When you are visiting London, there is a list of must dos that you can’t avoid. But once you’ve done them, or if you simply want to avoid the crowd and are looking for hidden gems in the capital, then you don’t need to go very far from the Danubius Hotel Regents Park.
Why is St John’s Wood worth a visit?
St John’s Wood is one of the most beautiful and tranquil central London neighbourhoods. With its green spaces, including the wonderful Regent’s Park, its leafy streets packed with elegant villa type townhouses, this area is everything the rich and famous could ask for in London.
Where is St John’s Wood?
St John’s Wood is a district in the City of Westminster in West London. Traditionally the Northern part of the ancient parish and Metropolitan Borough of Marylebone, it extends east to west from Regent’s Park to the Edgware Road, with the Swiss Cottage area of Hampstead lying to the North.
The area is best known for Lord’s Cricket Ground, home of Marylebone Cricket Club, Middlesex CCC, and a regular international Test Cricket venue. It also includes the Abbey Road studios, well known through its association with the Beatles.
How to get to St John’s Wood?
You can get to St. John’s Wood London Underground Station by Tube, Train or Bus.
St. John’s Wood is served by the Jubilee line, between Swiss Cottage and Baker Street stations and is in Travelcard Zone 2. A journey between St. John’s Wood and Baker Street typically takes less than three minutes.
The station building is located on the corner of Acacia Road and Finchley Road. This station is the nearest to Lord’s Cricket Ground and Abbey Road Studios, it is therefore not to be confused with Abbey Road DLR station in East London.
London Buses routes 13, 46, 113, 187 and night route N113 stop outside the station. Coach routes 712, 755, 757, 758, 768, 771, 772, 797 and A6 also serve the station. London Buses routes 139 and 189 serve Abbey Road.
Celebrities living in St John’s Wood
If you’re into tabloid media and the scandalous life of London celebrities, West London will be a paradise for you. Not only is St. John’s Wood home to Abbey Road and the most famous recording studio in rock and roll history, it’s also packed with celebrity homes; with Avenue Road and Tufnell Park being especially popular among London’s rich and famous.
Actor Damian Lewis (Homeland, Band of Brothers) and Bill Nighy live here, as well as Sir Paul McCartney, model Kate Moss, Keith Richards (of The Rolling Stones) and Scottish actor Ewan McGregor. Tom Cruise was even spotted looking at homes in the St. John’s Wood area, and comedian Mel Smith lived in St. John’s Wood until his death as well.
Best bars and pubs around St John’s Wood
We have collected the best bars and restaurants around Lord’s Cricket Ground as well as around St John’s Wood here. If you’d like a broader selection of the best places around Regent’s Park please visit our previous article, We think these are the best bars and gastro pubs around Regent’s Park.
Duke of York
Address: 2 St Ann’s Terrace, St John’s Wood, London NW8 6PJ, UK
Established in 1826, this landmark pub is in the heart of St. John’s Wood. Combining amazing food, great wine with friendly service, The Duke of York is a must see for anyone visiting the area. Enjoy a candlelit meal, a dinner party in their private dining area or simply socialise with friends in the informal atmosphere of the bar. Spend cold Winter evenings in the cosy warmth of the fire and hot summer days relaxing outside watching the world go by. The Duke of York is also a great place to go after seeing the cricket at Lord’s!
The Clifton
Address: 96 Clifton Hill, London NW8 0JT, UK
Back in 1846 The Clifton started life as a hunting lodge before becoming a pub. It’s been a thriving part of the local community ever since, even playing host to royalty when King Edward VII used the rooms above the pub for his affairs. Now, the pub has been restored by local brothers Ben and Ed and their good friend Adam and is a true local pub once again.
The Ordnance Arms
Address: 29 Ordnance Hill, St John’s Wood, London NW8 6PS
A bit further down than the Duke of York, The Ordnance offers a traditional decor, typically English. The atmosphere is cosy, and the food is lovely.
Lord’s Tavern
Address: Lord’s Cricket Ground, St John’s Wood Rd, St John’s Wood, London NW8 8QN
Situated next to the famous Grace Gates, the historic Lord’s Tavern has been greeting locals and visitors to Lord’s alike for over 100 years. Their range of beers and delicious pub food draw inspiration from the world of cricket with something for every taste.
Whether you’re a cricket fan or just looking for somewhere to enjoy a good pint and live sport with friendly service, Lord’s Traver aims to make your visit a memorable experience.
Drunch Regent’s Park
Address: 38 St John’s Wood Terrace, St John’s Wood, London NW8 6LS, UK
Located minutes from St John’s Wood Station, Drunch Regents Park is the franchise’s second location serving All Day Brunch from 11am till 5pm Monday to Sunday and Modern European Cuisine from 5pm till late. Drunch Regents Park offers alfresco dining and is the perfect setting for any occasions. They host regular Private Events, Birthdays, even Products Launches.
The Ivy Cafe
Address: 120 St John’s Wood High St, St John’s Wood, London NW8 7SG
Located in the heart of St John’s Wood, The Ivy Brasserie is an exciting addition to the sophisticated North London neighbourhood: a relaxed yet stylish dining experience offering an accessible all-day menu in a friendly, neighbourly environment. They always keep several tables unreserved throughout the day, allowing you to sample their range of café-style menus at your leisure from breakfast until late, or you can simply pop in for a drink and some nibbles – zucchini fritti and truffle arancini are amongst our favourites.
