Introduction
Hammersmith is a neighbourhood of two halves, with the traffic and concrete of Hammersmith Broadway counterposed by scenic riverside walks, tranquil green spaces and villagey enclaves of period houses and boutique retail. There are some very substantial Victorian houses on the desirable Hammersmith Grove and Luxemburg Gardens and stunning Georgian terraces with views over the river along the Mall and Hammersmith Terrace. Brackenbury Village has a good stock of pretty three/four-bedroom Victorian cottages, many of which have been extended by recent inhabitants.
This is an extremely well-connected area, with three tube lines and a major bus hub at Hammersmith station, plus a swift 15minutes to Heathrow down the M4. The proximity to the airport, as well as presence of foreign language schools and cultural centres, draws French,Italian and Polish expats to Hammersmith, giving it a buzzing cosmopolitan vibe.
Many families are drawn to Hammersmith for its peerless educational offering. There are three Ofsted-rated Outstanding primary schools as well as Bute House, Latymer Prep and Ravenscourt Park Prep. At secondary level there is St Paul’s Girls' School, Godolphin & Latymer and Latymer Upper – some of the most sought-after private schools in London – and some excellent state options as well, with the West London Free School, LadyMargaret’s School and Sacred Heart High School all very highly thought of.
£1.8 million
price of semi-detached house in Hammersmith
10% increase
in prices since 2023
Property market
Hammersmith has enjoyed a brisk trade in high-value houses recently, with larger period houses, particularly along the river, being architectural gems that do not come to market very often, with buyers willing to pay over the odds in order to secure the house of their dreams. In the third quarter of 2023, a house on Hammersmith Terrace was sold for £4.575 million – £1.1 million more than its sale price in 2015.
As of December 2024, house prices inHammersmith had an overall average of £1,013,552 over the previous 12 months.Flats fetched an average price of £630,018. Terraced properties sold for an average of £1.63 million, with semi-detached properties selling for just under£1.8 million. Overall, historical sold prices in Hammersmith over the last year were 10% up on the previous year but 2% down on the 2017 peak of £1,030,690.
London Richmond purchased a beautiful6-bedroom house in Hammersmith on Sulgrave Road, which is currently being refurbished. Once completed this property will rent for £150,000 per annum.
Things to do
Hammersmith is packed with cultural, historical and sporting activities. The Riverside Studios is a wonderful arts complex with a theatre, gallery, cinema and studios for performance and TV recording. It has welcomed collaborators like Amy Winehouse, David Bowie, YokoOno and David Hockney over the years, and a recent hit production of Ulster American starred Hollywood actorsWoody Harrelson and Andy Serkis. There are also fabulous community workshops where you can try your hand at anything from Bollywood dance to sculpting with clay.
The nearby Lyric offers an exciting and imaginative programme of world-class theatre for adults, but is especially well-known for their commitment to inspiring younger audiences with high-quality children’s theatre. There’s also a spacious roof garden planted with giant ferns, a peaceful oasis that feels a million miles from the bustle of King Street below. For more mainstream entertainment, the Art DecoHammersmith Apollo is one of London’s major concert venues and has recently hosted shows by Blur and Eric Clapton.
No visit to Hammersmith would be complete without a stroll along the Thames Path from the Black Lion pub up to the iconicHammersmith bridge in its gold and green livery. In summer the greens and pubs are packed with people enjoying a pint in the sunshine, while on winter days the bracing air and views over the water draw walkers and rowers – there are several boathouses and rowing clubs on this stretch and you’ll inevitably catch a glimpse of a boat or two gliding down the river. There are lots of great places here for watching the annual Oxford & Cambridge Boat Race, though be sure to arrive early to secure a spot. About halfway along the walk is Kelmscott House, an imposing Georgian mansion where William Morris lived and worked for the last 18 years of his life. The coach house is now home to the WilliamMorris Society Museum, where you can see some of Morris’s incredible textile designs and his original printing press.
“Some of the larger period houses, particularly along the river, are architectural gems that do not come to market very often, and buyers are willing to pay over the odds”
Shopping
Kings Mall and King Street are the main shopping areas in Hammersmith. The once-tired mall had a facelift a few years ago when it was rebranded Livat Hammersmith and a new small-format IKEA opened on the ground floor. The redevelopment of next door Lyric Square, which is now a sleek pedestrianised area with leaping fountains, also helped the area attract new brands like H&M and a large new Sainsburys. The hugely popularHammersmith Food Market comes to Lyric Square every Thursday, bringing handmade pasta dishes, Caribbean style salads, hog roast, crepes and falafels to eager crowds.
If you follow King Street down towardsStamford Brook there are a number of well-loved independent food shops, including Saffron for beautifully fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs as well asa treasure trove of Middle Eastern pantry staples. Patisserie Sainte Anne does a brisk trade in Parisian croissants and baguettes every weekend morning, whileSriracha is a well-stocked oriental supermarket with a very good range of Thai,Chinese and Japanese ingredients. And over in Brackenbury Village, family butcher Stenton’s has been trading for 50 years – the queues at Christmas are the stuff of legend.
Pamper and exercise
With the River Thames on their doorstep, manyHammersmith locals take to the water for their daily or weekly exercise. Rowing is huge here and many of the rowing clubs welcome beginners so there’s no need to be intimidated. There’s also the London Corinthian Sailing Club for yacht and dinghy sailing – again, novices are welcome and many find that a fun and sociable sail becomes part of their weekend routine.
For other outdoor sporting pursuits,Ravenscourt Park has tennis courts, an astroturf football pitch, basketball courts and netball courts available to book, and various fitness bootcamps take place on its extensive grassed areas. Indoors, there’s a good choice of chain gyms, including a Virgin Active, a Better Fitness and a PureGym.
For pampering, Blossom Spa offers Thai massages that really get to grips with stiff muscles and stubborn knots, leaving you feeling utterly relaxed. The Nail Parlour W6 in Stamford Brook is a no frills space that’s always jam-packed with fanatically loyal clients – the owners have an encyclopaedic knowledge of their regulars’ names and preferred nail colours.
Dine
Brackenbury Village has some of the best gastropubs in the area – The Anglesea Arms on Wingate Road serves up modernEuropean cuisine like burrata with figs and pink peppercorns and pigeon breast with boudin noir, alongside elevated burgers, steaks and apple crumbles. TheGrove Tavern on Hammersmith Grove has a large covered terrace open all year round and a menu of solid pub grub. The Andover Arms offers some more contemporary twists like miso aubergines, Iberian croquettes and mackerel with seaweed mayonnaise, though its styling is still very much that of a cosy neighbourhood pub.
Along the river there are also a number of lovely spots. The Elder Press, a beautifully styled cafe on Black Lion Lane that has taken the area by storm in recent years, serves colourful, delicious and nutritious food that is on excellent terms with current food trends – think super grain porridge with spiced turmeric pears and Turkish eggs with labnehand sumac. All the buns, bread and cakes are baked on site and they make excellent smoothies for those just finishing up a brisk morning jog by the water. Of the riverside pubs, The Dove is the favourite of most locals, who return again and again for its calm and cosy atmosphere, large outdoor terrace and fresh, seasonal food.