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Marble Arch hotels London - Guide

Oxford Street - General Information

Stretching from Marble Arch to Tottenham Court tube station, Oxford Street is indisputably one of the world’s great shopping thoroughfares. It’s packed with enormous, sumptuous department stores in which you could lose yourself for an entire day without spending any money at all. Not only that, but it’s also bordered along its south side by two of London’s most fascinating districts, each markedly different from the other: raffish Soho and palatial Mayfair. All of this makes Oxford Street and the area immediately surrounding it a wonderful base for your visit to London, whether you’re a prospective shopper or a general sightseer.

Oxford Street History

In ancient times Oxford Street was a Roman highway and the main route out of London towards Oxford – hence the name. Until the 18th century it was surrounded by fields, with the River Tyburn flowing alongside it.

In 1851 Marble Arch – originally built by architect John Nash as the entrance to Buckingham Palace, but deemed too puny for so august a role – was moved to the north-eastern corner of Hyde Park. Since then it has served as Oxford Street’s westernmost boundary and its gateway. Soon after, the area around the street began to be developed and became the focus of various types of disreputable entertainment, including tiger baiting, fêtes and masquerades. Indeed the Pantheon, built in 1772 as “an indoor pleasure resort,” is now the site of the matchlessly respectable Marks & Spencers.

By the late 18th century and 19th centuries, shops began to appear. In the 1870s D. H. Evans and John Lewis – still two of the most famous names in Oxford Street – began trading, followed, in 1907, by Selfridge’s. In recent years these flagship stores have been joined by newer, trendier brands such as Nike Town, Zara, Mango and Borders. Today Oxford Street plays host to 200 million visitors annually and boasts more than 300 shops covering 5 million square feet of retail space. London City Council is currently spending £10 million on a refurbishment programme that will result in wider pavements, more pedestrian crossings, new street lighting, new signage and improved refuse collection – all designed to make shopping on Oxford Street a more pleasant, unhurried experience.

Mayfair

If, however, you’re seeking a respite from the tireless bustle of Oxford Street, head south to Mayfair. In contrast to other districts of London, which have sloughed off the grime of yesteryear to attain their modern exclusivity, Mayfair has always been dauntingly posh. The first houses were built in the 1700s in an elegant Palladian Revival style. Over the years the area has been the home of such varied prominenti as the Duke of Wellington, Handel, British Prime Ministers Sir Robert Peel and Benjamin Disraeli, the poet Shelley, Florence Nightingale and Jimi Hendrix.

Though quieter than Oxford Street, Mayfair is still celebrated for the more upscale retail experience it offers. Here you’ll find the ultra-chic Bond Street, its shops reputedly boasting more “By Royal Appointment” awards than any other shopping thoroughfare in the world. Couturiers include Calvin Klein, Emporio Armani, Gianni Versace, Hermes, Miu Miu, Salvatore Ferragamo, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren and Versace. Among the jewellers are Tiffany & Co, Cartier, Chopard, Asprey’s and Rolex.

Not far from Bond Street lie the world famous tailors of Saville Row. Over the years the markedly different physical outlines of Charles Dickens, Winston Churchill, Anthony Hopkins and Daniel Day Lewis have been clad in bespoke suits designed by such masters as Henry Poole & Co, Hardy Amies and, latterly, Oswald Boateng. If, however, you want to enjoy a few moments of peace and contemplation in an enclave of non-consumerism, stop off at the beautiful Mount Street Gardens, where a sheltered microclimate allows an Australian Mimosa, a Canary Islands Date Palm and three Dawn Redwoods to flourish.

Soho

Refreshed by the leafy seclusion of Mount Street Gardens, you can head eastward and plunge into the louche Bohemia of Soho. Though it’s hard to believe now, this area began life as a Royal hunting ground, its name deriving from the Middle Ages cry of “So-Ho!” which was uttered when likely prey was spotted. However in the 18th and 19th centuries it began to be urbanised and became a magnet for refugees (mainly Greek Christians and French Hugenots), as well as artists and thinkers, including William Blake, Mozart, Karl Marx and Charles Darwin. All of them were attracted by the low rents and together they contributed the seedy yet intriguingly cosmopolitan atmosphere that pervades Soho to this day. Here you’ll find a dizzying array of long established bars, fashionable restaurants, well-stocked delis, 24-hour cafés, strip joints and sex shops – all infested by media workers, producers of dubious films, market traders and publicans. Nowhere else in London do the exclusive and the down at heel, the creative and the commercial rub up against one another in such a stimulating way.