Find the Best Things to Do in Marylebone

About Marylebone

Photo courtesy of Ewan-M

Marylebone is a neighbourhood located within the City of Westminster.  It's a relatively small, but exclusive part of town, boardered by Oxford Street, Great Portland Street, Edgeware Road and Marylebone road.  It's name comes from a church, St Mary within it's boundaries, which sat upon a stream known as the Tyburn.  Mary The Bourne got shortened to Marylebone over the years until it became as we know it today.  Marylebone was mentioned in the Domesday book in 1086 and has kept its villagey feel today, despite being completely urban.  Some independent shops line Marylebone high street, and some very exclusive hotels and real estate stand elegantly around the district.

See & Do

Located in the heart of the Marylebone neighbourhood is Baker Street.  The street is perhaps most famous for its association with Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes, and in this area, you can go on historical tours of some of the notable sites from Holmes' case history and the books themselves.  There is a museum and shop located on the street providing lots of Sherlock Holmes memorabilia.  Just around the corner is the famous waxwork's museum, Madame Tussauds, and the brilliant Planetarium.  Queues often stretch around the block, so if you're not a big fan of big commercial museums, then take a walking tour instead and soak up Marylebone's rich history and elegant buildings.

Eat

The grill serves up all day dining, using British food and classic tastes as the basis for most of its dishes.  So you can try a Pheasant scotch egg, or a cheese and onion tart if you want a light snack.  Salt baked beetroot brings in another old classic favoured by Gentleman and the horse radish packs a peppery punch.  This might be the heart of London, and therefore quite a way from the sea, but the restaurant will also have a catch of the day, with whatever was fresh off the boat just a few hours before.  If a whole fish doesn't tickle your tastebuds, then try delicious Morecame Bay shrimp and parsley butter spread on some grilled meat from the charcoal grill.  They'll be grilling up double cut Porterhouse steaks with smoked bone marrow, if you and a friend or business partner feel like sharing.  If you've only got time for a drink and some bar snacks, no problem.  Duck faggots with game chips anyone ? Or crispy lamb bacon with mint jelly.  To start and finish your delicious meal, you might want to sip some delicious British cocktails, all the classics will be there, along with lots of artisanal drinks producers too.

Party

The Wallace Collection is a national museum in an historic London town house.  The museum comprises 25 galleries with unsurpassed displays of French 18th century painting, furniture and porcelain with superb Old Master paintings and a world class armoury.  The collection is so wide that the museum provides a list of top 10 ways to get the most out of your visits, and admits that many people return time and time again.  They put on frequent events tied in to news events, you can learn how they preserve the works, visit a quick highlight's gallery if you're short of time, or spend all day there and dine in their restaurant too.  As its name suggests, the Wallace collection is a family collection, albeit a very rich and varied one.  They collected busily for 120 years between 1760 and 1880, four marquisses of Hertford (the museum is housed in Hertford House, their family seat) and the son of the fourth marquis, Sir Richard Wallace.

Stay

The Mandeville Hotel, in the heart of London's Marylebone has just had a refit, and so even more reason to check out this stylish building and its luxurious new rooms.  The hotel has gone from being a 166 room central London hotel, to a 144 room 4 star luxury gem.  Under the watchful eye of designer, Stephen Ryan, the hotel has been transformed into his idea of 'casually smart but tailored'.  This is smooth London living for the independent minded traveller, and a perfect place to stay if you want to check out the surrounding area, but have somewhere sleek, stylish and comfortable to come back to.

Shop

Marylebone High Street has been voted best high street in London by BBC Radio 4's listeners.  This highstreet manages to combine high class London style with a villagey feel, and is definitely worth a visit.  The high street names that are there, tend to be in the slightly higher price category, but that way you can purchase without fear of too many crowds and there are some delicious independent shops too.  Once the shopping is finished, you can relax in some of the great local pubs, brasseries, bars and restaurants that line both the high street and the surrounding area.