What is Harley Street, London?
Located in the city of Westminster in London, England, Harley Street has been well known for the large number of medical organisations, doctors, surgeons and hospitals on or around it. After receiving the land in an inheritance from his wife, Henrietta Cavendish Hollis, Edward Harley began developing the network of streets between Marylebone Road and Oxford Street in 1715. Harley, the 2nd Earl of Oxford, originally developed the area for residential purposes and named the streets after family members. The Howard de Walden Estate currently owns and manages the 92 acres of property. The area was originally developed in the Georgian architectural style and catered to wealthy and famous homeowners such as landscape painter J. M. W. Turner and Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone.
The Harley Street quarter is frequently referred to as Medical London and boasts the largest concentration of medical expertise in the world. In the middle 1800s medical professionals began locating their practices in the area. They were attracted by the rich customers who lived in the district as well as the proximity to rail stations. In 1860 there were 20 doctors practicing in the Harley Street region. Today its hospitals, medical practices, clinics and paramedical organisations employ over 3,000 professionals. The Medical Society of London in Chandos Street opened there in 1873 and in 1912 the Royal Society of Medicine in Wimpole Street opened its doors. These two institutions augmented the status of the area tremendously. The area has always attracted the best plastic surgeons, psychiatrists, dentists and other medical practitioners in England. Notably, Sir Henry Thompson, surgeon and genius, worked as a genitor-urinary specialist on Harley Street. He treated Napoleon III of France and King Leopold I of Belgium. In recognition of his expertise he was appointed surgeon-extraordinaire to the King. Dr. Edward Bach, an outstanding homeopathic physician, bacteriologist and immunologist also worked there. With the abundance of highly skilled dental and medical practitioners in the area, many reputable private hospitals have established themselves in the Harley Street district. Some of these include The Harley Street Clinic, The Wellington Hospital, The Princess Grace Hospital, The London Clinic, The King Edward VII Hospital for Officers, The Portland Hospital for Women and Children, and Devonshire Hospital. The London Cancer Group is affiliated with the Harley Street Clinic and is world renowned as one of the most advanced cancer treatment centres in the world.


Each year, cultural enthusiasts desiring genre ranging from contemporary music and dance to theater and comedy acts can find their heart’s desire at the Glastonbury Festival. The birth of this festival stems from an arts and culture series held in the mid 1920s. The current festival was reborn in 1970 when Michael Eavis was inspired to revive this old tradition following his attendance at a similar festival in Bath headlined by Led Zepplin. 