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London Area Guides - Short Lets London
Together making up an area known as Clerkenwell, this area amply demonstrates how new life and vitality can emerge out of a dense urban fabric. It acts as a kind of fulcrum between the City and the vibrant suburbs to the north and also takes office overspill from both the Square Mile and the West End.
The Barbican is the home of the eponymously named Arts Centre which hosts major cultural events and is the London home of The Royal Shakespeare Company whereas The Eagle in Farringdon enjoys the distinction of being the country’s first gastropub which is hardly a surprise since Smithfield meat market is on its doorstep. A place for cattle- and horse-trading since the middle ages, Smithfield signals a modern transition with nightclubbers packing into the Victorian warehouse buildings-turned-dance venues most nights of the week.
Transformation continues in Clerkenwell as a whole, as a district once known for its light industrial buildings and lively printing presses provides sought after loft space for stylish conversions. Animated by journalists from The Guardian newspaper and a number of internationally renowned architectural figures, such as Zaha Hadid, this strategically located neighbourhood embodies that typically London alchemy in which the old world and new ideas fuse into something exciting and unexpected.
With gallery cafes, gastropubs and cocktail bars the districts of Bermondsey and Borough both back on the cultural map. Arty destinations such as Delfina and highly acclaimed newcomer Magdalen join together to offer a wide range of styles and prices. Large-scale new building developments and local regeneration have in turn gradually been reviving areas that had fallen into decay and local markets which have been operating for decades if not centuries, are now able to attract a more affluent clientele and international visitors.
Taking its name from the inhabitants of a 12th Century monastery, Blackfriars sits at the south-western edge of the City proper. A road bridge bearing its name provides a link across the River Thames to the South Bank while the railway bridge is being developed into a most intriguing project. When finished, this structure will house a railway station that will span the entire width of the river with passenger access from either side, a truly innovative endeavour.
Enough historical features have been retained in the area so as to soften the ever evolving contemporary skyline and with sympathetic development a recurrent theme, Blackfriars position as a fulcrum between the City of London, the West End and the South Bank seems assured.
Situated in the neighbouring borough of Tower Hamlets on the eastern borders of the City of London, Canary Wharf both visually and commercially challenges the supremacy of the famous “Square Mile”.
Rising from the ashes of the old West India docks, nothing symbolises the changing economic geography of the U.K. quite like this ultra modern office and shopping development. The estate is progress personified and boasts the three tallest buildings in the country, the most prominent being One Canada Square (commonly known as Canary Wharf Tower) which can be seen from most parts of central London and beyond.
Major banks such as Barclays, Credit Suisse, HSBC and Citigroup are tenants together with media firms like Reuters and Trinity Mirror as the demand for grade A office space continues to boost development. One by-product of this rapid growth is the opening of the Jubilee Place shopping centre which at a single stroke makes Canary Wharf a retail destination of considerable note.
The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is a purpose-built transport system which links the area to the City of London in the west and London City Airport in the east. A futuristic network of stations also connects with the new Jubilee line extension, providing access to the mega venue that is the O2 Arena.
Together with Kensington, Chelsea makes up the eponymous Royal Borough and fittingly it's main street is King's Road which was named after Charles II whose private property it was.
With an even more salubrious area (Knightsbridge) lying to the north and a gleaming river embankment running along it's south side, Chelsea ranks probably alongside it's aforementioned neighbour as the most picturesque and stereotypically preserved area in London. Its’ immaculate terraced houses drip with purple wisteria in the summer and the smaller streets exude a distinct villagey charm.
Ever since the King's Road made a splash in the 1970's, Chelsea's shops and designers have continued to present their particularly English take on high style and fashion. The shops along Sloane Street are dominated by the global fashion labels but funkier shops and more adventurous outlets exist along the King's and Fulham Roads were the spirit of Vivienne Westwood's long-gone boutique (the shop that saw the birth of punk) lives on.
It may or may not be significant that the transformation of Chelsea Football Club from a stylish but perennial under-achiever to a global trophy-winning machine has taken place at Stamford Bridge in the more functional environs of Fulham.
(for following areas: Leadenhall, Liverpool Street, Bishopsgate, Monument & The Square Mile)
The City is rife with history and the characters of history – Chaucer was born here and Shakespeare flourished here and nowhere is the fabric of history more tangible than in the architecture. The oldest, smallest, quirkiest streets (matched by pubs that have stood for centuries) are set off by the span of bridges and a profusion of 18th century churches and buildings once threatened with demolition are being saved as part of an ongoing revitalisation process.
