Marylebone by Mews: A Walk through London’s Elegant Laneways

(2 reviews)

London audio tour: Marylebone by Mews: A Walk through London’s Elegant Laneways

This is a 2.3mi walking tour

It takes an average of 90 mins to complete.

London

The United Kingdom

$9.99

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About the Tour

London’s Marylebone district is defined by its exquisite mews – those cobbled lanes that thread through the West End like little oases of calm in the hectic city.

On this walking tour, you’ll discover the historic enclaves that began as stables for grand houses, later became workshops and garages, and now rank among London’s most desirable residences.

The tour starts outside the Langham Hotel near BBC Broadcasting House. You’ll weave through the cobblestone pathways of Duchess Mews, where the iconic 1960s TV show The Avengers was filmed. As you stroll through these quiet lanes, you’ll find out how they’ve witnessed extraordinary moments in London’s history. You’ll also discover how World War II bombing transformed many of these historic spaces.

The tour ends at the imposing red-brick mansion block of Bryanston Court, where a royal scandal unfolded behind elegant façades.

On this 90-minute tour, you’ll have a chance to:

Explore Weymouth Mews, where an auxiliary ambulance station operated during the WWII Blitz and, today, you’ll find the historic Dover Castle pub
Visit the former homes of 1960s icons, including where Mick Jagger purchased his first property
Hear stories about other famous residents like the Duke of Windsor’s infamous lover Wallis Simpson
See Wimpole Mews number 17, the epicenter of the Profumo political scandal that helped topple a government
Discover architectural details that reveal each mews’ original purpose, from horse stables and workshops, to today’s premium homes with their characteristic winches, hay lofts, and cobblestone surfaces
Wander through the Paddington Street Gardens, one of Marylebone’s few public spaces
Visit Bryanston Mews West, once owned by infamous landlord Peter Rachman, whose name entered the dictionary as a term for tenant exploitation

Step off the busy thoroughfares and hear the story of how these tranquil lanes evolved from Georgian elegance to swinging sixties glamour to modern luxury – all while maintaining their distinctive architectural character.

Tour Producer

Paul French

5 tours

Paul French was born in London and lived and worked in Shanghai for many years. His book Midnight in Peking was a New York Times Bestseller and a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week. He received the Mystery Writers’ of America Edgar award for Best Fact Crime and a Crime Writers’ Association (UK) Dagger award for non-fiction. City of Devils: A Shanghai Noir received much praise with The Economist writing, ‘…in Mr French the city has its champion storyteller.’ Both Midnight in Peking and City of Devils are currently in development for film. His most recent book is Her Lotus Year: China, the Roaring Twenties and the Making of Wallis Simpson was described by the New York Times as ‘…beautifully told through meticulous historical research and examination of contemporary literature and film — gives the reader a vivid picture of what China must have been like for an American expat in the 1920s.’

Preview Location

Location 8

Weymouth Mews 2 - Home of the Station #39 WW2 Ambulance Crew

Come to a stop here.

Take a moment to see #35 to #42 Weymouth Mews which was the location of an auxiliary Ambulance station during the Second World War. Nearby #16 Weymouth Mews served as the Ambulance staff's accommodation. You'll see a Blue Plaque where the station once... Come to a stop here.

Take a moment to see #35 to #42 Weymouth Mews which was the location of an auxiliary Ambulance station during the Second World War. Nearby #16 Weymouth Mews served as the Ambulance staff's accommodation. You'll see a Blue Plaque where the station once was. This cul-de-sac within Weymouth Mews was officially Station #39 of the London Auxiliary Ambulance Service with over 200 volunteer ambulance drivers and personnel between 1939 and 1945. The London Auxiliary Ambulance Service was composed almost entirely of volunteers, the vast majority being women, who helped those injured in the London air raids of 1940 and 1941 (the Blitz), and then again with the “doodlebugs” and rockets attacks on London of 1944 and 1945. The 1940 and 41 Blitz hit Marylebone pretty hard, as we'll see today.

In March 1939 the Government appealed to all women to volunteer for full or part time ambulance service. Advertisements in newspapers read:

"Volunteers who can drive a car are urgently required and one of the finest contributions a woman driver can make to National Service is to enroll for the work. Free training is given."

By end of war 10,000 people had served in 139 Auxiliary stations, the majority of whom were women from all ranks of society – former musicians, housewives, artists, peace-time shop assistants. Station 39 on Weymouth Mews consisted of four large garages, each of which could hold four ambulances, and one additional garage which was converted into an office where the vital telephone was constantly manned as London saw both day and nighttime raids. There was a recreational room with a ping pong table and of course an urn that supplied endless cups of tea. If the telephone line went down, then an auxiliary had to run round from Portland Place with the message and details. Flats over the garages had rest rooms, a canteen, two bathrooms and a common room where staff provided their own chairs and lilos so they could sleep on the concrete floor. Later, an Anderson shelter, for the staff to use during particularly heavy raids over Marylebone, was built in the Mews with additional beds. 80-85 people were on call every night, mainly women but always including two men on every shift. Of course the Dover Castle did good business from the Ambulance Station.

Now, let's get going again.

Walk back to where you entered and turn right to walk up the street.

[three seconds pause]

Head towards the arch at the end of the street.

Incidentally, the arch is part of #31 Weymouth Street and is a fairly rare building extension that forms a bridge over the northern end of the mews. This, the eastern, end of Weymouth Street, remains a cluster of embassies - the Chinese Embassy on the northern corner of Weymouth Street and Portland Place, which has been there since the 1800s and was established by the Qing Dynasty, as well as the Polish Embassy on the southern corner. #31 Weymouth Street, just after World War Two, was the embassy of the Netherlands in the United Kingdom until the 1960s.

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Major Landmarks

The Langham, London
The Jackalope
The Prince Regent
Paddington Gardens
Fitzpatrick Mausoleum
Paddington Street Gardens South

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
1C Portland Pl, London W1B 1JA, UK
Total distance

4km
Final location
55 Bryanston St, London W1H 7BZ, UK
Distance back to start location

1km

Directions to Starting Point

The starting point is the front entrance (main) to the Langham Hotel at 1C Portland Pl, London W1B 1JA. It's hard to miss the Langham or BBC New Broadcasting House opposite. The closest tube station is Oxford Circus. Bus routes 113, 139, 189, 205, and 274 all pass the Langham Hotel and stop nearby.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Close to the start of our tour by the Langham Hotel is The Wigmore Pub, that also serves a full menu. For a drink or cocktail the Langham Hotel's Chinoiserie-inspired Artesian Bar is highly recommended. The Jackalope pub is on Weymouth Mews near the start of the tour. Half way is Marylbone High Street which has a wide range of pubs, restaurants, sandwich shops and cafes, as does nearby Paddington Street. The tour ends at Bryanston Court which is on Seymour Place - further south along Seymour Place, towards Marble Arch, are several pubs, a bakery and several restaurants.

Best time of day

This tour is perhaps best during day light but can be done at night too - the mews along the way are all lit.

Precautions

Marylebone is a generally safe area. Please try and cross the roads where possible using pedestrian crossings. Please note that the only public toilets on the route are about mid-way at the Paddington Street Public Gardens.

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App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”

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Last Updated

17 Nov 2025

Questions and Reviews

5 / 5

2 Ratings

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