Usually you see tourists perching between President Franklin D. Roosevel and Winston Churchill, but I was lucky to catch a moment when they were simply carrying on their bronzed conversation as two WWII leaders. The sculpture, Allies by Lawrence Holofcener, sits where Old Bond Street becomes New Bond Street. A commemoration of fifty years of peace, it was installed by the Bond Street Association in 1995.  Bond Street is probably the most expensive shopping street in the world, studded with international boutiques. One of them, below, is Ralph Lauren, which occupies (among other locations) the original premises of Savory and Moore, an apothecary established in 1794. At the right, their name is still in evidence. Thank you, Ralph Lauren, for preserving this historic store front! (click on photos for full views)

Above: Savory & Moore's Cold Cream jar on the left; Sotheby's, Bond Street, right. Below, left, another American clothing giant, Abercrombie & Fitch, occupies #7 Burlington Gardens, an historic building just behind Burlington House, aka #42 Saville Row; built in 1725, is was originally a residence, Queensberry House, later Uxbridge House; before A&F, it was a branch of the Bank of England.  Nearby, One Saville Row is the home of Gieves & Hawks, bespoke tailoring. The building was occupied by the Royal Geographical Society until 1912.

Mayfair buildings have many blue plaques indicating they were once associated (usually as residences) with famous people.  The one on the left, above, is high on the building and difficult to read.  It honors Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, who lived here. It concludes "Fell at Trafalgar, 1805." On the right, the birthplace of Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, 1847-1929, Prime Minister and First Chairman of the London County Council.
     Below, L, Ely House, 37,Dover Street, the London showrooms of Mallett, a fine antique dealer. They were hosting an exhibit "The Age of Elegance" when I visited in 2013. Middle is the Saloon, and R, the hallway.

Above L, the graceful staircase, M, the Venetian Room, R, the Grey Room.  All the items were for sale, and I only wish I had a fortune. I wanted every one of them. Ely House was built in 1770 for the Bishop of Ely, and it is beautifully maintained.
     Below, L. Burger and Lobster, 29 Clarges Street, a favorite restaurant for a delicious meal; M, our table; R. One of Mayfair's many delightful watering holes, Mr. Fogg's, where assorted mementos of the man who traveled around the world in 80 days are assembled.

Above L, what Mr. Fogg's is all about; M and L: the elegant loo at Mr. Fogg;s, worth a visit in itself! Below, L, The Only Running Footman, the pub at 5, Charles Street, now posh, which used to be the hangout for servants from Mayfair's great houses; M, The Iron Duke, 11, Avery Row, full of Wellington memorabilia; and my favorite browsing mall, Gray's Antique Centre, 58 Davies Street, chock full of fascinating little speciality shops, some even affordable.

No doubt I will return to Mayfair as a topic in the future, because I can;t stay away! But for the time being, the previous posts will have to do...though there are many other spots I could name...Halcyon Days, Burberry's -- oh, no, not this time!!!

I could wander Mayfair for days, weeks, even months...so here are a few more places I've enjoyed over the years. In my previous post, we moved from houses through squares to a famous church St. George's Hanover Square, which brings us back to houses again, as we visit one of St.George's most famous parishioners, George Frederick Handel.

Above, L, the exterior of 25 Brook Street,  the Handel House Museum; R, interior. These are official pictures from the Handel House Museum website.  I took pictures on the premises but they have disappeared into cyberspace.... The Brook Street ground floor is devoted to a shop and the museum is accessed from the rear, by way of an elevator. It is a very creative use of the building in a lively commercial area while commemorating one of London's most illustrious immigrants. Below, L. another illustrious London former resident, Beau Brummell, lived here at #4 Chesterfield Street; later it was also the home of British P.M. Anthony Eden, Lord Avon (1897-1977) R, #22 Charles Street, once the home of HRH Prince William, Duke of Clarence, later King William IV who reigned from 1830-37.

Above, two views of the house at #2 Davies Street, just off Berkeley Square, now the home of Dunhill & Co. and a little courtyard cafe. It is known as Bourdon House and once was the home of the Duke of Westminster.  Now it houses a tailor, barber, spa and other men's services.  Below, R, #34 Charles Street, now the Hotel Chesterfield, was once the home of the Earl of Tankerville and after the Battle of Waterloo, of Major James Cunningham, one of those most responsible for the crucial act of closing the gates of the Chateau Hougoumont as the French tried to battle their way inside. The other two houses that are enfolded into the hotel are #35 and #36 Charles Street, the latter home of the dowager Countess of Carnarvon, once a resident of Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey). Left, below, Brown's Hotel, Albemarle Street, also created from a row of townhouses, famous for their afternoon teas.