One of the most successful centres of this civic rejuvenation lies just north of the Square Mile next to Liverpool Street station in an area known as Shoreditch. Once a wasteland of dis-used light industrial buildings, it has progressed from arty bohemian village to almost upscale status. Artists still occupy many of the loft spaces, as do galleries and design-label boutiques featuring local talent. The presence of the White Cube gallery in Hoxton Square helps to maintain the area’s artistic profile which may have lost much of its edginess but none of its edge – innovation and trends still start here.
Since it’s gentrification in the 1970’s, when its old vegetable market was moved south of the river, Covent Garden has attracted a largely youthful crowd with its numerous bars and many designer boutiques selling the latest street styles. With the refurbishment and expansion of the Royal Opera House, however, an older, more culturally inclined group demanding higher standards of food and drink has had an impact. The Palladian-style piazza, designed by Inigo Jones in 1635, is the quarter’s centrepiece and tourist magnet, but the small streets and alleyways that surround it have much to offer the intrepid explorer.
A system of driverless trains linking converted warehouses with ultra-modern office complexes gives Docklands the sleek and futuristic look that only total revitalisation can bring about. As the name suggests, this area was once the site of London’s main sea port which fell into disuse owing to the development of bigger facilities further down-river and led to a number of ambitious regeneration projects.
A great selection bars, restaurants and fashion outlets contribute to an exciting new environment for living and working in and with the aforementioned Docklands Light Railway providing speedy access to the City and the South Bank, you feel connected both commercially and culturally.
This commercial and cultural juxtaposition is reflected in the presence of two main London destinations which sit at Docklands opposite ends. To the north is the Excel centre, a world-class exhibition space with its’ attendant five-star hotel and banqueting facilities, whilst to the south across the river lies the O2 centre which hosts all manner of international attractions from the world of entertainment.
A transitional area linking central London to the suburbs, Earl’s Court has the added business cachet of containing two of the UK’s premier exhibition venues whilst being astride one of London’s most comprehensive underground interchanges.
A decade-long gentrification process has transformed the reputation of Earls Court from that of low-cost backpacker accommodation to having some of the most expensive real estate in Europe. This is especially reflected in the districts south-eastern end which borders Chelsea Beach and contains the Boltons, two late-Victorian crescents, lined with magnificent mansions. Elsewhere, a network of exclusive garden squares and smart residential streets provide a fine alternative to pricier Kensington.
The afore-mentioned underground station is a busy confluence of major tube lines providing prompt access to the West End and all five Heathrow Airport terminals.
Located at the start point of the main arterial road out of London to Heathrow Airport and the West, Hammersmith cannot avoid being a crucial transport and commercial hub, but its charming views across the River Thames lend an idyllic touch to the area’s bustling pace. Many multinational companies, taking advantage of the proximity to the UK’S premier international airport, occupy office space here and with the picturesque Thames valley and the strategic M4 corridor within easy reach it is definitively a relocation hot-spot.
Hammersmith has for a long time specialised in providing cultural outlets and venues with the Hammersmith Apollo probably the most famous. The main thoroughfare is packed with shops, cafes and places to eat. Or, just a short Tube or taxi journey will take you to Westfield, London’s largest shopping mall comprising 265 shops under one roof including a boulevard of restaurants and trendy bars.
A village that never quite realised it was part of a capital city; Hampstead is situated in splendid isolation amongst the large and hilly parkland or Heath from which it takes its name. Truly a world apart from the rest of north London suburbia, Hampstead is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations as well as being home to a collection of notable cultural attractions.
The Heath is rambling and hilly, embracing ponds, recent and ancient woodlands, a lido, playgrounds, and a training track, and it adjoins the stately home of Kenwood and its grounds with Londoners flocking here on sunny days to picnic, swim and enjoy views of London so stunning, that they are protected by law. Burgh House, Keats House and the Freud museum are all places of historical and architectural interest whilst the village High Street provides an eclectic mix of upmarket boutiques plus pavement cafes and notable restaurants.
