About the Area for SilverDoor Serviced Apartments in London - Mayfair

London is the capital of England and of the United Kingdom. On 6th February 1952, Elizabeth Windsor became Queen Elizabeth II upon the death of her father King George VI and Buckingham Palace in Westminster remains her principal home. London is also home to approximately 7.5 million people and until the early 20’s was the most populous city in the world.

London was established as a civilian town by the Romans about seven years after the invasion of AD43, however there is evidence of prehistoric settlement in London dating from at least a thousand years before that. The name Londinium is thought to be pre-Celtic in origin and although there has been no academic consensus, it probably means "the flowing river".

During London’s 2,000 years of recorded history, it has experienced plague, devastating fire, civil war and two world wars; yet, it has still grown to become one of the most important business, financial and cultural capitals in the world.

The city is a major tourist destination, with four world heritage sites and numerous iconic landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey and the London Eye amongst its many attractions, along with famous institutions such as the British Museum and the National Gallery.

London is made up of 32 boroughs, plus the City of London borough, and about 22 per cent of London's population were born outside of the UK, which is what makes it such an ethnically-mixed and culturally-diverse city.

Travel around London on public transport is easy and frequent. The London Underground (more commonly known as “The Tube”) serves 275 stations and there are hundreds of bus routes serving the city and suburban areas. London has five main train stations:-Waterloo, Victoria, St. Pancras, Paddington and Euston, with trains running to all of Britain’s major cities. Waterloo station is also the terminus for the Eurostar train to Paris.

With a large port and five international airports, London is a major international transport hub. Its main airport at Heathrow carries more international passengers than any other airport in the world.

Mayfair is an area of central London in the City of Westminster, named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place there from 1686 until it was banned in that location in 1764. Mayfair is roughly bordered by Hyde Park to the west, Oxford Street to the north, Green Park to the south and Regent Street to the east. Most of the area was first developed between the mid 17th century and the mid 18th century as a fashionable residential district, by a number of landlords, the most important of them being the Grosvenor family. The freehold of a large section of Mayfair also belongs to Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen was born in Bruton Street and lived in Mayfair during her infant years.

The district is now mainly commercial, with many offices in converted houses and new buildings, including major corporate headquarters and a concentration of hedge funds. Rents are among the highest in London and the world. There is still a substantial amount of residential property, some exclusive shopping and many fine restaurants.

Nearest tube stations:

Bond Street

Green Park

Hyde Park Corner

Marble Arch

Oxford Circus

Nearest railway station:

Victoria station

Being a very pedestrian friendly area and so close to so much mass transit a car is not needed in Mayfair (plus it will be expensive!). A direct link to Heathrow is available on the Piccadilly Line and access to Charing Cross and Gatwick is just one tube change away.