The origins of 'Little Venice'
The arrival of the canal in 1801 saw this part of London, known simply as Paddington, become an important transport hub. It was always Paddington and old paintings and photographs always describe it as Paddington. It was after the second world war that the name Little Venice began to come into use. It is said that Browning dreamt up the name, which is not even true. It is a myth that must be dispelled. What happened is that Byron (not Browning) compared this part of Paddington to Venice in Italy and wished that this part of London, with its waterways, was so much more like Venice, instead of being a dirty, run down surburb of London.
The area did have its merits prior to becoming Little Venice. In the Victorian era many houses were built around the canal, especialy along the Blomfield Road stretch and north towards Maida Vale. The Church Commissioners owned a lot of the properties and they saw to it that the clientele were middle class or upper class. The influence for this came from the exclusive Nash houses that were found along the Regents canal at Park Village East and West, and so many of the houses and mansions along the canal to the west of Maida Hill tunnel were built to a similar styling.
However the canal junction and the bit towards Paddington basin was the bugbear. The area suffered nick names which illustrated what the true working class locals thought of the area, and there was a considerable social divide between the top hat and tailed Victorian gentry and the boatmen and their familes who lived in the back cabins of their boats. And it was this particular aspect that caused Byron to comment upon, wishing that there was a more brighter outlook like that found in Venice, where he envisaged gaily decorated boats punted by smartly dressed sailors.
The name Little Venice was in use at the earliest about 1939(??) but it was not until the 1950's that the area was recognised offically as Little Venice.