West Central London

Residential enclaves that border the famous West End

Already home to the Capital’s finest cultural and academic venues, West Central London has benefited from further regeneration and residential property development.

Culture

Covent Garden • Aldwych • Leicester Square • Charing Cross

The area that includes Covent Garden, Aldwych, Leicester Square and Charing Cross makes up part of London's West End. It's the beating heart of London’s cultural scene, and there are so many world class music and arts venues in this corner of London that it’s also known as Theatreland. The fun spills over into nearby Chinatown too. From the Royal Opera House to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, the National Portrait Gallery to Somerset House, there’s enough within walking distance of the area’s smart modern flats and terraced townhouses to keep residents entertained all year round. Once known for its fruit and vegetable market, Covent Garden is still an important foodie destination with its huge concentration of bars and restaurants. Probably the most secret lido in London is here, on the roof of the Oasis Sports Centre, where there’s also a high end spa. 

Education

Gray’s Inn • Holborn • Russell Square • Bloomsbury

A mecca for students from all over the world, some of London’s top universities, including SOAS and UCL, are based in and around historic Bloomsbury. Many of the area’s imposing townhouses are owned by universities and used for student accommodation, and there are numerous studio flats and apartments available. The strong student population has injected the area with a vitality enhanced by the abundance of cultural offerings in the area, such as the British Museum and the Wellcome Collection. The area around Holborn known as the Inns of Court has been the centre of London’s legal world since 1234, when Henry III decreed that any organisation providing legal education must be located outside of the City of London. The 1960s built Brunswick Centre, meanwhile, is a notable example of Modernist architecture and is now home to a large number of retail outlets below its in demand apartments. 

Regeneration

King’s Cross • St Pancras • Euston

An industrial centre in the 19th century, the area around King’s Cross and St Pancras declined in the latter part of the 20th century. Yet in recent years King’s Cross has witnessed a lightning speed transformation thanks to some of London’s most thorough and effective regeneration projects. The area has gone from strength to strength since the opening of the St Pancras International terminus in 2007. The new campus of Central Saint Martins is already up and running, some excellent restaurants are on the scene and the new Google London headquarters will be built there soon. With a new postcode, N1C, and its reputation as London’s seediest location consigned to history, King’s Cross looks set to be London’s next top residential area, with nearby Euston feeling the beneficial effects too.