Editing Mayfair (section)

===Grosvenor family and estates===
[[File:Grosvenor Square.JPG|thumb|left|[[Grosvenor Square]] is the centrepiece of Mayfair, and named after the family name of the [[Dukes of Westminster]].|alt=Historic portrait of Grosvenor Square in Mayfair]]
Building on Mayfair began in the 1660s on the corner of Piccadilly, and progressed along the north side of that street.{{sfn|Weinreb|Hibbert|Keay|Keay|2008|p=535}} [[Burlington House]] was started between 1664 and 1665 by [[John Denham (poet)|John Denham]] and sold two years later to [[Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Burlington]], who asked Hugh May to complete it. The house was extensively modified through the 18th century, and is the only one of this era to survive into the 21st century.{{sfn|Weinreb|Hibbert|Keay|Keay|2008|p=116}}

The origins of major development began when [[Sir Thomas Grosvenor, 3rd Baronet]], married Mary Davies, heiress to part of the Manor of [[Eia|Ebury]], in 1677.{{sfn|Great Estates|2006|p=14}} The Grosvenor family gained {{cvt|500|acre}} of land, of which around {{cvt|100|acre}} lay south of Oxford Street and east of Park Lane.{{efn|The remainder was subsequently developed into [[Pimlico]] and [[Belgravia]].{{sfn|Weinreb|Hibbert|Keay|Keay|2008|p=358}}}} The land was referred to as "The Hundred Acres" in early deeds.<ref name="sol39_1">{{cite book |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol39/pt1/pp1-5 |title=The Acquisition of the Estate |work= |year=1977 |editor=F H W Sheppard |series=Survey of London |volume=39, the Grosvenor Estate in Mayfair, Part 1 (General History) |location=London |pages=1–5 |access-date=26 March 2017}}</ref>

In 1721, the ''[[London Journal]]'' reported "the ground upon which the May Fair formerly was held is marked out for a large square, and several fine streets and houses are to be built upon it".<ref name=onl/> [[Sir Richard Grosvenor, 4th Baronet]], asked the surveyor Thomas Barlow to design the street layout, which has survived mostly intact to the present day despite most of the properties being rebuilt.{{sfn|Great Estates|2006|p=14}}<ref name="mayfair, london (an insider’s guide)">{{cite web |last1=Residence |first1=Hyde Park |title=mayfair, london (an insider's guide) |url=https://hpr.co.uk/mayfair-london-insiders-guide/ |website=Hyde Park Residence |date=12 July 2022 |publisher=Cultureshock |access-date=9 June 2023}}</ref> Barlow proposed a grid of wide, straight streets, with a large park (now Grosvenor Square) as a centrepiece.<ref name="sol39_12-13">{{cite book |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol39/pt1/pp12-13 |title=The Development of the Estate 1720–1785: Layout |year=1977 |editor=F H W Sheppard |series=Survey of London |volume=39, the Grosvenor Estate in Mayfair, Part 1 (General History) |location=London |pages=12–13 |access-date=26 March 2017}}</ref>

Buildings were constructed in quick succession, and by the mid-18th century the area was covered in houses. Much of the land was owned by seven estates: [[Burlington Estate|Burlington]], Millfield, [[Conduit Mead Estate|Conduit Mead]], Albemarle Ground, the Berkeley, the Curzon and, most importantly, the Grosvenor. Of the original properties constructed in Mayfair, only the Grosvenor estate survives intact and owned by the same family,{{sfn|Weinreb|Hibbert|Keay|Keay|2008|p=536}} who became the [[Dukes of Westminster]] in 1874.<ref name=sol39_1/> [[Chesterfield Street]] is one of the few streets that has 18th-century properties on both sides, with a single exception, and is probably the least altered road in the area.{{sfn|Weinreb|Hibbert|Keay|Keay|2008|p=161}}

[[File:Statue of Pitt the Younger, Hanover Square W1.JPG|thumb|upright|Statue of [[William Pitt the Younger]] in [[Hanover Square, Westminster|Hanover Square]]|alt=Statue of William Pitt, The Younger in Hanover Square, Mayfair]]
[[Hanover Square, Westminster|Hanover Square]] was the first of three great squares to be constructed. It was named after King George I, the Elector of Hanover, soon after his ascension to the throne in 1714. The original houses were inhabited by "persons of distinction" such as retired generals. Although most have been demolished, a small number have survived to the present day. The [[Hanover Square Rooms]] became a popular place for [[classical music]] concerts, including [[Johann Christian Bach]], [[Joseph Haydn]], [[Niccolò Paganini]] and [[Franz Liszt]]. A large statue of [[William Pitt the Younger]] is sited at the southern end of the square.{{sfn|Weinreb|Hibbert|Keay|Keay|2008|pp=381–382}}

