Tag: Little Venice

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Living in Maida Vale

Post author By robin
Post date October 20, 2025

One of the strange things about living in London is that although we’re constantly surrounded by people, it’s often the case that many don’t really make much of an effort to reach out and talk to each other. Because of this, we can sometimes end up feeling a little bit disconnected. Fortunately, living in Maida Vale, Morshead residents are surrounded by a wealth of opportunity to connect with and meet like-minded neighbours.

What’s available for people living in Maida Vale?

A whole host of resources if you know where to look. For some helpful suggestions, read on…

Maida Vale Library

A good local resource, and one that many people probably wouldn’t think of, is Maida Vale Library. Situated on Sutherland Avenue, the library is open every day except Sundays. There are many useful resources to be found here, such as employment advice sessions, free Wi-Fi, photocopying, printing, scanning, reading groups and room hire. The library also offers a range of community involvement sessions, including the following:

Digital Support

Digital help fo people Living in Maida Vale

These sessions are available on Mondays and Saturdays and can be booked by calling 020 7641 6200 or by registering at the library desk. Volunteers provide one-to-one support to anyone needing help with a computer or smartphone problem. They can also help beginners who want to get started.

Return to Work Coaching

Cack to work help for people Living in Maida Vale

These events are designed to help people who have been out of work for a while or perhaps had a career break. Provided by The Hustle Factory, they are hosted by Francoise Carbonnel, who comes with more than 25 years of experience. Designed for anyone looking to return to work or enhance their job search strategies, these sessions come with a wealth of valuable resources. The next course is on November 5^th, from 10am-11.30am.

Mindfulness for Stress Reduction

A great opportunity to learn some self-care tools to help manage stress, these sessions offer useful advice on taking steps towards a calmer mind. This MBSR taster session is facilitated by Michelle, a British Association of Mindfulness Based Approach (BAMBA) registered Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction teacher. You can contact her directly at hello@thetheraoy.garden. The next session is on Friday October 31^st, from 4-5.30pm.

As well as the library, there are other opportunities for people living in Maida Vale to connect with other locals:

Yoga Sessions

Close to Maida Vale Station at the north end of Randolph Avenue is the Iyengar Yoga Centre. Open since 1984, it was founded by BKS Iyengar, who originally taught there. It offers daily beginners classes as well as specialist classes for children, teenagers, pregnancy, 60+, students with neurological conditions and remedial yoga. To find out more, click here.

Canal Boat Rides

The London Waterbus Company runs trips daily from Little Venice to Camden Lock, taking you through Regent’s Park and past London Zoo. These trips take 45 minutes each way and can be booked one way or return. They are scenic and relaxing and offer a unique way to see the local area. If booked online, there are special reductions for children. You can find out more by clicking here.

Nextdoor

Nexrdoor is the local app for connecting with neighbours

Nextdoor is an online app that allows people to connect and interact with other people in their local area. Although Nextdoor connects people worldwide, when you sign up, it will filter for posts in your specific area. Useful for sourcing local tradesmen, restaurant recommendations and local news, it’s also often used for finding such things as cleaners looking for extra work or local second-hand bargains, as well as being a resource for locating lost pets. To sign up to Nextdoor, click here.

The Maida Vale Facebook Group

If you’re a Facebook user, there’s a handy local community group that aims to provide a platform to connect with neighbours, ask questions or advice, share local news and add recommendations.

If you’d like to see more information on living in Maida Vale and Westminster, take a look at our previous post here.

Tags Little Venice, Living in Westminster, Maida Vale, Maida Vale Library, Morshead Mansions, Yoga in Maida Vale

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Maida Vale Restaurants

Post author By robin
Post date August 21, 2025

Interesting places to eat out close to Morshead Mansions

As well as a multitude of cafés and pubs, Morshead Mansions residents are fortunate to be surrounded by many local Maida Vale restaurants. They feature a variety of different types of food offerings as well as some very eclectic interior design. Below is a small selection of what’s on offer, all within easy walking distance of the street.

The Summerhouse

If you head down towards Little Venice and walk alongside the canal next to Blomfield Road, you’ll come across The Summerhouse. This is a lovely Hampton’s inspired restaurant overlooking the Grand Union Canal, serving seasonal dishes.

