Hanwell emerges from neighbours’ shadows
BORDERING leafy Ealing and near desirable Richmond and Kew, Hanwell is fast becoming one of West London’s last undiscovered gems.
The lesser known suburb which is often overshadowed by its betterknown neighbour Ealing, is having a moment after coming second in The Sunday Times Best annual Places to Live 2022 for London.
Hanwell is an established neighbourhood with streets of mostly Victorian and Edwardian terraces with some 1930s houses and purpose-built blocks. It saw a 71% increase in prices between 2009 and 2015, and while not cheap, it is affordable by west London standards with new homes being built and regeneration ongoing, including options for first-time buyers.
But its biggest draw is it is one of the areas that will benefit from the launch of Crossrail. With services to Tottenham Court Road taking just 15 minutes, it is set to be the new Elizabeth Line’s biggest winner.
The area benefits from plenty of local shops and is handy for the nearby hub of Ealing Broadway. Pitshanger Lane is dotted with cafés and bistros and there is Pitshanger Park, while the popular Bunny Park petting zoo is a local attraction.
Hanwell is also flanked by the Grand Union Canal, offering stunning walks nearby to ‘Old Hanwell’ with its offering of independent cafés, pubs and restaurants. It also hosts the annual Hanwell Hootie – a large one-day free music festival, held in May.
According to Ben Plunkett, sales manager at Dexters estate agents, the neighbourhood is becoming an increasingly sought after location: He said: “Hanwell is a lovely area – it has a really good community feel. A lot of people have grown up here and because there are good schools, when people move in they then tend to stay. We also get a lot of families moving in.”
The average house price is £587,000 and, typically, a two-bedroom flat in a period conversion costs from £400,000 while a threebedroom 1930s-semi costs from £550,000 to £650,000. Ealing Council is investing in the area, with houses and flats being built on publicly owned infill sites, and a development project to build 202 new homes as part of a wider regeneration project is under way. But it is thought Crossrail will make a huge difference to the area.
“It is already a popular place, and I think we are going to find more and more people investing in the area once Crossrail is up and running,” Mr Plunkett added.