Above, L, #9 Grosvenor Square, the house that John Adams occupied as the first American minister to Great Britain 1785-1788. He was later the 2nd President of the United States.  On the right, a plaque on the house explaining its history, icluidng the information that Abigail and John's daughter, also named Abigail, was married here to Colonel William Stephens Smith of the legation staff, formerly an officer with Washington's army.  Below, three "period"  buildings on the west side of Berkeley Square, among only a handful of originals left: #44 Berkeley Square, built in 1742 by William Kent and now the home of the club Annabel's; #45 and #46 were built 1744-50; #45 was one the home of Clive of India (1725-1774).

Above, L, Burlington House in 1707; Middle: Burlington House in 2011 showing a temporary sculpture in the forecourt; Burlington House, showing the permanent statue of Sir Joshua Reynolds in the forecourt. Burlington House has been remodeled, reconfigured and renovated numerous times over the centuries. As the home of the Royal Academy of Arts, it has been converted to galleries, offices, storage, and is almost constantly being modernized. The side buildings are the homes of several learned societies. Below, several views of the restored John Madjeski Fine Rooms, now looking much as they did in the 18th C, an enfilade of galleries and meeting rooms that please the eye for their noble proportions and tasteful decor. L, General Assembly Room; M, Saloon; R, looking through the enfilade.

Above, three views of The Albany, a posh set of chambers for gentlemen, back in the day. It is located just east of Burlington House in Piccadilly.  On the other side of Burlington House is the Burlington Arcade, below.  Presided over by a Beadle who welcomes you and patrols the premises as well, the covered walk of luxury shops has been here since 1829. Always good for window-shopping and hard on the purse.

Above left and middle, two views of 95 Piccadilly, which is probably the last private mansion of the many that once lined the north side of Piccadilly. The house was originally built in 1756-61, by Lord Egremont, and was the residence later of Marquess of Cholmondeley, the Duke of Cambridge, and Lord Palmerston (1784-1865) while he was Prime Minister.  The view on right is a drawing from 1854, when the Palmerstons were entertaining frequently in order to facilitate government business. After Lord Palmerston's death, the house was sold to the Naval and Military Club, often better known as the In and Out Club due to the markings on the driveway posts. The Club moved to St. James Square in 1996. Since then, various schemes for renovating and adapting the building have been floated and usually floundered. As a Grade I Listed building, the amount of adaptation allowed is minimal. That last I heard, it was being turned into a palatial private residence, probably the most expensive house in London if the plans are fulfilled.

Next, some Mayfair businesses.

London's Mayfair, in the City of Westminster, is bounded by Regent Street on the east, Oxford Street on the north, Park Lane on the west, and Piccadilly on the south. In the 18th century, much of this area was being developed from agricultural fields, pastures, and hamlets into a prime residential neighborhood for the aristocracy and gentry. By the late 20th century, sadly, Mayfair was no longer mostly residential. Most of the great townhouses were gone, replaced by hotels and condos, or converted to business headquarters with posh addresses. Nevertheless, it is full of fascination for those of us who revere British history, architecture, and commerce. Below, one of the last remaining townhouses, Crewe House in Curzon St, now the Embassy of Saudi Arabia.

Many years ago, Mayfair boasted many of these fine house with gardens front and/or back. Part of one of the grandest is now the Lansdowne Club, just off Berkeley Square. Devonshire House stood on Piccadilly with gardens behind backing up into Lansdowne's gardens so that one had a clear view from Devonshire House to Berkeley Square. Below, Devonshire House photographed in 1896; Lansdowne House as originally built; Lansdowne Club today. 

