West London is the western part of London , England, north of the River Thames , west of the City of London , and extending to the Greater London boundary.
62-563: Shepherd's Bush is a suburb of West London , England, within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham 4.9 miles (7.9 km) west of Charing Cross , and identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan . Although primarily residential in character, its focus is the shopping area of Shepherd's Bush Green , with the Westfield London shopping centre a short distance to
124-650: A 12-screen cinema, gym, pub, restaurants, a medical practice and a supermarket. The small shops continue along many of the most popular roads within Shepherd's Bush, such as Uxbridge Road. Many of these establishments cater for the local ethnic minority communities. For example, a relatively large proportion of the local shops on Goldhawk Road (south of the Green) are dedicated to Ethiopian culture, whether that be through food, clothing or barbershops. (see Demographics ). Running parallel to, and partly under, an elevated section of
186-538: A child. A stadium on nearby Wormwood Scrubs is named the Linford Christie Stadium in his honour. Some of the football games in the 1908 Olympics were hosted in Shepherd's Bush. Shepherds Bush F.C. were the local side until 1915. Former England national rugby union team captain Lawrence Dallaglio was born in Shepherd's Bush. West London The term is used to differentiate the area from
248-610: A hotel. The BBC's presence in the Bush is now concentrated in two huge sites on Wood Lane, Television Centre and the White City building. The Media Village was built next to the White City building in the mid-1980s on the former site of the White City Stadium . It is used by the BBC and other media companies including Red Bee Media (formerly BBC Broadcast, now a private company). Television Centre
310-614: A shed for a London Underground power station. The Dimco buildings were used as a filming location for the 'Acme Factory' in the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit , and later served as the interior of the British Museum in The Mummy Returns . The area's focal point is Shepherd's Bush Green (also known as Shepherds Bush Common), a triangular area of about 8 acres (3 ha) of open grass surrounded by trees and roads with shops, with Westfield shopping centre to its north. The Green
372-528: A variety of formal purposes with the boundaries defined according to the purposes of the designation. The 2011 iteration of the London Plan included an altered "West" sub-region, to be used for planning, engagement, resource allocation and progress reporting purposes. It consists of the London Boroughs of Brent , Harrow , Ealing , Hammersmith and Fulham , Hillingdon , Hounslow and Richmond upon Thames . As well as including outer areas of West London,
434-423: Is a hub on the local road network, with four main roads radiating from the western side of the green and three roads approaching its eastern apex, meeting at the large Holland Park Roundabout. This position makes it an important node of the bus network , with eighteen bus routes arriving there. It is also served by five London Underground stations (see Transport below): Shepherd's Bush and White City both on
496-669: Is a major employer in West London, and the University of West London has more than 47,000 students. Shepherd%27s Bush tube station Shepherd's Bush is a London Underground station in the district of Shepherd's Bush in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham . The station is on the Central line , between White City and Holland Park stations, and it lies in Travelcard Zone 2 . The station originally opened in 1900, but
558-460: Is a music venue and former television studio, and has played host to some very popular acts and TV programmes, including David Bowie , Rolling Stones , Bob Dylan , The Old Grey Whistle Test , Wogan , That's Life! , Crackerjack , and This Is Your Life . Bush Hall is another, rather smaller, venue at 310 Uxbridge Road, built in 1904 as a dance hall. It predominantly showcases smaller acoustic performers. Shepherd's Bush Walkabout
620-511: Is based in Hopgood Street, just off Shepherd's Bush Green. Some important rock and roll groups have roots in Shepherd's Bush. The Who infused much of their work with the youth culture of Shepherd's Bush during the 1960s and 1970s. Steve Jones , guitarist of punk legends the Sex Pistols , was born in Shepherd's Bush, and Pistols drummer Paul Cook grew up here. The Clash 's early work
