St John's Wood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St John's Wood |
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 St John's Wood High Street |
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 St John's Wood
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| OS grid reference | TQ265835 |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | NW8 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| EU Parliament | London |
| UK Parliament |
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| London Assembly |
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St John's Wood is a lively area in London, England. It is located about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) northwest of Charing Cross, a famous spot in central London. This area used to be part of a larger place called Marylebone.
St John's Wood stretches from Regent's Park and Primrose Hill in the east to Edgware Road in the west. To the north, you'll find the Swiss Cottage area, and to the south, Lisson Grove.
This district is famous for a few cool things. It's home to Lord's Cricket Ground, which is known as the "Home of Cricket." It's where the Marylebone Cricket Club and Middlesex County Cricket Club play. You can also find Abbey Road Studios here. This studio is super famous because the Beatles recorded many of their songs there!
Contents
The Story Behind the Name
How St John's Wood Got Its Name
Long ago, this area was part of the Forest of Middlesex. This was a large woodland, even though not all of it was dense forest.
The name "St John's Wood" comes from the Manor of Lileston. This manor was one of two main estates in the Parish of Marylebone.
In 1312, the Knights Templar lost control of the Manor. It then went to the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, also known as the Knights of St John. Their main base in England was at Clerkenwell Priory.
The Knights of St John gave their name to a wood in the area. This wood then gave its name to St John's Farm. The farmhouse of this farm later became the St John's Wood Barracks from 1804 to 2012.
The Priory rented out the land to farmers. This helped them get food and money. The land stayed with the Crown until 1675. Then, Charles II of England gave the St John's Wood estate to Charles Henry Wotton. Later, in 1733, a merchant named Henry Samuel Eyre bought most of the land, about 200 hectares (500 acres).
The Eyre family developed the estate in the 1800s. That's why it became known as the Eyre estate. It still exists today, but it is much smaller.
Plans for developing St John's Wood were made in 1794. But building didn't start until 1804. Henry Samuel Eyre II and Walpole Eyre held their first auction then. James Burton was one of the first builders.
Cool Places in St John's Wood
Homes and Buildings
St John's Wood was one of the first London suburbs to have many large houses, called villas. It also had lots of tree-lined streets. Many of these villas have now been divided into smaller apartments or replaced by apartment blocks. This type of development has made it one of the most expensive places to live in London.
Sports and Music Landmarks
Lord's Cricket Ground is a very famous place here. It is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club and Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). It is known as the "Home of Cricket" because it was where the sport first became organized.
Abbey Road Studios is on Abbey Road. This is where the Beatles recorded many of their songs. Their famous album Abbey Road has a cover showing the band crossing the road right outside the studio!
RAK Studios was started by producer Mickie Most. It is near Regent's Park. Many famous songs were recorded here. These include "Hold Me Now" by the Thompson Twins and "Kids in America" by Kim Wilde. There is a special plaque here for Errol Brown, who sang for Hot Chocolate.
Nature and Health
St. John's Wood Church Grounds has the only nature reserve in the City of Westminster. Much of the area is a special "conservation area." This means it is protected to keep its unique character.
Wellington Hospital is the largest private hospital in the UK. The Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth is also nearby.
Former Important Places
St John's Wood Barracks used to be the home for The King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery. This group of soldiers and horses moved in 2012. Now, the site is being developed into a new area called St John’s Wood Square.
The Allitsen Road drill hall was once the headquarters for a military group called the 3rd County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters).
The St John's Wood Art School and the Anglo-French Art Centre were also located in St John's Wood.
The old Marlborough Road tube station is now a power station for London's underground trains.
The Star is a pub that has been around for about 200 years. It is now a gastropub, meaning it serves good food along with drinks.
