Who owns Mayfair? London’s great estates, the back story

About Who owns Mayfair? London’s great estates, the back story

By the ULTIMATE Property Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Much of Mayfair, Belgravia, Chelsea, Marylebone and the West End is still owned by a small number of great estates, which have shaped these neighbourhoods for centuries.

The Grosvenor estate

In 1677 Sir Thomas Grosvenor married the heiress Mary Davies, bringing land in what became Mayfair and Belgravia into the Grosvenor family. Grosvenor still owns and manages much of both areas.

Cadogan and Chelsea

The Cadogan estate in Chelsea dates from the 18th century, when Sir Hans Sloane’s daughter married Charles Cadogan; it includes Sloane Street and Duke of York Square.

Walk through Mayfair and Belgravia and you are walking through one family’s estate.

Howard de Walden and Marylebone

The Howard de Walden Estate owns much of Marylebone, including the area around Harley Street and Marylebone High Street.

The Crown Estate

The Crown Estate manages Regent Street and much of St James’s, with its profits going to the Treasury.

Leasehold

Because the estates have kept their freeholds, many homes in these areas are sold on long leases. Buyers should check the lease and its terms carefully with a solicitor.

Our advice: if you are buying on one of the great estates, ask your solicitor to explain the lease, any estate regulations and how the estate manages the street before you commit.

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