Recorded in the Doomsday Book (undertaken so that the conquering Normans could assess the extent of the wealth they had) in 1086, the manor of Tyburn had a value of 52 shillings and a population of no more than 150 people.

The name, Marylebone, made an appearance in around In 1400 whan a small church, St Mary's, was built near the river Tyburn (a small tributary of the Thames), and the district became known as St Mary-le-bourne.

Leased to a succession of tenants until 1538, Henry VIII then created a Royal hunting park in the northern part of the manor - today this area is Regent's Park.

Sold, to the man in the hat
In 1611 King James I sold the rest of the manor for £829 3s 4d. Almost a century later John Holles, Duke of Newcastle, paid rather more - £17,500.

By the early 18th century, the village of Marylebone consisted of a few houses near the line of the present High Street and took its name from the parish church of St Mary and the nearby Tyburn stream - hence St Mary by the Bourne.

Keep it in the family
In 1711, the Estate passed to the Duke of Newcastle's daughter, Henrietta Cavendish Holles. She married Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and realising the need for fashionable housing they commissioned the architect John Prince to draw a master plan with Cavendish Square (hey, here's an old illustration of Cavendish Square) as the focal point and a grid system of streets to north, east and west. To the south, the Estate was bounded by Oxford Street.

Upon the death of Edward Harley, the Estate passed to his daughter, Margaret Cavendish Harley who married the second Duke of Portland (here's the Duke of Portland's coat of arms. Hmmm, interesting). Building continued and today's tall dignified Georgian houses began to emerge. Harley Street, Portland Place and Wimpole Street are perhaps the best known.

Still in the family
The majority of streets in the area take their names from members of the families, their titles or estates in their possession. The Dukes of Portland held the Estate for five generations until 1879 when the fifth Duke died without issue and the land passed through the female line to his sister, Lucy Joan Bentinck, widow of the 6th Baron Howard de Walden. (Bentinck? Oh yes, the fence is in Bentinck Mews) The Portland Estate then became the Howard de Walden Estate.

Considerable refurbishment and rebuilding was carried out during the late Victorian and Edwardian period and in 1918 the first family Estate company was formed.

Today the estate covers more than 90 acres, and ownership and control remain with the Howard de Walden family.

Then in February 2001...
I am not allowed to lock my bike to the fence so I am locking other things to it instead.
Have a look what's on the fence today.