682-506: Is infused with the culture of Shepherd's Bush and the Westway . Libertines and Babyshambles frontman Pete Doherty moved to Shepherd's Bush at age 16. Tony Butler , bass-player with 1980s band Big Country and others, was born in Shepherd's Bush. Bands Bush and Symposium hail from Shepherd's Bush, the former taking their name from the area. Classical musicians Evelyn Glennie and Robert Steadman have both lived in Shepherd's Bush. In
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#1733084535149744-529: Is now focused on the Westfield shopping centre next to Shepherd's Bush Central line station and on the many small shops which run along the northern side of the Green. Originally built in the 1970s with a rooftop car park and connecting bridge to the station, the older West 12 Shepherds Bush shopping centre was significantly redeveloped in the 1990s. The bridge was removed, and the centre now houses several chain stores,
806-407: Is the only Borough to have three football teams playing Premier League Football. Bush Theatre is one of the most celebrated new writing theatres in the world. Situated on the green it has international reputation for discovering, nurturing and producing the best new theatre writers from the widest range of backgrounds, and for presenting their work to the high standards. Shepherd's Bush Empire
868-584: The Central line , and Shepherd's Bush Market , Goldhawk Road and Wood Lane all on the Hammersmith & City and Circle lines. To the east, Shepherd's Bush is bounded by the physical barrier of the West London railway line and the grade-separated West Cross Route (part of the aborted 1960s London Motorway Box scheme); the Holland Park Roundabout and the small Addison Bridge to the south are
930-529: The Circle and Hammersmith & City lines is located approximately 1 ⁄ 3 -mile (500 m) West. Until 2008, it too was called Shepherd's Bush until it was renamed to avoid confusion. The station opened on 30 July 1900 and was the original western terminus of the Central London Railway (CLR). The original surface-level station building was a terracotta -clad ticket hall with its entrance on
992-604: The City of London , Westminster (West London) , Southwark (South London) , and 'That Part beyond the Tower' (East London) . The area now usually referred to as North London developed later. As well as the proximity of the centre of government, the West End was long favoured by the rich elite as a place of residence because it was usually upwind of the smoke drifting from the crowded City. A further factor facilitating rapid growth in West London
1054-658: The City of London . An alternative theory is that it could have been named after someone in the area, because in 1635 the area was recorded as "Sheppard's Bush Green". Evidence of human habitation can be traced back to the Iron Age . Shepherd's Bush enters the written record in the year 704 when it was bought by Waldhere , Bishop of London as a part of the "Fulanham" estate. A map of London dated 1841 shows Shepherd's Bush to be largely undeveloped and chiefly rural in character, with much open farmland, compared with fast-developing Hammersmith . Residential development began in earnest in
1116-607: The Freedom of Information Act which showed that the contractor, Metronet , had advised that the work could be completed without closing the station. Shepherd's Bush station re-opened to passengers on 5 October that year. During the refurbishment, Transport for London did not add lifts to the station as originally planned, citing installation costs of £100 million due to the various underground utilities nearby which would have to be diverted. The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and disability pressure groups have been critical of
1178-608: The Hammersmith & City line there is a large permanent market, the Shepherd's Bush Market , selling all types of foodstuffs, cooked food, household goods, clothing and bric-à-brac. The Westfield Group (with Hausinvest Europa) opened a shopping centre in October 2008. As well as the offices within the Television Centre on Wood Lane , opposite this is Network House, 1 Ariel Way, a 20,000 sq ft (2,000 m) building that
1240-722: The Second World War . West London is an informally and inexactly defined area lying north of the River Thames and extends west from the edge of the City of London , to West London's historic and commercial core of Westminster and the West End , on to the Greater London boundary, much of which is formed by the River Colne . Some interpretations of the area include the boroughs of Brent and Harrow , taking ancient Watling Street as
1302-505: The Thames in the vicinity. Tradition dates the foundation to the 7th Century AD with written records dating back to the 960s or early 970s. The Island and surrounding area became known as Westminster in reference to the church. The legendary origin is that in the early 7th century, a local fisherman named Edric ferried a stranger in tattered foreign clothing over the Thames to Thorney Island . It
