Neighbourhood guides

Find your corner of London.

London isn't one place. It's a collection of neighbourhoods, each with its own rhythm, favourite coffee spot, best pub, Sunday walk and reasons people decide to stay.

These are the parts of London we know. Not just the property market, but the streets, schools, parks, stations and places worth knowing once you live there.

Our notes, not a guidebook.

West London

Ealing

Leafy, sociable and remarkably easy to settle into.

Ealing gets the balance between London life and having a little more room to breathe just about right. Handsome residential streets, generous parks, an increasingly good food scene and the Elizabeth line make it easy to see why people put down roots here.

Small things we love

·A slow lap of Walpole Park on Sunday morning
·Dinner around Ealing Broadway without getting on a train
·How quickly the busy centre gives way to proper residential streets

Explore Ealing→

West London

Chiswick

West London life, very well put together.

Chiswick is polished without feeling too precious. Step away from the High Road and you find beautiful period streets, independent favourites, the Thames and some particularly good places to eat and drink.

Small things we love

·Walking the river before a long pub lunch
·Turnham Green Terrace when you actually have time to browse
·The streets around Bedford Park in autumn

Explore Chiswick→

West London

Acton

A neighbourhood that rewards looking a little closer.

Acton makes more sense on foot than it does on a map. Period streets, independent businesses, major regeneration and a remarkable spread of transport connections all meet here.

Small things we love

·A Saturday morning on Churchfield Road
·Acton Park when the weather behaves
·How much the neighbourhood changes from one pocket to the next

Explore Acton→

West London

Hanwell

West London charm without all the fuss.

Hanwell does not shout about itself, which is part of the attraction. Period streets, the canal, the Wharncliffe Viaduct and proper local places give it a friendly, pleasantly understated feel.

Small things we love

·Walking the Hanwell flight of locks
·An afternoon in Brent Lodge Park
·The fact it still feels slightly like west London's secret

Explore Hanwell→

West London

Notting Hill

Much more interesting once you get beyond the postcard.

Garden squares and beautiful residential streets sit minutes from restaurants, pubs, cinemas, boutiques and the glorious chaos of Portobello Road.

Small things we love

·Portobello early, before everyone else arrives
·The garden squares when London turns green
·A film at the Electric followed by somewhere good for dinner

Explore Notting Hill→

Footpath under ancient trees on the edge of Epping Forest

East London

South Woodford

The sort of place that makes everyday life easy.

South Woodford is wonderfully straightforward to live in: the Central line, George Lane, good local food and Epping Forest close enough to make a spontaneous walk entirely normal.

Small things we love

·Coffee on George Lane when nobody is in a hurry
·Being in Epping Forest within minutes
·Coming home from central London and feeling the pace change

Explore South Woodford→

Autumn light across a village-like London green with a church spire behind

East London

Wanstead

Green, sociable and quietly confident.

Wanstead feels pleasantly removed from central London without being far away. A genuinely useful High Street, Christchurch Green and a remarkable amount of surrounding greenery give it a distinct village quality.

Small things we love

·Coffee followed by an unnecessarily long walk
·Christchurch Green on a sunny morning
·Having both the High Street and Wanstead Park on the doorstep

Explore Wanstead→

East London

Forest Gate

Creative, connected and still distinctly east London.

Forest Gate combines handsome Victorian streets with independent food and drink, the Elizabeth line and Wanstead Flats, an enormous green space that changes the feel of the neighbourhood.

Small things we love

·Walking straight out onto Wanstead Flats
·The Victorian streets of the Woodgrange Estate
·Finding another independent place on Winchelsea Road or Woodgrange Road

Explore Forest Gate→