Little Venice, London W9

This week I paid a visit to the part of London just north of Paddington Station known as Little Venice.

The area got its name because it sits on two canals: the Grand Union and the Regents canal.  Its similarity to the Italian Venice pretty much ends there, although there are some good pubs and restaurants.  Like the real Venice, not too much for anyone on a tight budget though.

It is a largely residential area, full of Regency-style houses with prices running to tens of millions of pounds.  Should you have tens of millions of pounds to spare you would be able to rub shoulders with British actor Edward Fox, Oasis’s Liam Gallagher, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, Paul Weller, Jenifer Saunders and a host of other celebrities.

Ok, it’s not exactly Hollywood but it’s doing its best.

Canal, LittleVenice

The canals are really picturesque.  You can walk (or cycle) along beside the water and look at the various boats moored here.  Should you fancy living on a little houseboat here it’s worth noting that there is currently a twenty-five year waiting list for a mooring.  Maybe best not to get too attached to the idea.

Lily Langtry’s house

My favourite house here once belonged to Lily Langtry when she was being courted by then Prince of Wales, son of Queen Victoria (later king Edward 7^th).  It boasts this wide gateway so that he was able to get his horse and cart in off the street.

Madonna tried to buy it a few years back but was gazumped by lord of the dance Michael flatley.  It now belongs to some random person who happened to have around twenty million pounds lying around.

If you enjoy travelling on canals you can get a boat from here down to nearby Camden.

It’s still a nice place for a walk around with camera in tow, even if you’re not in the market for a £20 million house.