Mayfair, London
Historical Description
Mayfair, the name given to that portion of London which lies between Park Lane and Bond Street. It was originally a piece of waste land, at one time covered with dunghills and a repository for rubbish and filth. James II. granted permission for a fair to be held here to begin on 1 May and to last fifteen days. In course of time the fair became an intolerable nuisance, and it was suppressed in 1708. Revived a few years later, it was finally suppressed towards the close of the 18th century. The land afterwards became the site of some of the most fashionable houses in the metropolis, and it now forms a select quarter for people of wealth and good society.
Maps
Online maps of Mayfair are available from a number of sites:
- Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- Google Streetview.
- National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
- OpenStreetMap.
- old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
- Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)
Visitations Heraldic
The Visitation of London, 1568 is available to browse from the Heraldry page.