Lord Burghley laid out the original Burleigh Street in 1673, which extended northwards from the Strand, but only reached as far as Exeter Street.
The short northern arm of the present street is a mid-nineteenth-century extension. The seventh Duke of Bedford laid out this extension in 1856-9, at a cost of over £6000, with the purpose of improving access to Covent Garden Market. The extension was officially opened on 16 August 1859. Until 1872, a bar was placed across the street at the entrance to the new extension, allowing for the collection of market tolls. The buildings on the west side of the street were designed