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#17330845351491364-508: The Uxbridge Road facing Shepherd's Bush Green. Like all CLR stations, the station building was designed by Harry Bell Measures . To the north of the station was located the CLR's power station and Wood Lane depot which was originally accessed by a single track tunnel. The eastbound tunnel ended to the west of the station in a dead-end reversing siding with a cross-over junction connecting it to
1426-636: The West End and Knightsbridge , both in west London. Five of the thirteen Metropolitan Centres in the plan are also in West London: Ealing , Hounslow , Harrow , Uxbridge and Shepherd's Bush . Eleven of the London Plan's thirty-eight Opportunity Areas are part of West London; Kensal Canalside , Paddington , Earl's Court and West Kensington , Harrow and Wealdstone , Park Royal , Old Oak Common , Southall , Tottenham Court Road , Victoria, Wembley and White City . London Heathrow Airport
1488-597: The Westfield shopping centre area at White City, the grade II listed Dimco buildings (1898), now redeveloped as a bus station, were used as the location for the 'Acme Factory' in the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit . Shepherd's Bush is home to Queens Park Rangers football club, who play their home games in Loftus Road . Olympic gold medal winner Linford Christie also grew up in Shepherd's Bush and lived in Loftus Road as
1550-576: The Worshipful Company of Fishmongers presents the Abbey with a salmon in memory of this event. The Palace of Westminster subsequently developed, with Parliament being based there from its establishment in 1265. The presence of the centre of government as a distinct focus for growth, accompanied by the proximity of the City, ensured that western London was the fastest growing part of early London. The growth of
1612-518: The 15th to 17th centuries, growth along the roads from Ludgate ( Fleet Street and The Strand ) and Newgate ( Holborn and High Holborn ) accelerated, and came to extend far beyond Farringdon Without, into Holborn , Bloomsbury and Westminster . Urban growth extending from the Westminster urban area, linked up with that extending from the City in the time of Henry VIII . It was at around that time that Westminster first acquired City status. In
1674-460: The 17th century these areas of growth would be linked by high status new developments, which formed a focal point in their own right, later becoming known as the West End of London . The development of the area began with the establishment of the Abbey on a site then called Thorney Island , the choice of site may in part relate to the natural ford which is thought to have carried Watling Street over
1736-522: The Beatles recorded their first-ever BBC Television broadcast at Lime Grove Studios in Shepherd's Bush. The group returned in 1964 for a further recording. Lime Grove Studios was demolished in 1994 to make way for residential accommodation. More recently, the White City bus station is housed in the redeveloped Dimco Buildings (1898), Grade II listed red brick buildings which were originally built in 1898 as
1798-451: The City of London beyond its city walls was much faster outside the western gates of Ludgate and Newgate than it was outside the gates to the north or to the east; this rapid growth was due to the roads from these western gates leading to the political centre of Westminster. The large and prosperous extra-mural ward of Farringdon Without , extensively urbanised during the 12th century, has been described as London's First West End . From
1860-565: The Olympic and Paralympic Games ) making it part of the Cultural Olympiad ) artwork was installed on Shepherd's Bush Green for the duration of London 2012 and the Paralympic Games . These large unique rotating football related sculptures commemorated the history of Shepherd's Bush and White City , which hosted the 1908 Summer Olympics football. The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
1922-483: The Shepherd's Bush Walkabout was the centre of Antipodean life in London. The live music was usually a mixture of up and coming local acts, and cover bands who played Australian and New Zealand classic songs and contemporary popular music. Shepherd's Bush Walkabout closed in early October 2013 and it was announced the site would be redeveloped into a hotel. The casting agency 2020 Casting, which supplies extras for film shoots,