Learning in St John's Wood
Private Schools
- The American School in London
- Arnold House School
- Abercorn School
- Saint Christina's Primary School
- St John's Wood Pre-Preparatory School
Academy and Federation Schools
- Harris Academy St John's Wood
- George Eliot Primary School
State Schools
- Robinsfield Infant School
- Barrow Hill Junior School
Places to Worship
Christian Churches
- St John's Wood Church (Church of England)
- St Mark's Church, Hamilton Terrace (Church of England)
- Abbey Road Baptist Church (Baptists Together)
- The Church of Our Lady (Roman Catholic)
Jewish Synagogues
- St John's Wood United Synagogue (United Synagogue)
- The Liberal Jewish Synagogue (Liberal Judaism)
- The New London Synagogue (Orthodox/Masorti)
- Saatchi Shul (Orthodox)
Buddhist Centre
Islamic Mosque
- London Central Mosque
Getting Around St John's Wood
The main underground train station is St John's Wood tube station. It is on the Jubilee line. Other nearby stations include Maida Vale, Warwick Avenue, and Kilburn Park. These are on the Bakerloo line.
The closest London Overground station is South Hampstead. Many London Buses also go through St John's Wood. These include routes 13, 46, 113, N113, 139, 187, 189, and 274.
Famous People from St John's Wood
Blue Plaques
Many famous people who lived in St John's Wood have special "blue plaques" on their former homes. These plaques tell you who lived there and what they did. Some of these famous residents include:
- Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema (painter)
- Gilbert Bayes (sculptor)
- Sir Joseph Bazalgette (civil engineer, who helped design London's sewer system)
- Sir Thomas Beecham (conductor)
- Dame Barbara Hepworth (sculptor)
- Thomas Hood (poet)
- Thomas Huxley (biologist)
- Melanie Klein (psychoanalyst)
- Dame Laura Knight and Harold Knight (painters)
- Oskar Kokoschka (painter)
- Marie Tussaud (artist, who founded Madame Tussauds wax museum)
Other Notable Residents
Many other well-known people have lived in St John's Wood:
- Henry Barnett (banker and politician)
- Charles Bradlaugh (founder of the National Secular Society)
- Noel Gallagher (musician from Oasis)
- Stephen Hough (concert pianist)
- Eric Idle (actor and comedian from Monty Python)
- Sir John Major (former Prime Minister)
- Sir Paul McCartney (musician from The Beatles) has lived here since 1965.
- Keith Richards (rock musician from The Rolling Stones) lived here in the 1960s. He even wrote the song "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" here!
- Mark Ronson (DJ and music producer) lived here as a child.
- Sachin Tendulkar (famous cricketer) has a home here.
St John's Wood in Pop Culture
Music Connections
St John's Wood has been mentioned in many songs and used as a filming location for music videos:
- The Rolling Stones' 1965 song "Play with Fire" mentions St John's Wood.
- Robbie Williams' 2019 song "Idlewild" also talks about the area.
- Coldplay's 2008 song "Violet Hill" is named after a street near Abbey Road.
- Queen's early music videos were filmed at St John's Wood Studios in 1973.
- Duran Duran's first music video for "Planet Earth" was shot here in 1980.
- The Housemartins and Arctic Monkeys filmed music videos at The Star pub in St John's Wood.
Books and Stories
This area has also appeared in many books:
- In Wilkie Collins's 1859 novel The Woman in White, some characters live in a fictional address in St John's Wood.
- Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle mention a fictional address in St John's Wood where a character lives.
- In John Galsworthy's The Man of Property, a character lives on a fictional street in St John's Wood.
- In P. G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster stories, characters Bingo and Rosie live here.
- J. G. Ballard's 2003 novel Millennium People features a character who lives in St John's Wood.
- Howard Jacobson's books The Making of Henry and The Finkler Question also use St John's Wood as a setting.
Movies and TV Shows
St John's Wood has been a backdrop for films and TV:
- The 1990s TV show Babes in the Wood was set here.
- Movies like Bedazzled were filmed at the former St John's Wood Studios.
- Because it was close to Elstree Studios, many adventure TV shows from the 1960s and 1970s filmed scenes here. These include The Saint and The Persuaders!.
- The old Marlborough Road tube station appears in the 1973 documentary Metro-Land.
- Streets in St John's Wood were featured in an episode of the TV series Minder.
Images for kids
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A map showing the St John's Wood area in 1916.
See also
In Spanish: St John's Wood para niños