John Milton, Francis Bacon and Charles Dickens, as well as Dickens’s character Pip of Great Expectations, all lived for a time in the place known as Holborn, a somewhat transitional area between the old London of the City and the later developments west. The Inns of Court are located here, with their fine buildings and lush enclosed green spaces, as is the former journalists’ mecca, Fleet Street, and the wide avenue of the Strand. The best of Holborn is the isolated historic gems; London’s oldest Catholic church and it’s neighbouring tavern, an eccentric architect’s historic house-museum in Lincoln Inn Fields and the world’s largest collection of antique silver housed in an underground vault in Chancery Lane.
One of the World’s foremost metropolitan parks, this 350 acre expanse of greenery can make you forget that you are right in the centre of London. Bordered by the upscale districts of Mayfair, Knightsbridge and Bayswater, it served as Henry VIII’s private hunting ground in the late 16th Century and as such has been afforded Royal status up to this present day. Along the park’s eastern edge, running roughly north to south is Park Lane which contains some of the capital’s most glitzy addresses as well as world class hotels and head-turning luxury car showrooms. However the opposite end backs on to Kensington Gardens which is the site of the eponymously named Palace and imparts a more refined yet equally exclusive influence over the surrounding area,
Situated nearby the newly appointed St Pancras Eurostar link, Islington is a thriving model of successful urban regeneration and renewal. In the 19th century it was one of London’s first suburbs and still contains some of the most unusual and intimate residential squares you will come across. Its City fringes location made it attractive to artists, writers and City bankers who poured in during the 1970’s to refurbish and restore neglected buildings. Today it is one of the most lively and creative of London’s villages and still marked by patrician elegance and taste.
Markets such as Camden Passage, independent shops and bars ensure that the area maintains its street-style and the density of fringes theatres makes it a popular haunt for all theatre lovers.
Highbury Fields is the biggest local park, nearby Islington Green is also frequented by many locals who also congregate in the area’s garden squares. New River Walk or the canal towpath offer interesting walks.
Sitting due south of eclectic Notting Hill, the largely residential and seriously upscale area of Kensington scarcely needs any introduction. Whereas so many localities of London are famous - or infamous - for their energy and verve, Kensington is the pure embodiment of English gentility, urban-style. Like so many of the Capital’s neighbourhoods, it's just another village with a style all of its own and one suspects that the residents are perfectly happy to keep it thus.
As is fitting for an area that lies within the" Royal Borough" of Kensington and Chelsea, it's main thoroughfare is regally named High Street Kensington as opposed to the other way round and spans the area from Holland Park in the east to Hyde Park in the west with luxurious boutiques and restaurants giving some hints as to the affluent properties lying just off the main strip. These residences are situated in some of London's most expensive streets and garden squares with houses in Edwardes Square, Earls Terrace - an exclusive redevelopment of Georgian Houses, The Phillimores, and Wycombe Square priced in excess of £20 million.
With the vast, lush, green expanse of Hyde Park to the north and high-end shopping throughout, Knightsbridge has created a patch of what can only be described as incredibly civilized London.
The spirit and symbol of Knightsbridge for most visitors is Harrods which still holds a certain cachet of a purveyor of luxury and designer-brand goods. For locals, however, it is the smaller, more intensively stylish department store Harvey Nicols, at the top of Sloane Street, which emerged during the 1990’s as the vanguard of the younger set whose parents shopped at Harrods. Rather than providing the feeling of a grand old country house larder, Harvey Nicks’ upstairs food hall is contemporary and sleek.
These two emblems of prestige might reflect the tension between tradition and modernity that gives so many parts of London their edginess, but Knightsbridge’s creative side is driven by the presence of the Victoria & Albert Museum, whose magnificent collections of decorative arts are enjoyed by locals and tourists from all over the world.
With gallery cafes, gastropubs and cocktail bars the districts of Bermondsey and Borough both back on the cultural map. Arty destinations such as Delfina and highly acclaimed newcomer Magdalen join together to offer a wide range of styles and prices. Large-scale new building developments and local regeneration have in turn gradually been reviving areas that had fallen into decay and local markets which have been operating for decades if not centuries, are now able to attract a more affluent clientele and international visitors.
When man-made city waterways are mentioned, Venice or Amsterdam usually spring to mind, but at the point where London’s Regents Canal runs under the Edgware Road there exists a small slice of continental elegance nestled within the well manicured streets of Maida Vale. Nick-named Little Venice in reference to its Italian forbear, it is characterised by its wide tree-lined avenues, large communal gardens and red-brick mansion blocks from the late-Victorian and Edwardian eras. The singular charm of these houses however, is the fact that they overlook the canal with its picturesque complement of houseboats, locks and barges.
