Brook Green is a classic, family-loving west London suburb, with a growing buzz around it.
The mainly residential, upmarket, relatively obscure area is within the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and it neighbors Holland Park, Kensington and Hammersmith.
“People come here for its schools, location, and community vibe and love it,” said Dominic Barry, head of sales of Savills Brook Green.
Plans to redevelop the old London Olympia exhibition center and event space brought more “eyes” to the area, said Giles Barrett of Domus Nova estate agency. The new Olympia will be a £1.3 billion (US$1.6 billion) “cultural hub” at the old Olympia site on the edge of Brook Green, scheduled for 2024. The Thomas Heatherwick-designed scheme is providing a 4,400-capacity live music venue, among other facilities.
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The “hidden gem” Brook Green neighborhood has become a key spot for relocating central Londoners, with local estate agents calling it west London’s new “golden postcode.” House sales increased 100% from January to June 2022 compared with the same six-month period in 2020, according to data created for Mansion Global by prime markets analyst LonRes.
Prices are definitely creeping upward, and there is unprecedented demand for houses in the area, which has low inventory levels, said Debbie McFadyen of Finlay Brewer estate agency. “Young couples are skipping buying flats and buying longtime family homes, if they can afford it, to lock in cheap interest rates,” she said.
Boundaries
Brook Green sits between Ravenscourt Park and Brackenbury Village to the west, Hammersmith to the south, Holland Park the east and Shepherd’s Bush to the north, and lies the west London postcodes of W6 and W14.
It is bounded by Sinclair Road to the east, which runs parallel to train lines. Its southern boundary are the roads leading off Hammersmith Road. The roads forming its western edge are Shepherd’s Bush Road, Lena Gardens, and Sulgrave Road. Its northern border is Shepherd’s Bush Green.
Price Range
A Brook Green house with three or four bedrooms in need of a complete renovation costs from between £1.5 million and £2 million while a refurbished property of the same size costs around £3 million, said Camilla Goodfellow of Marsh & Parsons. Renovated five to six-bedroom houses can cost up to £4.5 million.
Brook Green’s “best roads” include the two bordering Brook Green park, both named Brook Green, and the streets leading off from them. Finlay Brewer recently sold the area’s highest-selling house for in excess of £8 million, which overlooked Brook Green park.
A two to three-bedroom house on Elsham Road can cost between £2 million and £3 million, a four to five-bedroom home on Derwent Road costs around £3 million, and similar sized houses on Aynhoe Road sold for £3.5 million, Ms. McFadyen said, whose agency has been based in the Brook Green area for 30 years.
The average price of a house in Brook Green is £2.3 million while the average flat costs around £769,000, according to the same LonRes data.
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Housing Stock
Brook Green mostly has period housing, with red and yellow brick and stucco fronts. It has plenty of pretty streets, with colorful house facades and blooming gardens. There are flat-fronted cottages (Hofland Road has some lovely ones) and attractive terraced houses (some with double fronts) and converted flats, with few modern developments.
Brook Green mostly has Victorian-era properties, but there are some stucco-fronted Georgian houses, with fanlight front doors, on Hammersmith Grove.
Most Brook Green houses have small, patio gardens and very few have off-street parking, Ms. Goodfellow said.
A light and airy period garden flat on Sinclair Gardens with two ensuite bedrooms, on sale for 1.15m with Savills.
Savills
What Makes It Unique
The small patch of west London located in Zone 2 was named after a now-buried waterway. It shares its name with its local park, which has a contemporary pavilion with a food kiosk and outdoor seating, green fields and public tennis courts. It is close to Hammersmith and Kensington (Olympia) Tube stations with access to the District, Piccadilly, Overland and Hammersmith and City lines. Heathrow airport is a 30-minute Tube ride away.
Brook Green and its surroundings include some long-standing, highly rated private schools, including a lycée, which draws people from all over the city and beyond. The area is walkable from the trendy shopping street of Westbourne Grove and is close to Thameside walks and the green and dog-friendly spaces of Ravenscourt Park.
