An Overview of London’s Neighborhoods: Part 2

If you decided to head north out of the West End you would find yourself passing from the Borough of Westminster to the Borough of Camden, home to Regent’s Park, a 487-acre area that has a lake, sports pitches, plenty of open space and on its north side the famous London Zoo.

The area is also famous for the beautiful terraced houses deisgned by the architect John Nash that run around the outer edges of the park. Directly west of Regent’s Park lies Lord’s cricket ground, ‘the home of cricket’ since 1814.

To the north of the park is Primrose Hill, which has good views of central London and property prices that attract people who have a few quid. Go east from the Zoo and you’ll reach Camden Town an area that’s not particularly glamourous to look at but is busy and famous for its market at Camden Lock and attracts a lot of students, music types and trendy, fashionable people.

Face north from Camden Town and you can either bear left and head towards Hampstead, a smart area with good quality shops, large expensive houses and Hampstead Heath and Parliament Hill, a 791-acre parkland area that’s great for walking or jogging around and also has his and hers outdoor swimming ponds where you can take an icy dip in the middle of winter if the urge takes you. On the north side of Hamstead Heath is Bishops Avenue, which must be one of the most expensive residential streets in Britain to live on.

If you’d chosen to go right from Camden you would be heading for Holloway, God’s own country around Highbury and the new Emirates Stadium at Ashburton Grove, Finsbury Park and Harringay. From the 1950’s on this part of town had a large Irish, Greek Cypriot and Caribbean immigrant population but over the last fifteen years large numbers Turkish, Kurdish and African immigrants have been moving in.

East of Camden, Islington is a borough that has benefited hugely from regeneration and yuppiefication over the last twenty years. Very popular with politicians and business people because of the close proximity to the City and Westminister, the large old houses were snapped up, renovated or converted and the new residents have attracted the stylish restaurants, bars and shops you’d expect.