{"id":4381,"date":"2014-01-14T08:30:51","date_gmt":"2014-01-14T08:30:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?p=4381"},"modified":"2023-03-04T14:33:02","modified_gmt":"2023-03-04T14:33:02","slug":"harley-street-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/harley-street-history.htm","title":{"rendered":"Harley Street Revealed – A History of Prestige"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Andrea M. Darcy<\/span><\/p>\n

In London there are many interesting streets. But one street has for generations stood above the others with its air of prestige and privacy… Harley Street.<\/p>\n

Harley Street- What’s in a Name?<\/h2>\n

\"harleyLondon is a city known for its long history, a place that has seen generations<\/strong> and eras come and go. And yet some things manage to stay the same, with certain areas and streets still devoted to the trades they have been touting for centuries. There’s Saville Row, the home of bespoke tailors since 1790. Denmark street with its musical shops and songwriters. And Fleet Street, with its journalists and newspaper offices.<\/p>\n

Harley Street has long been the place where the most esteemed and established doctors, surgeons and healthcare practitioners, including psychotherapists, psychiatrists and counsellors, have kept their offices. <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Cutting edge science is carried out behind<\/strong> the closed doors of elegant mansions for an increasingly international clientele. And most of the famous doctors mentioned in the British press these days come with Harley Street attached to their name.<\/p>\n

Where is Harley Street?<\/h2>\n

Harley Street sits smack in the middle of central London in the borough of Westminster, which houses most of the main<\/strong> tourist sites of the city including Speaker’s Corner, the Royal Opera House, and Madame Tussaud’s.<\/p>\n

Found near the famous Oxford High Street shopping area, the street starts<\/strong> almost directly behind London’s royally appointed department store John Lewis. Transport wise, Harley Street is near not only Euston Train station but also Paddington, Kings Cross, and St. Pancras.<\/p>\n

What is Harley Street Like Today?<\/h2>\n

\"Harley<\/a>Harley Street is a lovely street to walk along. Wide and spacious, it is lined with well-kept Georgian mansions that boast multi-paned symmetric windows, elaborate doorways, wrought iron gates and flower boxes. An estimated 1,500 medical practitioners and 3,000 associated employees presently work along the street.<\/p>\n

The History of Harley Street<\/h2>\n

At the beginning of the 18th century London was growing significantly<\/strong> with the start of the Industrial Revolution. The area already known as \u201cMarylebone Village\u201d — that Harley Street would become part of — benefitted by this era’s growth. It becoming littered with the large, picturesque Georgian houses you still see today.<\/p>\n

As well as being known for its wealthy inhabitants, the area was famed for the entertainments held in Marylebone gardens that included bear baiting and prizefights.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The largest manor in the area was called Tyburn estate. Purchased in<\/strong> 1710 by John Holles, the Duke of Newcastle, it was then inherited by his daughter Lady Henrietta Cavendish Holles, who married Edward Harley, Earl of Oxford. She and the Earl noticed there was a need for fashionable housing in the area, So they commissioned a grid system of streets from an architect named John Price. They named many of the streets after family members, and Harley Street was born.<\/p>\n

When did doctors take over Harley Street?<\/h2>\n

By the 1800s Harley Street had become popular with doctors<\/strong> (but not yet psychotherapists, Western psychotherapy was yet to be birthed as a science). It was not just the central location, accessibility to public transport, and air of prestige the area had which drew them to relocate. But also that the houses were spacious enough that the doctors could use them both as surgeries and private residences.<\/p>\n

As more and more doctors moved to the area they invited colleagues to work with them,<\/strong>\u00a0Harley Street began to be known as a centre of medical excellence. A \u00a0reputation that solidified when the Medical Society of London opened nearby in 1873 and the Royal Society of Medicine in 1912. In 1860, there were around 20 doctors practising in Harley Street. And by the time the National Health Service (NHS) was established in 1948 there were around 1,500 doctors living and working on or around Harley Street.<\/p>\n

Over the years the ownership of the area was inherited and passed through different families. Today Harley Street is owned by the de Walden family and managed by the de Walden Estate.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Notable Residents of Harley Street<\/h2>\n
\"Harley<\/a>

By: Diane Griffiths<\/p><\/div>\n

Many famous people have lived or practised on Harley Street. \u00a0If you walk along the street today you can spot the distinctive blue English Heritage plaques that show where these famous people resided or worked. Here are some of the most notable:<\/p>\n