London has all these grand places to visit. There
is Buckingham Palace, Madame Tussauds, the London Eye, the Tower of London and
there is Westminster Abbey, but then, there is so much more. Have you ever
wondered where you find an English village atmosphere, the grandeur of a
Viennese cafe house, or where you can buy artisan Stilton in a ceramic pot and visit
one of the sexiest bookstores in the whole wide world in the capital city of
the UK? Come follow me, I’ll show you.
We will visit the London borough of Marylebone
where we go for a wander along Marylebone High Street towards Oxford Street. In
this part of town you find darling period architecture, enchanting mews and divine
coffee shops. Marylebone and its pronunciation is a bit unclear, there
are several versions, I pronounce it Mar-le-bon, others pronounce it
Marley-bone or Mar-le-bone. From what I gather all different versions are
accepted. Take the tube to as close as possible to Marylebone High Street,
probably best to get off at Regents Park tube station on the Bakerloo Line
(that is the brown one on the tube map).
From Regents Park tube station walk towards Park
Crescent to look at the Architecture of
Park Crescent. This semi-circle crescent of houses south of Marylebone High
Street was designed by Buckingham Palace architect John Nash and completed in
1821.
Your first stop of the day is for breakfast at Fischer's. You are in one of London's
hippest districts but here you find the old world charm of the 1920s. It is as
classic as classic can get. Muslin tablecloths, monogrammed cutlery, the
friendliest waiters plus delicious goods. The interior is Instagram worthy.
Best to book in advance (even for breakfast). It is certainly a little bit of
an unusual recommendation, but please also visit the loo (or say ladies or
gents). Yes, they are this beautiful. 50 Marylebone High Street. Please visit
the website for opening hours and contact details.
Walk a few steps back to visit The Conran Shop. Just
window shopping and browsing the store in a former stable full of design
classics and vintage finds is an event in itself and will inspire you to live a
vibrant life. Sir Terence Conran the English designer is a well-known
restaurateur and has written several books. This is the store where you'll find
items you never even knew you needed. 55 Marylebone High Street. Please visit
the website for opening hours.
When you come out of the store, turn into the
little street next to the shop to have a look around Devonshire Mews, a row of houses that are converted from stables
and carriage houses. Remember though, it is private properties. Go back to
Marylebone High Street, right opposite you can visit the St Marylebone Church where Lord Byron was christened. By the way,
the borough of Marylebone gets its name from this church and a stream that once
ran through this area.
If you walk a bit further down you reach the shop The Natural Kitchen. Here you find everything locally sourced, grab a
fresh juice and have a browse. This is the perfect place to buy a foodie
souvenir, think hand-ladled artisan blue Stilton cheese in a ceramic pot and
the like. If that wouldn’t be enough there is also a homeware store in the
basement. 77/78 Marylebone High Street. Please visit the website for opening
hours.
Walk on a few moments to dive into Daunt Books, the Edwardian bookshop
opened its doors in 1912 as an antique book seller. It is known for its travel
books but also sells fiction and factual books. If you are into reading, this
is the place to be. Books are stored in oak galleries, light streams in through
skylights. So far I haven't had a question the staff couldn't answer. Heaven. 83 Marylebone High Street. Please visit the website for opening hours.
Head to the Monocle Café for an espresso and a snack, the beans are from Allpress coffee
roaster. It is the café run by Monocle Magazine and you will of course always find
the latest issue here. 18 Chiltern Street. Please visit the website for opening
hours.
Only a few metres further towards Oxford Street is
the Wallace Collection. Visit this
national museum in a historic townhouse to look at sculptures, paintings,
decorative art and ceramics collected in the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries. Hertford House, Manchester Square. Please visit the website for
opening hours.
The last stop of our tour is the department store Selfridges. The store was founded by
Harry Selfridges in 1909. The American brought all his, until that day unknown,
marketing strategies from the US with him and made this store a success. The
window displays are a delight to look at and are often pieces of art. Try to
get your hands on Mr Selfridges, a series aired on TV from 2014 to 2016 about
the hectic founding years of the store.
That is a lot of history and stylish places in one
day, and in total, you will have only walked 1.6 miles. By now it will be
evening. Jump into a taxi and drive 3.2 miles to have dinner at a restaurant around Granary Square. You will find creative
and vegetarian-friendly restaurants in former (you can guess it) grain stores. It is
in an exciting new-ish urbanized part of town and right next door to Central
Saint Martins. This is a trendy and fun place in London. Granary-Square, Charing Cross, London.
If you aren’t dead tired yet walk to King's Cross Station to see this
overwhelmingly beautiful structure. The refurbished concourse opened to the
public in 2012. It is already an icon and a great station from where to head to
the hotel.
Looking for another walk through London? Read Wapping Walking Tour: Poverty, sailors, slaves, pirates and pubs. For many more London ideas you might want to read The Travel Writers' Ultimate Guide to a London Heathrow Layover.
From Berlin with love
Looking for another walk through London? Read Wapping Walking Tour: Poverty, sailors, slaves, pirates and pubs. For many more London ideas you might want to read The Travel Writers' Ultimate Guide to a London Heathrow Layover.
From Berlin with love