Little Venice
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Little Venice is an area of central London, situated north-west of Paddington station. Its name arises from the canal junction at its centre, formed by the western end of the Regent's Canal and the Paddington arm of the Grand Union Canal.
The name of this area in Paddington was coined by the English poet Robert Browning.
Its exact borders are largely a matter of opinion, but broadly speaking streets built in white stucco close to the canal qualify as being in Little Venice as opposed to Maida Vale. Blomfield Road, Maida Avenue, Westbourne Terrace Road, Howley Place, Warwick Avenue, Bristol Gardens, Clifton Villas, Clifton Gardens, Randolph Road, Randolph Crescent, Pindock Mews, and the southern reaches of Castellain Road and Randolph Avenue would all qualify on this basis. Sellers of properties on the borders of these streets regard their addresses as being in Little Venice, while buyers tend to argue that they are in fact in Maida Vale, and thus should be cheaper. According to "Waterscape" (see External links), Little Venice is technically the point where the Grand Union Canal and Regent's Canal meet, and Robert Browning viewed Little Venice as the whole area at the south of Maida Vale.
The area is one of London's prime residential areas, and it is also known for its shops and restaurants, as well as the Puppet Theatre Barge, the Cascade Floating Art Gallery, the Waterside Café and the Warwick Castle pub. It is possible to take canal tours from Little Venice eastwards around Regent's Park, past London Zoo and on towards Camden Town.