The Summerhouse claims that more than just a restaurant, it’s one of London’s most unique waterside dining destinations. With nautical-inspired interiors, al fresco seating and a relaxed coastal vibe, this canal-side restaurant invites you to unwind and enjoy the season.

A view ofThe Summerhouse restaurant from the Grand Union Canal

As well as lunch, dinner and Sunday roasts, the Summerhouse is also open from 9am-12pm on Saturdays and Sundays, serving weekend brunch. On sunny weekend mornings, it’s the perfect place to while away an hour or two, overlooking the canal and watching the boats go by.

The Waterway

A stone’s throw away from our first restaurant, and also nestled by the side of the canal, is The Waterway. Opened in 2002, this eatery says that it has established itself as one of Maida Vale’s best restaurants with one of London’s greatest outdoor terraces. This makes it a great place to dine outside during the warmer months and lighter evenings.

This restaurant has all seasons covered though, with the interior being styled in a cosy ski chalet vibe. This makes it a perfect setting during winter, featuring a fireplace, natural colour tones, live music and an extensive menu.

The interior style of The Waterway Restaurant

The Waterway is also available to hire for events and can be split into smaller areas to cater for all party sizes.

Kateh

Not far from here is another of our featured Maida Vale restaurants, Kateh. This hidden gem serves the latest in popular Persian cuisine. It can be found in Warwick Place, next door to the Warwick Castle pub.

Kateh features both an authentic and modern take on Persian cuisine in an elegant yet relaxed and intimate setting, seating just 75 diners. The daily menu is made up of 33 dishes, each inspired by the best of the day’s market produce.

A sample of the authentic Persian Cuisine on offer at Kateh restaurant

This restaurant also has a superb private dining room on the lower floor for up to 12 people. It also has a gorgeous garden terrace which can hold up to 25 people and a late license. This makes it an enticing dining destination for romantic couples, families and private celebrations.

Chakra

Formosa Street is not only one of London’s most unique shopping streets but is also the home of Chakra, a beautiful Indian restaurant. It describes itself as ‘a truly uplifting experience where exciting Indian cuisine, stunning interiors and unsurpassed service intertwine to create a sense of abundance, wellbeing and pleasure.’

It goes on to say ‘Our chefs have adapted timeless Indian recipes, using ingredients that positively impact your sense of wellbeing, without compromising on flavour. All our restaurants are a sanctuary for you to escape to. Teal colour palettes, harmonious accent colours and an abundance of vegetation come together to create an oasis of calm.’

A sample of the vibrant interiors at Chakra

Like many Maida Vale restaurants, Chakra also offers a delivery service. So, if you’d like to sample their food from the comfort of your home, just visit their website to make an order.

Banana Tree

Located right next door to Maida Vale Station is Banana Tree. The opening page of their website states ‘If you’re the type of person that dreams of venturing into the jungles of Borneo or exploring the bustling markets of Malaysia, you’re in the right place. Nothing says adventure like a Laksa lunch, a weekend Katsu or a dash of Vietnamese fish sauce in your dinner. At Banana Tree, our food takes you places.’

As well as a range of choices for meat and fish lovers, 40% of their menu caters to the vegan market. They go on to say ‘whether you’re fully vegan, a flexitarian, or just giving it a go, we know that variety and choice is important. We never compromise on flavour, and our in-house chefs are constantly working on fresh and innovative vegan options.’

A sampla of the kind of dishes on offer at Banana Tree

Banana Tree is also focused on animal preservation and donate 25p from every Blackened Monks Noodles sold to Orangutan Appeal UK, to help rehabilitate orphan orangutans. So far, with customers help, they have raised over £70,000 for the cause.

Thai Rice

Opposite the station is Thai Rice, which was founded in 2002 on Portobello Road. Using traditional family recipes and fresh ingredients to produce authentic Thai cuisine, the restaurant has enjoyed a great deal of success, enabling the owners to open more restaurants. This one on Elgin Avenue features a quirky interior, styled with an array of auto memorabilia.

Their website says ’ With the combination of excellent food, a welcoming ambience, contemporary décor and fast, friendly service, Thai Rice offers the perfect dining experience. We take great pride in the cooking and presentation of our food. Our aim is to deliver excellent cuisine at a reasonable price. The menu includes some delicious vegetarian options and is complemented by a high-quality wine list.’

