Nestled just to the north of Marylebone, this area comprises the southern half of the understated Lisson Grove, named after the main road which runs north to south through its centre. Bizarrely for a residential area so close to Maida Vale, Regent’s Park, and St John’s Wood, Lisson Grove is actually quite affordable, and the majority of the housing is made up of ex-council buildings with a number of Victorian terraces dotted throughout, which define the area’s most desirable streets. Marylebone station sits right in the middle of the area, providing National Rail and Bakerloo line services, and Edgware Road and Baker Street are located nearby. The busy thoroughfare of Marylebone Road, which defines the area’s southern border, has numerous bus routes and also contains all the urban amenities one would expect from such a bustling location. While green spaces in the immediate area are few and far between given the post-war dense residential setting, Regent’s Park is situated just to the east, containing countless facilities and existing as a rural retreat in the heart of town. While Lisson Grove does contain quaint, boutique-lined roads such as Bell Street, the area is generally regarded as a simple, affordable, well-connected, but underrated location right in the centre of London, with a notable feeling of authenticity despite its proximity to some of the city’s busiest tourist hotspots.

The area surrounding Lisson Grove was a hamlet known as Lisson Green, which sat to the north of Watling Street, one of the main Roman thoroughfares, and remained almost entirely rural until the 18th century. It became slowly built up over the century thanks to the arrival of the New Road, and by the early 1800s, the area was incredibly popular with artists and aesthetes who followed the teachings of William Blake. Due to the rapid industrialisation of the area, which sits between Marylebone and Paddington, with the introduction of the Regent’s Canal and the railways, Lisson Grove became one of London’s worst slums, notorious for prostitution, crime, alcoholism and violence, with one report describing the area’s women as “the most drunken, violent and foul-mouthed in all London”!

The housing boom following the First World War greatly benefitted the area, replacing much of the slum housing with purpose-built Georgian apartment complexes, which provided affordable homes for many returning servicemen. Over the years, the area has seen a hodgepodge of various housing developments, often poorly considered due to the area’s near-forgotten status in comparison to the surrounding areas, which has given us the fractured and messy feel that we can recognise in the area today.

The construction of the nearby Marylebone Station almost never came to be due to intense objections to the line being built past Lord’s as it may have disturbed the cricket. An act of Parliament had to be passed in 1893 to allow the completion of the Great Central Main Line.

The world-famous fish and chip restaurant, The Sea Shell of Lisson Grove is located at 49-51 Lisson Grove. It opened as a fish bar after the First World War and was named the Sea Shell in 1964 and has been a favourite of celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, Twiggy, Jimmy Page, and 7 Michelin starred chef Yoshihiro Murata!

The Lisson Grove Labour Exchange, which was the first of its kind, was opened in 1960, and has since taken its place in punk history as the place where Joe Strummer met the other members of The Clash.

Because of Lisson Grove’s poorly-planned urban development and its location near to some of the city’s most affluent areas, there is little sense of community and a feeling that the locals have been forgotten by Westminster City Council. However, this has allowed the area to maintain its cultural diversity despite being amongst some of the most homogenous and gentrified parts of the city, which one member of staff at one of the area’s many public houses suggested gives the area a varied feel and brings plenty of interesting people to the local conveniences.

Chiltern Railways network has also updated and upgraded its timetable to assist with congestion and crowding on its busiest services, including its commuter trains stopping at Marylebone Station, to which an additional 1,000 seats have been added. With regard to the physical station, work is already underway for the expansion and improvement of Marylebone’s entrance and accessibility by installing one new escalator and replacing two more. The work is scheduled to be completed by autumn 2023.

Westminster Council’s development arm, Westminster Builds, also has a development in the area that is nearing completion - Lisson Arches. The scheme aims to deliver 60 new community supportive homes, 59 of which will be new social rented one-bedroom apartments and a two-bedroom scheme manager’s residence. There will also be a 1300sqm enterprise business space which forms the base of the building.