One of London's prime residential areas, South Maida Vale is also known for its shops and restaurants, as well as a number of floating theatres and art galleries. A regular waterbus service operates from Little Venice eastwards around Regents Park, calling at London Zoo and Camden Town.
Marylebone, the area defined roughly by Oxford Street in the south and Euston and Marylebone Roads in the north, is a curious mixture of Edwardian proportions, commercial enterprise, apartment living and discreet stylishness. At the western edge is Marylebone High Street, which somewhat to the dismay of its loyal inhabitants, has in recent years become one of London’s premier gastronomic destinations, with a supporting cast of high-quality shops and design stores.
Not far in distance but worlds away from the tourist traps of Madame Tussaud’s is Chiltern Street, a little-known thoroughfare with a quirky collection of fine shops. Farther north is Church Street and Alfie’s antiques market, home to a host of antique dealers well off the beaten track.
Lovers of classical music will be pleased to have on their doorstep, the prestige-laden Wigmore Hall which stages around 400 recitals a year and acts as a performance platform for the world’s most sought-after soloists and chamber musicians.
West of John Nash’s wonderfully grand boulevard, Regent Street, is Mayfair’s dense mixture of high style and fashion. Art and commerce gently collide in Bond Street which bisects the area from north to south and is lined with a mixture of international fashion labels and classic old shops and galleries. More than any other location, Mayfair is true blue upmarket London, a genuine oasis of gentility between Piccadilly and Oxford Street.
Many of the shops, auction houses and galleries – and therefore also the restaurant and bars – cater to a small group of the wealthy and well heeled, but there are pockets of affordability for all. If a one-off extravagance is planned, this is the place to indulge.
When it's gentrification began some years ago, Notting Hill became known as the home of the "Trustafarians" (trust fund + Rastafarian), those twenty- and thirty-somethings who emerged from their privileged backgrounds and/or private schools in search of a kind of bohemia, albeit luxurious. So although gradually regenerated over the past decades and brought into the world's public consciousness by a movie starring Julie Roberts and Hugh Grant, Notting Hill represents a determined effort to preserve the air of an arty-funky lifestyle.
Walking around the designer shops and trendy cafes of Notting Hill today, you would never suspect that as late as the 1950's this was one of London's most impoverished areas, nor would you immediately recognize that it is the centre for the city's Afro-Caribbean culture. The latter distinction is celebrated every August Bank Holiday weekend, when the Notting Hill Carnival swings into gear and around two million people pour into W11 and W2 for days and nights of colourful pageantry, dance music and street-fair fun.
Fortunately for year-round visitors, the atmosphere epitomised by this event can be experienced more than once a year. Every weekend the antiques market on Portobello Road - the area's spiritual and geographical backbone - adds a suitable dash of gritty urbanism and multicultural vibe, while providing useful relics of old Victoriana. Shops and pubs lining the north end of Portobello Road represent the new blood in terms of talent and artistic edge whilst the convergence of Ledbury Road and Westbourne Grove is a smorgasbord of designers, galleries and eateries that could easily hold you in their thrall for an afternoon.
Separated from the uber-exclusive Belgravia by Victoria railway station, Pimlico never the less retains much of the eye-catching Regency architecture and bestuccoed charm of its celebrated northern neighbour. With tree-lined streets arranged in picturesque grids around a series of impressive garden squares, an air of genteel calm can be experienced here particularly in the streets which overlook the River Thames which borders the districts southern end.
The Thames lends an added dimension to travel in and out of Pimlico in that a riverboat service runs from Millbank pier to Waterloo and Southwark, not only enabling an alternative commute, but also establishing a direct link between the Tate and Tate Modern museums. You are also just one underground stop away from a high-speed express link to Gatwick International Airport.
South Kensington constitutes a rough triangle which fans out northwards from the Tube station and encompasses what could be called London’s museum quarter, thus making it a mecca for the more discerning visitor. As a residential district, it compares favourably with the equally affluent areas of neighbouring Knightsbridge and Chelsea sharing as it does the same mixture of graceful garden squares, genteel side streets and ultra-chic retail spaces.