More of the unique Thai Rice restaurant interior

Thia Rice also offers a home delivery service, booked through Uber Eats.

Dhaba@49

A short walk west along Elgin Avenue is Dhaba@49, offering exceptional North Indian cuisine mixed with a twist of Britain. With its unique interior and colourful Indian dishes, Dhaba@49 is well worth a visit.

Set up on the site of what was for many years a more traditional style India restaurant, Dhaba@49 takes the experience of Indian dining in a whole new direction. With rich aromatic flavours, their dishes are inspired by the roadside cafes of North India. These have been redefined and adapted to more suit local tastes.

Showcasing some of the colourful dishes on offer at Dhaba@49

As with most restaurants these days, they also offer a takeaway and delivery service for customer convenience.

Sushi Murasaki

The closest of our featured Maida Vale restaurants to Morshead Mansions is Sushi Murasaki, at the end of Lauderdale Parade. Opened in 2017, they offer an eccentric live sushi counter. So you can witness the fascinating art of sushi-making while enjoying the serene local setting.

Their website says ‘At Sushi Murasaki, our talented chefs meticulously create an experience for our guests. We do this by blending local produce with our Japanese cooking techniques. Our selection of high-quality fresh sushi and sashimi, along with perfectly paired sake and wine, is a perfect symphony in the mouth. Our lip-smacking hot food and highly recommended Japanese tea are refreshing and suitable for all London weathers.’

Some of the enticing dishes on offer at Sushi Murasaki

Sushi Murasaki also has an outside terrace which is perfect for relaxed summer evenings.

So, within the local Morshead Mansions area, there’s hopefully something to suit most culinary tastes. If you’d like to see more local eateries, why not take a look at our recent post on Maida Vale Pubs.

Tags Elgin Avenue, Little Venice, Living in Westminster, Maida Vale, Maida Vale restaurants, Morshead Mansions

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Medical Centres in Maida Vale

Post author By robin
Post date July 21, 2025

Medical Centres in Maida Vale that are close to Morshead Mansions

Morshead Mansions residents are fortunate to be surrounded by several NHS Maida Vale medical centres, all providing general patient and prescription services. Below is a small selection of the closest surgeries, all within easy walking distance of the street.

Please note that we make no particular recommendations and would always urge residents to do their own research before registering, however, there are some useful suggestions below. Whatever you are particularly looking for to manage your general health requirements, we hope you’ll find something helpful that’s close to home.

The Maida Vale Medical Centre

Probably the closest surgery to Morshead Mansions is the The Maida Vale Medical Centre. Situated at 40 Biddulph Mansions, Elgin Avenue, W9 1HT, it’s on the corner of Elgin Avenue & Biddulph Road.

Their website states ‘We are using an online service called ‘Register with a GP surgery’ that makes it easy to register with us. The service is run by the NHS, so your personal information is safe. It cuts our administrative workload and makes it easier for you to register.’

The Maida Vale Medical Centre is conveniently located on Elgin Avenue

The Randolph Surgery

One of the oldest Maida Vale medical centres, The Randolph Surgery, is at 235a Elgin Avenue, W9 1NH. It’s on the corner of Elgin Avenue & Randolph Avenue, opposite Starbucks and Maida Vale Station.

They are open from 8 am to 6.30 pm Monday to Friday and you can register in person or online.

The Randolph Surgery is a convenient Maida Vale Medical Centre close to the station

The Lanark Medical Centre

Easy to miss, The Lanark Medical Centre is just around the corner from the Elgin pub. It can be found at the 3rd Floor Medical Centre, 165 Lanark Road, W9 1NZ. Their website has an online registration form if you’d like to sign up.

The Grand Union Health Centre

A little further away but still in the Morshead Mansions catchment area, The Lanark Medical Centre is close to Little Venice, at 209 Harrow Road, W2 5EH.

Their website states ‘We welcome new patients who live across Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Brent, Central and Greater London. Registering is quick and easy and normally takes around 2 minutes. Whether you are a resident, student or professional working in the city, registering with us ensures quick access to health care when you need it most.’

