The Ultimate Area Guide to Marylebone, London

Marylebone is a quiet, leafy part of London located just minutes away from the hustle and bustle of Oxford street – a surprising pocket of calm in the heart of the capital with pretty, peaceful streets and a strong sense of community.

The area is a highly sought after part of the city for well-heeled families, young professionals and celebrities alike, all of whom flock to enjoy stately period properties and apartment living, fine dining, great shopping and café hopping along with good transport links to central London (Charing Cross is less then a 20 minute drive away).

Marylebone is home to two of the world’s most famous streets: Baker Street (the residence of fictional detective Sherlock Holmes) and Harley Street (home to many of the world’s finest specialist doctors and surgeons).

Life in Marylebone centres around a lively high-street packed with lovely cafes, independent shops and high-end design retailers including the iconic Conran Shop – a mecca for design enthusiasts. Despite being chic and fashionable, however, Marylebone has a core of long-term residents who keep the area’s feet planted firmly on the ground.

While shopping and café hopping are certainly two major occupations for residents of Marylebone, there’s a lot more to do here than sip and spend.

Property

Marylebone has a rich aristocratic history which is reflected in its property market today. In the 18th century, large parts of the area were owned by a handful of wealthy families whose names still adorn street signs today (Cavendish Square and Portman Square, for example.)

Many of Marylebone’s finest homes hail from the Georgian period although there are also fine examples of Victorian and Edwardian architecture.

Most large period properties have been converted into flats, so it’s a great place for apartment living (though bigger family homes can be found towards Regent Park, with large multi-storey properties surrounding green spaces like the popular Montagu Square).

As an up and coming part of the capital, new build high-end flats are popping up all over Marylebone and there’s also now a thriving student community as halls ofr residence have been purpose built in the area.

Green spaces

Marylebone is sandwiched between two of London’s largest and loveliest green spaces; Hyde Park to the south and Regent’s Park to the north, with London Zoo close by. In central Marylebone, just off Marylebone Road, Paddington Street Gardens consists of two small parks, much-loved by families in the area. The Marylebone summer festival is held here annually, with outdoor theatre and cinema, live music, food and craft stalls. The event attracts over 25,000 people each year over recent years.

Eating out

Marylebone has long been regarded as a hub for good eating, with its Michelin starred restaurants, historic pubs, vibrant street food vendors and a range of attractive cafes.

Chiltern Firehouse is by far the best-known fine dining destination in the area. Back in 2013 when the restaurant opened it quickly gained a reputation for a place to see and be seen, with patrons including Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio, footballer David Beckham and model Cara Delevingne. Though the initial hype has died down somewhat, it’s still a popular high-end eatery with a pricy menu featuring mainly British dishes with a European flourish.

Orrery opened its doors in Marylebone over two decades ago and has continued to serve delicious French cuisine that has remained largely unchanged with the passing of time. The service is formal and the food traditional, with a focus on quality ingredients rather than flamboyance. Like Chiltern Firehouse, Orrey is on the expensive but well worth the money.

Also located in Marylebone, Pied a Terre is a well-established and long standing Michelin starred restaurant that richly deserves the accolade while Meat Liquor has evolved from a burger van in Peckham to a busy burger restaurant that really knows its stuff, with reasonable prices and mouth-watering meats on offer.

Culture

Marylebone is an area rich in culture, with thousands of tourists flocking to enjoy local music and entertainment venues including Wigmore Hall, one of the city’s most celebrated and historic concert spaces hosting almost 500 annual events.

Madame Tussauds, London’s iconic celebrity waxwork museum is also located in the area along with The Wallace Collection, home to a stunning range of old master paintings that are a must-see for art enthusiasts along with playing host to an ever-changing range of exhibits that have recently included a retrospective of Manolo Blahnik shoes.

Theatre lovers should also pay a visit to The Cockpit to enjoy innovative live theatre events from classic Chekhov to international pole dancing championships.

Shopping

Marylebone is a retail paradise with a range of niche and specialist boutiques located on and around the high street that include Cadenheads Whisky Shop and Tasting Room and V V Rouleaux, a purveyor of luxury fabrics. Skandium and Divertimenti are luxurious and lovely homeware shops while the iconic Conran Shop, as mentioned, is located on Marylebone high street.

Marylebone has more to offer shoppers than its trendy boutiques. There are several fantastic markets in the area, including weekly fashion and food market Cabbages and Frocks, along with Alfie’s Antique Market.

Daunt Books is also well worth a visit – one of London’s remaining independent bookstores it’s housed in a stunning Edwardian building and has one of the best collections of travel books in the capital.

Transport links and local area

Though many Marylebone residents are happy to spend weekends cosying up in their pretty part of the capital, the trendy Easy End, eclectic Primrose Hill and cultural delights of the South Bank are all a short bus or tube ride away from the area.

Marylebone has its own train station, a few minutes’ walk from the high street, which lies in Zone 1, midway between Euston and Paddington. As one of London’s largest stations, Marylebone runs regular passenger services to the west of England, with destinations including Birmingham, Banbury, Bicester, High Wycombe, Gerrard’s Cross, Stratford-Upon-Avon and Kidderminster. It also serves the Bakerloo line from Elephant and Castle to Harrow and Wealdstone.

There are also two tube stations in the area, Marylebone and Baker Street, making it easy to access central London and beyond.

Marylebone is a buzzing part of London’s West End with an exciting mix of cultural and historical attractions along with great business links, good schools and beautiful period properties. As one of the capital’s most sought-after residential areas, Marylebone village attracts premium property prices, with Madonna and Noel Gallagher amongst its high-profile residents.

If you’re looking for a Marylebone Removals company , Cadogan Tate will be happy help make your relocation as straight forward at possible. It’s our attention to detail and experience of organising both home and business moves in the area that make us the first choice for Marylebone residents – in fact, we’ve been moving them for over 4 decades, making our lorries a familiar sight on the streets of W1 and NW1. As we work so frequently in the area, we have a great relationship with Westminster Council, making it easy to organise all the permissions needed for loading and unloading on your road.