Open City

Listen to Open City’s on-demand audio tour of Marylebone, one of central London’s most attractive and atmospheric neighbourhoods and home to The Howard de Walden Estate.

This fun and engaging audio walking tour led by expert guide Mike Althorpe — an urban historian, architectural researcher, educator and storyteller — follows the route of our popular real-life tour exploring the architecture and history of this urban village.

Listening point 1: St Marylebone Parish Church

1817 landmark by architect Thomas Hardwick in a grand classical style. It is the fourth such building to serve the parish of Marylebone and symbolic of early 19th century urban changes.

Listening point 2: Devonshire Street

Development of Portland Estate summary close to fine examples of 18th century streets and speculative building pattern and site of old Marylebone Gardens - a popular rural entertainment spot.

Listening point 3: Marylebone High Street

Home to Marylebone Village. It started life as a rural lane between the highway of Oxford Street and the Manor House. In recent decades carefully curation by The Haward de Walden Estate has created a retail destination with genuine balance and character. – unlike so many other cookie cutter high streets.

Listening point 4: Grotto Passage

Behind the scenes Grotto Ragged and Industrial School opened in 1846 and Ossington Estate model dwellings1888 and 1892 - landmarks of the urban diversity of the area and shifting pattern of living.

Listening point 5: Paddington Street Gardens

Historic 1880s landscaped gardens and former site of 18th century Marylebone workhouse - important story of urban change on the edge of the historic estate and life of the parish

Listening point 6: Manchester Square

Landmark square developed with Hertford House in the 1760s, home to international Wallace collection since 1900. Former site of EMI offices and iconic Beatles photo shoot

Listening point 7: Hinde & Mandeville Streets

Landmark neoclassical Hinde Street Methodist church 1887 by James Weir created in aftermath of impressive 1870s urban clearance projects in French renaissance style at bottom of high street

Listening point 8: Scheon Clinic

Landmark new development with hidden depths on site of former ironworks with sculpture marking gateway to Marylebone High Street from south.

Listening point 9: Debenhams & Wigmore Hall

Colossal department store designed by architects William Wallace and James Gibson in 1907 in an grandiose Edwardian Baroque style and covered in dolton carrara ceramics. And celebrated 1901 concert venue by Thomas Edward Colcutt.

Listening point 10: Henrietta Place

Former private estate chapel of St Peters, 1724 by James Gibbs and nearby Royal Society of Medicine.

Listening point 11: Cavendish Square

First move of the historic Portland estate in 1719, mixed fortunes landmark architectural set pieces, sculpture and new development as part of public realm enhancements.

Listening point 12: Chandos House

Speculatively landmark house built between 1769 - 1761 by Robert Adam, the most prominent architect in Georgian Britain. Rare London house in Edinburgh quarried stone.

Listening point 13: Harley Street

The Harley Street Medical Area (HSMA) is a community of Marylebone-based hospitals, clinics and specialists, renowned for their outstanding patient care, pioneering treatments and use of cutting-edge technologies. – The Centre of which is Harley Street which was first laid out in 1729.

Listening point 14: Portland Place

Landmark urban space laid out by the brothers Robert and James Adam as part of second wave of historic Portland estate surviving terraces of 1780s, transformed in 1820s as part of Nash’s royal route, remade in 1930s with apartments and office. RIBA Landmark at heart of space subject to proposals to change.