Great Marlborough Street runs east of Regent Street past Carnaby Street towards Noel Street.
It was originally part of the Millfield estate south of Tyburn Road (Oxford Street). The original section was laid out around 1704.
Great Marlborough Street has had an association with the law since the late-18th century - its Magistrates Court was one of the most important magistrates courts in London.
The department store Liberty is on the corner of Great Marlborough Street with Regent Street and has a Mock Tudor facade.
Out of one hundred peers summoned before King George I in 1716, five lived in Great Marlborough Street.
Most of the 18th century buildings on Great Marlborough Street were later demolished, leading to the decline of its reputation as a fashionable street.
A police station was established at No. 21 Great Marlborough Street in 1793, leading to the establishment of Marlborough Street Magistrates Court in the early 19th century. The Marquess of Queensbury’s libel trial against Oscar Wilde took place there in 1895. In 1963, Christine Keeler was tried here for attempting to obstruct the course of justice. The courts closed in 1998 and later became the Courthouse Hotel.
The street inspired the name of Philip Morris’s Marlboro cigarettes - the company’s factory opened on the street in 1881.
Great Marlborough Street is shown on the British Monopoly board as ’Marlborough Street’ as the board square was named after Marlborough Street Magistrates Court. The other two orange property squares - Bow Street and Vine Street - also have police connections.
