Queensway to Paddington
Grand old hotels, well polished embassies and imposing mansions: Section Two is a sampling of Society London, where elegant Georgian architecture and magical cobbled mews are always de riguer.
Queensway to Paddington
This is the second Section of the Jubilee Greenway. This is a short, largely residential section, passing through Bayswater, a linking route from Hyde Park to Paddington, where the scene gradually changes to accommodate the many travellers who arrive there or stay in the area before travelling. The walker is guided along the busy highway of the Bayswater Road, past private houses, restaurants, hotels and shops, finally arriving opposite Paddington Station.
Begin in the Bayswater Road with Queensway Underground Station and the Hilton Hyde Park on the left, and Hyde Park across the road on the right.
Cross Queensway at the pedestrian crossing and Inverness Terrace, also at the pedestrian crossing. Then cross Queensborough Terrace. All these are to the left. Pass the Black Lion Pub and Royal Bayswater Hotel.
Still in the Bayswater Road, immediately after the Thistle Hotel, Kensington Gardens and the Shell Garage on the left, turn right into Porchester Terrace. (On the opposite side of Bayswater Road, there is a horse trough with the inscription: ‘Be kind and merciful to all animals - In memory of David Benjamin 1815-93’.
On the right, pass nos. 3 & 5 Porchester Terrace, W2, with a fine glass-domed conservatory, where a blue plaque commemorates the horticulturists, John & Jane Loudon.
Keep walking along Porchester Terrace on the right-hand side of the road, until Craven Hill Gardens, W2 with the Uruguayan Ambassador’s Residence opposite on the far corner at 19 Porchester Terrace. Turn right into Craven Hill Gardens.
This is a no-through road, with a cycle lane. Cross Leinster Gardens to the left (in which is the Henry VIII Hotel to the left) and Leinster Terrace (with the Greek kebab taverna Zorba’s on the corner) to the right.
Continue along Craven Hill Gardens which becomes Craven Hill. This has many fine old buildings converted to apartments. Continuing down Craven Hill, there is a fine residential garden to the left, and at 5 Craven Hill on the right, is the Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary.
Staying on Craven Hill, cross Devonshire Terrace (in which is the Best Western Shaftesbury Paddington Court on the left and Craven Terrace with the Lancaster Hall Hotel) on the right. Craven Hill becomes Craven Road. Proceed uphill along Craven Road. On the right is the Everest restaurant and the Concordia Diner and Dancer, while on the left, the Brunel Hotel.
Cross Gloucester Terrace, which has the Flavours of India restaurant and the Prince William Hotel on the right-hand corner and the Royal Eagle Hotel on the left. Pass some attractive mewses on both the left and right-hand side of Craven Road. Pass Minahouse Hotel on the right. Cross Westbourne Terrace at the pedestrian crossing (with Bizzarro on the left). Pass the Raffles Cafe Diner on the right, the Ascot Hotel on the left, and Villa Rosa restaurant (also on the right) and then, at the next pedestrian crossing, cross Eastbourne Terrace on the left and Spring Street on the right.
Craven Road leads into Praed Street. Continue straight ahead. The Pride of Paddington is on the left, and the Hilton London Paddington Hotel is on the left, behind which is Paddington Station. On the right- hand side of the road, observe the fine old entrance to Paddington Underground Station, with the sign ‘Metropolitan Railway’ above it, on the left. Beyond that on the corner of Praed Street is an Aberdeen Angus Steak House.
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Kensington Gardens, once the private gardens of Kensington Palace, is one of the Royal Parks of London, lying immediately to the west of Hyde Park. Most of it is in the City of Westminster, but a small section to the west is in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The park covers an area of 275 acres.#|17/02/2009#51.512778#-0.182222#Craven Hill Gardens#Craven Hill Gardens is a garden square bordering the Paddington and Bayswater areas within the City of Westminster, London. It largely consists of Victorian era properties now either hotels or residences, but is notable for the presence of The Hempel, an upmarket hotel, and Kenneth Frampton's Corringham, an architecturally interesting residential block.#|17/02/2009#51.512611#-0.183611#Leinster Gardens#Leinster Gardens is a street in Bayswater, London. It has two false façades at numbers 23 & 24, constructed at the time of the original steam engine-hauled underground railway that had a short section exposed to the surface.#|17/02/2009#51.510444#-0.187222#Queensway Underground Station#Queensway is a London Underground station, just inside the boundary of the City of Westminster with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is at the junction of Queensway and Bayswater Road, and is northwest of Kensington Gardens. It is between Notting Hill Gate to the west and Lancaster Gate to the east on the Central Line, and is in Travelcard Zone 1.#