What to know about Maida Vale and Little Venice

Maida Vale is one of London’s key areas and a prime residential hotspot situated between St John’s Wood and Notting Hill, on the edge of the West End. With an array of attractive, period buildings and striking canal boats decorated with colourful hanging baskets and pot plants, Maida Vale also boasts a wide variety of amenities that include numerous delis and cafes, popular gastropubs such as Gordon Ramsey’s The Warrington as well as a selection of recreational green spaces like the well-equipped ‘Paddington Rec’ and the beautiful secret garden squares.

Maida Vale’s square mile of tree lined streets and stucco fronted houses that make up the ever popular area of Little Venice really make W9 and W2 stand out from the crowd. With a location on the Grand Union Canal, Little Venice offers numerous amenities surrounding the waterway including the unusual floating art gallery, Cascade, the Puppet Theatre Barge which is an extraordinary, water borne theatre, as well as the popular Waterside Café and the excellent Warwick Castle Pub.

However, aside from its canalside location, Maida Vale’s second claim to fame is the renowned BBC Maida Vale Studios which, opening in 1934, originally started life in 1909 as a Roller Skating Palace and Club. Having been in operation longer than Broadcasting House, the Maida Vale Studios are one of the BBC’s earliest broadcasting premises and had a key role during World War II acting as the key location for the BBC’s news operations. The following years saw the Maida Vale Studios host big names of the developing music industry boasting artists such as The Beatles, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix, while the John Peel Sessions, running from 1967 to 2004, were one of the most well known and well loved features to be produced in Maida Vale.

The famous 19th century poet Robert Browning and the inventor of the wireless valve, Sir John Ambrose Fleming are both past residents of

Maida Vale, while in more recent years the area has been home to many well known figures including Sir Alec Guinness, Joan Collins, Jennifer Saunders, Kate Moss, Paul Weller and Jarvis Cocker.

Property types in Maida Vale and Little Venice

As a prime residential location there is a wide array of property types in Maida Vale and Little Venice, with each part of W9 and W2 offering different glimpses of the area’s character. As an affluent area with a longstanding history, the types of buildings vary from large, white stucco fronted villas, to a selection of Edwardian redbrick mansion blocks with spacious and attractive communal gardens. More recently there has been a conservation area designated to the streets around Randolph Avenue and down to Elgin Avenue to protect the oldest streets and the beautiful period buildings that they offer. Meanwhile, for something slightly different, Little Venice offers an alternative and romantic form of housing in the shape of the unusual house boats that line the area around the Grand Union Canal and the Regent’s Canal.

So, what will you get for your money in Maida Vale?

The rental market in Little Venice starts from around £300.00 per week which will rent you a studio apartment on Elgin or Sutherland Avenue, or a small one bedroom property in the surrounding streets and areas such as the Shirland Road and closer to Queens Park.  A larger one bedroom property or set within a portered building much closer to Little Venice can range between £375.00 per week and £550.00 per week, with the two bedroom properties ranging from £500.00 to £650.00 per week.

The mansion blocks in the area surrounding Paddington Recreational Ground are very popular with families and professionals alike and can fetch up to £700.00 per week for just two bedrooms and over £800.00 per week for 3 or more.

There are few houses to rent and properties on Clifton Gardens, close to the canal, can achieve over £2000.00 per week. Slightly further away from central Maida Vale you can expect to pay £800-1200.00 per week for a 4+ bedroom property.

So, what else can you expect from Maida Vale and Little Venice?

With prime residential properties and picturesque views around the canal, Maida Vale and Little Venice boast an impressive location and as a result there are numerous restaurants, cafés and delis, as well as smart shops in the area.

With numerous cafés and delis, Amoul’s is a well loved, family run Lebanese deli and café in Little Venice offering 100% home cooked foods and aims to support small, local farmers, producers and merchants. Meanwhile, Raoul’s Deli has been serving the locals of Maida Vale and Little Venice for twenty years now and is a popular W9 choice. Offering a vast selection of food stuffs, this Sicilian deli caters for everything from the best olive oil to the contents of your picnic hamper! And if that isn’t enough, Raoul’s Café is just over the road.

The lovely views of the canal and area around Little Venice can be considered one of the highlights of W9. To experience this in the most enjoyable way, head down to Formosa Street, where The Prince Albert gastropub, including the Formosa Dining Room, has won Young’s Food Pub of the year, while the nearby Waterway restaurant has a lovely terrace overlooking the Grand Union Canal. Just moments away The Waterway opens The Summerhouse between April and October offering delicious food for alfresco dining and a hint of that holiday feeling!

Green spaces in Maida Vale and Little Venice

There are a variety of green, open spaces in Maida Vale and Little Venice and the numerous, sought after, secret garden squares which include Formosa Garden and Triangle Garden offer one of the more exclusive elements of this. Crescent Garden, another of the secret garden squares, offers three acres of green space, and has recently received an award as London’s best, large private garden square. In addition to the communal gardens, some of London’s most popular parks can be found in and around Maida Vale and Little Venice. These include W9’s Paddington Recreation Ground, which offers a multitude of sporting and recreational facilities including football, tennis, cricket and athletics as well as a green, open space to relax and unwind. W2’s Little Venice further boasts the beautiful ornamental space of Rembrandt Gardens which has won numerous awards for London’s large public squares. Furthermore, Regents Park is a short walk from Maida Vale and Little Venice with lovely open parkland, recreational facilities and the famous London Zoo.

Transport in Maida Vale and Little Venice

There are excellent transport links in Maida Vale and Little Venice including London Underground services from the following stations:

Maida Vale (Bakerloo Line, Zone 2)
Warwick Avenue (Bakerloo Line, Zone 2)
Kilburn Park (Bakerloo Line, Zone 2)

Click here for an Underground Map

For more information about the bus routes in the Maida Vale and Little Venice area, click here.

Which London Borough is Maida Vale W9 in?

Maida Vale is in the City of Westminster. Click here for more information about council tax bands, parking permits and healthcare services in Maida Vale.

How can I find out about schools in the Maida Vale area?

For a comprehensive list of schools in the City of Westminster Borough please click here.

Which London Borough is Little Venice W2 in?

Little Venice is in the City of Westminster. Click here for more information about council tax bands, parking permits and healthcare services in Little Venice.

How can I find out about schools in the Little Venice area?

For a comprehensive list of schools in the City of Westminster Borough please click here.