Tucked away in the Mayfair section of London, between Piccadilly and Curzon Street, lies Shepherd Market. This small square—truly hidden from main roads—is filled with wonderful pubs, restaurants, cafés, wine bars, and various boutique shops. A visit to Shepherd Market is sure to remove you from the hustle and bustle of nearby Piccadilly Circus and Oxford Street—and here, you can relax in it’s low-key village like setting.
When I tell you Shepherd Market is hidden, I’m not joking! Upon checking into our hotel, the concierge made it a point to recommend Shepherd Market as a place we should check out. Despite being located just one block from our hotel, it would be four days before we made it. Looking back I’m not sure how that’s possible. It’s simply hidden from the main route. As we already had an extensive list of destinations on our itinerary, seeking out a market not on that list was easily overlooked.
The entrance to Shepherd Market from Curzon Street has a very British touch, which is to say, unlike anything you would see back home in the states. I admit that’s a bad generalization; however, let me explain. Curzon Street—like most of London (and other big cities around the world for that matter)—contain homes and shops that are connected, sharing an outer wall. Each store front has it’s own design and entrance, yet everything from the second floor up looks the same, like the whole block is the same building. The storefront that fascinated me the most was the one that was missing. What appeared to be a business entrance from afar, turned out to be an opening—mid-block—that led through the building, into another world.
For four days, we had walked down Curzon Street en route to Green Park Station, as we relied heavily on the tube (translation to English, subway) to bounce around the city. Each time I passed the magnificent archway, I admired it’s European architecture. It is an image you see quite often in London, yet one that is rare to see back home. It was a reminder that I was exploring; that I was in a foreign land, fortunate to be immersed in a different culture. But the big question was, where did that tunnel lead to?
Following a day spent in Windsor, we arrived back at our hotel later in the evening. Though we had eaten earlier in Windsor, several hours had passed and we were having a bit of a hunger. We ventured out in search of a pub, stumbling upon—once again—the archway on Curzon Street. I was familiar with Shepherd Market, yet I didn’t quite know where it was located—completely unaware that this tunnel I so admired was the passage.
- Located in Mayfair
- Developed between 1735-1746 by Edward Shepherd
- Built on an open ground that had been previously used for the annual May Fair, for which Mayfair gets it’s name. This open field was called Brook Field
- On July 28, 1974, Mamma Cass died at flat 12, 9 Curzon Place, Shepherd Market. A few years later, on September 7, 1978, Keith Moon, legendary drummer of The Who, died in the same flat.
The first pub we encountered was Ye Grapes; however, as they were not serving food, we proceeded to the next pub, The Kings Arms. There was a soccer game being shown (I’m sorry, football), and as you would guess, the pub was quite busy. We enjoyed a few pints of glorious cask beer, but gave up on trying to secure food in this busy environment. We would move on to the next place, but not before a group of trick-or-treaters came in looking for money. That’s right, trick-or-treaters. It was October—not Halloween night mind you—but to be quite honest, I didn’t even know they celebrated Halloween outside of America. It turns out they do, but they don’t go to homes on Halloween night looking for candy. They just pop into pubs throughout the month looking for money. I have to say, that was a first! Oh, I should add they were not wearing costumes either.
Up next, Shepherd Market Wine House. We sat outside and enjoyed a few glasses of wine, and of course, a cheese and charcuterie platter. And wouldn’t you know, the trick-or-treaters came back looking for money. There were kids running all over the place, reporting back to adults, which I’m not convinced were any of their parents. I swear it was a ring. I’m telling you, Halloween trafficking just may be a thing. I explained to the child I had already given them a treat. Let me tell you, she got pissed! Anyway, I needed that money for wine, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Though it was a bit chilly, we were quite comfortable under the heat lamps, relaxing in this historic square over a glass of wine. It was perfect!
