Great Marlborough Street
Liberty store on Great Marlborough Street
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| Length | 0.2 mi[1] (0.3 km) |
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| Location | Soho, London |
| west end | Regent Street Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| east end | Poland Street Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
Great Marlborough Street runs west to east through the western part of Soho in London. At its western end it joins Regent Street. Streets crossing, or meeting with, Great Marlborough Street are, from west to east, Kingly Street, Argyll Street, Carnaby Street, and Poland Street. At its eastern end, it becomes Noel Street.
History
The construction of Great Marlborough Street began in the early 18th century. A tablet formerly attached to a house at the corner of Great Marlborough Street and Foubert's Passage (now Place) was inscribed "Marlborough Street 1704", the name being in honour of the commander of the English Army, John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. Initially the street was a fashionable address. Out of one hundred peers summoned before the King in 1716, five lived in Great Marlborough Street.
In the 19th century the street became mainly commercial and remains so today. Most of the present buildings are replacements dating from the Victorian era or later.
The street inspired the name of one of Philip Morris' most famous brands,[2] Marlboro (launched in 1924, but originally sold as Marlborough from 1885),[3] because one of their original cigarettes factory used to be located on the street from 1881 onwards.[4]
Modern usage
Great Marlborough Street is the location of the Tudor wing of Liberty's department store, a few foreign language bookshops, offices and the back entrance to Marks and Spencer's Oxford Street branch. The European Headquarters of Sony Computer Entertainment (PlayStation) and London Studios are also located on the street as was the London College of Music until that institution relocated to Ealing in west London in 1991, being replaced in 1995 by the London College of Beauty Therapy.
Great Marlborough Street is shown on the British Monopoly board as "Marlborough Street".
Notable past occupants
- No.10 - De Dion-Bouton showroom, the largest automobile manufacturer in the world in the 1900s
- No.45 - United Motor Industries showroom
- No.45 - Charles Jarrott & Letts, Ltd - concessionaires for de Dietrich; Oldsmobile and Napier cars.
See also
References
External links
- Great Marlborough Street Area - the relevant chapter of the Survey of London
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