Visit Kilburn, London Places

Welcome to Visit Kilburn, London Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Kilburn, London

  

Kilburn, London Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Kilburn, London

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Kilburn, London history

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Kilburn High Road originated as an ancient trackway, part of a Celtic route between the settlements now known as Canterbury and St Albans. Under Roman rule, the route was paved. In Anglo-Saxon times the road became known as Watling Street. Kilburn Priory was built on the banks of a stream variously recorded as Cuneburna, Kelebourne and Cyebourne (in the latter source most other places with the phonetic sound /kiː/ were rendered in writing Cy such as Cynestone (Kingston)). The stream flowed from Hampstead through this parish then through Paddington – specifically through areas that became “Westbourne”, “Bayswater” and Hyde Park – South Kensington and the narrow east part of Chelsea into the Thames. The first two names perhaps imply meanings of “King’s Bourne” and “Cattle Bourne”. The word Bourne is the southern variant of burn (any small “river”), as still commonly used in the technical term, winterbourne – a watercourse which tends to dry up in dry periods. The river is known today as the Westbourne. From the 1850s many of its feeder ditches were diverted into combined sewers feeding away to the east; it was otherwise piped underground and became one of London’s underground rivers. The name “Kilburn” was first recorded in 1134 as Cuneburna, referring to the priory which had been built on the site of the cell of a hermit known as Godwyn. Godwyn had built his hermitage by the Kilburn river during the reign (1100-1135) of Henry I, and both his hermitage and the priory took their name from the river. Kilburn Priory was a small community of nuns, probably Augustinian canonesses. It was founded in 1134 at the Kilburn river crossing on Watling Street (the modern-day junction of Kilburn High Road and Belsize Road). Kilburn Priory’s position on Watling Street meant that it became a popular resting point for pilgrims heading for the shrines at St Albans and Willesden. Henry VIII’s administration dissolved the priory in 1536–37, and nothing remains of it today except the name of Abbey Road (in nearby St John’s Wood), named from a track which once led to the priory. The priory lands included a mansion and a hostium (a guesthouse), which may have been the origin of the Red Lion pub, thought to have been founded in 1444. Opposite, the Bell Inn opened around 1600, on the site of the old mansion. The fashion for taking “medicinal waters” in the 18th century came to Kilburn when a well of chalybeate waters (water impregnated with iron) was discovered near the Bell Inn in 1714. In an attempt to compete with the nearby Hampstead Well, gardens and a “great room” opened to promote the well, and its waters were promoted in journals of the day as cure for “stomach ailments”: Kilburn Wells, near Paddington.—The waters are now in the utmost perfection; the gardens enlarged and greatly improved; the house and offices re-painted and beautified in the most elegant manner. The whole is now open for the reception of the public, the great room being particularly adapted to the use and amusement of the politest companies. Fit either for music, dancing, or entertainments. This happy spot is equally celebrated for its rural situation, extensive prospects, and the acknowledged efficacy of its waters; is most delightfully situated on the site of the once famous Abbey of Kilburn, on the Edgware Road, at an easy distance, being but a morning’s walk, from the metropolis, two miles from Oxford Street; the footway from the Mary-bone across the fields still nearer. A plentiful larder is always provided, together with the best of wines and other liquors. Breakfasting and hot loaves. A printed account of the waters, as drawn up by an eminent physician, is given gratis at the Wells.— The Public Advertiser, July 17, 1773 In the 19th century the wells declined, but the Kilburn Wells remained popular as a tea garden. The Bell was demolished and rebuilt in 1863, the building which stands there today. The Kilburn stretch of Watling Street, now called Edgware Road and Kilburn High Road, was gradually built up with inns and farm houses. Despite the discovery of the medicinal well in 1714, and the construction of gardens and a fine room to exploit the water, Kilburn did not attract any significant building until around 1819 in the area near St John’s Wood. These 19th century developments mark the emergence of the nucleated roadside hamlet from which the modern district of Kilburn developed. Between 1839 and 1856 the newsagent and future First Lord of the Admiralty William Henry Smith lived in a house to the west of Kilburn High Road. Solomon Barnett developed much of the area in the last decades of the 19th century, naming many of the streets after places in the West Country (e.g. Torbay) or after popular poets of the day (e.g. Tennyson) in honour of his wife. The funeral of Michael Gaughan, an Irish republican and a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) who died from hunger strike in 1974, took place on 8 June 1974. Over 3,000 mourners lined the streets of Kilburn and marched behind his coffin – which was flanked by an IRA “honour guard” – to a Requiem Mass held in the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Biddy Mulligan’s pub on High Road, which was popular among the local Irish population, was bombed in retaliation on 21 December 1975 by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), an Ulster loyalist group during the Troubles of Northern Ireland. Although there were 90 people in the pub at the time of the bomb, there were few injuries. It was the only loyalist bombing to have occurred in London during the conflict in Northern Ireland.

