Battery Studio 1 is located just down the road from Willesden Green underground station, and the main town centre of Willesden with its selection of pubs and eateries. Further South in Kensal Green is a great selection of revitalised gastro pubs with great food and drink menus.
Other nearby sites and attractions include the world-famous Wembley Stadium and Hampstead Heath, as well as a scattering of smaller activites. Here we have picked out a selection of recommendable places to go in your free time...
The home of football hosts a fair few English victories, albeit currently outweighed by defeats! All the same, Wembley is one of the largest and most spectacular stadiums in the world. It's a short bus ride away from the studio, so check out any matches being played.
If you visit in the summer, you may want to investigate spending a day at the world's most famous cricket ground. If you're timing is extra lucky (and you have a some spare cash to find something for), you may want to join the rat race for a day at an England test match, although Middlesex county are often in town too throughout the summer.
The Brent Artists Resource promotes a wide variation of works by artists in Brent. It is based in the gallery in Willesden Library Centre, less than five minutes from the studio.
North-West London (Hampstead/Highgate/Kentish Town). Even studio boffs need to treat their skin to some sun once in a while! Hampstead Heath is probably the closest of London's famous parklands. A good option for a summer's afternoon, the Heath is not too far by tube/bus, and the views across the city are tremendous.
Queen fans can visit the cremation site of Freddie Mercury at the Kensal Green cemetery. The burial ground contains an interesting variety of Victorian memorials and mausoleums.
After fighting your way out of Willesden Green tube station, you might be glad to see this haunt sitting next door! It serves anything from brunch in the morning, through to roasts on a Sunday. There's a large wine and cocktail menu, (never a bad thing), a pub garden and all the spiffing interiors you'd expect for a top of the range gastro pub.
Since being taken over by new management in August '07, The Paradise has shot-up in the opinions of local residents and workers. The food and drink is great, as is the music.
The Chamberlayne serves as another option to those seeking a haunt for eating, drinking or both. Set on the corner of an attractive tree-lined street, the entire side of the pub is lined by its popular terrace. The steaks have certainly acquired fans on the London pub blogosphere!!
Boasting one of the best beer gardens in the area, The Masons Arms' popularity seems to be ever-growing. In keeping with the interests of most of the pubs in this area, it prides itself on a great food and drink menu. There is a private hire room upstairs, whereas downstairs boasts a fantastic interior design.
The William IV has undergone many changes of late, much to the approval of its clientele. The food menu now ranges from traditional pub nosh through to Tapas, with the Sunday Roast as popular as ever. This is another pub with a very likeable beer garden.
An upmarket pub and diner, seemingly steering away from your bog-standard bangers & mash, and opting for the slightly more sophisticated menu of pappardelle with hare in game sauce, and roast duck leg with sage and balsamic vinegar. Meals cost roughly £18 / head.
Widely-appreciated as one of the best sports pubs in the North-West, The Corrib Rest provides a lively atmosphere on matchdays, however the staff still ensure that the often-large crowds are served quickly and efficiently. The food portions are reported to be more-than generous!
One of the Lumianire's closest neighbours, The Good Ship has established a rapidly growing reputation for attracting great bands and artists since its opening in 2005. Their upcoming listings are on their website.
El Rocio Tapas Bar & Restaurant is half restaurant/half bar, although a lot of people forget that it’s a restaurant and use it just as a bar. El Rocio Bar and Restaurant is a good venue to get some after work drinks; it’s the kind of place where you go when you want to go out, but can’t really be bothered to make an effort.
This looks just like any other little pub on the outside, and true to form on the inside it’s an old traditional British pub, apart from the big screen that comes out when the footballs on. There’s a certain charm about Ye Old Black Lion, it’s not at all stylish, it smells of beer and stale cigarettes, but it’s always busy. The pub still keeps a very local feel to it. The regulars are mostly harmless old men, that like to sit and drink by themselves, they’ve been doing that for so long that they’ve become part of the furniture, and now the place wouldn’t be the same without them. Ye Old Black Lion, is a good place to go out to during the weekend if you’re just up for ’going down the pub’, it’s a no frills kind of place so don’t expect more than a pub with a nice beer garden.
This little late night bar, in the middle of West Hampstead plays the best/ worst of 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s pop on Friday and Saturday nights. Open for 25 years, this bar really knows what works and what doesn’t. From the outside it looks like a pretty sophisticated wine bar, however when you get downstairs to the packed dance floor, everyone’s dancing to the sounds of Michael Jackson, Duran Duran and old skool Locomotion Kylie. The bar during the week is still busy but if you want to experience the real thing, you need to get down on a Saturday night.
Located just a stone's throw from Hampstead Heath in leafy north west London, this historic pub housed in a Grade 2 listed building has recently been given a new lease of life by a young team. Outstanding seasonal food and great service while retaining a traditional pub atmosphere.
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