Focus On Maida Vale: Communal gardens are key to understanding this area’s desirability
Home to a delightful canalside community known as Little Venice, Maida Vale is right up there with Hampstead as one of the most exclusive and visually attractive places to live in west London. Houses on roads close to the canal go for between £20-25m, accounting for three of the top 100 most expensive property sales in London’s history.
Like a lot of central London, prices have dipped recently, but this isn’t true if you’ve got access to one of Maida Vale’s much-coveted communal gardens. With tennis courts and children’s play areas, they are some of the most sought after in London.
“Although prices over the last five years have dropped by around 10-15 per cent, premium stock, predominantly white stucco houses and flats or houses within garden squares have held their price per square foot,” says James Westerndarp, head of Little Venice residential sales at estate agent Chestertons.
If spacious apartments in Victorian mansion blocks are your cup of twee, then Maida Vale is the location for you. According to David Fell, a Hamptons International research analyst, over 90 per cent of homes in W9 today are flats in mansion blocks. “They were profitable to build, aimed at tempting the wealthy Londoners who had long-favoured detached suburban homes to live nearer their work,” says Fell.
Not only that, most of these apartments pack in 1,000sqft of living space and three bedrooms, making the area a cheaper, viable alternative to Notting Hill. “The two locations share many similarities, particularly the amazing communal gardens hidden from view behind the elegant white stucco terraces,” says Marc Schneiderman, director at Arlington Residential. Savills puts the average second hand flat sale at £517,335, but you’re looking at another £200,000 on top if you’re set on Notting Hill.
Apart from west London upsizers, Americans often buy to be close to The American School in London, part of an influx of bankers that have taken over the traditionally artsy area. “Apartments are typically bought by European and British young professionals, often working in finance, who are able to live in a place with a vibrant village feel whilst only 30mins away from The City,” says Lee Koffman from UK Sotheby’s International Realty.
Canal Theatre Cafe
Only half an hour? Well, there’s a nifty trick that locals use to get to London’s financial centres in super-quick time. “One thing a lot of non-residents aren’t aware of is that the interchange between the Bakerloo Line and the Jubilee Line at Baker Street is one of the easiest on the whole Tube network, which makes commuting to London Bridge and Canary Wharf extremely quick and straightforward,” says Jo Eccles, managing director at SP Property Group. And transport is only set to get better, with Crossrail opening up at Paddington next year a 10min walk away.
The most expensive property tends to be on Maida Avenue and Blomfield Road alongside the boats and barges on Regent’s Canal. “Some of the highest value sales recorded have been within the red brick manisions on tree-lined Lauderdale Road,” adds Savills’ Frances Clacy. More affordable is Maida Hill, an area with “massive potential” says Chestertons’ Westerndarp. “It offers lovely Victorian houses for a lower price per square foot than areas adjoining it.”
Puppet Theatre Barge
Area highlights
Little Venice, lined as it is with picturesque barges and canalside cafes, is a beautiful place to hang out on a sunny afternoon. For a quirkier time, enjoy a show on the Puppet Theatre Barge or laugh out loud at comedy nights at candlelit venue the Canal Cafe Theatre. Comedy fans will also enjoy watching Beatles fans dart out in front of oncoming traffic to get a picture hurriedly walking across the zebra crossing outside of Abbey Road Studios. It’s so entertaining, there’s even a live stream of it on the internet. For a decent gastropub with canalside views, head to The Waterway with its generous terrace and large windows. The Elgin pub is a hipper alternative, serving up eclectic dishes and speciality coffees in an exposed brick, shabby chic environment on Elgin Avenue. Maida Vale was once home to Enigma-bashing codebreaker Alan Turing, and you can visit his Blue Plaque on the High Street, where he lived at number 78 for two years after the end of the Second World War.
Area guide
House prices Source: Zoopla
DETACHED
£2.733m
SEMI
£2.902m
TERRACED
£1.563m
FLATS
£827,537
Transport Source: TfL
Time to Canary Wharf: 28 mins
Time to London Bridge: 21 mins
Nearest train station: Maida Vale
Best Roads Source: Hamptons International
Most Expensive: Randolph Road: £4,258,333
Best Value: Chippenham Road: £433,800