London Area Guide

Things to do Near Baker Street

March 14, 2018

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With the area being such a large city however, it can be difficult to know where to start. Even if you’re a guest at the montcalm London City at the Brewery, with its close proximity to areas such as the Barbican, Shoreditch and Liverpool Street, you’ll still find it difficult to choose where to start as an area to explore. There are simply too many options in the city of London. Which is why we thought we’d offer you a starting point to jump off from: the area near Baker Street.

Baker street

Named after builder William Baker, Baker Street was created in the 8th century as an affluent area of the borough of Westminster. Whilst before the area was made up of luxury housing for wrich residents, it is now mostly filled with shops and cafes. With its fame stemming originally from its links to the popular Sherlock Holmes series, Baker Street is close to a variety of notable West End sites. This includes Regents Park, Oxford Street alongside Marylebone Road and Portman Square. This makes it a worthwhile area to visit, especially with its rich cultural history reflecting London through the ages.

Cadenheads Whisky Shop and Tasting Room

With an original branch which opened in Covent Garden during the mid 90’s, the Cadenheads whisky shop on Chiltern Street was opened in 2008, taking the helm for great tasting vintage Whiskeys to try and buy. Here you can find whiskeys costing up to £50,000, the vintage selection being some of the most sought after whiskeys in the world. Due to the Chiltern Street branch having more space than in Covent Garden, a tasting room was installed on the first floor, now available for daily functions alongside being booked for private ones. The shop sells whiskeys and rums from across the world, including unique offerings from countries such as France, Japan and India.

Wallace Collection

This art collection is open to the public and also acts as one of the bastions of London’s lineage of glamorous families of wealth. In this house, left by Richard Seymour-Conway, the 4th Marquess of Hertfords illegitimate son, Sir Richard Wallace, is an extensive collection of art works dating back centuries. Those of note are also art works from the times before the French Revolution, after which many sales took place after the creation of the Republic. With 30 galleries worth of paintings, the Wallace Collection is one of the most extensive non-government funded art exhibit spaces that guests can enter for free.

Hay Hill Gallery

Located in Marylebone near Baker Street, this gallery space is designed for public view and purchase. With a range of innovative works from contemporary and modern artists, the fluid collection is an amalgamation of many notable contemporary artists from around the world. Mixing sculpture with painting as well as installation pieces, both businesses and individuals can purchase art from the Hay Hill gallery. Many of the works purchased from the gallery are for business offices and other properties, alongside those seeking to create public installations. For an in depth insight into the public art market as well as the kind of art which sells, take a trip to this beautiful glass fronted gallery to have a browse yourself.

Daunt Books

Daunt Books is a chain of independent book sellers with a branch located in Marylebone. This book shop also functions as a publisher itself, with its own imprint focusing on the works of internationally renowned and breakthrough writers. The bookshop itself is home to many works from mainstream and independent writers, giving customers a diverse range and a beautiful Edwardian style shop front. With a focus on travel, the bookshop is a great place for London tourists to find even more things to do in the city, the store and writers providing you with a master key to the city of London.

Marylebone Farmers’ Market

With free street parking, there’s no excuse to miss this amazing farmers market every sunday in Marylebone. Created from over 40 stalls of the UK’s best artisan and independent food sellers and makers, you can expect monthly changes to the stalls which reflect the agrarian shifts in food production in the UK. Ranging from mushroom sandwiches to the springing of strawberries in April, the farmers market is one of the most popular in the city. With a range of focuses from the likes of turkey in December to autumn root vegetables.

Madame Tussauds London

Madame Tussauds on Baker Street is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city. With its world famous waxworks, the Baker Street museum has been famous for over a century. Inside you can find an ever changing rostra of wax models, whether that be celebrities currently on trend or reconstructions from this years big movie opening. Whether a blockbuster or a Sherlock Holmes exhibit, there’ll be a wax model for everyone, making it a prime location for some fun photo taking. With themed rooms and information and history outlined for each wax model, you’ll have a great time in this unique museum space.

Selfridges

Often thought of as the innovator of the modern department store, Harry Selfridge’s now world famous department store chain started on Oxford Street, just round the corner from Baker Street. For those looking for 540,000 square feet of retail space and over a century of history, Selfridges is the department store for you. With a range of clothes for both sexes, homeware, tech and even a food section, Selfridges is always worth a browse, especially when you take into account that it is the second biggest department store in Europe, meaning you could literally get lost in it! With 9 floors to browse through, you can find the latest in technology, clothes and homeware, making it perfect for all your retail needs, whether that be accessories, cooking utensils or video games.

FAQs

1. What is Baker Street famous for?

Baker Street is majorly famous for its connection with Sherlock Holmes (fictional detective), he lived at 221B Baker Street. This address is, however, also fictional just like the character.