Brook Street is one of the principal streets on the Grosvenor Estate in the exclusive
central LondonThe term Central London refers to the districts of London which are considered closest to the centre. There is no conventional definition, nor any official one, for the entire area that can be called "central London". Central London covers about 10 square miles on areas both north and south of the...
district of
MayfairMayfair is an area of central London, England, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
. It was developed in the first half of the 18th century and runs from
Hanover SquareHanover Square, London, is a square in Mayfair, London W1, England, situated to the south west of Oxford Circus, the major junction where Oxford Street meets Regent Street....
to
Grosvenor SquareGrosvenor Square is a large garden square in the exclusive Mayfair district of London, England. It is the centrepiece of the Mayfair property of the Dukes of Westminster, and takes its name from their surname, "Grosvenor"....
. The continuation from Grosvenor Square to
Park LanePark Lane may refer to:*Park Lane , a road in London, UK*Park Lane , a shopping mall in Halifax, Nova Scotia*Park Lane , a rugby stadium in Greater Manchester, UK*Park Lane Interchange, a transport interchange in Sunderland, UK...
is called
Upper Brook Street. Both sections originally consisted of typical London terraced houses, mostly built to individual designs. Some of them are quite grand and were designed by well known architects for aristocratic clients, especially near Grosvenor Square, while others are more modest.
Brook Street is one of the principal streets on the Grosvenor Estate in the exclusive
central LondonThe term Central London refers to the districts of London which are considered closest to the centre. There is no conventional definition, nor any official one, for the entire area that can be called "central London". Central London covers about 10 square miles on areas both north and south of the...
district of
MayfairMayfair is an area of central London, England, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
. It was developed in the first half of the 18th century and runs from
Hanover SquareHanover Square, London, is a square in Mayfair, London W1, England, situated to the south west of Oxford Circus, the major junction where Oxford Street meets Regent Street....
to
Grosvenor SquareGrosvenor Square is a large garden square in the exclusive Mayfair district of London, England. It is the centrepiece of the Mayfair property of the Dukes of Westminster, and takes its name from their surname, "Grosvenor"....
. The continuation from Grosvenor Square to
Park LanePark Lane may refer to:*Park Lane , a road in London, UK*Park Lane , a shopping mall in Halifax, Nova Scotia*Park Lane , a rugby stadium in Greater Manchester, UK*Park Lane Interchange, a transport interchange in Sunderland, UK...
is called
Upper Brook Street. Both sections originally consisted of typical London terraced houses, mostly built to individual designs. Some of them are quite grand and were designed by well known architects for aristocratic clients, especially near Grosvenor Square, while others are more modest. Some of the original houses survive while others have been replaced by buildings from a variety of periods.
Features of the street include the grand hotel
Claridge'sClaridge's is a luxury hotel in Mayfair, central London. It is located at the corner of Brook Street and Davies Street.-History:Claridge's is a traditional grand hotel. Its extensive and old connections with royalty have led to it being referred to as an "extension to Buckingham Palace"...
, at the junction with Davies Street, and
Le GavrocheLe Gavroche is a restaurant on 43 Upper Brook Street in Mayfair . It was opened in 1967 by Michel and Albert Roux although the original premises were on Sloane Street until 1981....
, a famous restaurant. The
United States EmbassyThe Embassy of the United States of America to the Court of St James's is at the American Embassy London Chancery Building, in Grosvenor Square, Westminster, London...
, which abuts Upper Brook Street and Grosvenor Square, has necessitated security arrangements which impede free access to the former. The
Handel House MuseumThe Handel House Museum is a museum in Mayfair, London dedicated to the life and works of the German born baroque composer George Frideric Handel, who made his home in London in 1712 and eventually became a British citizen in 1727. Handel was the first occupant of 25 Brook Street, which he rented...
is also in Brook Street. A curiosity is the placing of two
blue plaqueA blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker...
s on adjoining houses, numbers 23 and 25, both for famous musicians.
Former residents:
- 23 Brook Street: Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter...
— guitarist
- 25 Brook Street: Georg Frideric Handel — composer - now the Handel House Museum
The Handel House Museum is a museum in Mayfair, London dedicated to the life and works of the German born baroque composer George Frideric Handel, who made his home in London in 1712 and eventually became a British citizen in 1727. Handel was the first occupant of 25 Brook Street, which he rented...
- 39 Brook Street: Sir Jeffry Wyatville — architect
- 74 Brook Street: Sir William Withey Gull - physician (Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper was a pseudonym given to an unidentified serial killer active in the largely impoverished districts in and around Whitechapel, London, in late 1888. The name originated in a letter by someone claiming to be the murderer that was sent to the London Central News Agency and...
suspect)
- 76 Brook Street: Colen Campbell
Colen Campbell was a pioneering Scottish architect who spent most of his career in England, and is credited as a founder of the Georgian style...
— architect
- 22 Upper Brook Street: Leo Bonn — founder of what is now the Royal National Institute for Deaf People
The Royal National Institute for Deaf People is charitable organization working on behalf of the UK's 9 million deaf and hard of hearing people. The head office of RNID is in Islington, Central London . Its President is Lord Ashley of Stoke. The Chief Executive is Jackie Ballard...
.
- 51 Upper Brook Street: George Seferis — Greek Ambassador, poet and Nobel Laureate
- 13 Avery Row: W. H. Davies
William Henry Davies or W. H. Davies was a Welsh poet and writer.- The People's Poet :He spent a significant part of his life as a tramp or vagabond in the United States and United Kingdom, but became known as one of the most popular poets of his time...
- Welsh tramp-poet.
External links
- Brook Street, Mayfair London
- Map
- Brook Street — detailed architectural history of Brook Street from the Survey of London
The Survey of London is a research project to produce a comprehensive historical and architectural survey of the former County of London. It was founded in 1894 by Charles Robert Ashbee, an Arts-and-Crafts architect and social thinker, and was motivated by a desire to record and preserve London's...
- Upper Brook Street — detailed architectural history of Upper Brook Street from the Survey of London
The Survey of London is a research project to produce a comprehensive historical and architectural survey of the former County of London. It was founded in 1894 by Charles Robert Ashbee, an Arts-and-Crafts architect and social thinker, and was motivated by a desire to record and preserve London's...