Property Search - Bayswater

Bayswater is an area of west London in the City of Westminster. It is a built-up district located 3 miles (4.8 km) west north-west of Charing Cross and borders the north of Hyde Park over Kensington Gardens.

Bayswater is one of London's most cosmopolitan areas with the significant diversity of the local population added to by having one of London's highest concentration of hotels. Notably there is a significant Arab population towards Edgware Road a large number of Americans a substantial Greek community attracted by London's Greek Orthodox Cathedral the area is also a centre of London's Brazilian community and a substantial local population.

Architecturally the biggest part of the area is made up of Georgian stucco terraces and garden squares mostly although not exclusively divided up into flats. The property ranges from very expensive apartments to small studio flats. There are also purpose built apartment blocks dating from the inter-war period as well as more recent developments and a large Council Estate the 650 flat Hallfield Estate designed by Sir Denys Lasdun and now largely sold off. There are some garden squares in the area.

Queensway and Westbourne Grove are busy High Streets with a very large number of ethnic restaurants.

It has a population density of 17 500 people per square kilometre.

History

The land now called Bayswater belonged to the Abbey of Westminster when the Domesday Book was compiled; the most considerable tenant under the abbot was Bainiardus probably the same Norman associate of the Conqueror who gave his name to Baynard's Castle. The descent of the land held by him cannot be clearly traced: but his name long remained attached to part of it; and as late as the year 1653 a parliamentary grant of the Abbey or Chapter lands describes "the common field at Paddington" as being "near a place commonly called Baynard's Watering." In 1720 the lands of the Dean and Chapter are described to be the occupation of Alexander Bond of Bear's Watering in the same parish of Paddington. It may therefore fairly be concluded that this portion of ground always remarkable for its springs of excellent water once supplied water to Baynard his household or his cattle; that the memory of his name was preserved in the neighbourhood for six centuries; and that his watering-place now takes the abbreviated name Bayswater.

Famous residents

• Damon Albarn
• Brett Anderson
• Mike Atherton
• J. M. Barrie
• Winston Churchill
• Jeremy Clarkson
• A. J. Cronin
• Alexander Fleming
• Mariella Frostrup
• Jonathan King
• Keira Knightley
• Guglielmo Marconi (the pioneer of wireless communication) lived at 71 Hereford Road between 1896 and 1897 with his mother upon arrival to England (marked by a Blue Plaque)
• Stella McCartney
• Paul Simonon
• Sting occupied a basement flat at 28A Leinster Square in the late seventies during the formative years of The Police. Trudie Styler now his wife lived in a basement flat two doors down.

Nearest places

• Paddington
• Notting Hill
• St John's Wood
• Knightsbridge
• Maida Vale
• Little Venice
• Kilburn

Nearest tube stations

• Bayswater tube station
• Queensway tube station
• Royal Oak tube station
• Lancaster Gate station

Places of interest

• Whiteleys Shopping Centre
• Marble Arch
• Hyde Park
• Opus Dei UK headquarters