The Search

A lovely couple contacted us needing help with their search for a family home for them and their two young children. Both were from abroad but had decided to settle in London for the foreseeable future and loved much about what they had seen so far of north west London. They already had friends living in Queen’s Park and loved the park, amenities and general vibe of the area.

The Challenges

Having two children, our clients needed to have child-friendly outside space nearby. We showed them a mix of mansion block and conversion flats to give them a good feel for what they could get and having been living in a mansion block flat for the last few years, they liked the idea of keeping with the space and dampened sound transfer between neighbours you get with that type of build.

The Outcome

They had seen a large mansion block flat before taking on our service but it went under offer with another buyer before they had prepared their funding and committed to that style of home. Thanks to our close connections with the local agents, we were able to hear immediately about the sale falling through and were able to zip our clients back in to see the flat and secure an agreed offer before anyone else had been to view it.

Queen’s Park & Kensal (Kensal Rise and Kensal Green)

Known as an area that many lovers of Notting Hill have moved to when needing more space for growing families, it has also become extremely popular with executive singles and couples too. Queen’s Park and Kensal (both Kensal Rise and Kensal Green) have taken much of the ‘cool’ vibe of its southern cousin but provides more ‘bang for your buck’.

Queen’s Park is a lovely residential patch of north west London. Salusbury Road runs through it, acting much as a village high street. Known for the park itself, trendy cafés and welcoming Victorian residential streets, Queen’s Park, as well as Kensal with its excellent transport links, suits all sorts of buyers and investors.

Transportation Links in Queen’s Park & Kensal

Queen’s Park has its own underground station on the Bakerloo Line. Kensal Green is one stop further heading out of central London. It provides easy access south to Paddington, Charing Cross and Waterloo. You can be in Oxford Circus in less than twenty minutes. Kensal Rise has a well serviced over ground line going to Willesden Junction or West Hampstead where underground connections are readily available. There are ample buses into central London and the A5 takes you quickly north to main arteries, such as the A1, northward out of town.

Schools in Queen’s Park & Kensal

It was important for my clients to have good schools for their young children and they were pleased to hear there were schools with outstanding and good Ofsted standards nearby. Kingsgate primary school with an outstanding rating is nearby as is St Eugene de Mazenod Roman Catholic primary (outstanding), Emmanuel Church of England primary (outstanding), Manor School (outstanding), Queen’s Park Church of England primary (good) as well as Academies.

Entertainment in the Area

There is a real sense of community in Queen’s Park and Kensal and it is illustrated in the type of places to eat, drink and be entertained. There is a super Farmers’ market in the grounds of Salusbury Primary School every Sunday well worth a visit. When the weather is good you may choose to be outdoors in the green space of the park but it does rain sometimes (so I have noticed). When an indoor solution is needed, the Lexi Theatre in Kensal Rise is a fun option. The theatre is a cute independent theatre, staffed by volunteers; its profits and given to charity.

Shopping in Queen’s Park & Kensal

Although residential areas both Queen’s Park and Kensal Rise have a surprising array of shops and amenities ‘on the door step’. With a young family, my clients wanted the basics easily on hand. On the Salusbury Road you can get main provisions from the usual array of small supermarkets like M&S Simply Food and Sainsbury’s Local. There are also independent shops including a lovely little gift shop called Worldly Wicked and Wise where you can load up on cards and gifts, ladies fashion at Iris or visit Matthew Williamson for a designer treat. On Chamberlayne Rd there is: Nooki and Supra for clothes and footwear and Rise for gifts. For food, Tesco Express is handy. If a larger shop is required Kilburn High Road is a short walk away and provides all sorts including Boots the Chemist, TK Maxx, WH Smiths and a large Tesco.

Restaurants & Cafes

Queen’s Park and Kensal are not in short supply of yummy places to eat. For informal all-day dining there is the fabulous Salusbury Foodstore where you can choose from all types of daily prepared salads and Italian classics. Also on Salusbury Road is the ever welcoming Bob’s Cafe. Do not forget to try Nineteen on the charming Lonsdale Road for a delicious cake or snack and Dark Habit for a top notch coffee. Paradise by Way of Kensal Green is a great pub – perhaps head there for your Sunday lunch.

Green Spaces

The area of Queen’s Park has a lovely park named after our reigning Queen Elizabeth II. The park itself is a lovely green space with more to offer than you expect. Not only does Queen’s Park have 30 acres of green space but also provides tennis, pitch and putt golf, a paddling pool and children’s play area plus a café as well. It is ideal for a picnic on the grass, exercise, dog walking or somewhere to entertain (or tire out) your children.

In Summary

Queen’s Park and Kensal are vibrant and community focused areas. For those who do not feel they need to be located centrally but still want swift transportation into central London, Queen’s Park and Kensal provide an excellent solution. Suitable for all be it families, singles or executive couples and more, there is much in Queen’s Park and Kensal that pulls people a little north of town and keeps them smiling.

For our clients, we found a large and airy three bedroom flat that had a bit of a Parisian feeling to it. Ideal for them as it is a short walk to the underground station, park and amenities (and near their friends too). We received some beautiful photographs they took shortly after moving in that illustrated the stylish improvements they had made to the flat. It was clear how welcoming they had made the flat and that they had settled in so well to their new home and were loving Queen’s Park and the surrounding area.