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 Interactive map of Baker Street | |
| Length | 0.6 mi (0.97 km) |
|---|---|
| Location | Westminster,London, England |
| Postal code | NW1 |
| Nearest Tube station |  Baker Street |
| From | Park Road |
| To | Portman Square |
| Other | |
| Known for | Sherlock Holmes' residence (221B Baker Street) · Setting ofGerry Rafferty's hit song · |
Baker Street is a street in theMarylebone district of theCity of Westminster. It is named after builder William Baker. The area was originally high class residential, but now is mainly occupied by commercial premises.
The street is referenced in multiple popular works. Fictional detectiveSherlock Holmes lived at221B Baker Street, a fictional address on the north of the street. A 1978 hit song byGerry Rafferty was titled "Baker Street".
Baker Street is a busy thoroughfare, lying in postcode areas NW1/W1 and forming part of theA41. It runs south fromRegent's Park, at the junction with Park Road and Outer Circle, and crossesMarylebone Road, Dorset Street, Blandford Street andGeorge Street. At Fitzhardinge Street, it becomesPortman Square for a short stretch and then continues as Orchard Street until it meets withOxford Street. In 2019, the until-then one-way street was changed to accommodate lanes running in both directions.
The crossroads of Baker Street and Marylebone Road was historically known asMarylebone Circus, which is still its unofficial name.[1]
Baker Street lies on thePortman Estate, approximately 300 acres of lands acquired in 1553 bySir William Portman. However, development did not start until 200 years later. In the 1750s, William Baker, "a Gentleman of Marylebone," leased land from the Portman Estate, and laid out Baker Street in 1755. He also developed Orchard Street, Portman Street and other neighbouring roads lying north of Oxford Street.[3]
In 1835, the firstwax museum ofMadame Tussauds was opened on Baker Street. The museum moved, just around the corner, toMarylebone Road in 1884. Also in 1835 the sculptorJames Fillans came to live and work from 82 Baker Street.[citation needed]
Thomas Charles Druce ran the Baker Street Bazaar (which would becomeDruce & Co. furniture manufacturers) until his death in 1864, and was later subject of theDruce Portland Case.[citation needed]
Residents of the prestigious mansion block,Chiltern Court on the Regent's Park end of Baker Street include the novelistsArnold Bennett andH. G. Wells who are commemorated with a blue plaque.
In 1940 the headquarters of theSpecial Operations Executive moved to64 Baker Street, they were often called the "Baker Street Irregulars" after Sherlock Holmes' gang of street urchins of the same name.
The Beatles'Apple Boutique was based at 94 Baker Street from 1967 to 1968.
Asignificant robbery of a branch ofLloyds Bank took place on Baker Street in 1971.
For many years the head office ofMarks & Spencer, formerly the United Kingdom's largest retailer, was at "Michael House" (named in parallel with the group's "St Michael" brand), 55 Baker Street, until the company relocated to thePaddington Basin in 2004. This was one of the best known corporate buildings in the United Kingdom, and has since been redeveloped as a modern office complex byLondon & Regional Properties[4] to a design byMake Architects andExpedition Engineering.
ALondon County Councilblue plaque commemorates Prime MinisterWilliam Pitt the Younger who lived at 120 Baker Street from 1803 to 1804.[5] British singerDusty Springfield lived on Baker Street in the 1960s.[citation needed]
In February 2019, Baker Street was converted from a one-way southbound street to a two-way street.[6][7][8]
TheSeychelles maintains a High Commission of the Seychelles, London (Consulate) at 111 Baker Street.[9]
The street is served by theLondon Underground'sBaker Street station, developed in the early 1860s, and one of the world's oldest and longest survivingunderground stations. Next door isTransport for London'slost property office.
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Media related toBaker Street at Wikimedia Commons
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