Let’s visit a London area that most of us will never know! Home to many of London’s mews houses (old coach houses before the invention of the motor car), today a typical property will set you back millions. Very near to Hyde Park (a 12-minute walk), it’s name after the annual May Fair, that featured bare-knuckle fighting back in the 1700s! Once open fields and farmland, today it’s the most expensive property on the Monopoly board and in real life too.
It’s pretty, but know that wisteria is toxic to pets. Read more on pet-friendly gardens.
Home to around 5000 people, it’s also home to many upmarket shops, hotels and restaurants (boycott any that sell foie gras, it’s an incredibly cruel food, banned for production in the UK).
Queen Elizabeth II was born in Mayfair, at 17 Bruton Street (the home of her maternal grandfather). The house was demolished before the Second World War. Other famous residents of the past were Oscar Wilde and Jimi Hendrix.
It’s part of the City of Westminster (like the financial district, these are independent from the usual London boroughs). As you likely know, this city also contains Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.
The main Grosvenor Square is owned by the Duke of Westminster, one of England’s richest people. It is presently undergoing a makeover to help native wildlife, with the planting of 80,000 bulbs, 44 trees, 70,000 plants and wetlands.
The project is being paid for by the Duke, a happy progression from someone whose estates used to be for shooting wildlife. Intended to be similar to the original 1720s design, the oval lawn will be framed by a new footpath and surrounding woodland garden.
1 Hotel Mayfair has also recently had a makeover. Now boasting that it’s one of the most sustainable hotels in London. A few steps from Green Park, this hotel offers free bike rental, sustainable mattresses, Help Air filters and filtered tap water in the rooms. It’s also pet-friendly (and even has its own canine concierge!)
The rooms have ‘in-room greenery, so check the plants are pet-friendly before arrival. Some indoor plants like lilies and sago palm are not safe near animal friends.
The hotel is furnished with organic and reclaimed timber materials, and even the clothes hangers are made from recycled paper. And the food is all organic, seasonal and local. There is even a daily market stall, with fresh seasonal fruits that are perfect in taste, but would otherwise be discarded by producers or grocers.
It even has a dedicated plant-based menu, with dishes including many seasonal veggie dishes, that all look very posh with unpronounceable names. And considering it’s Mayfair, the prices are not too bad either. £26 for dinner. The only problem is that you have to pay around £500 a night to stay there!
