Did you know that...
Blair and musicians like Blur’s Damon Albarn and Brett Anderson, lead singer of Suede, lived in Bayswater. The author of Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie, was another resident. Guglielmo Marconi, the inventor whose work had a great impact on wireless communication, came to London in the late 1890s and lived in this W2 area for a year. Actresses Jennifer Saunders and Keira Knightley lived here as well.
Bayswater W2 name is believed to derive from the proper name Bainiardus. He was a notable resident who lived here in the 11th century. The springs in the area supposedly supplied water to Bainiardus’s household or farm. Bayswater is short for Bainiardus’s Watering. A 1653 document mentions this field at Paddington near a place called Baynard’s Watering. In 1720, there’s a mention of one Alexander Bond living at Bear’s Watering. Bayswater station opened in 1868. The station features in a Walter Sickert painting that depicts the platform sign and an advertisement for Whiteley’s, the department store opened in 1889. Architect Denys Lasdun designed the Hallfield Estate. He is a famous architect and his most notable work is grade II listed Royal National Theater.
Bayswater features several landmarks. The Marble Arch is one of them. It is a white marble triumphal arch designed by architect John Nash. Traditionally, only the Royal Family and the King’s Troop may pass through the arch. Hyde Park is one of the four Royal Parks and the largest of them. It is grade I listed. It was opened in 1536 when King Henry VIII established a hunting ground on land taken from the Westminster Abbey. In 1637, the park became public. It hosted May Day Parades and the Great Exhibition. It was also a popular place for duels among the nobility. The Mitre pub is a grade II listed building that was constructed in the 19th century.
