St John's Wood | |
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St John's Wood shown within Greater London | |
OS grid reference | TQ265835 |
London borough | |
Ceremonial county | Greater London |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | LONDON |
Postcode district | NW8 |
Dialling code | 020 |
Police | Metropolitan |
Fire | London |
Ambulance | London |
EU Parliament | London |
UK Parliament | |
London Assembly | |
St John's Wood is a district of northwest London, in the City of Westminster, and on the northwest side of Regent's Park. It is about 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Once part of the Great Middlesex Forest, it was later owned by the Knights of St John of Jerusalem.
The boundaries of St. John's Wood are the Regent's Canal to the south, Maida Vale (Edgware Road) to the west, Boundary Road to the north and Avenue Rd/Primrose Hill Park to the east.
It is a very affluent neighbourhood, with the area postcode (NW8) ranked by Forbes magazine as the 5th most expensive postcode in London based on the average home price in 2007. According to a 2014 property agent survey, St. John's Wood residents pay the highest average rent in all of London.
St John's Wood was developed from the early 19th century onwards. One of the first developers in the area was James Burton. It was one of the first London suburbs to be developed with a large amount of low density "villa" housing, as opposed to the terraced housing which was the norm in London up to the 19th century, even in expensive districts. Parts of St John's Wood have been rebuilt at a higher density, but it remains a highly desirable residential district, and one of the most expensive areas of London.
St John's Wood is the location of Lord's Cricket Ground, home of Middlesex County Cricket Club and of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), and the original headquarters of cricket. It is also famous for Abbey Road Studios and the street Abbey Road, where The Beatles recorded, notably the Abbey Road album, the cover of which features the band crossing the road.