Open seven days a week, The Ivy St John’s Wood includes outdoor Parisian style street seating and brings some of the familiarity and charm of The Ivy brand to the already fashionable St John’s Wood.
Parks around St John’s Wood
Stroll to the top of Primrose Hill and take in the dramatic views of London. It’s a favourite celebrity haunt in summer, so keep your eyes peeled for Jamie and Jools Oliver, Daniel Craig and Harry Styles. Nearby Regent’s Park boasts 410 acres of beautiful green space, with the largest outdoor sports centre in Central London, boating lakes and stunning rose gardens. Get your miles in by one of the running routes around Regent’s Park.
A disused graveyard, St John’s Wood Church Grounds is the only Local Nature Reserve in the City of Westminster. The attractive park regularly wins prizes and has received the Green Flag Award for excellent green spaces since 2004. Facilities include a playground, formal gardens and a wildlife area.
Places to explore around St John’s Wood
St John’s Wood Library
Address: 20 Circus Rd, St John’s Wood, London NW8 6PD
St John’s Wood Library have a variety of books ranging from fact to fiction available for lending. They also offer a selection of audio and visual material for rental and provide computer training and Internet sessions which must be booked in advance.
Opening Hours:
Mon: 09:30 – 19:00
Tue: 09:30 – 19:00
Wed: 10:00 – 19:00
Thu: 09:30 – 19:00
Fri: 09:30 – 20:00
Sat: 09:30 – 17:00
Sun: 11:30 – 15:00
St John’s Wood Synagogue
Address: 37-41 Grove End Rd, St John’s Wood, London NW8 9NG
St John’s Wood occupies a special place in British and Jewish life. Within a one-mile radius you can find the famous Abbey Road Studios and Lord’s cricket ground — and four significant shuls. St John’s Wood is not the most overtly-Jewish area, although if you look closely, you can spot mezuzot on the doorways of some rather elegant properties.
Near the tube station stands the premises of St John’s Wood Synagogue, established in 1876 as the first new community under United Synagogue aegis. It has been in its current home in Grove End Road since 1962 and although smaller in membership (1,500) than a clutch of US shuls to the north, it is considered one of the movement’s flagship congregations. SJWS is a regular venue for major communal events and hosted the installation ceremonies of the last three Chief Rabbis.
Abbey Road
Abbey Road is a road in north west London that houses one of the world’s most famous recording studios, as well the famous Beatles zebra crossing. These famous recording studios have also seen the likes of Pink Floyd and Edward Elgar pass through their doors since 1931 and are still some of the best studios in the world. More recent recordings have included Kanye West, Adele and Florence and the Machine.
There is no official Abbey Road Studios tour, but you can take a picture of the building from outside, leave a message on its graffiti wall or look for souvenirs in the shop. You can peek inside with a virtual Abbey Road tour on the studios’ website. There’s also a live Abbey Road webcam, so wave to the camera and you’ll be able to check out your Abbey Road picture on its website later!
Lord’s Cricket Ground
Lord’s Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord’s, is a cricket venue in St John’s Wood. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), the European Cricket Council (ECC) and, until August 2005, the International Cricket Council (ICC). Lord’s is widely referred to as the Home of Cricket and is home to the world’s oldest sporting museum.
Lord’s hosts Test matches, one-day internationals, some Middlesex home matches, MCC matches and (starting with a fixture between Middlesex and Surrey in July 2004) some of Middlesex’s home Twenty20 games. Lord’s typically hosts two Tests every summer plus two one-day internationals.
MCC Museum
Lord’s is the home of the MCC Museum, which is the oldest sports museum in the world, and contains the world’s most celebrated collection of cricket memorabilia, including The Ashes urn. MCC has been collecting memorabilia since 1864. The items on display include cricket kit used by Victor Trumper, Jack Hobbs, Don Bradman, Shane Warne, and others; many items related to the career of W. G. Grace; and curiosities such as the stuffed sparrow that was ‘bowled out’ by Jahangir Khan of Cambridge University in delivering a ball to T. N. Pearce batting for MCC on 3 July 1936.
The Museum continues to collect historic artefacts and commissions new paintings and photography. A recently opened exhibition, which celebrates the life and career of Brian Lara, is especially suitable for children. It contains the Brian Johnston Memorial Theatre, a cinema which screens historical cricket footage for visitors.
Interesting facts about St John’s Wood
St John’s Wood was the favoured place for Victorian gentlemen to keep their mistresses. Close enough to town but far enough from their Mayfair and Knightsbridge homes to avoid suspicion. The exiled Napoleon III kept Elizabeth Anne Howard at a residence in Circus Road.
Don’t head down Abbey Road if you’re in a rush: every day traffic is held up at the zebra crossing at Grove End Road as Beatles fans recreate the Fab Four’s iconic 1969 album cover image. There is even a webcam on the crossing so you can see people making the most of this photo opportunity.
Where to stay in St John’s Wood?
Danubius Hotel Regents Park is a central London hotel with a difference. Located by three iconic London landmarks: Lord’s Cricket Ground, Regent’s Park, and the renowned Wellington Hospital. Situated in central London, Danubius Hotel Regent’s Park prides itself in offering a real home from home for business and leisure travellers alike. Conveniently located a mere 10-minute walk from St John’s Wood and Baker Street tube stations, this four-star London hotel offers easy access to all the West End attractions.
St John’s Wood will be your home away from home. The area is beautiful, the architecture is stunning, and you’ll always find a great bar or restaurant to enjoy a lovely meal with a drink.
