Living in Kilburn

Kilburn High Road follows the line of the Roman road Watling Street, and it forms the boundary between two boroughs, Brent to the west and Camden to the east. It is a long, busy, sometimes chaotic high street of supermarkets, discount shops, pubs, cafés and restaurants, reflecting the area's long history as a centre of London's Irish community and its more recent Caribbean, African, Middle Eastern and Eastern European populations.

The Kiln Theatre, formerly the Tricycle, is a well-regarded theatre and cinema on the High Road, and many of the area's pubs host live music. To the west, Queen's Park, a Victorian park managed by the City of London, has a café, sports facilities and a small farm, and the surrounding streets of Queen's Park are among the most sought-after in north-west London.

Transport is excellent. Kilburn station on the Jubilee line reaches Bond Street and Westminster in around fifteen minutes and Canary Wharf directly; Kilburn High Road station has Overground trains to Euston; Brondesbury, on the Overground, runs east to Stratford and west to Richmond; and Kilburn Park, on the Bakerloo line, is at the southern end.

Housing includes Victorian terraces and mansion blocks, many converted into flats, alongside large estates, particularly in South Kilburn, which has been undergoing regeneration. Rents are generally lower than in neighbouring West Hampstead, Queen's Park or Maida Vale, making the area popular with young professionals and sharers. The High Road is noisy, crowded and uneven, and the quality of streets varies widely. Kilburn suits people who want strong transport links, lively pubs and diverse food at more affordable rents, and who are comfortable in a busy, gritty inner north-west London neighbourhood.