Clifton Gardens is a group of Fordham in London flats spread between two townhouses. Located in the residential area of northwest London, Clifton Gardens is at the very edge of Zone 2 on the Tube. The flats in Clifton vary in configuration, some with six people to three bathrooms, others with four people to one or two bathrooms. All of the flats come with one towel, a duvet and a pillow per person. Plan to bring a flat sheet for under your duvet because apparently Brits take issue to sheets…. As for the neighborhood, the surrounding area is extremely nice. Though residential, it’s very comfortable, young and wealthy. The Regent’s Canal runs parallel to Clifton Gardens, which is filled with colorful boats that run hourly to both the London Zoo and Camden Lock. Getting to Fordham is less than a half hour by Tube and the center of London is less than ten.
Just the facts:
Building: Clifton Gardens
Tube stop: Warwick Avenue on the Bakerloo Line – Zone 2. Use the TFL website to plan any underground trips or use the Citymapper app.
Buses: In London, the Tube shuts off before midnight. The night buses that run to Warwick Avenue are the 6 and the 187.
Neighborhood type: Residential
Best pub: The Prince Alfred—go to Warwick Avenue station facing the church, walk straight, veer right. The pub was built in the 1800s and boasts its original Victorian era design. It is one of only ten pubs in London with surviving ‘snob screens’ that once divided classes of patrons in the pub, so the Prince Alfred is a definite must-see.
How to get to Fordham (Heythrop College): Take the Bakerloo line south one stop to Paddington. Transfer here to the District or Circle lines to High Street Kensington. From the station, turn right onto High Street, and another right after the H&M.
Why it’s unique: Clifton’s proximity to the Regent’s Canal makes it a super-unique place to live. Though considered central London, this area feels like a different world. The neighborhood is quiet and quaint, and the canal is beyond picturesque. Many native Londoners don’t even know this area—known as Little Venice—exists.
Coffee: Caffe Nero, a popular British coffee chain, is a block down the road, but there are Starbucks 10 minutes away on either side. To get to the (better) Starbucks in Maida Vale either take the tube one stop up to Maida Vale and cross the street, or walk up Clifton Gardens to Randolph Avenue, take a left and go all the way up the road.
Groceries: Waitrose is by far the best, most familiar grocery store in London. The closest one to Clifton Gardens is in Bayswater. Take the tube from Warwick Avenue to Paddington, pick up the Circle or District to Bayswater. Take a right out of the station and continue until you hit the Waitrose just right of the main road. If you’re at Heythrop for your Fordham classes, inside the Kensington High Street Station M&S has a sneaky door into a “Food Hall” which is a full grocery store. For lighter grocery hauls, snacks or alcohol, Tesco on Clifton Gardens is always reliable.
Study spots: Other than Starbucks or the Fordham London Centre lounge at Heythrop, the closest public library is Paddington Public Library. Less than a mile away, it’s a quick walk or one stop away on the Bakerloo.
Gym: Little Venice Gym is a ten minute walk from Clifton Gardens, or PureGym Bayswater is a 10 minute Tube ride away (Bakerloo – Paddington – Circle/District – Bayswater – walk ~2 mins). Little Venice Gym is small while PureGym is more like an American gym, as it was previously an LA Fitness. It really depends on what you’re looking for, and whether you’d rather walk or take the Tube.
Tastes of home: Although Sal has yet to open a London branch of Pugsley’s, you can still find a few hints of your favorite NYC guilty pleasures amongst the British staples of Nando’s and other fried chicken chains. There’s a Shake Shack at the very end of Oxford Street, and a Chipotle off the Bakerloo line at Baker Street.
Furniture in the flat: Depending on the size of your flat, you’ll either share a closet with one person and have a dresser and a smaller set of drawers, or you may have more. There is ample cabinet space in the kitchen, with pots, pans and utensils as well. Laundry is in your kitchen, use it on the mini setting so it doesn’t take three hours like a “normal” cycle does…you live and learn.
Regardless of which housing you live in, it’s impossible to not enjoy your semester abroad in London!