Straining over the blog..... More Tales from an Urbane Flâneur: CityLit London Villages goes West (Mayfair)

Blimey, rained a bit yesterday didn't it?

Well the good news is a wet spring is making all around us nice and Green - oh yes we started in Green Park - once famed as a spot for fighting 'Duels'.

Aptly named Green Park (yesterday)

3rd week out and about with CityLit walking the Villages of London and our indefatigable leader Paul on fine form .

In fact Mayfair (rather appropriately for May 2nd) was named for a May Fair and all manner of things went on there - this even the case in more recent times where it was said that lord Archer (author Politician and Runner) was alleged to have made an arrangement with a prostitute Monica Coughlan, in Shepherd Market for presumably some sexual business denial of which eventually led top Tory Archer to spend some time in prison.

Shepherd Market (and a downfall)

It's oh so easy to forget that the names of the area derive from times when there were Farms and Markets all around - and the ale houses and wanton behaviour were all part of life.

Wendy Richard MBE lived here

In nearby Shepherd Street we saw a place (a pub but not the Queen Vic) where famous English TV Wendy Richard actress spent early years - Shepherd's Tavern.

A Plaque to mark this

As well as acting Wendy was a featured voice on Mike Sarne's 1960's novelty hit 'Come Outside'.

Onto Curzon Street - such a affluent area that so called Supertramp Damien Preston Booth accepted money with a credit card - Crewe House is a reminder of the type of houses that were 'de rigueur' at one time - it home to the Ministry of Propaganda in World War 1.

Crewe House a reminder of the elegant houses that once dominated the area.

The walk was rich with Blue Plaques and on a day that has elections across England Paul (The course leader) thought it worthy of note that Sir Anthony Eden (once thought to be the UK's worst PM) had a medical condition that led to 'confusion' over the truth (??).

Also Beau Brummel (fashion leader) lived in the same house a while before Eden

Eden

Beau

In the early 1970's Harry Nilsson was a big-ish Pop star, friend of the Beatles although an American he often hung out in London and his flat here had some unfortunate incident - two being the deaths of Keith Moon and Mama Cass Elliot.

Amazing to find that it's over 20 years since Harry died too (famed for a song he didn't write - Without You - from the tragic pens of Peter Ham and Tom Evans ).

Deaths in Curzon Street

Benjamin Disraeli died in Curzon Street too.

Another Plaque to a famous PM

Next on to the famous Dorchester Hotel - one of the best hotels around I think ...

Doormen at Dorchester

All signs lead from

Next stop was Grosvenor Chapel and Mount Street Gardens nearby excitement as some filming going on in St Audley Street.

Filming near Grosvenor Chapel .

The Chapel (of course) provided by the Grosvenors

A definite link to the style of US architecture at the time

Mount Street -Lovely quiet Gardens

Inside the church

The whole area around Mount Street had strong US links and more on that later..

Now on to another reminder of the time when London Villages were home to farms -Farm House (from the 1900's) in Farm Street - and opposite a splendid RC Church

Farm Street where you find Farm House

A message from our sponsors

In fact inside the church was quite breathtaking

The Church entrance

A church worth going in

Then on to Berkley Square (no nightingales singing when were there) - here there's a blue plaque to Clive of India.

Clive was here

Then on to Grosvenor Square until recently the home of the US embassy in London - some strong imagery here -The Eagle Memorial easy to forget what a valiant friend the US was- this first memorial to US volunteers who fought in the air in Battle of Britain ahead of US being engaged in WW11.

To brave US pilots

In fact Grosvenor Square was famous in the 60's for anti Vietnam demonstrations and one of our group was there as a teenager all those years ago! (and here's another memory of the time)