Maida Vale

Maida Vale (/ˈmeɪdə veɪl/ MAY-də vayl) is an affluent residential district in West London, England, north of Paddington, southwest of St John's Wood and south of Kilburn, on Edgware Road.

It is a recognised postal district bounded by the Avenues on the west, the Regent's Canal to the south, Maida Vale to the east and Kilburn Lane to the north.

The area was originally owned by the Church, initially as part of St Margaret's, Westminster, then later by the Bishop of London after the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

[14] In 1816, an Act of Parliament allowed the trustees of Sir John Frederick's estate and the Bishop of London to begin developing the area.

[14] John Gutch, surveyor to the Bishop of London, produced a plan for the area in 1827, which roughly corresponds to current road alignments.

[14] In 1960, the ownership of the area's freehold passed from the Bishop of London to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, whose function was to administer the church's assets.

[14] The 1896 Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue, a Grade II listed building and headquarters of the British Sephardi community, is on Lauderdale Road.

[20] Both assert that Lord Byron (1788–1824) humorously coined the name, which now applies more loosely to a longer reach of the canal system.

A waterbus service operates from Little Venice eastwards round Regent's Park, calling at London Zoo and on towards Camden Town.

[22] Maida Vale is noted for wide tree-lined avenues, large communal gardens and red-brick mansion blocks from the late Victorian and Edwardian eras.

Built in 1920–1921 for Charrington Brewery, it is thought to be the work of the architect Frank J. Potter and is noted for its 1920s interiors and faience tiled exterior.

The building was being considered by Historic England for Grade II listing when it was unexpectedly demolished in March 2015 by the property developer CLTX Ltd to make way for a block of flats.

[25] Maida Vale has a namesake electoral ward and in the 2022 local election returned three Labour councillors for Westminster City Council.

[26] Local places of worship include St Saviour's Church, Warwick Avenue, a building constructed in 1972–1976 in a "modern" style.

A map showing the Maida Vale ward of Paddington Metropolitan Borough as it appeared in 1916.
The canal junction at Little Venice
The Carlton Tavern (1921) is an example of 1920s architecture. The pub was demolished in 2015 but subsequently rebuilt following a community campaign and planning appeals.