29-05-2025
Harley Street resists a facelift
Harley Street, a famous medical district in London, is an unusual place. It is highly successful, accounting for 40% of the capital's private-health-care market by revenue—and 10% of Britain's. It is almost entirely owned by aristocrats: the Howard de Walden estate controls around 850 properties in Marylebone, one of the poshest parts of the capital. Go for a consultation and you may find yourself entering a Georgian town house with a plaque outside honouring a former occupant. 'Florence Nightingale left her hospital on this site for the Crimea' is carved into the brickwork of one dental clinic. Leave with a swollen mouth and a sense of history.