The Grand Union Health Centre is another Maida Vale Medical Centre situated near Little Venice

We hope that you’ll find this post useful. If you’d like to find out more about services and resources available to Westminster residents, just click here – Living in Westminster

Tags Elgin Avenue, Little Venice, Living in Westminster, Maida Vale, Maida Vale Medical Centres, Morshead Mansions

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The History of Paddington Station

Post author By robin
Post date May 20, 2025

Maida Vale’s Mainline Station

The closest London mainline station to Morshead Mansions is Paddington, which serves the western side of the country, all the way down as far as Penzance, in Cornwall. Officially known as ‘London Paddington’, it’s more commonly referred to simply as Paddington and is one of the most iconic and historic railway stations in London. The history of Paddington Station dates all the way back to 1838, and it’s a fascinating one…

The Early Years

Paddington Station was originally built to be the London terminus of the Great Western Railway. Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, he was instrumental in the conception of a railway line from London to Bristol and intended it to be the best railway line in the country. The GWR originally planned their line to terminate at Euston, as using part of the existing London to Birmingham railway would have been cost-effective. Brunel, however, rejected this idea, concerned that it might allow Liverpool to compete as a port with Bristol.

Brunel originally planned for Paddington to be a grand building, close to both the Grand Union and Regent’s Canals. Before construction began, however, GWR decided to make substantial cutbacks, due to the soaring costs of building the main line. A temporary station was constructed instead, which opened on the 4th of June 1838 on the west side of Bishop’s Bridge Road.

Paddington Station Gets the Go-Ahead

At that time, the mainline only stretched as far as Maidenhead. By 1850, the line through to Bristol was opened and to cater for the increase in traffic the GWR agreed to a new permanent station to be built between Bishop’s Bridge Road and Praed Street. Brunel was able to oversee this project and the history of Paddington Station was born. Being hugely influenced by the design of the Crystal Palace, Brunel used wrought iron and glass in Paddington’s roof, a feature that can still be seen clearly to this day. At the time, this was the largest train shed roof in the world. The station building on platform 1 had three oriel windows that overlooked the train shed and a royal waiting room for Queen Victoria.

The Infrastructure

Between 1851-1854, the Great Western Hotel was built at the front of the station on Praed Street. Opening on the 9th of June 1854, it had 103 bedrooms and 15 sitting rooms. Each corner featured a tower that had 2 additional floors above the 5 storeys of the main building. When first opened it was run by a consortium of GWR shareholders and staff, in 1896 the GWR took over operations completely.

The GWR began experimenting with electric lighting at Paddington station in 1880. Although the system was initially unreliable, it spurred the GWR on to a more ambitious lighting scheme in 1886, which ultimately showed that electricity was able to compete effectively with traditional gas lighting.

Linking the Underground

Paddington was also the first station in London to be served by the London Underground. In 1863, the Metropolitan Railway opened its line from Paddington to Farringdon Street, using steam locomotives. Later, other lines were added, such as the District Railway in 1868, the Bakerloo Railway in 1913, and the Hammersmith & City Railway in 1926.

The History of Paddington Station’s Expansion

When first built in 1850, the station was so large that it was more than capable of coping with the Great Western Railway’s expansion for the next 50 years. By 1904 though, more space was needed, both for greater passenger numbers and more employees, so further building works took place. Between 1913 and 1916, a 4th roof span was added to increase the number of platforms, which today houses platforms 9-16.

Surviving World Wars

Paddington was fortunate to sustain no damage during World War I, even though it was used for some of the country’s military movement. On Armistice Day in 1922, a memorial to GWR employees who died during the war was unveiled by Viscount Churchill. The bronze memorial, depicting a soldier reading a letter, was sculpted by Charles Sargeant Jagger and still stands on platform 1 to this day.

More expansion to the station took place in the 1930’s, which included the art deco office block on the western side of the station. Between 1933-1935, a new entrance was built on Praed Street. Despite surviving World War 1, the station came under attack several times during World War II. On 17 April 1941, the departure side of the station was hit by a parachute mine and on 22 March 1944, the roof between platforms 6 and 7 was destroyed by two 500-pound bombs.