Kilburn, London landmarks

Kilburn High Road

Kilburn High Road is the main road in Kilburn, London. It forms the boundary between Camden to the east and Brent to the west. It follows a part of the line of the Roman route, Iter III in the Antonine Itinerary, which later took the Anglo-Saxon name Watling Street.

Gaumont State Cinema

The Gaumont State Cinema was the biggest auditorium in Europe at the time. It was designed by George Coles and opened in 1937. For twenty years it was run as a bingo hall by Mecca Bingo.

The Kiln Theatre

Kiln Theatre is located on Kilburn High Road north of Buckley Road. It was opened in 1980 as the Tricycle Theatre in a converted Foresters’ Hall. The Kiln now includes a gallery and cinema as well as the theatre.

Other buildings

St. Augustine’s, Kilburn, is the third-largest place of worship in London, after St Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. Carlton Tavern, a pub built in 1920-21 for Charrington Brewery, was demolished in March 2015 to make way for a new block of flats. Biddy Mulligan’s Irish pub was bombed on 21 December 1975 by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA)

You can visit Kilburn, London places with Walkfo Kilburn, London to hear history at Kilburn, London’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Kilburn, London has 623 places to visit in our interactive Kilburn, London map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Kilburn, London, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Kilburn, London places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Kilburn, London & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 623 audio facts unique to Kilburn, London places in an interactive Kilburn, London map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Kilburn, London Places Map
623 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Kilburn, London historic spots	Kilburn, London tourist destinations	Kilburn, London plaques	Kilburn, London geographic features
Walkfo Kilburn, London tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Kilburn, London

  

Best Kilburn, London places to visit

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Kilburn, London has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Kilburn, London’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Kilburn, London’s information audio spots:

The Long Water The Long Water is a recreational lake in Kensington Gardens, London, England, created in 1730 at the behest of Queen Caroline. The Long Water refers to the long and narrow western half of the lake that is known as the Serpentine. Serpentine Bridge, which marks the boundary between Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, also marks the Long Water’s eastern boundary. The Long Water and the Serpentine are generally considered to be part of one lake.

Hyde Park Estate Hyde Park Estate is a residential district in the Paddington area of London . It is characterised by a layout of squares and crescents . The area is home to embassies, prestigious businesses and celebrities .

Connaught Village Connaught Village is a commercial and residential area just west of Marble Arch . It is owned by the Church Commissioners of England . The couture store of famous shoemaker Jimmy Choo was previously located here . Tony Blair, former leader of the Labour Party, lives in Connaught Square .

Physical Energy (sculpture) Physical Energy is a bronze equestrian statue by English artist George Frederic Watts . Watts was principally a painter, but also worked on sculptures from the 1870s . It was intended to be Watts’s memorial to “unknown worth”

Western Marble Arch Synagogue The Western Marble Arch (WMA) Synagogue is a Jewish place of worship in central London . It is a leading Orthodox Judaism synagogue and offers religious and social activities . The WMA is the result of a merger between the Western and Marble Arch Synagogues .

Frontline Club Frontline Club is a media club and registered charity located near Paddington Station in London . It aims to champion independent journalism and promote diversity and professionalism in the media .

The Lancasters The Lancasters is a residential development in London, England, with 77 apartments . The majority of the apartments face south with views onto or across Hyde Park .

Portman Estate The Portman Estate was founded in 1532 when the land was first leased to Sir William Portman . The estate covers 110 acres of Marylebone in London’s West End .

Shepherd’s Bush Conservation Area Shepherd’s Bush Conservation Area is one of a number of areas in Hammersmith and Fulham which have been designated for conservation. Broadly speaking it encompasses Shepherd’s Green and its immediate environs, including many streets north of the Green.

Paddington Recreation Ground Paddington Recreation Ground is the largest area of parkland in the City of Westminster . It was the first park of its kind in London, having operated since 1888 . Annually, it attracts over 1.5 million users, who visit the Recreation Ground for its green-space value .

Visit Kilburn, London plaques