Maida Vale facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Maida Vale
The Grand Union Canal at Little Venice
Maida Vale
Population	23,161 (2016 Maida Vale and Little Venice combined Ward populations)
OS grid reference	TQ255825
London borough	Westminster
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LONDON
Postcode district	W9
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
EU Parliament	London
UK Parliament	Queen's Park and Maida Vale
London Assembly	West Central
List of places UK England London 51°31′48″N 0°11′10″W / 51.530°N 0.186°W / 51.530; -0.186

Maida Vale is a lovely neighbourhood in West London, England. It's known for its beautiful homes and quiet streets. You can find it north of Paddington and south of Kilburn, right by the Edgware Road.

This area is part of the City of Westminster. It's about 3 miles (5.0 km) north-west of Charing Cross. Maida Vale has many old buildings, like large apartment blocks. These were built in the late Victorian and Edwardian times. It's also home to the famous BBC Maida Vale Studios.

Why is it called Maida Vale?

The name Maida Vale comes from an old pub and a battle. The pub was called The Maida. It stood on Edgware Road near the Regent's Canal until around the year 2000.

In the early 1800s, the pub's sign showed a picture of General Sir John Stuart. Below his picture, it said "Sir John Stuart, the hero of Maida." General Stuart was given the title Count of Maida (a town in Italy). This was after a British victory at the Battle of Maida in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.

As London grew, the name stuck. The farmland around the pub was used to build homes in the 1820s. That's how this area got its unique name.

Where is Maida Vale?

A map showing the Maida Vale area in 1916.

Maida Vale is surrounded by several roads and a canal. To the south, you'll find Maida Avenue and the Regent's Canal. Maida Vale Road is to the north-east, and Kilburn Park Road is to the north-west. Shirland Road and Blomfield Road are to the south-west.

The whole area is about 1 square kilometre (0.4 square miles). Most of it is in the W9 postal district.

The southern part of Maida Vale is very special. It's where the Paddington Basin meets the Regent's Canal. Many houseboats are moored here. This charming spot is known as Little Venice. Paddington Recreation Ground, a large park, is also in Maida Vale.

Just east of Maida Vale is St John's Wood. This area is famous for Lord's Cricket Ground.

A Look at Maida Vale's Past

The land where Maida Vale now stands used to belong to the Church. It was first part of St Margaret's, Westminster. Later, it was owned by the Bishop of London. This happened after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, when the Church's lands were taken by the King.

In 1816, a special law was passed. This law allowed the Bishop of London to start building homes in the area. Construction began in the 1820s along Edgware Road. The name Maida Vale first appeared on maps in 1827.

By 1868, a part of Edgware Road was officially called Maida Vale. In 1960, the ownership of the land changed. It went from the Bishop of London to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. They manage the Church's money and property.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Maida Vale was a big centre for Sephardic Jews. Some people even called it "New Jerusalem." The Lauderdale Road Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue, built in 1896, is here. It's a beautiful, historic building.

Many famous people have lived near this synagogue. David Ben-Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel, lived on Warrington Crescent. The brilliant computer scientist Alan Turing was born nearby. The famous actor Alec Guinness was also born on Lauderdale Road.

The Maida Vale tube station opened on June 6, 1915. It's on the Bakerloo line. The Warwick Avenue tube station, also on the Bakerloo line, opened a few months before.

BBC Studios in Maida Vale

Maida Vale is home to some of the BBC's most important radio studios. The building on Delaware Road is one of the BBC's oldest sites. It was used as the main BBC radio news centre during World War II.

The studios have seven rooms for recording music and radio plays. It was famously where John Peel recorded his Peel Sessions for BBC Radio 1. It was also home to the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, which created amazing sound effects.

The BBC has announced plans to move these studios to East London in the future.

