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Marylebone - "A Madame and her wax fetish"

Marylebone is a highly affluent area of central London roughly bounded by Oxford Street to the south, Marylebone Road to the north, Edgware Road to the west and Portland Place to the east. More recently it has become known as ‘Marylebone Village’. A broader definition of Marylebone would encompass Regent’s Park with the area immediately north of Marylebone Road, containing Marylebone Station, Dorset Square (the original site of the Marylebone Cricket Club) and the neighbourhood known as Lisson Grove to the border with St John’s Wood. The west side of the Fitzrovia area up to Cleveland Street was also previously considered to be part of Marylebone.
Today the area is mostly residential, and since the opening of the Jubilee Line at Baker Street station (with its direct links to Canary Wharf), Marylebone – has become a very sought-after area of central London amongst young professionals.

The origins of the name ‘Marylebone’ derives from a church called ‘St Mary’s’ (now known as St Marylebone Parish Church) built on the banks of a ‘bourne’ (small stream) called the Tyburne. Over the years the church and the surrounding area became known as ‘St Mary at the Bourne’ and since corrupted to the word Marylebone.
A large part of the area was constructed by the Portman family, known today as the Portman Estate. Another significant portion of the area, around Marylebone High Street, is the Howard de Walden Estate. Both estates have aristocratic descendents and are still run by members of the family. Other place names in the neighbourhood as Cavendish Square and Portland Place reflect the Dukes of Portland landholdings.
The old Metropolitan Borough of St Marylebone in the County of London lasted from 1899 to 1965, after which it was merged with the Boroughs of Paddington and Westminster to form the City of Westminster (on April fools day 1965).

Marylebone High Street is only a ten minute walk from Oxford Street, via the pedestrian only St Christopher’s Place with its boutiques and restaurants. Nearby Chiltern Street is a quieter street notable for the high number of specialist women’s outfitters.
From the stylishly diversity of shopping streets around Marylebone High Street to the world renowned medical destination that is Harley Street, Marylebone is truly a delight of London with a village feel and is often held as an example of modern urban village living, comprising of 92 square acres managed by the Howard de Walden Estate.