Shepherd Market is a small business-lined precinct featuring two small squares, one with a northern recess in

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world ...

, in the

West End of London The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, in which many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government build ...

, built up between 1735 and 1746 by

Edward Shepherd Edward Shepherd (died 1747) was a prominent London-based English architect and developer in the Georgian period. Architectural work Shepherd worked on the following projects, among others: * Cannons, a house for James Brydges, 1st Duke o ...

on the open ground then used for the annual fair from which Mayfair derives; it does so with the east end of Shepherd Street which is also broad-pavemented. It is between

Piccadilly Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith, Earl's Cour ...

and

Curzon Street Curzon Street is located within the Mayfair district of London. The street is located entirely within the W1J postcode district; the eastern end is north-east of Green Park underground station. It is within the City of Westminster, running a ...

and has a village-like atmosphere. It was associated with upmarket prostitutes from its building up until at least the 1980s. In the 1920s, it hosted leading writers and artists such as Anthony Powell, Michael Arlen and Sophie Fedorovitch. Jeffrey Archer met Monica Coghlan here in the 1980s.

History

The square was fully built up between 1735 and 1746 by

from an open area called Brook Field, through which flowed the Tyburn, and where a May fair was held, from which the surrounding area of

derives its name. A local architect, he was commissioned to develop the site and work was completed in the mid-18th century. It contained paved alleys, a duck pond, and a two-storey market topped by a theatre. Shepherd Market 4

During the 1920s this was a rundown area, popular with writers and artists such as Michael Arlen and Sophie Fedorovitch. Arlen rented rooms opposite The Grapes public house and used the public place as the setting for his best-selling 1924 novel ''The Green Hat'', which prompted Anthony Powell to move into the area in 1926. It has been associated with upmarket prostitutes from its building up until at least the 1980s. When Olivia Manning and her husband Reggie Smith lived at 50a, she found the prostitutes "fascinating". In the 1980s, the then deputy

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

chairman and author Jeffrey Archer allegedly met the prostitute Monica Coghlan in Shepherd Market.

Notable flats

Cass Elliot Ellen Naomi Cohen (September 19, 1941 – July 29, 1974), known professionally as Mama Cass and later on as Cass Elliot, was an American singer and voice actress. She was a member of the singing group the Mamas & the Papas. After the group brok ...

(Mama Cass) died at Flat 12, 9 Curzon Place (co-fronting Shepherd Market) on 28 July 1974.

Keith Moon Keith John Moon (23 August 19467 September 1978) was an English drummer for the rock band the Who. He was noted for his unique style of playing and his eccentric, often self-destructive behaviour and addiction to drugs and alcohol. Moon grew ...

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

died at the same flat on 7 September 1978.

Geography

Shepherd Market is between

and

. As a street it is long. The Curzon Mayfair Cinema and Al Sultan restaurant punctuate its eastern end, and the transition to residential street: Market Mews, where at right-angles crosses Hertford Street.

Notes and references

;Footnotes ;Citations

External links

ShepherdMarket.co.uk
{{coord, 51.5065, -0.1468, type:landmark_region:GB-WSM, display=title Squares in the City of Westminster Retail markets in London 1735 establishments in England Mayfair