Hotels in Shepherd Market

Mayfair actually got its name from a 15-day fair that used to take place on the site that is now Shepherd Market until its cancellation in 1708. Local architect and developer Edward Shepherd was commissioned to develop the site during the 1740s and 1750s, resulting in the area's paved alleys, a two-storey market, a theatre and a duck pond. Before getting a reputation for its upmarket prostitutes, Shepherd Market became a very fashionable address in the 1920s. Now it's more about bistros and boutiques than brothels - although Shepherd Market was where the author and politician Jeffrey Archer met the prostitute Monica Coghlan in 1987, which resulted in quite a scandal. Today, the neighbourhood maintains its village feel thanks to an array of intimate little restaurants, art galleries and impressive Victorian pubs, such as Ye Grapes, not to forget the excellent art-house Curzon Cinema. More