Passenger traffic greatly increased through Paddington during the war, partly due to evacuation and also because holidaymakers chose to travel west, as large areas of the south and east coasts had been taken over by the military. The history of Paddington station tells us that on the 29th of July 1944, it was closed for three hours because the platforms were saturated with passenger traffic, while on the following August Bank Holiday crowds had to be controlled in ordered queues along Eastbourne Terrace by mounted police.

Modernisation

The last long-distance steam train left Paddington on the 11th of June 1965, signalling the complete switch over to diesel trains. The track layout was reorganised in 1967, abolishing the designated arrival and departure platforms that had been a feature of Paddington since its opening. The station concourse was enlarged in 1970 and the ticket office was rebuilt in the same year. In 1982, a bronze statue of Brunel, sculpted by John Doubleday, was erected on the station concourse.

During the 1990’s the station was extensively refurbished, with the glass in Brunel’s original roof being replaced with polycarbonate glazing panels. This was also around the same time that all trains were electrified. In 2000 a new terminal opened to cater for the Heathrow Express service and 2022 saw the opening of the Elizabeth Line, which runs from the west of London to the east, passing through Paddington station.

Paddington Station Today

According to the 2023–24 Office of Rail & Road Statistics, Paddington is the second busiest station in the UK, after Liverpool Street, with almost 67 million entries and exits annually.

So, the history of Paddington station now spans almost two centuries and it’s definitely worth a visit if you haven’t ever travelled through it. Although it lies just 2 stops on the Bakerloo line from Maida Vale, if you’re feeling energetic it’s easily walkable. The walk itself is very picturesque, southwards down to Little Venice, into Paddington Basin and then just a little further along the canal. There’s a new modern side entrance by the canal and it’s a lovely area to sit outside and while away a sunny day…

If you’d like to read more about Paddington Station’s history, just head over to Wikipedia for a more detailed breakdown.

Tags Little Venice, Living in Westminster, Maida Vale, Morshead Mansions, Paddington Basin, Paddington Station

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Maida Vale Cafés

Maida Vale is fortunate to be blessed with a wealth of lovely cafés, where you can relax with a coffee, meet with friends or just take some time for yourself. Below are a small selection that are within walking distance of Morshead Mansions. Most you will probably know but if not, why not give some Maida Vale cafés a try..?

Moored on the canal in Little Venice is the Waterside Café, which opened in 1995. As well as tea and coffee, it’s open for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea.

Nestled down inside Clifton Nurseries is The Café, a peaceful retreat in a beautiful setting. Part inside a glasshouse and part outdoor terrace, this unique cafe is the perfect place to relax.

Primarily a chocolatier, Formosa Flowers and Chocolaterie is also a lovely place to grab a coffee, situated on the iconic Formosa Street. What could be better than enjoying a cup of coffee or tea while being surrounded by chocolates, pastries, flowers and scented candles?

Perhaps not where you’d expect to find exceptional Peruvian coffee beans but the entrance to Maida Vale Station is home to So Café. The intimate setup has a surprising menu that includes freshly brewed coffee, donuts, French pastries, Italian buns, cappuccinos and mochas.

A little closer to home on the corner of Castellain Road is Petit Café, which has seating inside for colder days and an outside terrace. Open during the day for breakfast, lunch and snacks, as well as good coffee you can find Avacado Eggs, Eggs Benedict and a range of tempting deserts.

Last but not least is Le Cochonnet, a bar and café that feels like it’s been a landmark at the end of Morshead Road forever! Featuring Italian menus and open from noon until late, it specialises in freshly cooked pizzas and is open for coffee all day.

Tags Formosa Street, Little Venice, Maida Vale, Maida Vale Cafes, Morshead Mansions

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The History of Little Venice

Post author By robin
Post date October 18, 2024
1 Comment on The History of Little Venice

A short walk from Morshead Mansions, down past Warwick Avenue tube station and on towards Paddington Basin, is the beautiful and historic area known as Little Venice, where The Regent’s Canal meets The Grand Union Canal and the Paddington Basin tributary. Often described by visitors as one of London’s hidden gems, its history dates back to the early 1800’s.

The area was called London’s Venice for a century before becoming known as Little Venice, the change often attributed to the poet and playwright Robert Browning, who lived nearby in the late 19^th century. Browning spent part of his life in Italy and died in Venice. The small bird island in the middle of the triangle between the canals is named after him.