Above, blue plaques on the Lansdowne Club, the former home of the Earl of Shelburne (later Marquess of Lansdowne) and Mr. Selfridge, founder of the great Oxford St. Department Store, who lived here and entertained lavishly as seen on the British drama series), and The Adam Room in the Lansdowne Club. When Lansdowne House was partially demolished in the 1930's, the Dining Room was take to New York where it can be seen in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, below, left. On the right, the original Adam Drawing Room with Pompeiian decoration, now to be found in the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Berkeley Square is one of three large squares within Mayfair.  Above. two images of Grosvenor Square, the largest and the farthest north and west. On the right, a statue of American President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  Grosvenor Square has long been associated with the U.S. diplomatic mission to Britain. Though just a few buildings remain in their relatively original condition, most have been demolished or dramatically altered. Sadly, the U.S Embassy, on the north side of the  square is the most egregious example of wholesale destruction, but it will soon be no longer the U.S. Embassy. A new Chancery building is under construction in the Nine Elms District in the South Bank Industrial Zone of London. The Grosvenor Square monstrosity has been purchased by the Quatari government. Below, the current U.S. Embassy, left. ON the right a drawing of the new building, to be occupied in 2017, designed by the American architectural firm of Kieran Timberlake. 

Above L, Statue of Sir William Pitt the Younger, (1759-1806), Prime Minister of Great Britain, in Hanover Square; R. a long snaking line of persons waiting to get into the Apple Store on Regent Street, near Hanover Square, hoping to snag the newest gadget in September, 2014. Below, L, the exterior of St. George's, Hanover Square, completed in 1725 by architect John James, the parish church of many prominent persons including George Frederick Handel (1685-1759) and scene of many aristocratic marriages; R, the Last Supper by William Kent (1684-1758) surrounded by carvings executed by a pupil of Grinling Gibbons.The interior was redecorated with some stained glass and other features in the Victoria era. 

Osterley Park is managed by the National Trust and a very good job they do! I had visited the estate several years ago, and this time I was excited to learn that we could take pictures INSIDE.  So, prepare yourselves for a set of interior shots of many rooms.

The approach to the house is suitably dramatic, viewing across a pond laced with water lilies in full bloom.  Queen Elizabeth I visited the first manor house here after its completion in 1676. Thomas Gresham, a wealthy banker, built the house, Another wealthy banker, Sir Francis Child, hired Robert Adam to remodel it in 1761, and the current look - both inside and out - is very much that of the Adam period in all its glory. Adam had one section of the square house replaced with handsome Georgian columns, framing an open courtyard. The great house and estate passed down in the line of the Child banking family.

Guardsman outside St James's Palace, built by Henry VIII, and still the official British Court of St.James's.  It is the official residence of Her Majesty the Queen, but wherever she is living becomse the official Court for the time being. However, Ambssadors to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are accredited to the Court of St. James;s, even though the ceremonies usually take place at Buckingham Palace.  St. James's Palace houses many Crown offices, the Chapel Royal, some apartments for various members of the Royal Family, and reception rooms.

L to R: Friary Court; Palace and Grounds in early 18th C. by Johannes Kip; Cherry Seller outside the Palace, 1804.

Though St. James's is small in area, it is the most exclusive area of London for residences and businesses.  Few residences remain, but there are many protected from demolition by their historic status.

Above, Spencer House, from Green Park. Below, L to R, Nexst to the entrance of Spencer House in St James's Place is the former residence of William Huskisson (1770-1830), government minister, and first man killed by being run over by a steam locomotive; Entrance of Spencer House in St. James's Place; Also in St. James;s Place, one of the London residences of Sir Winston Churchill.

Marlborough House, facing the Mall, was built by Sir Christopher Wren for the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, finished in 1711.  It has also been the home of some members of the royal family, particularly the Prince and Princess of Wales, later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. Their "Marlborough House Set" included the most prominent of the aristocracy and society leaders of the late Victorian period. Today, it houses the Commonwealth Offices.

Below: Memorial to Queen Alexandra on Marlborough Rd. the adjacent Queen;s Chapel built by Inigo Jones for Catholic Queen Henrietta Maria (wife of Charles I) in 1625; Lancaster House, built for the Duke of York and Albany in 1825, a neo-classical structure now used for receptions and special events, and was the setting of Downton Abbey's scenes of Lady Rose's presentation to the King and Queen, just one of many uses in films, as a stand-in for Buckingham Palace.

When I left Paris, I kissed my hubby good-by and watched him leave for home.  I was headed for London to meet up with my "other" blog partner, Kristine Hughes.  Before the tour group gathered, Kristine and I had a few days of free time in London and we packed the days with activity. On Sunday, the low tide tempted us to try a bit of mudlarking on the Thames bank.