Kilburn Area Guide
Description:
Kilburn is an area of northwest London situated 3.75 miles (6.0 km) northwest of Charing Cross. It stretches out on either side of Watling Street, the ancient Anglo-Saxon road that once connected pilgrims to Canterbury and St Albans.
Busy and bustling Kilburn High Road has a down-to-earth-character that continues to serve its long-standing Irish and Caribbean communities well. Famous residents have included supermodel Kate Moss, actor Hugh Laurie and many comedians.
Walk the back streets and Kilburn reveals its intriguing history and fine historic buildings. In the 12th century a priory was established close to what is now the junction of Kilburn High Road and Belsize Road. It was dissolved by Henry VIII but lives on in local street names Priory Road and Priory Terrace, where there are fine early Victorian stucco villas.
At the northern end of Kilburn, the Mapesbury conservation area has roads of large Edwardian mainly semi-detached houses. Elsewhere, Kilburn offers mainly two- and three-storey Victorian houses, with particularly popular examples in the tree-lined streets of the Waterloo Estate in the North Kilburn conservation area, north of Willesden Lane and west of Kilburn High Road.
Features:
Adjacent to Kilburn High Road, is a great green space holding a children’s play area, a netball court and tennis courts. The Kilburn Festival is also held at the park every summer. Also nearby is the Queen’s Park which offers a pitch and putt course, children’s play area with a paddling pool, tennis courts, petanque green and a children’s farm and a café.
Kilburn has plenty of restaurants and cafes to offer, from the Mediterranean ‘Small and Beautiful’ restaurant to the fast food Chinese ‘Speedy Noodles’, there is something for everyone’s taste. There are also many great pubs in the area serving good food, such as The North London Tavern and The Black Lion, comfortable to eat as well as have a drink at any time. As for the shops, you will surely catch a good bargain on useful things for the house. There is also an excellent cinema and theatre called ‘The Tricycle’ near the centre of Kilburn.