[[File:St George's Hanover Square by T Malton. 1787.jpg|thumb|left|Looking towards [[St George Hanover Square]] from St George Street, 1787|alt=Historic picture of the church of St George's Hanover Square]]
In 1725, Mayfair became part of the new parish of [[St George Hanover Square]],<ref name=sol39_29-30>{{cite journal |title=The Development of the Estate 1720–1785: Other Features of the Development |journal=Survey of London |volume=39, the Grosvenor Estate in Mayfair, Part 1 (General History) |editor=F H W Sheppard |location=London |year=1977 |pages=29–30 |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol39/pt1/pp29-30 |access-date=29 March 2017}}</ref> which stretched as far east as [[Bond Street]] and to Regent Street north of [[Conduit Street]]. It ran as far north as Oxford Street and south near to Piccadilly. The parish continued into Hyde Park to the west and extended southwest to [[St George's Hospital]].<ref>{{cite map |url=http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/crace/other/zoomify88656.html |title=St Georges parish, Hanover Square. With the views of the church and chapels of ease from the original survey of the late Mr Morris. |publisher=[[British Library]] |access-date=30 March 2017 |archive-date=3 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803191936/http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/crace/other/zoomify88656.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Most of the area belonged to (and continues to be owned by) the Grosvenor family, though the [[fee simple|freehold]] of some parts belongs to the [[Crown Estate]].{{sfn|Great Estates|2006|p=6}}

A water supply to the area was built by the [[Chelsea Waterworks Company|Chelsea Water Works]], and a royal warrant was issued in 1725 for a reservoir in Hyde Park that could supply water at what is now Grosvenor Gate. In 1835, the reservoir was decorated with an ornamental basin and a fountain in its centre.<ref name=sol39_29-30/> In 1963, following the widening of Park Lane, it was rebuilt as the Joy of Life Fountain.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/hyde-park/things-to-see-and-do/memorials,-fountains-and-statues/joy-of-life-fountain |title=Joy of Life Fountain |publisher=Royal Parks |access-date=29 March 2017}}</ref>

Grosvenor Square was planned as the centrepiece of the Mayfair estate. It was laid out from 1725–31 with 51 individual plots for development. It is the second-largest square in London (after [[Lincoln's Inn Fields]]) and housed numerous members of the aristocracy until the mid-20th century.{{sfn|Weinreb|Hibbert|Keay|Keay|2008|p=359}} By the end of the 19th century, the Grosvenor family were described as "the wealthiest family in Europe" and annual rents for their Mayfair properties reached around £135,000 ({{Inflation|index=UK-GDP|value=135,000|start_year=1891|r=-3|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}).{{sfn|Weinreb|Hibbert|Keay|Keay|2008|p=358}} The square has never declined in popularity and continues to be a prestigious London address into the 21st century. Only two original houses have survived; No.&nbsp;9, once the home of [[John Adams]], and No.&nbsp;38 which is now the [[Embassy of Indonesia, London|Indonesian Embassy]].{{sfn|Weinreb|Hibbert|Keay|Keay|2008|p=359}}

[[File:Sophie Snyder Berkeley Square.jpg|thumb|Sculpture ''Hares'' by Sophie Snyder, [[Berkeley Square]]|alt=Photograph of Berkeley Square]]
Berkeley House on Piccadilly was named after [[John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton]], who had purchased its land, and that surrounding it, shortly after the [[Restoration (England)|Restoration of the Monarchy]] in 1660. In 1696, the Berkeley family sold the house and grounds to [[William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire|William Cavendish]], 1st [[Duke of Devonshire]] (who renamed it [[Devonshire House]]), on condition that the view from the rear of the house should not be spoiled. Berkeley Square was laid out to the rear of the house in the 1730s; because of the conditions of sale, houses were only built on the east and west sides. The west side still has various mid-18th-century buildings, and the east side now contains offices including Berkeley Square House.{{sfn|Weinreb|Hibbert|Keay|Keay|2008|p=59}}

The expansion of Mayfair moved [[upper-class]] Londoners away from areas such as [[Covent Garden]] and Soho, which were already in decline by the 18th century. Part of its success was its proximity to the [[Court of St James]] and the parks, and the well-designed layout. This led to it sustaining its popularity into the 21st century. The requirements of the aristocracy led to stables, coach houses and servants' accommodation being established along the mews running parallel to the streets. Some of the stables have since been converted into garages and offices.{{sfn|Weinreb|Hibbert|Keay|Keay|2008|p=536}}

The [[Rothschild family]] owned several Mayfair properties in the 19th century. [[Alfred de Rothschild]] lived at No.&nbsp;1 Seamore Place and held numerous "adoration dinners" where the only guest was a female companion. The marriage of his brother [[Leopold de Rothschild|Leopold]] to Marie Perugia took place here in 1881. The house was demolished after the [[First World War]] when Curzon Street was extended through the site to meet Park Lane.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://family.rothschildarchive.org/estates/46-1-seamore-place |title=1, Seamore Place, London, England |publisher=Rothschild Archive |access-date=27 March 2017}}</ref> The future Prime Minister [[Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery]], was born in [[Charles Street, Mayfair|Charles Street]] in 1847, and grew up in the area.<ref>{{cite book |last=James |first=Robert Rhodes |year=1963 |title=Rosebery |publisher=[[Weidenfeld and Nicolson]] |page=9 |isbn=978-1-857-99219-9}}</ref>

Mayfair has had a long association with the United States. [[Pocahontas]] is believed to have visited in the early 17th century. In 1786, John Adams established the [[Embassy of the United States, London|US Embassy]] on Grosvenor Square. [[Theodore Roosevelt]] was married in Hanover Square, and [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] honeymooned in Berkeley Square.{{sfn|Moore|2003|p=288}} A small memorial park in [[Mount Street Gardens]] has benches engraved with the names of former American residents in and visitors to Mayfair.{{sfn|Moore|2003|p=289}}