Marvel at Paddington Station a symbol of London’s rich history. This iconic landmark wasn’t always the bustling hub it is today. Paddington’s origins stretch back much further than the arrival of the railway. Early mentions of Padington or Padintun appear in tenth-century documents. These purportedly record land grants to Westminster monks. However these documents are likely forgeries from after 1066. The Domesday Book of 1086 makes no mention of Paddington. It’s speculated a Saxon settlement existed near the intersection of Roman roads. These roads roughly correspond to Edgware Road and Harrow Road. From the tenth century Paddington belonged to Westminster Abbey. This ownership was confirmed by Plantagenet kings in a 1222 charter. This charter mentions a chapel and a farm. Records from 1168 to 1485 detail the activities of Richard and William de Padinton. They were early tenant farmers.
During Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries the crown seized Paddington’s property. King Edward VI granted the land to the Bishop of London in 1550. Bishops leased farmlands to tenants and merchants. One such tenant was Thomas North who translated Plutarch’s Parallel Lives. Shakespeare used this work and reportedly performed in Edgware Road taverns. In the Elizabethan and Stuart eras the Small family occupied the rectory and manor. Nicholas Small a clothworker commissioned a Holbein portrait of his wife Jane. After Nicholas’s death Jane remarried Nicholas Parkinson. Their manor house was large enough to house Sir John Popham the attorney general. They rented out the building that became Blowers Inn.
The 17th-century saw Paddington’s Hundred of Ossulstone split. Holborn Division took over most administration. A church predecessor to St Mary’s was built in 1679. John Frederick leased the estate in 1740. Many Paddington street names derive from his granddaughters’ families. The New Road built 1756-7 linked Paddington and Islington. By 1773 Paddington was considered one of London’s forty-six ancient villages. French Huguenots including jewellers and craftsmen settled in Paddington. They built magnificent gardens that survived into the 19th century.
Roman roads formed Paddington’s boundaries near Marble Arch. Edgware Road and Uxbridge Road were toll roads. The Tyburn gallows at their junction might have hindered earlier development. Executions occurred there until 1783. Major construction started in 1801 with the leasing of land to the Grand Junction Canal. This canal provided a trade route to the Midlands boosting employment. The canal remained important until Regent’s Canal opened in 1820. Construction continued throughout the 19th century rapidly increasing the population. This dramatic population growth is shown in figures 1881 to 46305 from 1801 to 1851 respectively with 10,000 new inhabitants added every decade thereafter. Paddington station opened in 1838. The Metropolitan Railway the world’s first underground line arrived in 1863.
By 1881 Paddington had a migrant majority population with thriving Greek and Jewish communities. Victorian churches decayed and housing turned into slums. The 1930s saw improvements but overcrowding poverty and vice persisted into the 1950s. The 1960s to 1980s brought vast improvements and redevelopment. The Paddington you see today reflects this incredible journey through time. The area’s history is deeply woven into the fabric of this vibrant London neighborhood. Now it is the time to explore more closely. Look around you see the layers of history unfolding before your eyes.