Exploring Little Venice

The canal junction at Little Venice

Little Venice is a newer name for parts of Maida Vale and Paddington. It's the area around the Little Venice canal basin and its waterways. It's famous for its white buildings with Regency style and the many boats moored on the canals.

The name Little Venice is used for streets like Maida Avenue, Warwick Crescent, and Blomfield Road. It also includes parts of Randolph Avenue that overlook Browning's Pool.

Some say the poet Robert Browning gave the area its name. He lived here from 1862 to 1887. However, others believe Lord Byron jokingly came up with the name. Browning's Pool is named after Robert Browning. It's where the Regent's Canal and the Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal meet.

South Maida Vale is a great place to live. It has many shops and restaurants. You can also find the Canal Cafe Theatre, the Puppet Theatre Barge, and the Waterside Café. The Warwick Castle pub is also popular.

A special waterbus service runs from Little Venice. It goes east around Regent's Park, stopping at London Zoo. It then continues towards Camden Town. Every year since 1983, the Inland Waterways Association holds a fun event called the Canalway Cavalcade in Little Venice.

Other Interesting Areas

The Carlton Tavern (1921) is an example of 1920s architecture.

Maida Vale is known for its wide streets lined with trees. It also has large shared gardens and many red-brick apartment buildings. These buildings were built in the late Victorian and Edwardian eras. The first ones were finished in 1897.

One interesting building is the Carlton Tavern. It's a pub on Carlton Vale. It was built in 1920–1921. It's known for its 1920s style inside and its tiled outside. The pub was sadly knocked down in 2015. But thanks to a community effort, it was rebuilt and reopened!

Who Lives in Maida Vale?

Maida Vale has its own local area for elections. In 2011, about 10,210 people lived there. Most people (62.4%) were White. There were also many Asian (11.7%) and Black (7.1%) residents. Maida Vale also has a large Arab community, making up 9.2% of the population. Arabic is the most spoken foreign language.

Most homes in Maida Vale are flats or apartments. Because it's in the city, most residents don't own a car.

Places of Worship

Maida Vale has several churches and synagogues. The main church in the area is St Augustine's. It's sometimes called "The Cathedral of North London." Other churches include St Mark's parish church and St Saviour's Church on Warwick Avenue. St Saviour's was built in a modern style between 1972 and 1976.

The Lauderdale Road Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue is a Sephardic Jewish place of worship in Maida Vale. The Saatchi Shul, an independent Orthodox Jewish synagogue, was started in Maida Vale in 1998.

Famous People from Maida Vale

Many well-known people have lived in or been connected to Maida Vale. Some have special plaques on their homes to remember them.

People with Commemorative Plaques

• Andreas Kalvos (1792–1869), a Greek poet, lived at 182 Sutherland Avenue.
• Ambrose Fleming (1849–1945), an English electrical engineer, lived at 9 Clifton Gardens.
• David Ben-Gurion (1886–1973), the first prime minister of Israel, lived at 75 Warrington Crescent.
• Lupino Lane (1892–1959), a theatre and film star, lived at 32 Maida Vale.
• Henry Hall (1898-1989), a British band leader, lived at 8 Randolph Mews.
• Edward Ardizzone (1900–1979), an artist and illustrator, lived at 130 Elgin Avenue.
• Lennox Berkeley (1900-1989), a composer, lived at 8 Warwick Avenue.
• Alan Turing (1912–1954), a famous code-breaker and computer science pioneer, lived at 2 Warrington Crescent.
• Alec Guinness (1914–2000), a famous English actor, was born at 155 Lauderdale Mansions.
• Arthur Lowe (1915–1982), an English actor known for Dad's Army, lived at 2 Maida Hill West.
• Roger Bannister (1929–2018), the first person to run a 4-minute mile, trained at Paddington Rec.
• Tony Meehan (1943–2005), a founder of the band The Shadows, lived at 34 Lauderdale Mansions.

