Baker Street
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Baker Street is a street in the
Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...
district of the
City of Westminster The City of Westminster is a London borough with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in Greater London, England. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It contains a large par ...
in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. It is named after builder James Baker. The area was originally high class residential, but now is mainly occupied by commercial premises. The street is referenced in multiple popular works. Fictional detective
Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...
lived at 221B Baker Street, a fictional address on the north of the street. A 1978 hit song by Gerry Rafferty was titled " Baker Street".


Location

Baker Street is a busy thoroughfare, lying in postcode areas NW1/W1 and forming part of the A41. It used to run south from
Regent's Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden, Borough of Camden (and historical ...
, the junction with Park Road, parallel to Gloucester Place, meeting Marylebone Road, Portman Square and
Wigmore Street Wigmore Street is a street in the City of Westminster, in the West End of London. The street runs for about 600 yards parallel and to the north of Oxford Street between Portman Square to the west and Cavendish Square to the east. It is named af ...
. In 2019, the until-then one-way street was changed to accommodate lanes running in both directions. At the junction with Wigmore Street, Baker Street turns into Orchard Street, which ends when it meets with Oxford Street. After Portman Square the road continues as Orchard Street. The crossroads of Baker Street and Marylebone Road was historically known as ''Marylebone Circus'', which is still its unofficial name.


History

Baker Street was laid out in the 18th century by the builder William Baker, after whom it is named.


19th century

In 1835, the first wax museum of Madame Tussauds was opened on Baker Street. The museum moved, just around the corner, to Marylebone Road in 1884. Also in 1835 the sculptor James Fillans came to live and work from 82 Baker Street. Thomas Charles Druce ran the Baker Street Bazaar (which would become Druce & Co. furniture manufacturers) until his death in 1864, and was later subject of the Druce Portland Case.


20th century

Residents of the prestigious mansion block, Chiltern Court on the Regent's Park end of Baker Street include the novelists
Arnold Bennett Enoch Arnold Bennett (27 May 1867 – 27 March 1931) was an English author, best known as a novelist, who wrote prolifically. Between the 1890s and the 1930s he completed 34 novels, seven volumes of short stories, 13 plays (some in collaborati ...
and
H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer, prolific in many genres. He wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, hist ...
who are commemorated with a blue plaque. In 1940 the headquarters of the
Special Operations Executive Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe and to aid local Resistance during World War II, resistance movements during World War II. ...
moved to 64 Baker Street, they were often called the "
Baker Street Irregulars The Baker Street Irregulars are fictional characters who appear in three Sherlock Holmes stories, specifically two novels and one short story, by Arthur Conan Doyle. They are street boys who are employed by Holmes as intelligence agents. The na ...
" after Sherlock Holmes' gang of street urchins of the same name.
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
' Apple Boutique was based at 94 Baker Street from 1967 to 1968. A significant robbery of a branch of
Lloyds Bank Lloyds Bank plc is a major British retail banking, retail and commercial bank with a significant presence across England and Wales. It has traditionally been regarded one of the "Big Four (banking)#England and Wales, Big Four" clearing house ...
took place on Baker Street in 1971. For many years the head office of
Marks & Spencer Marks and Spencer plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks & Sparks or simply Marks) is a major British multinational retailer based in London, England, that specialises in selling clothing, beauty products, home produc ...
, formerly the United Kingdom's largest retailer, was at "Michael House" (named in parallel with the group's "St Michael" brand), 55 Baker Street, until the company relocated to the Paddington Basin in 2004. This was one of the best known corporate buildings in the United Kingdom, and has since been redeveloped as a modern office complex by London & Regional Properties to a design by Make Architects and Expedition Engineering. A
London County Council The London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today ...
blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries and territories, to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving a ...
commemorates Prime Minister
William Pitt the Younger William Pitt (28 May 1759 – 23 January 1806) was a British statesman who served as the last prime minister of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain from 1783 until the Acts of Union 1800, and then first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, p ...
who lived at 120 Baker Street from 1803 to 1804. British singer
Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), better known by her stage name Dusty Springfield, was a British singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano voice, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, Pop mus ...
lived on Baker Street in the 1960s.


