A history steeped in prestige

Harley Street is home to some of the most respected doctors, surgeons and medical specialists in the world and, for over 150 years, has been widely regarded as a centre of medical excellence. The elegant Georgian mansions that line the streets of this renowned medical district, play host to a diverse and international clientele and have housed some of the most ground-breaking medical research ever performed.

A thriving medical area

By the mid-1800s, Harley Street was already a thriving medical area, having attracted many doctors and medical professionals. It wasn’t just the accessibility to public transport, central location and grandeur of Harley Street that induced them to settle here, but also the fact that the buildings were spacious enough to be used both as surgeries and privates residences. As more and more doctors arrived in Harley Street, its reputation grew, and was further driven by the opening of the Medical Society of London nearby in 1873, followed by the Royal Society of Medicine in 1912. Thus, the prestige of Harley Street was born and with an estimated 1,500 medical practitioners currently working in the area, it continues to flourish today.

Notable medical figures

Some of the most famous medical figures that have practised on Harley Street include the celebrated nurse, Florence Nightingale, who is widely regarded as being the founder of modern nursing; speech therapist, Lionel Logue, who successfully treated King George VI; and Winston Churchill’s personal physician, Charles McMoran Wilson.

Like all areas of medicine, Harley Street is also home to some of the most esteemed psychiatrists, psychotherapists and mental health experts in the world. We are proud that Priory is counted amongst them.