London (Fodor's 2012) - Fodor's [28]
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Getting Oriented | A Brief History | Top Attractions | Worth Noting
Updated by Damian Harper
St. James’s and Mayfair form the very core of London’s West End, the city’s smartest central area. No textbook sights here; rather, these neighborhoods epitomize so much of the flavor that is peculiarly London’s—the sense of being in a great, rich, (once) powerful city is almost palpable as you wander along its posh and polished streets.
Smart and stylish Mayfair reflects the shiny affluence of London. This is where the city’s financial set, British aristocrats, and the international rich live, as well as dine, play, and shop. Meanwhile, more sedate St. James’s, with its old-money galleries, restaurants, and gentlemen’s clubs, embodies the history and privilege of traditional London.
Despite being bounded by four of the busiest streets in London—bustling budget-shopping mecca Oxford Street to the north, traffic artery Park Lane with Hyde Park beyond to the west, and elegant boulevards Regent Street and Piccadilly to the east and south respectively—Mayfair itself is remarkably traffic-free and ideal for walking. Starting at Selfridges on Oxford Street, a southward stroll will take you through quiet residential streets lined with Georgian town houses (the area was largely developed in the 17th and 18th centuries).
Mayfair has three grand squares: Grosvenor Square and Berkeley Square lie to the quieter west side of Bond Street, the neighborhood’s main luxury shopping street that bisects the area, and Hanover Square, with its splendid St. George’s Church where Handel worshipped, is on the busier eastern side. South of Grosvenor Square is the quiet St. George’s Gardens and beyond it the older part of Mayfair, a maze of atmospheric streets and mews.
Leading off Berkeley Square are two of London’s most exclusive shopping destinations: Mount Street and Bruton Street. To the east of New Bond Street, Bruton Street turns into the equally fashionable Conduit Street. Between New Bond Street and Regent is Savile Row, famous as the source of the world’s best made-to-measure suit. At the foot of Savile Row is the Burlington Arcade leading to Piccadilly, where you will find the Royal Academy of Arts. Architecture buffs will want to see the Christopher Wren–designed St. James’s Church just across the road. From this side of Piccadilly to Pall Mall, with Green Park to the west and Lower Regent Street to the east, is St. James’s, Mayfair’s more stealth-wealth neighbor.
A pedestrian passage alongside the church will take you to Jermyn Street. Continue south to St. James’s Square and Pall Mall, with its private clubs tucked away in 18th- and 19th-century patrician buildings. On a more contemporary note, St James’s is also home to the White Cube Gallery, a leading dealer in modern British art.
At the western end of Piccadilly at Hyde Park corner are two memorials to England’s great hero the Duke of Wellington: Wellington Arch and the duke’s restored London residence, Apsley House. From here a northbound bus will take you up Park Lane to Speakers’ Corner and Marble Arch.
GETTING ORIENTED
TOP REASONS TO GO
Claridge’s Bar: Unwind with afternoon tea at this Art Deco gem after a shopping spree in Mayfair.
St. James’s Church: Raise your spirits at