London Photo Gallery - Paddington

Paddington Basin is section of the Grand Union Canal that opened in 1801, facilitating trade between London and the Midlands. The railroad arrived in 1838 with Paddington being the Great Western Railway (GWR)'s terminus. However, as road traffic became more popular to move goods in recent decades, the canals and warehouses emptied out and the area became a wasteland.

Change arrived in 1998 to redevelop the area. Merchant Square is the new neighbourhood of residences and offices to take advantage of the water views and easy access to Paddington station. These are located on the north side of the basin stretching west to east.

My tour begins at the eastern end of Paddington Basin with modern tall towers and ends at Rembrandt Gardens, where grand mansions front a basin with many boats parked along the shore.

After looping around and back at Rembrandt Gardens in Little Venice, I returned back to Paddington station.

North Wharf Road runs along the redeveloped quarter parallel to the basin just to the north of the waterfront, giving vehicular access to the homes and offices in the area.

The GWR's grand permanent station was approved in 1850 and Isambard Kingdom Brunel was brought in to design it. What he came up with was influenced by Crystal Palace with a 3-span roof with wrought iron and glass. It was the largest train shed roof in the world at the time when it was completed after 4 years.

To the east of the train station is the new Paddington Square development with an 18-storey office tower by Renzo Piano. Construction was met with controversy as the historic building that once stood here for the Royal Mail was cleared, while the initial plan was to construct a 75-storey tower rising 254m dubbed the "Paddington Pole".

I continued east along Praed Street, whose scenes vary ranging from hospital to hotel to residential.

The stately-looking and historic Hyde Park Mansions are just south of Edgware Road station.

Further Readings :
The RIBA Journal