Neighbourhood guide · north London
North-west London from the Regent’s Park to Kilburn: Camden Market and its music venues, the Roundhouse, Primrose Hill, the canal at Little Venice and Maida Vale’s Victorian pubs, Lord’s, Abbey Road and London Zoo.
The back story
Nash’s park and terraces, the home of cricket, the Beatles’ crossing, the canal and the markets of Camden.
The back story
How railway yards and canal wharves became Camden’s markets and music venues, and how Primrose Hill and Little Venice stayed green and quiet beside them.
The home of cricket
The famous cricket ground in St John’s Wood, owned by Marylebone Cricket Club, with guided tours and the MCC Museum.
St John’s Wood Road, NW8 8QNExplore View on map
The Beatles’ crossing
The recording studios on Abbey Road, where the Beatles recorded, and the zebra crossing outside made famous by their 1969 album cover.
3 Abbey Road, NW8 9AYExplore View on map
In Regent’s Park
The zoo of the Zoological Society of London, on the northern edge of Regent’s Park, open to the public since 1847.
Outer Circle, Regent’s Park, NW1 4RYExplore View on map
Narrowboats by Warwick Avenue
A pool of moored narrowboats where the Grand Union and Regent’s canals meet, with waterside cafés and boat trips to Camden.
Warwick Avenue, W9Explore View on map
Markets by the canal
The sprawling markets around Camden Lock on the Regent’s Canal, with independent shops, street food and vintage stalls.
Camden Lock Place, NW1 8AFExplore View on map
About 2½ miles
A peaceful towpath walk from the canal boats of Little Venice past Regent’s Park and London Zoo to the markets of Camden Lock.
Roses, the zoo and the view
A great Royal Park north of Marylebone, with Queen Mary’s Gardens, the boating lake, the Open Air Theatre and London Zoo, and the view from Primrose Hill.
The Regent’s Park, NW1 4NRExplore View on map
Canals and the ice trade
A small museum of London’s canals in a former ice warehouse by Battlebridge Basin near King’s Cross.
12-13 New Wharf Road, N1 9RTExplore View on map
A Victorian engine shed for music
A music and performing arts venue in a Grade II* listed 1840s railway engine shed on Chalk Farm Road, Camden.
Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8EHExplore View on map
Theatre under the trees
An open-air theatre in the Inner Circle of the Regent’s Park, established in 1932, with a 1,304-seat auditorium and a summer season.
Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, NW1 4NRExplore View on map
Roses in the Inner Circle
The formal gardens in the Inner Circle of the Regent’s Park, famous for their rose garden, which is at its best in June.
Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, NW1 4NRExplore View on map
The golden dome by the park
The London Central Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre on Park Road, beside the Regent’s Park, known for its golden dome and minaret.
146 Park Road, NW8 7RGExplore View on map
A theatre afloat
A marionette theatre aboard a converted barge moored at Little Venice, staging puppet shows for children and adults.
Blomfield Road, Little VeniceExplore View on map
Comedy above the canal
A small fringe theatre above a pub by the canal at Little Venice, known for comedy and its long-running satirical show.
13 Westbourne Terrace Road, Little VeniceExplore View on map
Little Venice to Camden by boat
Boat trips along the Regent’s Canal between Little Venice and Camden Market, past the Regent’s Park and London Zoo.
Little VeniceExplore View on map
A 1906 narrowboat on the canal
Narrowboat trips from Little Venice to Camden Lock on a canal boat built in 1906, with a live commentary.
Blomfield Road, Little VeniceExplore View on map
About 2½ miles
The towpath from Camden Lock east past King’s Cross, Coal Drops Yard and the Canal Museum to Islington, with a tunnel detour over the hill.
Theatre on Kilburn High Road
A theatre and cinema on Kilburn High Road, known as the Tricycle until 2018, presenting new plays since 1980.
269 Kilburn High Road, NW6 7JRExplore View on map
Sofas in north London
An Everyman cinema on Haverstock Hill in Belsize Park, with sofa seating and food and drink served to your seat.
203 Haverstock Hill, NW3 4QGExplore View on map
A terrace on the canal
A restaurant and bar on Formosa Street in Little Venice, with a large terrace beside the Grand Union Canal.
54 Formosa Street, W9 2JUExplore View on map
Primrose Hill’s Greek taverna
A Greek and Cypriot taverna on Regent’s Park Road in Primrose Hill, a neighbourhood fixture for decades.
89 Regent’s Park Road, NW1 8UYExplore View on map
Soul, jazz and funk in Camden
A music venue on Parkway in Camden, opened in 1990 in a former bank, with gigs, a mezzanine restaurant and club nights.
5 Parkway, NW1 7PGExplore View on map
A Victorian theatre turned gig venue
A concert venue and club in Camden in a theatre that opened in 1900, later the Camden Palace, reopened as KOKO in 2022.
1A Camden High Street, NW1 7JEExplore View on map
Camden’s ballroom since 1938
A 1,500-capacity music venue on Camden High Street, a dance hall since 1938, with gigs, club nights and weekend markets.
184 Camden High Street, NW1 8QPExplore View on map
Snob screens and etched glass
A Grade II* listed pub on Formosa Street in Maida Vale, built in 1856 and still divided by its original snob screens.
5A Formosa Street, W9 1EEExplore View on map
A grand Victorian pub
A Grade II listed Victorian pub on Warrington Crescent in Maida Vale, on CAMRA’s National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors.
93 Warrington Crescent, W9 1EHExplore View on map
Pastel houses and independent shops
The village street of Primrose Hill, with independent shops, cafés and restaurants below the hill and its view of the skyline.
Regent’s Park Road, Primrose HillExplore View on map
A garden centre in Little Venice
A garden centre in Maida Vale, near Little Venice, with plants, garden goods, a glasshouse and a café.
5A Clifton Villas, Maida ValeExplore View on map
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