that location in 1764. Prior to 1686, the May Fair was held in The Haymarket, and after 1764, it moved to Fair Field in Bow.
Mayfair is roughly bordered by Hyde Park to the west, Oxford Street to the north, Green Park to the south and Regent Street to the east. Most of the area was first developed between the mid 17th century and the mid 18th century as a fashionable residential district, by a number of landlords, the most important of them the Grosvenor family. The freehold of a large section of Mayfair also belongs to Queen Elizabeth II. [[Citing sources citation needed]]
The district is now mainly commercial, with many offices in converted houses and new buildings, including major corporate headquarters and a concentration of hedge funds. Rents are among the highest in London and the world. There is still a substantial amount of residential property, as well as some exclusive shopping, London's largest concentration of luxury hotels and many fine restaurants. Buildings in Mayfair include the United States embassy in Grosvenor Square, the Royal Academy of Arts, the Grosvenor House Hotel and Claridge's.
Mayfair is the most expensive property on a British Monopoly set.
Streets and squares
- Berkeley Square
- Bond Street
- Brook Street
- Grosvenor Square
- Hanover Square
- Hyde Park Corner - road junction at the south east corner
- Marble Arch - road junction/plaza at the north west corner
- Oxford Street - northern boundary
- Park Lane - western boundary
- Piccadilly - southern boundary
- Piccadilly Circus - road junction/plaza at the south east corner of Mayfair
- Regent Street - eastern boundary
- Savile Row
- Shepherd Market
Nearest places
Nearest districts'''- Marylebone - north
- Soho - east
- St James's and Green Park - south
- Hyde Park - west
- Bond Street tube station
- Green Park tube station
- Hyde Park Corner tube station
- Marble Arch tube station
- St. James's Park tube station
- Victoria tube station
See also
External links
- [Map of Mayfair and surrounding areas]
- [Map showing the original boundaries of the Grosvenor Estate in Mayfair]
- [BBC News story: Reviving the Mayfair May Fair]
- [The mayhem that marred May Day]
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