Brondesbury is a friendly community of 11 streets centred on a delightful pocket park and a wonderful theatre-cum-cinema, The Tricycle. There's every sort of food available in the shops on the High Street, and plenty of places to eat, drink and carouse. You're on the edge of the city but enjoying tranquillity, with great transport connections to anywhere.
Brondesbury Park
Brondesbury Park has a synagogue, Hindu and Buddhist temples and a nearby mosque as well as a church (which is where QPR originated from). The houses are huge and the streets are quiet. Apart from through-traffic from Queens Park to Willesden Green or Kensal Rise to Kilburn, the cars on the road are mainly learners taking lessons! There is a dog-walking park (Tiverton Green) and a nearby park (Queens Park) with cafe, vast children's play area with sandpit and paddling pool, putting green, petting farm, tennis courts and outdoor ping pong. Transport is great with tube and overground nearby and a night bus (98) running all night from the West End. There are lots of places to go for a drink or eat out within a mile in any direction although there is nothing in BP itself, being totally residential. This means there is no noise at night and you always feel totally safe. There are lots of playgroups and amenities to take small children to locally, a good primary school (Malorees) and a great gym (Nuffield). I <3 Brondesbury Park!
Kilburn
Kilburn is very well positioned. Tricycle theatre and cinema is fantastic. It is close to West Hampstead and Queen's Park, where I would prefer to eat/go out. Public transport is fantastic and it is only a 3 mile walk into central London. It feels a little edgy at night but I love it during the day.
Kilburn is a great area in zone 2. the High Road goes right to Edgware Road, w2. 20 minutes bus ride you can reach Hyde Park Corner in central london. Kilburn is developing so fast with new stores and shops opening all the times. You are next door to West Hampstead and Maida Vale. Trains going to Heathrow Airport and minutes to the EuroStar terminal at St Pancras. Kilburn is undergoing development, creating jobs and business locally.
Kilburn is a perfect place to live. You have easy access to the Bakerloo (Kilburn Park) Jubilee (Kilburn) and Overground (Brondesbury) lines as well as many buses running along the high road. Kilburn has more affordable rent whilst being nestled in-between the two beautiful suburbs of Hampstead and Queens Park which make beautiful walks and places to hang out on the weekend. It takes less than an easy hours to walk down the high road to Marble Arch/Oxford street. Only 8 minutes to Bond Street on the Jubilee Line, or about the same amount of time to Oxford/Piccadilly Circus on the Bakerloo Line. It is a safe, attractive and convenient area to live and I highly recommend it.
Julie, Australia
Kilburn is good for restaurants, transport and has various venues for music events and concerts. It also has the Tricycle Theatre which is good for films and theatre, we also have some interesting art events. The area is safe and quiet clean.
I moved to Kilburn about six months ago and hadn’t set foot in the place even once, despite having grown up in London. I’m not disappointed by the place at all. Firstly, we’re right in the middle of a number of underground and overground stations, as well as buses that go to and from central London day and night. There is great food at not bad prices on Kilburn High Road, along with every shop you could possibly need. Kilburn High Road can eventually feel a bit too gritty sometimes but when you’re in that mood you can head to Queen’s Park which is a few minutes walk away and has more upmarket restaurants. Also, West Hampstead is again next door – more upmarket restaurants and places – while Edgware Road is also nearby.
The advantage is that it is 2 miles from the west end, loads of buses going all over London, jubilee line zone 2, Brondesbury overground railway, every supermarket, diverse stores, Trycicle Theatre and cinema, loads of lovely tree lined side roads, ie Buckley rd, Christchurch rd etc etc and IT IS THE CHEAPEST AREA WITHIN 2 MILES OF CENTRE!
Kilburn Park
It's part of Maida Vale - or lets say its on the border with Maida Vale, there is a park (Padd. recreation Ground), or shopping, clubbing, everything is so local - you feel you are in zone 1! In fact, stone sthrow from Westfield or if you fancy weekend away just pop into Paddington (5 min by tube) and take a train somewhere.