It was more recently thought that it was actually Lord Byron who is responsible for the name, as stated in 1966 in a letter by Lord Kinross. Byron has been featured on the recently added plaques that can be seen on the walls close to the Waterside Café, a popular floating eatery that’s moored close to the Westbourne Terrace Road Bridge.

The exact boundaries of Little Venice aren’t completely clear, however, it’s generally thought to be roughly bounded by Delamere Terrace, Warwick Crescent, Howley Place and Maida Avenue to the south, Maida Vale (Road) to the east, the Lord Hill Road / Formosa Street Bridge to the west and Sutherland Avenue to the north.

Little Venice is at the southern end of Maida Vale, which takes its name from the Italian town of Maida, in Calabria, where in 1806 the British won a battle over Napoleon. A pub called ‘The Maida’, now no longer in existence, was sited on the Edgeware Road and its sign showed a likeness of General Sir John Stuart, who was made Count of Maida by King Ferdinand IV of Naples after the victory at the same battle. More recently, the pub formerly known as The Truscott Arms was renamed The Hero of Maida.

In 1801 Paddington was just a village on the outskirts of London, but the arrival of the canal saw it become an important waterways hub and as a consequence, the area started to flourish. In 1911, architect John Nash produced a masterplan for the Prince Regent to redevelop a large area of central north London. As a result, the Regent’s Canal was included in the scheme, running for part of its distance along the northern edge of Regent’s Park and into Little Venice.

Following this successful development, many of the other houses and mansions in the surrounding area and further along the canal were built in a similar style. These greatly elevated the status of the whole area and set the tone for Little Venice becoming an ‘expensive’ area to buy property, as it is to this day. The character of this neighbourhood is largely defined by the Regency style, with beautiful white stucco buildings on many of the surrounding streets, including Blomfield Road, Warrington Crescent and Randolph Road.

On the eastern side of Paddington Basin is Rembrandt Gardens, which was originally planted in the 1970’s on the 700th anniversary of the founding of Amsterdam, known as the ‘Venice of the North’. Along the canal, as well as The Waterside Café you can find the Canal Café Theatre, The Puppet Theatre Barge, The Summerhouse Restaurant and Café La Ville, which spans the bridge on the eastern end of the canal. The area also hosts the annual Canalway Cavalcade, which you can read more about here.

Close by, the area is blessed with three Grade II Listed pubs with historic facades and interiors, The Prince Alfred on Formosa Street, The Warwick Castle in Warwick Place and The Warrington, on Warrington Crescent. The Colonnade Hotel, also on Warrington Crescent, dates back to 1863 and was originally a pair of houses. The interior still boasts many original features, including mouldings and a continuous 1^st floor balustrade, and there are blue plaques on the outside in tribute to historical associations with code-breaker Alan Turing and psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud.

Today, the area around Paddington Basin is a vibrant tourist spot and a lovely place to go for a stroll. Walking further into Paddington Basin provides a complete change from historic to modern, with huge amounts of redevelopment having taken place in recent years. Here too you will find an array of restaurants, bars and cafes and fascinating places to take a break, including Sheldon Square and Merchant Square, which features the Floating Park and the Fan Bridge. From the Basin, you can take boat trips along The Regent’s Canal to London Zoo and Camden Town.

Tags Little Venice, Maida Vale, Morshead Mansions, Rembrandt Gardens

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May Bank Holiday Canal Boat Cavalcade

Post author By robin
Post date April 19, 2024

If you’re looking for something to do this coming May Bank Holiday, why not take a walk down to Little Venice and Paddington Basin to experience the annual Inland Waterways Association May Bank Holiday Canal Boat Cavalcade? The boats will be moored between Blomfield Road, Warwick Avenue and Warwick Crescent, with entertainment stretching into Paddington Basin.

Each early May Bank Holiday, over 100 narrow boats from all over the country converge on Little Venice to create a truly unique spectacle. The event takes place over the whole weekend, this year it will be from the 4^th-6^th May and will showcase canal boat living to its full, with a wonderful array of floating colour and entertainment.

For 2024, ‘Fund Britain’s Waterways’ is the theme and there’s a lot to see. Along with the boats themselves, you’ll find stalls selling unique items, a real ale bar and a fantastic selection of street food stalls for a quick snack. Other features are the eclectic live music, Morris Dancers and plenty of children’s entertainment. This year, for the first time, there will be a special illuminated boat parade between 9 pm and 10.30 pm on Sunday.

