Bayswater is a part of London that should be smarter than it is. It lines the whole length of the north side of Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park and has some wonderful squares and streets – architecturally a match for anything in Kensington.

Its problem is cheap hotels. Like another area similarly afflicted, Pimlico, this brings with it cheap tourist shops and cafes and, like Pimlico, this has meant it has been an up-and-coming area for a very long time. Having said this, there are pockets of quiet streets and squares which are now becoming as popular (and expensive) as Chelsea and Notting Hill Gate.

Like Pimlico again, it has at its centre a mainline station, Paddington, which has caused many of its problems. This may be about to change with the new development of Paddington basin. This thirty six acre site is going to be the biggest regeneration in Central London for decades and with the new residential developments and office buildings it is likely that much of the benefit will spread out into the surrounding areas.

While London in general is now a cosmopolitan city, Bayswater is particularly so. Around Queensway can be heard just about any language and there is hardly an ethnic cuisine that is not represented. Towards the eastern end, next door to the Edgware Road, is particularly popular with Middle Eastern buyers and the shops and restaurants are representative of this.

Communications are superb with buses up and down the Bayswater Road into the West End and the Central, District and Circle lines connecting it with the City. The Heathrow Express runs out of Paddington and takes 15 minutes

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