I begin my journey to the next set of 'properties' from where I finished last time, Marylebone Station. I head onto Marylebone Road, turn left and head in the general direction of (Great) Marlborugh Street, another of the 'properties' that I had never visited before. Its a long busy road that takes you into central London with a couple of tube stations and not many shops. I soon pass Old Marylebone Town House, which is also known as Westminster Council House, which was the local seat of Government until 1965 when then enlarged City of Westminster was formed. Built in 1920, a grade II listed building it houses Westminster register office and has hosted many famous weddings including Cilla Black to Bobby Willis, Paul McCartney to Linda Eastman and later Nancy Shevell, Ringo Starr to Barbara Bach, Melanie Griffith to Anthony Banderas, Liam Gallagher to Patsy Kensit and later Nicole Appleton. I continue walking along Marylebone road and soon pass Madame Tussards which is on the opposite side of the road. It really needs no introduction, a popular tourist attraction, the present location opened in 1884 and until 2010 it incorporated the London Planetarium, which is the green domed building, but now houses the Marvel Super Heroes 4D attraction. Madam Tussardsis a place I have never had any interest in visiting but its a prominent building on Marylebone Road, although I prefer the look of what was the London Planetarium. A little further along the road I come to St Marylebone Parish Church. The church was completed in 1817, however it is actually the fourth church to have served as the parish church and on the third site. The first church was built close to what is now Marble Arch and dates back to 1200. The area takes its name from the church. I go inside and have a look around. It was empty, but given it was Friday morning not surprising. I often wonder how busy churches are on a Sunday nowadays, I have passed quite a few on since starting the blog but never on a Sunday. Its actually quite small but impressive looking with a couple of galleries that I was unable to go up to. Behind the church there is a small garden and another smaller entrance. One of the more notable residents that lived in the area, and close to the church, was Charles Dickens who lived at 1 Devonshire Terrace, and it was here that he wrote some of his books. Fittingly there is a memorial in his honor which as well as Dickens himself features some the characters from his books. I continue walking and soon come to Park Crescent, which I will turning into to continue my journey to (Great) Marlborough Street and signals the end of my walk along Marylebone Road. Its not been a bad walk and I found a few places of interest but unless you are going Madam Tussards its not a place I would particularly recommend heading to.
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AuthorLouis Mogg. Archives
March 2020
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