Where the canals meet
Little Venice grew up around the point where three waterways join. The Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal comes in from the west and the Regent’s Canal from the north-east. A short arm runs down to Paddington Basin. The triangle of water they share is known as Browning’s Pool. It is named after the poet Robert Browning, who lived at 19 Warwick Crescent from 1862 to 1887.
The land here belonged to the Bishop of London. Blomfield Road takes its name from Charles James Blomfield, who was bishop from 1828 to 1856. Its first houses, numbers 1 to 45, went up between 1840 and 1847. They are white stucco villas and terraces, facing the canal across the road. By 1925 the area was being sold as “Venice in Paddington”.
Warwick Avenue, just to the west, was always the grander road. Its stucco houses are Italianate, with detached and semi-detached villas and a few very large ones at the southern end. Maida Avenue runs along the south bank of the canal and was one of the earliest roads here, with leases granted in 1820 and 1821.
Maida Vale: villas and mansion blocks
North of the canal, Maida Vale changes character. Long terraces line Randolph Avenue. Further up, mansion blocks of flats took over from about 1890. Elgin Mansions and Ashworth Mansions stood on Elgin Avenue by 1902. Biddulph Mansions followed in 1907, designed by Boehmer and Gibbs, and Delaware Mansions in 1908. Lauderdale Mansions line both sides of Lauderdale Road, and Castellain Mansions fill the north end of Castellain Road.
So the ironwork changes as you walk north. Around the canal it is light and open. Further up it becomes entrance gates, railings in front of mansion blocks, and balconies on the upper floors.
Ironwork for Little Venice and Maida Vale
Garden railings
Many canal-side villas sit behind a small front garden. The railings run along a low wall, often between stucco piers. We forge new runs to suit the house and match any surviving pattern on the street.
Front gates
A gate is often the first thing a visitor touches. We make pedestrian gates with forged bars, collars and finials, hung so they swing cleanly and close without slamming. Wider gates for side paths can be made to the same design.
Balconies
Balconies and first-floor balustrades are part of the stucco look here. The Colonnade on Warwick Avenue, first leased as a pair of houses in 1863, has one running right along its front. We repair what survives and forge new balconies or Juliet balconies where they have been lost. A Juliet balcony is a rail fixed across a tall window with no platform.
Mansion block work
For blocks on Elgin Avenue, Sutherland Avenue and Lauderdale Road, we make front railings, entrance gates and balcony repairs. We also make internal staircase balustrades for houses being restored inside.
Building work around the ironwork
On these streets the railings usually sit on a low front wall, not a stone kerb. The wall is often rendered to match the house, with piers at the gate. When the railings fail, the wall below has usually cracked too. Roots from front garden trees can lift it, and rust inside old fixings can split the render.
We can take down and rebuild the dwarf wall, which is the low wall under the railings. We also rebuild gate piers, fit new copings and lay the front path and steps. On mansion blocks we repair the entrance steps and make good the brickwork around new gates. It is all done by the same team, so the wall and the railing on top are planned together.
Planning and consent in Westminster
Westminster City Council covers both Little Venice and Maida Vale. Most of the area lies inside the Maida Vale Conservation Area. A conservation area is a part of town the council protects for its history and character. The area was later extended north along Randolph Avenue as far as Elgin Avenue.
In a conservation area, new or changed front railings and gates often need planning permission. On a listed building, such as some of the villas on Blomfield Road, you also need listed building consent. Rules can vary from one street to the next, so please check with the council before you start. We prepare scaled drawings and a written list of materials to support your application.
Design: our album or a fresh drawing
You can choose a pattern from our design album, which holds hundreds of proven designs. We then change the height, spacing and finials to suit your house. If you want something new, we draw a fully bespoke CAD design with you or your architect. Nothing is forged until you approve the drawings.
How a job runs here
We visit first to measure the front, photograph any old ironwork and check the wall and piers. We agree the design and help with council approval if it is needed. Each piece is hand-forged in our own workshop, and our London team installs it. For mansion blocks, we agree access and timings with the managing agent so residents are not caught out.
If you have a canal-side villa or a Maida Vale flat that needs railings, a gate or a balcony, request a quote and tell us about it.