Other Notable People

• Sir John Tenniel (1820–1914), an artist and cartoonist, lived at 10 Portsdown Road.
• John Lawrence Toole (1830–1906), a comic actor, lived in Maida Vale.
• James Payn (1830–1898), a novelist, died at his home, 43 Warrington Crescent.
• Joanna Mary Boyce (1831–1861), a portrait painter, was born in Maida Vale.
• Sir Edward German (1862–1936), a composer, lived at 5 Biddulph Road.
• George Arliss (1868–1946), an actor, lived at 1 Clifton Villas.
• Leslie Green (1875–1908), an architect, was born in Maida Vale.
• John Masefield (1878–1967), a novelist and Poet Laureate, lived at 30 Maida Avenue.
• Lieutenant Leonard Keysor VC (1885–1951), an Australian soldier, was born in Maida Vale.
• Clifford Grey (1887–1941), a musical theatre composer, lived at 38 Sandringham Court.
• Esmé Percy (1887–1957), an actor, lived at 30 Warrington Crescent.
• Philip Guedalla (1889–1944), a writer and politician, was born in Maida Vale.
• Vera Brittain (1893–1970), a writer, lived at 111 Wymering Mansions.
• Victor Gollancz (1893–1967), a publisher, was born at 256 Elgin Avenue.
• Irene Handl (1901–1987), an actress, was born in Maida Vale.
• Terence Fisher (1904–1980), a film director, was born in Maida Vale.
• Nancy Mitford (1904–1973), an author, lived at 13 Blomfield Road.
• Lou Preager (1906–1978), a British band leader, lived at 198 Wymering Mansions.
• Hardy Amies (1909–2003), a fashion designer for Queen Elizabeth II.
• Ernest Clark (1912–1994), an actor, was born and grew up in Maida Vale.
• Helen Clare (1916–2018), a singer, lived at 88 Maida Vale.
• Alan Freeman (1927–2006), a famous broadcaster.
• Mstislav Rostropovich (1927-2007), a cellist, lived at 18 Randolph Crescent.
• Enrica Soma (1929–1969), a ballerina, lived here with her children.
• Ruth Rendell (1930–2015), a crime novelist, lived in the area.
• Alexander Walker (1930–2003), a film critic, lived at 1 Marlborough.
• Joan Collins (b. 1933), a famous actress, grew up in Maida Vale.
• John Inman (1935–2007), an actor, lived in Little Venice for 30 years.
• Eddie Linden (b. 1935), a poet, edited his magazine from his Maida Vale home.
• Delia Derbyshire (1937–2001), worked with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
• Edward Fox (b. 1937), a film actor, has lived in Maida Avenue for many years.
• Marc Bolan (b. 1947), a musician, lived at 31 Clarendon Gardens.
• Philip Lawrence (1947-1995), a head teacher, worked in Maida Vale.
• Joe Strummer (1952–2002), from the band The Clash, lived here.
• Jimmy McCulloch (1953–1979), from the band Wings, died in his flat here.
• Elizabeth Emanuel (b. 1953), a fashion designer, lives in the area.
• Raphael Ravenscroft (b.1954), a saxophonist, lived at 27A Bristol Gardens.
• Michael Flatley (b. 1958), a dancer and creator of Riverdance, owned a house here.
• Jarvis Cocker (b. 1963), from the band Pulp, lived in the area.
• Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer (b. 1964), brother of Diana, Princess of Wales, has a home here.
• Björk (b. 1965), an Icelandic singer, lived here in the 1990s and early 2000s.
• Ben Miller (b. 1966), a comedian and actor.
• Noel Gallagher (b. 1967), a singer and songwriter.
• Bradley Wiggins (b. 1980), a famous cyclist.
• Eva Green (b. 1980), an actress.
• Daisy Ridley (b. 1992), an actress.
• Kate Stewart (b. 1995), a singer-songwriter.

Education

Maida Vale has several schools for children of different ages.

See also

In Spanish: Maida Vale para niños