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1984-525: The Victorian era as a result of railway-based commuting; with the building of the termini at Paddington and Marylebone , and the lines radiating from them, having a particularly profound effect. This trend continued in the twentieth century and was subsequently reinforced by motorcar-based commuting. The size of London stabilised after the establishment of the Metropolitan Green Belt shortly after
2046-539: The West End are also a part of Central London , an area which also lacks precise definition. The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames spans the River Thames so its status can be ambiguous. The term West London is used to differentiate the area from other informal radial divisions of London, the Metropolitan Compass ; North London , East London and South London . The term "West London" has been used for
2108-515: The area to Ealing and areas of north-west London, such as Greenford and Ruislip . To the east, the line links Shepherd's Bush to London's West End , the City , and Stratford . The Circle and Hammersmith & City lines share the same route through the area, with direct services southbound to nearby Hammersmith . To the north, the lines curve eastwards towards Latimer Road and Ladbroke Grove . The lines then run directly to key destinations such as Paddington , King's Cross , Moorgate in
2170-682: The area to Wembley , Watford , Hemel Hempstead , and Milton Keynes . London Overground services running northbound travel towards Willesden Junction , where services continue towards West Hampstead , Camden , Hackney , and Stratford in east London. The station is an out-of-station interchange with Shepherd's Bush tube station on the Central line, and is situated on the western side of Holland Park Roundabout. There are two main bus interchanges in Shepherd's Bush. London Buses routes 31, 49, 72, 94, 95, 148, 207, 220, 228, 237, 260, 272, 283, 295, 316, 607, N72, N207, and C1 serve Shepherd's Bush Green and
2232-607: The boundary in those outer areas. The Grand Union Canal is West London's major internal waterway. West London is bordered by the administrative counties of Surrey to the south west and south; Berkshire to the west and north west; Buckinghamshire to the north west; and Hertfordshire to the north. A publication by the Mayor of London in 2011 referred to the London boroughs of Brent , Harrow , Ealing , Hammersmith and Fulham , Hounslow , Richmond , and Hillingdon as West London. Some parts of West London, such as Westminster and
2294-452: The city, and the East End . Shepherd's Bush railway station is served by National Rail trains, operated by London Overground ( [REDACTED] ) and Southern . There are direct services from Shepherd's Bush to Kensington , and Clapham Junction and Balham , both of which are based in the south west of London, and Croydon in the south east of London. Northbound Southern services link
2356-454: The construction of an integrated bus interchange and the new London Overground Shepherd's Bush station on the West London line . The new Overground station opened on 28 September that year and is close to the site of the former Uxbridge Road station which closed in 1940. During the reconstruction of the Central line station, Transport for London closed the station completely for eight months from 4 February 2008; TfL based their decision on
2418-509: The disused original station corridors and lift shafts to look at the history of the site. A large-scale redevelopment began in 2005 to redevelop the White City area to the north of Shepherd's Bush Green and to construct the Westfield Shopping Centre . As part of this project, Shepherd's Bush Central line station was reconstructed in 2008 by Westfield as part of a Section 106 contribution. The Westfield redevelopment also included
2480-565: The east, and westbound to Acton and the M40 motorway . Southbound, the A3220 is named Holland Road and links the area to Earl's Court , the A4 , and Chelsea . Other key routes through Shepherd's Bush include: The junkyard in the sitcom Steptoe & Son was situated at the fictional 24 Oil Drum Lane, Shepherd's Bush. It is often humorously referred to in the popular BBC series Absolutely Fabulous where
2542-504: The eastern rim of the district. Until 2000, the route was the M41 motorway , part of the abandoned Ringways network of orbital roads in London. Despite not retaining motorway status, pedal cycles are prohibited from using the route northbound. The A3220 links Shepherd's Bush with the A40/Westway to the north. This provides the area with a dual-carriageway link to Paddington and Marylebone to
