NW1 Camden Town, Marylebone, Primrose Hill, Regent's Park, Somers Town

This 1911 painting by Spencer Frederick Gore looks out from the first floor of 31 Mornington Crescent where the artist lived. The view is north-east across Crescent Gardens towards Mornington Crescent tube station. The junction with Camden High Street is visible, as are the liver-red tiles of the station. Gore painted this scene many times, looking at it from all directions and in varied weather conditions.

Favourite with artists

Gore rented a room at No. 31 from 1909-12. The cheap rented accommodation on Mornington Crescent made it popular with artists. Fellow Impressionist painter Walter Sickert lived at No. 36 and caricaturist George Cruikshank lived in nearby Mornington Place.

The gardens disappear

During the 1920s, the Crescent Gardens were destroyed. They made way for the newly built Carreras factory (better known as the Black Cat Cigarette Factory). The new building transformed the appearance of the neighbourhood.