England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
St Marylebone St Mary Bryanston Square

The Parish

The parish of St Marylebone lies in south central Middlesex, part of the northern portion of the city of Westminster and about 2 miles west of the city of London. Once a distinct small community and a reputed haunt of robbers and bandits it was described in medieval sources as a dangerous place and difficult of access. This lonely hamlet in the countryside outside the urban area is nowadays an integral part of central London. As late as 1601 documents record the entertainment of the Russian ambassador by hunting in the rural retreat of Marylebone Park. Development of the area began in or around 1715 and by the end of the 18th century St Marylebone was part of the fashionable West End of London and covered in large properties of the wealthy. Population in the area grew such that by the early part of the 19th century it was decided more churches were needed to support the population and St Mary was added amongst that tranche. Today St Marylebone is little more than a name on the map, such is the urban area of London it is now an integral part of the city's infrastructure, holding such attractions as Regent's Park and its zoo, Lords cricket ground and Madam Tussauds. Like much of London's urban area most drainage is now sub-surface traveling the short distance to the nearby Thames and the North Sea. St Mary's parish is sited at around 30 metres above the sea, land rises steadily to the local height of almost 100 metres on nearby Parliament Hill. St Mary's  parish area was very small but intensely populated being supportive of the area bordering the parish of Paddington but south of the Marylebone Road. By the census of 1831 St Marylebone's population had increased to close to 140,000 and St Marys parish would have held a substantial proportion of that very high total. In Domesday times St Marylebone was a tiny place, a holding of Barking Abbey offering just 3 ploughs and a small patch of woodland.

The Church

St Mary's church stands on Wyndham Place in the Bryanston Square area of St Marylebone just a few yards south of the Marylebone Road. The church was built between 1821 & 1823 before staging its first marriage in August 1825, The church is basically a large rectangular box in brick but it is ornamented by a centrally placed southern portico & tower. The church makes much use of standard Greek architectural styles with both Ionic used in the portico and Doric used for the internal columns of the galleries. The stand-out feature is the tower, circular rather than the traditional square or oblong, covered with a stone cupola. Despite the modern construction there has been time for change as in 1875 the church was "improved and adorned". Like most urban churches St Mary is one to visit on foot after using the extensive London transport system. The church sits within a pedestrianised area but suffers from the usual urban problem of close adjacent properties, the optimal viewpoint is that from the south where the portico topped by the tower is shown to best effect.