Opening times for the May Bank Holiday Canal Boat Cavalcade will be 10am-6pm on Saturday and Sunday and 10am-5pm on Monday. You can find out more on the Inland Waterways Website.

If you’d like to find out more about the history of Little Venice, take a look at our post here.

Photo credits – steve_w via creative commons, garryknight via creative commons and Inland Waterways Association

Tags Canal Boat Cavalcade, Little Venice, Living in Westminster, Maida Vale, May Bank Holiday, Morshead Mansions

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Beautiful Autumn colours in and around Maida Vale

Post author By robin
Post date November 21, 2023

With the Autumn season well and truly upon us, there’s no better time to take a walk to take in the full beauty of the local area and the beautiful Autumn colours in and around Maida Vale. From right on our doorstep to a little further afield, we’re all extremely fortunate to live in an area where there is so much colour and natural wonder.

The first and closest place to experience the colour of Autumn is the communal gardens behind Morshead Mansions, which all residents are able to easily access with a garden key. Over the last few years the garden has continued to look better and better and at this time of the year it’s a colourful, convenient and happy place to take a quick stroll.

Just a little further away and right opposite Morshead Mansions is Paddington Recreation Ground, which at this time of year is full of reds, oranges and yellows, with carpets of leaves. This park has wide open spaces, as well as a great selection of secluded garden areas and is a really handy place to wander around and stretch your legs.

At this time of year, the area around Warwick Avenue Station is particularly pretty and colourful and well worth taking the time to have a look. Only a 5-7 minute walk from Morshead Mansions, it’s easily accessible and once in the area there are many other parts that are worth exploring too.

A short walk along the flaming red tree-lined Warwick Avenue brings you to Little Venice and the bridge that looks over the canal below. At this time of year the colourful boats that line both sides of the canal are beautifully complemented by the explosion of colours from the trees.

On the opposite side of the bridge is the start of Paddington Basin, which is a truly lovely place to go for a walk. It’s an area that’s full of canal boats and also a place where you can take a boat trip along the canal through Regent’s Park to Camden Lock. In the middle of the water is Little Venice Island Gardens, which is dedicated as a bird sanctuary and out of bounds to the public. On the opposite side is the Waterside Boat Cafe, which is an idylc place to stop for a coffee, a light breakfast or some lunch.

If you’re feeling particularly energetic, why not walk a little further into Paddington Basin and along to Sheldon Square. This whole area has been completely re-developed over the last few years and is dedicated as a Clean Air Zone. Along the canal there are many bars and restaurants, many of which are on boats, and it’s a great place to have a stroll and while away a couple of hours. Further along the canal still is Merchant Square, which features the acclaimed Fan Bridge.

A little further afield, Primrose Hill always looks especially colourful at this time of year. It is walkable, which would probably take around 15-20 minutes each way, however, for those who drive it’s good to know that Morshead Mansion’s ‘C’ zone parking permits extend right up to the west side of the park. This makes it pretty convenient to get to and once there, you could easily spend at least half an hour walking around the whole of the park. If you’d rather just visit to take in the views, a short walk up to the top of the hill will reward you with spectacular views over central London and its famous landmarks.

Another alternative if you feel like walking to Primrose Hill or Regent’s Park is to take the canal from Little Venice. Most of the route is accessible along the canal, apart from a short stretch between the Edgeware Road and Lisson Grove.

Regent’s Park adjoins Primrose Hill and is accessible in the same way, with ‘C’ zone parking all along the north side, up to where Primrose Hill begins. At this time of the year, the whole of the park looks incredibly beautiful and with a good selection of cafes it’s a great place to while away a few hours and take in the scenery.

So these are just a selction of suggested places that are fairly close to Morshead Mansions that you can visit to take in the splendour of the beautiful Autumn colours in and around Maida Vale. If you have time to visit any of them you’re unlikely to be disappointed, it’s worth remembering though that Autumn won’t last forever, so make sure you go soon!

Tags Autumn, Little Venice, Living in Westminster, Maida Vale, Morshead Mansions, Primrose Hill, Regent's Park