21st century

In February 2019, Baker Street was converted from a one-way southbound street to a two-way street.


Buildings

The
Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (; Seychellois Creole: ), is an island country and archipelagic state consisting of 155 islands (as per the Constitution) in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, Victoria, ...
maintains a High Commission of the Seychelles, London (Consulate) at 111 Baker Street.


Transport

The street is served by the
London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or as the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent home counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The Undergro ...
's Baker Street station, one of the world's oldest and longest surviving underground stations. Next door is
Transport for London Transport for London (TfL) is a local government body responsible for most of the transport network in London, United Kingdom. TfL is the successor organization of the London Passenger Transport Board, which was established in 1933, and His ...
's lost property office.


In popular culture

* In fiction,
Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...
, Basil of Baker Street ('' The Great Mouse Detective''), Sherlock Hound, Danger Mouse,
Sexton Blake Sexton Blake is a fictional British detective, whose adventures captivated readers for over eight decades from 1893 to 1978. Blake featured in more than 4,000 stories by approximately 200 different authors, making him one of the most prolifica ...
, Carland Cross and James Black of ''
Case Closed ''Case Closed'', also known as , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Gosho Aoyama. It has been serialized in Shogakukan's manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' since January 1994; its chapters are collected in 10 ...
'' have all resided along the road. * " Baker Street" is a song by Gerry Rafferty, released in 1978. The song was a major worldwide hit, reaching Number 3 in the UK singles chart and Number 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Rafferty wrote the song during a time he stayed at the home of friend who lived off Baker Street when in London. * The song " Some Girls" by
the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
, from the album of same name released in 1978, includes the lyrics "Give me all your money, give me all your gold / I'll buy you a house in Baker Street, and give you half of what I own". * "Baker St. Muse" is a song from Jethro Tull's album '' Minstrel in the Gallery'', which was released in 1975. * The 2008 film '' The Bank Job'' was loosely based on the 1971 Baker Street robbery of
Lloyds Bank Lloyds Bank plc is a major British retail banking, retail and commercial bank with a significant presence across England and Wales. It has traditionally been regarded one of the "Big Four (banking)#England and Wales, Big Four" clearing house ...
. * Yomiko Readman of
Hideyuki Kurata is a Japanese anime screenwriter, light novelist, and manga artist, noted for authoring the series composition of such works as '' Read or Die'', '' Now and Then, Here and There'', '' Kamichu!'', and '' Gun Sword''. He has been a member of Yōsuke ...
's
light novel A is a type of Genre fiction, popular literature novel from Japan usually classified as young adult fiction, generally targeting Adolescence, teens to Young adult, twenties or older. The definition is very vague, and wide-ranging. The abbr ...
series, '' Read or Die'' owns a flat on Baker Street for when she works in London as an undercover field agent for the
British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...
Special Operations Unit (its headquarters located underneath the King's Library of the
British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...
).Friedman, Erica (October 20, 2010)
"Light Novel: R.O.D., Volume 5 (Review)"
''Okazu''. Retrieved April 26, 2025.


Gallery

Traditional London Transport signage at Baker Street- at 22.14hrs - panoramio.jpg, Baker Street tube station interior London Sherlock Holmes Museum.jpg, Sherlock Holmes Museum Beatles Store, Baker Street, London - DSCF0463.JPG, London Beatles Store


See also

* List of eponymous roads in London


References


External links

{{Coord, 51.5200, -0.1566, display=title, region:GB_type:landmark 18th-century establishments in England Transport infrastructure completed in the 18th century Streets in the City of Westminster Tourist attractions in the City of Westminster Arthur Conan Doyle