Essential Hotels > England > London > Mayfair

The six most expensive properties on the famous Monopoly board game are all found within the rough borders of Mayfair and this points to a London district that is upmarket, classy and wealthy. Some of the most prestigious and well known parts of the nation’s capital are set in this central part of the city, with the shops, squares and hotels proving among the most popular and stylish in the country and even the world. Part of London’s West End, Mayfair postcodes begin with W1 and the region has long been regarded as the city’s most exclusive compartment.

Mayfair has approximate boundaries which fall within Oxford Street to the north, Regent’s Street to the east, Piccadilly to the south and Park Lane to the east. These are all found on the Monopoly board, Bond Street is another while the next two properties on the board are Leicester Square and Coventry Street which are set on the fringe of this prestigious part of the capital.

Plenty of green spaces and squares are situated in Mayfair, with the likes of Grosvenor Square, Berkeley Square and Hanover Square found there while Hyde Park and Green Park are to the west and south respectively. Grosvenor Square is home to the US Embassy, which has led to particularly tight security in recent years, while there is also a statue of Second World War president Franklin D Roosevelt. There are several other embassies dotted around the region, making the most of the grand and attractive houses, with many businesses using this trick also, finding their home in such establishments. As you might imagine the rent is high, but the enhanced reputation outweighs the cost.

This top setting was named after the fortnightly May Fair which took place on Curzon Street between 1686 and 1764 until locals decided it lowered the tone of the area! Mayfair was primarily developed from the middle of the 17th century onwards and was known as a fashionable place to live with important landlords such as the Grosvenor family among the major contributors. Now, parts of the region also belong to Queen Elizabeth II. There is evidence to suggest that prior to the 17th century Mayfair was a junction of Roman roads in the very distant past. More recently businesses, shops and embassies have sprung up all over this fairly small strip of land.

It is not so much the attractions that visitors might venture to this part of London, it is more for the shops, the tailors along Saville Row or for business that they are likely be visit, but one thing is for sure: Mayfair is a place that attracts the world’s wealthy.