Marylebone Made in
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Moments from London’s Marble Arch lies an area steeped in history and intrigue, finds Katie McGonagle
’ve passed by Marble Arch hundreds of times – sailing by on the bus to Edgware Road, en route to a shopping trip along Oxford Street or on my way to a day out in nearby
Hyde Park. Yet I’d never stopped to look closer, until now. Just a few strides from the triumphal arch, moved here in
1851 from its original spot outside Buckingham Palace, sits an unsuspecting plaque that proclaims it as “the site of Tyburn tree”. This was no leafy oak, but rather the location of the city’s notorious gallows, where tens of thousands of Londoners once came to see the spectacle of a public hanging. This gruesome practice even gave rise to two well-known sayings: ‘one for the road’, as prisoners would be permitted to stop off at inns along the way for a final drink before they met their fate, and the word ‘hangover’, said to come from the day of drinking and revelry as people would come to watch the public executions then suffer the consequences the next morning. These grisly yet fascinating facts were just some of the revelations of a weekend spent exploring a place close to
home. After a year in which many of us have walked every inch of our surrounding area, discovering woodland paths or local landmarks we might not have seen before, the new Discover Marylebone package from the Hyatt Regency London hotel – set a few moments away from Marble Arch – aims to recreate that sense of adventure in the midst of the city centre.
MAGIC OF MARYLEBONE This area has long been home to high-profile figures – Charles Dickens, Dodie Smith, Jimi Hendrix and Paul McCartney have been among its residents – but ask many Londoners to pinpoint it on a map and they might struggle. Nonetheless, taking the time to stop and read the numerous blue plaques that grace its grand buildings – including one commemorating the home of Lord Randolph Churchill (father of Winston) and another where John Lennon lived at the height of his 1960s fame – is a timely reminder of just how central this small district is to the cultural life of the capital. ²
travelweekly.co.uk 20 MAY 2021
DESTINATIONS LONDON | UK & IRELAND
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