Modern Britain

Mayfair was originally unwanted, nameless, muddy fields - the River Tyburn swamps - situated to the west of what was then Central London (Whitehall, Soho, Covent Garden, and the City).

Mayfair got its name in 1686 when King James II granted royal permission for a fair to be held on the site of what is now Shepherds Market in the first two weeks of May. At this time Soho, Whitehall, and the City were the addresses of choice for the wealthy aristocracy.

It was not until 1710 and 1719 that Sir Richard Grosvenor and the earl of Scarborough (heads of Mayfair's two original landowning and developer families) built Grosvenor Square and Hanover Square respectively, and started Mayfair's building process which continues until the present day so that, by 1720, the former fields were transformed into a vast building site...

Available to purchase via external links: Maggs Bros or Amazon

Main Sources

Adapted by Jayne Weldon to promote the publication of the book, The Story of Mayfair, by Peter Wetherell, Erik Brown and Oliver Bradbury, London 2014, which looks at the social, financial and physical development of Mayfair, one of the world's most famous addresses over 350 years. Reproduced with permission.

Pictures and text copyright © original authors