This neighbourhood incorporates the corner where Hyde Park and Green Park meet. Both are vast green jewels in the crown of the central London landscape – making residents of this area, which can be classified as part of Mayfair, very lucky. It would be fair to say, though, that the residents certainly do pay for the privilege, considering that this postcode is one of London’s most desirable and expensive. Well connected, and scattered with fancy hotels, art boutiques and some of the nest dining the capital has to offer, the area surrounding Hyde Park Corner is a neat little slice of the good life. Even the Queen lives nearby, and if that doesn’t prove the point nothing will.

The tale of this area is a tale of two parks. Firstly, Hyde Park – a private hunting ground for the royals until it was opened up by King James I, whose every blade of grass is intertwined with the goings on of the city. For example, scared Londoners camped on its green fields trying to escape the Great Plague, and it became the first area in the whole of the country to get artificial lighting. Even Speaker’s Corner has come to be an imperative symbol of democratic principles. And across the road, Green Park home to the house of Queen Elizabeth herself. Originally considered to have been a burial ground for lepers, it was the scene of three different assassination attempts on key powerful British leaders including Queen Victoria in 1840.

In 1952, the words ‘Hyde Park Corner’ were used as code within the royal household to communicate the death of George VI. Also, the park’s impressive triumphal arch known as the Wellington Arch was designed to be “England’s answer to the Arc de Triomphe”.

Whilst this area is lovely, Hyde Park Corner is a vital London junction, and as any London cabbie will tell you, around rush hour it can turn from one of the city’s most idyllic spaces to one of its most congested. Not only this, but the wideness of the roads also means that this area can get very polluted. Lastly, the area’s central location and numerous attractions mean lots of tourists, which can make the pavements difficult to navigate in a hurry.

The move of the US Embassy from Grosvenor Square was seen by some as a loss for the area’s reputation, but the building is to be revived as a luxury hotel by 2023. There are also a handful of residential and commercial developments coming to Mayfair that very much fit with the current well-to-do reputation. For example, 32 “super prime” flats are being constructed on Curzon Street, which will be completed by 2020. The aim of the council is to create 501 new homes in the area within the next five years; an ambitious feat that is set to push up house prices even further.