Shepherd Market
Encyclopedia
Shepherd Market is a small square in the Mayfair
area of central London
, England
. It is located between Piccadilly
and Curzon Street
and has a village-like atmosphere.
. This tiny little enclave is tucked away between Piccadilly
and Curzon Street
, in the exclusive borough of Mayfair.
Mayfair
itself is named after the infamous fifteen-day fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today, and which was banned in 1708 due to the fair’s revellers’ relentless boisterousness and disorder. A local architect and developer Edward Shepherd
, was commissioned to develop the site after the banning of the fair, and it was completed in the mid 18th century, with paved alleys, a duck pond, and a two-storey market, topped with a theatre. The theatre was opened in the month of May, and attracted a much higher class of visitor than the noisy, unruly fair beforehand.
During the 1920s, Shepherd Market was an ultrafashionable address for some of London's most refined inhabitants, who lived there like characters in a play by Noel Coward, the new West End sensation. The writer Michael Arlen
rented rooms opposite The Grapes public house, and used Shepherd Market as the setting for his best-selling 1924 novel The Green Hat. The book also went on to become a hit Broadway play and a film starring Greta Garbo
.
The village-like area around Shepherd Market still has something of a lively reputation. It was round the corner at 9 Curzon Place that Cass Elliot
(Mama Cass) of The Mamas and Papas died in July 1974, and, four years later, Keith Moon
, drummer with The Who
, died of an overdose. Shepherd Market was also where the deputy Conservative Party
chairman and author Jeffrey Archer met the prostitute, Monica Coghlan in the 1980s. And more recently, it was at the Mirabelle restaurant on Curzon Street where actors Johnny Depp
and Vanessa Paradis
spent a cool £17,000 on a meal for two (including £11,000 on a single bottle of burgundy).
Next to Shepherd Market is Half Moon Street, where the fictional Bertie Wooster (the perfect upper-class Mayfair resident and his faithful valet Jeeves) of P.G. Wodehouse's novels lived, and where in 1763 the real James Boswell
, newly arrived from Edinburgh, took lodgings and wrote his defamatory diary. Curzon Street is home to Crewe House, originally built by Edward Shepherd, but now a company headquarters and one of the few eighteenth-century Mayfair mansions still standing.
The nearest underground station is Green Park
.
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of central London, 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...
area of central London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is located between Piccadilly
Piccadilly
Piccadilly is a major street in central London, running from Hyde Park Corner in the west to Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is completely within the city of Westminster. The street is part of the A4 road, London's second most important western artery. St...
and Curzon Street
Curzon Street
Curzon Street is located within the exclusive Mayfair district of London. The street is located entirely within the W1J postcode district and is 400 yards to the north west of Green Park tube station...
and has a village-like atmosphere.
History
Shepherd market is a charming small square and piazza developed in 1735-46 by Edward ShepherdEdward Shepherd
Edward Shepherd was a prominent London-based English architect and developer in the Georgian period.- Architectural work :Shepherd worked on the following projects, among others:...
. This tiny little enclave is tucked away between Piccadilly
Piccadilly
Piccadilly is a major street in central London, running from Hyde Park Corner in the west to Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is completely within the city of Westminster. The street is part of the A4 road, London's second most important western artery. St...
and Curzon Street
Curzon Street
Curzon Street is located within the exclusive Mayfair district of London. The street is located entirely within the W1J postcode district and is 400 yards to the north west of Green Park tube station...
, in the exclusive borough of Mayfair.
Mayfair
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of central London, 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...
itself is named after the infamous fifteen-day fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today, and which was banned in 1708 due to the fair’s revellers’ relentless boisterousness and disorder. A local architect and developer Edward Shepherd
Edward Shepherd
Edward Shepherd was a prominent London-based English architect and developer in the Georgian period.- Architectural work :Shepherd worked on the following projects, among others:...
, was commissioned to develop the site after the banning of the fair, and it was completed in the mid 18th century, with paved alleys, a duck pond, and a two-storey market, topped with a theatre. The theatre was opened in the month of May, and attracted a much higher class of visitor than the noisy, unruly fair beforehand.
During the 1920s, Shepherd Market was an ultrafashionable address for some of London's most refined inhabitants, who lived there like characters in a play by Noel Coward, the new West End sensation. The writer Michael Arlen
Michael Arlen
Michael Arlen , original name Dikran Kouyoumdjian, was an Armenian essayist, short story writer, novelist, playwright, and scriptwriter, who had his greatest successes in the 1920s while living and writing in England...
rented rooms opposite The Grapes public house, and used Shepherd Market as the setting for his best-selling 1924 novel The Green Hat. The book also went on to become a hit Broadway play and a film starring Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo , born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, was a Swedish film actress. Garbo was an international star and icon during Hollywood's silent and classic periods. Many of Garbo's films were sensational hits, and all but three were profitable...
.
The village-like area around Shepherd Market still has something of a lively reputation. It was round the corner at 9 Curzon Place that Cass Elliot
Cass Elliot
Cass Elliot , born Ellen Naomi Cohen and also known as Mama Cass, was an American singer and member of The Mamas & the Papas. After the group broke up, she released five solo albums. Elliot was found dead in her room in London, England, from an apparent heart attack after two weeks of sold-out...
(Mama Cass) of The Mamas and Papas died in July 1974, and, four years later, Keith Moon
Keith Moon
Keith John Moon was an English musician, best known for being the drummer of the English rock group The Who. He gained acclaim for his exuberant and innovative drumming style, and notoriety for his eccentric and often self-destructive behaviour, earning him the nickname "Moon the Loon". Moon...
, drummer with The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, died of an overdose. Shepherd Market was also where the deputy Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
chairman and author Jeffrey Archer met the prostitute, Monica Coghlan in the 1980s. And more recently, it was at the Mirabelle restaurant on Curzon Street where actors Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp
John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
and Vanessa Paradis
Vanessa Paradis
Vanessa Chantal Paradis is a French singer, model and actress. She became a child star at 14 with the worldwide success of her single "Joe le taxi"...
spent a cool £17,000 on a meal for two (including £11,000 on a single bottle of burgundy).
Next to Shepherd Market is Half Moon Street, where the fictional Bertie Wooster (the perfect upper-class Mayfair resident and his faithful valet Jeeves) of P.G. Wodehouse's novels lived, and where in 1763 the real James Boswell
James Boswell
James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck was a lawyer, diarist, and author born in Edinburgh, Scotland; he is best known for the biography he wrote of one of his contemporaries, the English literary figure Samuel Johnson....
, newly arrived from Edinburgh, took lodgings and wrote his defamatory diary. Curzon Street is home to Crewe House, originally built by Edward Shepherd, but now a company headquarters and one of the few eighteenth-century Mayfair mansions still standing.
Today
Nowadays, Shepherd Market is better known for its chic boutiques, intimate little restaurants and impressive Victorian pubs. This quaint pedestrianised area offers a variety of interesting places to shop and eat. Many exclusive shops have set up here offering some of the very best in traditional British craftsmanship - including jewellery, fine art and bespoke luggage.The nearest underground station is Green Park
Green Park tube station
Green Park tube station is a London Underground station located on the north side of Green Park, close to the intersection of Piccadilly and the pedestrian Queen's Walk...
.