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It has quiet leafy roads, pretty Victorian houses and charming neighborhood eateries and it “offers better value for money and [is] a bit cooler than Holland Park and Notting Hill, plus it is safe, nice and has good transport links,” Mr. Barry said.
Property prices are more affordable than Holland Park, Kensington and Chelsea, Chiswick and Notting Hill and it’s an attractive spot for central London buyers as it is only a 15-minute walk from Holland Park, Mr. Barrett said. “For example, a 2,500 square foot house in Holland Park costs between £5 million and £10 million while a similar property in Brook Green ranges from £2 million and £4 million,” he added.
On Brook Green road facing its local park, this redbrick period house is currently arranged as five flats, offering the opportunity for buyers to convert it into a family home, subject to planning consent. It is priced at 3.45 million with Marsh and Parsons.
Marsh and Parsons
Luxury Amenities
Brook Green’s schools are arguably its biggest draw. The most prestigious is St Paul’s Girls’ School, an independent day school for girls aged 11 to 18.
Ecole Francaise Jacques Prevert is a hugely popular, independent or prep, co-ed French primary school. Godolphin and Latymer School is an independent or prep school for girls aged 11 to 18, on Iffley Road in Hammersmith, less than a mile from Brook Green.
Brook Green has “excellent state and faith schools” including St Mary’s Roman Catholic primary school and Addison primary school. It has the nearby well-regarded John Betts primary school in Ravenscourt Park, St Peter’s Primary School in Hammersmith, and Brackenbury Primary School in Brackenbury Village.
Brook Green’s local dining scene is laid back, independent and cozy. It has the Bird in Hand restaurant and dining room, a former pub with rustic-chic stylings, Italian pizzas, tapas, and small sharing plates. And the Havelock Tavern gastropub has marine blue décor in a historic pub interior and posh pub dishes including stone bass with samphire, lamb rump and a rib and chuck burger with aioli.
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A recommended tapas joint on Shepherds Bush Road, traditional Los Molinos has a ceramic plate-hung salmon pink interior, with pine furniture, while the Pentolina Italian restaurant has elegant traditional dishes and regional wines. Ms. Goodfellow recommends the French bistro Le Petit Citron and the Brook Green hotel and pub, both on Shepherd’s Bush Road, and Brackenbury Wine Rooms in nearby Brackenbury Village has forty wines by the glass.
Brook Green has independent food purveyors, too. The Fishmongers Kitchen offers seasonal and sustainable fresh fish and sushi classes. It has a shop by posh bakery chain Gail’s; the Brook Green food market at a local primary school playground, where you’ll find farm fresh organic produce and globe-trotting street food; and the Brook Green Organic and Wholefoods shop. It also has a Holloways of Ludlow interiors shop on the Shepherd’s Bush Road.
Who Lives There
Brook Green is made up of longtime locals and newcomers from London and beyond. They are a mix of young professionals, stay at home parents and families, working across the finance and banking sectors, as well as print media and broadcasting, film and other creative industries, according to agents.
The redevelopment of BBC’s Television Studios, which includes Soho House’s White City House, and the Westfield in Shepherd’s Bush has brought more attention to the area and is drawing a younger crowd, Mr. Barry explained.
Brook Green has a notable French community and rising interest from Hong Kong Chinese and British Hong Kong expats, according to agents. They are relocating due to the political climate in the Chinese city and are drawn to the area because of its schools.
Notable Residents
Brook Green is home to some members of the British royal family, prominent bankers, and some celebrities, Ms. McFadyen said, though she declined to give names.
Outlook
Brook Green homes were selling fast 2021 due to the pandemic-driven demand for outside space and the stamp duty tax holiday, but since early 2022 the property market has slowed down, Ms. McFadyen said. Interest rates and spiralling living costs are significant factors.
Current market challenges aside, Brook Green has longtime appeal because of the schools in the area and its family home market is performing well. “We currently have five to eight couples looking for a home in Brook Green for £3 million and they will buy here. There is an expectation the Olympia development will boost prices in the surrounding areas,” Ms. McFadyen said.
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