Bayswater

Coordinates: 51°30′34″N 0°11′34″W / 51.5095°N 0.1929°W / 51.5095; -0.1929
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Bayswater
View from Bayswater Road
Bayswater is located in Greater London
Bayswater
Bayswater
Location within Greater London
Population12,363 (2020 estimate)
OS grid referenceTQ255805
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLONDON
Postcode districtW2
Dialling code020
PoliceMetropolitan
FireLondon
AmbulanceLondon
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
London
51°30′34″N 0°11′34″W / 51.5095°N 0.1929°W / 51.5095; -0.1929

Bayswater is an area within the City of Westminster in West London.[1] It is a built-up district with a population density of 17,500 per square kilometre, and is located between Kensington Gardens to the south, Paddington to the north-east, and Notting Hill to the west.

Much of Bayswater was built in the 1800s, and consists of streets and garden squares lined with Victorian stucco terraces; some of which have been subdivided into flats. Other key developments include the Grade II listed 650-flat Hallfield Estate, designed by Sir Denys Lasdun, and Queensway and Westbourne Grove, its busiest high streets, with a mix of independent, boutique and chain retailers and restaurants.[citation needed]

Bayswater is also one of London's most cosmopolitan areas: a diverse local population is augmented by a high concentration of hotels. In addition to the English, there are many other nationalities. Notable ethnic groups include Greeks, French, Americans, Brazilians, Italians, Irish, Arabs, Malaysians and many others.[citation needed]

Etymology[edit]

The name Bayswater is derived from the 1380 placename "Bayards Watering Place", which in Middle English meant either a watering place for horses, or the watering place that belonged to the Bayard family.[2]

History[edit]

Historically, Bayswater was located to the west of London on the road from Tyburn towards Uxbridge. It was a hamlet in the seventeenth century close to the Kensington Gravel Pits. By the end of the eighteenth century Bayswater remained a small settlement, although the gradual expansion of London westward into Mayfair and Paddington brought it closer to the outskirts of the city. During the Regency era new suburbs were rapidly constructed to cope with the growing population of the city. An important early developer in Bayswater was Edward Orme who constructed Moscow Road and St. Petersburgh Place, which he named in honour of Alexander I of Russia. Both Bayswater and Tyburnia to the east developed independently of each other. Gradually over the following decades the remaining open spaces were built on and it became an urban area of affluent residential streets and garden squares.[3]

Notable residents[edit]

Local politics[edit]

The Bayswater area elects a total of six councillors to Westminster City Council: three from the eponymous Bayswater ward,[10] and three from Lancaster Gate ward.[11]

Following the 2022 Westminster City Council elections, five members belong to the Labour Party, and one to the Conservative Party, with Bayswater being fully represented by Labour, and Lancaster Gate being split between the two parties. Lancaster Gate can be considered as a marginal ward.[12][13]

Education[edit]

Nearest places[edit]

Nearest tube stations[edit]

Bayswater station

The stations within the district are Bayswater and Queensway. Other nearby stations include Paddington (Bakerloo, Circle and District lines and Circle and Hammersmith & City lines),[14] Royal Oak (in Westbourne) and Lancaster Gate (to the east).

Places of interest[edit]

References in fiction[edit]

Barbara Vine 's The House of Stairs is set also in Bayswater.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "London's Places" (PDF). London Plan. Greater London Authority. 2011. p. 46. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  2. ^ Mills, A. D. (1993). A Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford University Press. p. 28. ISBN 0-19-283131-3.
  3. ^ "Paddington: Bayswater | British History Online".
  4. ^ "The Life of Richard Cobden | Online Library of Liberty".
  5. ^ "Portrait of Richard Cobden, MP 1804 – 1865 | Artware Fine Art".
  6. ^ Maritz, Pieter; Mouton, Sonja (2012). "Francis Guthrie: A Colourful Life" (PDF). The Mathematical Intelligencer. 34 (3): 67–75. doi:10.1007/s00283-012-9307-y. hdl:10019.1/70384. S2CID 121812208. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 March 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  7. ^ "Interview: Trudie Styler | Magazine | the Observer". Archived from the original on 13 March 2007. Retrieved 24 February 2006. observer.guardian.co.uk
  8. ^ Charlotte Mitchell: Smith, Georgina Castle... Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford, UK: OUP, 2004/2008) Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  9. ^ L. Perry Curtis jun., "Tenniel, Sir John (1820–1914)" Retrieved 25 February 2014, pay-walled.
  10. ^ "Westminster.gov.UK: Bayswater Ward profile" (PDF). Bayswater Ward's councillors, boundary map and demographics. Westminster City Council. July 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2013.[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ "Westminster.gov.UK: Lancaster Gate Ward profile" (PDF). Lancaster Gate Ward's councillors, boundary map and demographics. Westminster City Council. July 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2013.[permanent dead link]
  12. ^ "Bayswater". Westminster City Council. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  13. ^ "Lancaster Gate". Westminster City Council. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  14. ^ "Queens Park Hotel Bayswater Tube Station". queensparkhotel.com. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2016.

External links[edit]

  • Media related to Bayswater at Wikimedia Commons