If you live in Kilburn Park, you are 30 mins away from Oxford Street, 40 mins away from Wembley Stadium and 35 mins away from Westfield in Shepherds Bush. The local High Street has everything.
London NW6
Exceptionally well connected by public transport. Easy access to West End. Friendly and young neighbourhood with a villagey feel.
Queen's Park
Queens Park is a lively, fun villagey community with a fantastic park, Sunday farmers market and great transport links.
Very friendly neighbourhood with useful shops, restaurants and cafes, local supermarket, weekly farmers market, good park and direct Bakerloo tube service (zone 2) to Piccadilly and 12 min London Overground service to Euston. Wide selection of bigger bargains in Kilburn High Road, just 10 min walk away.
Queen's Park has a real village feel to it with small independent bars and restaurants right on your doorstep as well as an amazing farmer's market on a Sunday. The huge green space of Queen's Park itself is such a bonus to the area, great for exercise, chilling out in the summer and also for kids with the big playground. Area is also great for transport links: Bakerloo direct into town plus the overground at Brondesbury Park. You also don't need to go far for bigger supermarkets, cinema, shopping etc.
I love living here and couldn't recommend it enough!
Queens Park is fast becoming an alternative for tenants priced out of nearby Maida Vale. With rents a bit lower but still in Zone 2 and on the super efficient Bakerloo Line providing fast transport links into the West End and City. Plus the added bonus of the Queen's Park overground rail services at the same station as the tube making connections to further afield a doddle. The Park itself is a delight, with a huge open area (check out all the sunbathers when we get hot weather - get there in good time to secure your patch!), tennis court, bandstand and lovely cafe - all in a conservation area so you know it's going to stay just as nice as it is now. Salisbury Road boasts some very trendy bars and restaurants and boutique shops, plus a bakery, deli etc. The farmers market in the school playground on Sunday mornings is superb with an awesome array of foods to tempt you. Properties tend to be period conversions and are by and large well maintained. Edgware Road is a short walk away with everything you need there, but avoid crossing over to Kensal Rise on the other side. Properties are cheaper there - for a reason. I lived in Queens Park for four years and loved it. I have several friends who live there now and they love it too. Highly recommended.
For those who don't know the Queen's Park area, it was recently described as 'the new Chelsea'! For example there are lots of great bars and pavement cafes where you can sit and eat and drink. People come from miles around for the Sunday morning Farmer's Market then have have brunch in the cafes while celeb spotting! The Queen's Park tube is at the beginning of the Bakerloo line and it's 15 minutes to the West End.
If you're into sport and fitness there is a running track around the park and tennis courts and there is a trainer who runs early morning circuit training classes in the park. There is a fitness first gym and also a yoga centre within five minutes walk of the tube.
Ultra trendy, Notting Hill refugees
South Hampstead
This area is central and the transport is excellent with the Jubilee, Metropolitan and overground stations as well as buses and coach stops to go to Luton and Stansted. There are supermarkets and also cinemas.
South Hampstead (Finchley Road) is a great safe place to live. Great transport links, lovely locals, it's got everything going for it.
West Hampstead
Excellent residential area with superb transport links and trendy eateries and shops.
I am new to West Hampstead and love it! It feels like home already and I couldn't imagine living anywhere else now.
A very nice area, 15 minutes from Oxford Circus and from Camden Town.
Great place to live. Central but not too busy.
West Hampstead is like living in the best of both worlds, you have liveliness of Kilburn High Road and the more costly and quiet side of West Hampstead.
It has fantastic transportation links - Thameslink/Underground/Overground. With lots of restaurants, bars and both a Sainsburys and Tesco Express, you'll never be short of finding somewhere to eat and drink. It's the kind of place you'll be happy to come home to rather than a late night, buzzy sort of place.
It's safe, friendly, fun but fairly quiet! Amazing links to anywhere in and outside of London day and night time. Loads of parks around and fabulous little restaurants and bars for evenings out. Absolutely the best place to live in London!!
It's friendly, safe and has great places to eat and shop. It must also have the best commuter links in West London.