please empty your brain below

Love & Liquor feel that Kilburn is not trendy enough so they they have relocated to Maida Vale without actually relocating.
I think one problem with Kilburn High Road is that it is split between two boroughs which have both never coordinated their planning for the street. The Brent side seems to have come out worse over the years, especially Kilburn Square which I believe is due to be demolished in the next few years.

I remember as a child always being impressed by The Crown pub in Cricklewood, a lovely building that used to have cobblestones out front.
Cricklewood was where I first lived when I moved to London, and I was amazed at The Crown. Such a huge pub in an otherwise low aspect kind of area. A beauty inside too.

The more colourful pub from a people perspective was MacGovern's, which was a proper Irish pub full of Irish people. I had thought that the area's Irish connections might be in it's past, but MacGovern's proved that they still exist to this day. (Or at least to this day six years ago).
The Crown featured in 'McAlpine's Fusiliers', a song by The Dubliners.
(from memory)
"The craic was good in Cricklewood and they wouldn't leave The Crown
There was glasses flying and biddies crying
The paddies was comin' to town . . . .
I am pleased that your "High Road" link has photos of the other cinemas and theatres along Kilburn High Road. The grandest being the 4004 seat State Cinema Kilburn, which is a Grade II* listed building. (Arthur Lloyd or Cinema Treasures sites for more information). This building is now owned by a church group.
In Maida Vale there is another listed ex-cinema building which opened in 1913,the Maida Vale Picture house. Grade II listed it is now an Islamic centre but as a listed building it still retains many of its internal and external features.(see Cinema Treasures site)

In my comments yesterday I mentioned Edgware Road and electronics/radio shops around the flyover area. There was also one at the Cricklewood end of the road, today it is still there and open, it is pretty much the same inside today. Still selling components and even valves! the shop Cricklewood electronics. However they have moved with the times and sell items on line from that shop.

For the Peter Sellers film "The Smallest Show on Earth" a mock cinema frontage was built by the railway bridges at Kilburn station "The Bijou Cinema".

Back in the 70s I had a part-time job as a barmaid in Kilburn. If - as sometimes happened - a fight broke out in the pub, the landlord's instructions were to clear the bar of ashtrays and glasses BEFORE calling the cops! It's probably calmer now.
"Love & Liquor feel that Kilburn is not trendy enough so they have relocated to Maida Vale without actually relocating."

I love the linked article about the geographically confused bar resorting to wikipedia sabotage.

On the subject of geographical confusion, this one caught my eye:
www.salvationinnoodles.co.uk
Hmm... Dalston or Islington?
"'Twas in the year of 'thirty-nine
When the sky was full of lead
When Hitler was heading for Poland
And Paddy for Holyhead
Come all you pincher laddies
And you long-distance men
Don't ever work for McAlpine
For Wimpey, or John Laing.
For You'll stand behind a mixer
And your skin is turned to tan
And they'll say 'Good on you Paddy'
With your boat-fare in your hand
The craic was good in Cricklewood
And they wouldn't leave the Crown
With glasses flying and Biddy's crying
Sure Paddy was going to town
Oh mother dear, I'm over here
And I'm never coming back
What keeps me here is the reek o' beer
The ladies and the craic
I come from county Kerry
The land of eggs and bacon
And if you think I'll eat your fish 'n' chips
By Jeasus you're mistakin'"

"McAlpine's Fusiliers" - The Dubliners










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