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2604-607: The late 19th century, as London's population expanded relentlessly. In 1904 the Catholic Church of Holy Ghost and St Stephen, built in the Gothic style with a triple-gabled facade of red brick and Portland stone , was completed and opened to the public. Like other parts of London, Shepherd's Bush suffered from bomb damage during World War II , especially from V-1 flying bomb attacks (known as "doodlebugs" or "buzzbombs"), which struck randomly and with little warning. On 13 April 1963,
2666-469: The main character, Edina Monsoon, owns her home but prefers to say she lives in the more favourable, upscale Holland Park nearby. The BBC used to have many offices in Shepherd's Bush, but many have now been closed or moved. They included the Lime Grove Studios on the site of previous film studios Gaumont and Gainsborough Pictures . Sulgrave House, Threshold and Union Houses and Kensington House—now
2728-531: The mid 17th century Henry Jermyn , was instrumental in developing the St James's and Mayfair districts of Westminster. These districts provided a fashionable new focus for western London, that came to be known as the West End . Jermyn would become known as the Father of the West End . In 1720, John Strype 's "Survey of London" described Westminster as one of the then four distinct areas of London; in it he describes
2790-432: The need to replace the escalators at the same time as rebuilding work. This decision caused local controversy, and critics claimed that the works had been timed to benefit incoming businesses involved in the planned redevelopment of the area, at the cost of local residents and small business holders. The local MP for the Shepherd's Bush constituency , Andy Slaughter , investigated the project and obtained documents under
2852-419: The north and by Acton and Chiswick to the west. White City forms the northern part of Shepherd's Bush. Shepherd's Bush comprises the Shepherd's Bush Green, Askew, College Park & Old Oak, and Wormholt and White City wards of the borough. The name Shepherd's Bush is thought to have originated from the use of the common land here as a resting point for shepherds on their way to Smithfield Market in
2914-423: The north. The main thoroughfares are Uxbridge Road , Goldhawk Road and Askew Road, all with small and mostly independent shops, pubs and restaurants. Loftus Road football stadium in Shepherd's Bush is home to Queens Park Rangers . In 2011, the population of the area was 39,724. The district is bounded by Hammersmith to the south, Holland Park and Notting Hill to the east, Harlesden and Kensal Green to
2976-539: The only ways to cross this barrier from Shepherds Bush. Most of the areas to the east of the barrier differ significantly in character, being associated with the more affluent Holland Park and Notting Hill; although the Edward Woods Estate just to the north-east of the roundabout is part of and is managed by the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham . To the south, Shepherd's Bush neighbours Brook Green and Hammersmith . Commercial activity in Shepherd's Bush
3038-445: The original lifts and in 1938, the platforms were lengthened along with those of the other existing Central line stations to accommodate eight cars instead of the previous seven. Some of the original 1900 features of the station were preserved in areas that are not open to the public. Since 2022, London Transport Museum has been running guided historical tours of the station through its "Hidden London" programme, which take visitors to
3100-468: The other parts of London: Central London , North London , East London and South London . West London was part of the historic county of Middlesex . Early West London had two main focuses of growth, the area around Thorney Island , site of Westminster Abbey and the Palace of Westminster , and ribbon development heading west - towards Westminster - from gates in the walls of the City of London . In
3162-451: The site of the grounds of the 1908 Franco-British Exhibition and close to the White City Stadium and has given its name to the northern part of Shepherd's Bush which is now better known as White City. Shepherd's Bush is a major transport interchange in west London. Five London Underground stations serve the area, including: All stations are in London fare zone 2 . The Central line links
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#17330845351493224-555: The southern rim of the Holland Park Roundabout on the eastern side of Shepherd's Bush. This provides cyclists with traffic-free access from Holland Park Avenue to Shepherd's Bush Green . Transport for London (TfL) proposes that a cycle spur will link the roundabout to Cycleway 9 , which is intended to run along Kensington High Street . The Santander Cycles bicycle-sharing system operates around Shepherd's Bush, with docking stations near Westfield, Wood Lane station, and Shepherd's Bush Road. The A3220/West Cross Route runs along
