Paddington Green conservation area is a green space and geographic location in Westminster

Westminster

Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...

 located off Edgware Road and adjacent to Westway

Westway (London)

The Westway is a long elevated dual carriageway section of the A40 route in west London running from Paddington to North Kensington. The road was constructed between 1964 and 1970 to relieve congestion at Shepherd's Bush caused by traffic from Western Avenue struggling to enter central London on...

. It is the oldest part of Paddington

Paddington

Paddington is a district within the City of Westminster, in central London, England. Formerly a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965...

 and became a separate conservation area

Conservation area

A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...

 in 1988, having previously formed part of Maida Vale

Maida Vale

Maida Vale is a residential district in West London between St John's Wood and Kilburn. It is part of the City of Westminster. The area is mostly residential, and mainly affluent, consisting of many large late Victorian and Edwardian blocks of mansion flats...

 conservation area. At one time, the Green was surrounded by large Georgian houses, but now only two remain on the west side of the Green.

History and notable buildings

Paddington Green contains part of the ancient Paddington and Lilestone villages and became fashionable at the end of the 18th century because of its village setting and proximity to the West End of London

West End of London

The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment . Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...

. An omnibus service to the City of London

City of London

The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...

 was introduced in 1829 by George Shillibeer

George Shillibeer

George Shillibeer was an English coachbuilder.Shillibeer was born in St Marylebone, London the son of Abraham and Elizabeth Shillibeer. Christened in St Marys Church, Marylebone on 22 October 1797, Shillibeer worked for the coach company Hatchetts in Long Acre, the coach-building district of the...

.

St Mary on Paddington Green is part of the Parish of Little Venice and is the third church on this site. The church was built in 1791 by John Plaw. Its graveyard - known as St Mary's Gardens (or St Mary's Churchyard) - contains monuments to notable local residents, including actress Sarah Siddons

Sarah Siddons

Sarah Siddons was a Welsh actress, the best-known tragedienne of the 18th century. She was the elder sister of John Philip Kemble, Charles Kemble, Stephen Kemble, Ann Hatton and Elizabeth Whitlock, and the aunt of Fanny Kemble. She was most famous for her portrayal of the Shakespearean character,...

 (also buried there), sculptor Joseph Nollekens

Joseph Nollekens

Joseph Nollekens was a sculptor from London generally considered to be the finest British sculptor of the late 18th century. He was also a founder member of the Royal Academy in 1768.-Life:...

 and lexicographer Peter Mark Roget. The southern part of the graveyard was removed to make way for the flyover. Exhumed graves were re-interred in Mill Hill

Mill Hill

Mill Hill is a place in the London Borough of Barnet. It is a suburb situated 9 miles north west of Charing Cross. Mill Hill was in the historic county of Middlesex until it was absorbed by London...

 Cemetry.

The former Paddington Green Children’s Hospital (now an apartment block) stands on the north-east corner of the Green on Church Street. It is a Grade II Listed building. The Schmidt hammer lassen

Schmidt hammer lassen

Schmidt hammer lassen architects is an international architectural practice founded in 1986 in Aarhus, Denmark. It currently has four offices in Aarhus, Copenhagen, Oslo and London....

-designed City of Westminster College

City of Westminster College

City of Westminster College is a further education college located in the borough of Westminster, central London. The College has two centres located in Paddington and Queen's Park...

 is located at 25 Paddington Green.

In popular culture

• Pretty Polly Perkins of Paddington Green
  Pretty Polly Perkins of Paddington Green
  "Pretty Polly Perkins of Paddington Green" is the title of an English song, composed by the London music hall and broadside songwriter Harry Clifton , and first published in 1864.-History:...
  
  , the music hall number by Harry Clifton
  Harry Clifton
  Harry Clifton is an Irish poet. He was born in Dublin, but has lived in Africa and Asia, as well as more recently in continental Europe...
  
  , is described as living: "in a gentleman's family near Paddington Green".

• The TV series Paddington Green aired in the late 1990s and explored the lives of residents of the local area.

External sources

http://londonbirders.wikia.com/wiki/Paddington_Green

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Polly_Perkins_of_Paddington_Green

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22663

http://www.westminster.gov.uk/services/environment/landandpremises/parksandopenspaces/paddington-green/ - with location map