Rebecca Jones (M.A. DipPCH) is a Clinical Hypnotherapist & Consultant (GHR, GHSC) (GQHP, MAC) and CEO/Founder: 'Paris St. Cloud' | Harley Street Therapy clinic | 'The Empire State of Mind'
In this article, following an article in the famous 'Tatler' magazine titled; 'The changing Face of Harley Street' I delve deeper into the history of Harley Street and how it became the world renowned and famous medical epicentre of medical pioneering and expertise healthcare that it is today.
It all started in 1713 when Edward Harley married Henrietta Cavendish Holles, daughter of the Duke of Newcastle. They combined their fortunes and commissioned an architect to transform the 92-acre Marylebone backwater Henrietta had inherited into an attractive grid of beautifully proportioned properties. The comparatively modest residential townhouses of Wimpole Street merged with spectacular Portland Place mansions built by the likes of the Adam Brothers and John Nash, resulting in what came to be known as the Portland Estate. And Harley Street was right in the middle of it.
So, how did Harley Street come to be known as the medical and healthcare mecca that it is today? In the early days, a social mix occupied Harley Street. JMW Turner lived at number 64, the future Duke of Wellington at number 11, the geologist Charles Lyell at number 73. But although spacious, these finely built houses lacked extravagant porticos and were not quite grand enough for fashionable living. Smart society moved to Mayfair and Belgravia, and medical men, dressed in frock coats, top hats and spats, began to arrive throughout the mid-l9th century and to live above their premises.
In 1850, 11 doctors resided on Harley Street; by 1863, it was 36, and the figures continued to grow. Florence Nightingale was at number one; Sir Joseph Lister, who pioneered work on wound infection, moved to Park Crescent, as did Sir Frederick Treves, who treated Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man.
But with the urbanisation of Marylebone and the greater ease of transport, doctors and surgeons started to drift towards leafier parts of town, confining their Harley Street residences to professional use. The development of multiple tenancies began; clusters of consulting rooms sprang up behind the elegant façades – and Harley Street’s reputation as the epicentre of medical expertise was cemented.
Today, there are more than 5,000 medical specialists operating out of what is known as the Harley Street Medical Area (HSMA); two to four per cent of those doctors or surgeons specialise in cosmetic work. Nearly all the properties are owned by the estate (now the Howard de Walden Estate), which carefully identifies the optimum occupier and use for each building, and is fastidious in its stewardship. Big-name institutions include the London Clinic, the Harley Street Clinic, the Portland Hospital, the Princess Grace Hospital and King Edward VII’s Hospital, to say nothing of the consulting rooms housing cosmetic doctors and concierge services.
And behind these architecturally correct façades, some of London’s top plastic surgeons and cosmetic doctors are pioneering unusually cutting-edge consulting rooms. Take, for example, Rajiv Grover, London’s top ‘restorer’, who magically recreates the face one had 10 years before. Previously located at number 144 Harley Street, Grover has moved one block further south to number 94. His light and spacious suite of rooms is reminiscent of an art gallery, with its marble floors, well-lit patient-only bathroom (for experimenting with different-sized breast implants in privacy) and elegant, Diptyque-scented sitting room.
Discreet yet serene, it’s light years away from his previous wood-panelled rooms. Yet there is still an air of professionalism – after all, this is a place where serious decisions are made. ‘I’m looking to create an environment where there is nothing to sell,’ says Grover. ‘Of the people who come to see me, I say to roughly 40 per cent, for various reasons, “Please don’t do it,” and I turn them away.’
New rooms in Harley Street seldom come up, and rarely enough of them at once to create a mini-clinic. This lack of space is what drives the unique, bespoke and highly regarded medical centre of the Universe!
But of course, this comes at a price, with clinics charging extremely high fees that only a select few can afford.
Here, in some Harley Street clinics patients are greeted by uniformed butlers, who have even worked in royal households. The jewel in one therapy centre's crown is a VIP suite that comes with a jacuzzi and private kitchen, and is popular with celebrities, bridal parties and Middle Eastern ladies who demand discretion.
At Harley Street Therapy Clinic, founded by Rebecca Jones (M.A. DipPCH GHSC GHR GQHP MAC), a Clinical Hypnotherapist, and now its Clinical Director, patients and private clients benefit from expert care, treatment, and life changing and life enchancing treatment programmes.
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Rebecca Jones, Clinical Hypnotherapist | Consultant Rebecca Jones (M.A. DipPCH) is a Clinical Hypnotherapist & Consultant (GHR, GHSC) (GQHP, MAC) and CEO/Founder: 'Paris St. Cloud' | Harley Street Therapy clinic | 'The Empire State of Mind'
Harley Street Therapy Clinic | London W1 | UK | Fifth Avenue Therapy Clinic | 5th Ave | NYC | USA | Global Solutions | Worldwide
Initially trained by Dr. Richard Bandler and Paul McKenna, & now a much trusted & highly valued part of their team, Rebecca is a highly sought-after expert in her field. Rebecca is an inspirational therapist and consultant with her thriving practice in Harley Street London and a successful clinic on Deansgate in Manchester; Rebecca is a dedicated, professional, highly experienced, and highly effective, successful therapist & consultant. Rebecca now also has a clinic on Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, USA.
