History of Harley Street

Harley Street is an area in London that is synonymous with the medical profession. The street runs south from just south of Regents Park to just north of Mortimer Street, near Oxford Street. There are hundreds of private medical practises working in Harley Street.

Back in the 18th century the area now known as Harley Street consisted of just a small number of houses in the village of Marylebone. As London grew Marylebone became incorporated within London and Harley Street begun to expand. Georgian style housing began to appear in the area and characterised that area of London. In 1911 the streets around the area were passed to Henrietta Cavendish Holles who later married Edward Harley, who Harley Street is named after. Harley had the area developed into a larger residential area between the years of 1715 and 1720.

In the 1800’s doctors began to move into Harley Street and the surrounding area. Over time more and more moved to the area and started practicing from their homes and Harley Street became known as a centre for medical excellence. A central London location and large Georgian buildings made the area attractive. There was a particularly large growth in the mid to late 18th century, when within half a century the number of medical professionals working in the area increased ten fold. In 1873 the Medical Society of London opened in the area, and the Royal Society for medicine followed in 1912. These two organisations moving into the area further established it as the medical centre of Britain. By the mid 1900’s there were around 1,500 medical practices in Harley Street, and the number remains at around this number to this day.

Harley Street has the largest concentration of medical expertise in the world. It is sometime referred to as Medical London and is world famous for its medical practices. These days it has a large diversity of medical practices, including dentists, psychiatrists, psychologists, chiropractors, plastic surgeons and masseurs. It is at the forefront of medical science and technology. People travel vast distances to Harley Street to receive medical treatment from some of the world best Doctors.

Andrew Marshall ©

Consulting Rooms Harley Street