In the 17th century Harley Street was a very sought-after location. The area was developed with many fashionable houses around 1715. The street is in Cavendish Square, which was very popular in the late 1700s, a tradition that still carries on today. Around 1860 the population seeking homes on Harley Street became very specific, doctors began to move onto the street because of its proximity to major rail lines and the beautiful homes.  

Harley Street in London is the location of the Shaw’s residence. Margaret spent a good portion of her youth at this home, being brought up with her cousin Edith. Margaret returns to the Harley Street home as an adult after her father’s passing.  

The detail of the Shaw’s living in this area of London would tell Gaskell’s contemporaries that the Shaw’s were very wealthy, as well as up and coming people. They were relatively new to London’s upper class and did not have a long-established residence there. The area would have been bustling with the well-to-dos of London This location is given in stark contrast to the small village of Helstone, where very little movement happened, and to Margaret’s Milton home, where poverty surrounded them.  

“The History of Harley Street”. HarleyStreet.com. 2005, https://www.harleystreet.com/why-harley-street/history/. Accessed 30 May 2021.