3286-505: The southern side of the Westfield shopping centre. Most of these routes also serve White City bus station on the northern side of Westfield. Shepherd's Bush was also the proposed terminus of the West London Tram , an on-street light rail line running to Uxbridge via Acton , Ealing and Southall . This project was cancelled in 2007 in favour of an enhanced bus service and the development of Crossrail . Cycle lanes run around
3348-469: The southwest, and about as far as Askew Road in the west. Much of the housing in this area consists of three- or four-storey terraces dating from the late 19th century, and subsequently divided up into small flats. Shepherd's Bush is also home to the White City Estate, a housing estate that was originally constructed in the 1930s and further extended after the war in the early 1950s. It was built on
3410-471: The sub-region also includes areas south of the river, not usually counted as part of West London; areas of the cross-river London Borough of Richmond upon Thames . The 2004-2008 and 2008-2011 versions of the sub-region varied in their composition. The W (Western) postcode area was introduced in 1857 to facilitate the distribution of mail. The postcode area is a sub-set of West London. The London Plan defines two areas of London as International Centres,
3472-477: The westbound tunnel. When the now disused Wood Lane station was opened on 14 May 1908 to the north, a loop tunnel was created connecting to the eastbound tunnel. An extension to Richmond planned in 1920 would have started here with the next stop at the closed London and South Western Railway station at Hammersmith (Grove Road) ; the work was never carried out. As part of London Transport's New Works Programme, 1935 - 1940 , escalators were installed to replace
3534-495: Was a miraculous appearance of St Peter , a fisherman himself, coming to the island to consecrate the newly built church, which would subsequently develop into Westminster Abbey. He rewarded Edric with a bountiful catch when he next dropped his nets. Edric was instructed to present the King and St. Mellitus, Bishop of London with a salmon and various proofs that the consecration had already occurred . Every year on 29 June, St Peters day,
3596-642: Was a popular music and live sports venue located on the western end of the green, and home to the West London Wildcats and Shepherds Bush Raiders Aussie Rules teams. On Australian and New Zealand national holidays, big sporting events such as the National Rugby League Grand Final , Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup Rugby Union test matches, Australian Football League grand final , memorial days such as Waitangi Day , Australia Day , and Anzac Day , and on Sundays after The Church,
3658-495: Was closed for eight months in 2008 while the surface station building was replaced with a completely new structure and the underground station refurbished. A number of stations in the area both past and present have borne the name Shepherd's Bush ; today the Central line station shares its name with the adjacent London Overground Shepherd's Bush station, with which it shares a surface-level interchange . An entirely separate London Underground station, Shepherd's Bush Market on
3720-616: Was let by Frost Meadowcroft on behalf of Westfield to Zodiak Entertainment in September 2009 and in Rockley Road is the 160,000 sq ft (15,000 m) Shepherds Building where Endemol another TV company are based and where Jellycat, a soft toy company, relocated their head office to in February 2010. The residential areas of Shepherd's Bush are primarily located to the west of the Green, either side of Uxbridge Road and Goldhawk Road to
3782-497: Was the national home of BBC Television, and it is from there that BBC TV and radio news, the BBC website and a host of TV drama and light entertainment were broadcast. The BBC moved all of its news operations from Television Centre to Broadcasting House in central London in 2012. Shepherd's Bush Green The newly regenerated green in 2012–13 was the site for the public sculptures Goaloids by Fine Artist Elliott Brook. This Inspire Mark (awarded by LOCOG ( London Organising Committee of
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#17330845351493844-417: Was the very large number of bridges linking the area to South London and the area beyond; by contrast, even today, there are no bridges east of Tower Bridge , partly as the river becomes wider as it heads east. The term "West End of London" gained widespread currency as a proper noun, rather than just a geographical description in the 19th century. Like other areas of the capital, West London grew rapidly in
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