Scientific and Cultural institutions abound, especially in the area around Exhibition Road, which includes such renowned places of learning as the Imperial College, the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal College of Art, the Royal College of Music also being nearby. However there are two main jewels in South Kensington’s rich crown and these take the form of the Museum of Natural History and the Victoria and Albert Museum, which together with the Royal Albert Hall represent the high-water mark of imperial Britain’s optimism and sense of achievement.
Large numbers of French expatriates working in the City live here lending a distinctive and welcome Gallic influence to a number of bookshops and cafes.
Home to one of London’s liveliest and varied markets and also the location of the sub-continental taste explosion that is Brick Lane, Spitalfields is attracting its fair share of creative entrepreneurs.
Brick Lane market was first held in the fields near St Mary Spital hospital as far back as the 13th century and now contains everything from antiques to jewellery and textiles created by design school graduates. Much of the Victorian structure has escaped demolition and remains as an indoor space for stall-holders, the best day being Sunday. You can also supplement your shopping energy with a stop at the Square Pie Company, a stand serving authentic hand-made pies in their trademark square design.
Spitalfields was an early home to non-conformists, later a Jewish ghetto, and then beginning in the 1960’s, a community of largely Bangladeshi immigrants. The area was steeped in their culture, and Brick Lane became synonymous with home-style curry. But change continues, and both creative and culinary industries have experienced injections of new talent and innovation. The Old Truman Brewery complex has become a centre for fashion and design while young entrepreneurs have elevated the curry house from its humble origins.
Stratford is the main site of the 2012 Olympic Games and as this momentous event fast approaches, it is poised to take its place on the World stage and as such is undergoing massive regeneration as sports stadia, new accommodation, and a new retail complex are commissioned and built.
The area is well served by a myriad of transportation links, with it being just a stop away from the City of London’s Liverpool Street station as well as functioning as the eastern terminus of the Jubilee line extension. The Docklands Light Railway and the Central Line underground link are also housed in the same brand new rail hub.
The Theatre Royal, Stratford is a beautifully restored Victorian-era auditorium and is the area’s main cultural focus with a drama and arts programme that is both varied and vibrant.
What was once the focus of a country’s pride and gratitude to a bona-fide hero and nation builder has become more of civic space and ongoing art installation in the manner of the capitals of continental Europe. It is not known what Lord Nelson whose statue sits atop its world famous column in the square’s centre would have made of the mixture of music concerts, cultural festivals and the like that take place below, but perhaps Londoners have decided to take alternative inspiration from the National Gallery which takes up the whole northern end of the square.
A string of new developments, which have stop-started since the 1980’s and finally culminated in the opening of the Tate Modern gallery, have finally galvanised the area around Waterloo train station, known more commonly as the South Bank. Until such high-profile cultural projects as the Tate and the Globe theatre gave locals and visitors a reason to head south in significant numbers, efforts to rehabilitate the riverine environments, such as the South Bank Centre, Butler’s Wharf and the Design Museum, had been isolated and never really gained critical mass. However, what were once noble if disparate ventures are celebrated today as a “string of pearls”. The London Eye, a terrific testimony to British design and engineering, and the ovoid Greater London Authority building by Norman Foster are fitting symbols of the South Bank’s arrival. The Thames River Walk provides spectacular views to the regal north shore as well as allowing a glimpse into a genuinely different side of London to the south.
For many, London’s West End perfectly represents the Capital’s energetic and metropolitan air, with its numerous theatres, restaurants and watering holes providing a buzzing round-the-clock backdrop. It is also a venue for retail therapy with the more discerning shopper concentrating on the high end outlets that cluster in and around Bond Street.
Bond Street dissects the West End/Mayfair district from north to south and is lined by shops that supply luxurious living to the well-heeled and style-conscious. From diamonds to antiques to haute couture, the most exacting of customer demands is met with both flair and discretion. Both ends of the street are served with underground stations; Bond Street to the north and Green Park to the South.
If the name carries a suggestion of power and influence then the architectural layout of Westminster leaves one in no doubt. This is the place where the nation’s symbols of democracy meet royal privilege and church tradition.
Travelling south along Whitehall from Trafalgar Square to the River Thames, you pass government departments housed in imposing Victorian monoliths set back from an impressive boulevard containing statues and memorials which speak of past imperial glories. Whitehall’s southern end opens onto Parliament Square where the Houses of Parliament sits facing Westminster Abbey; church and state in one accord.
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