Living in Northfields: area guide to homes, schools and transport
Local estate agent Ronan McNamara from Robertson Smith & Kempson, who lives in the area and has been selling homes there for 26 years, describes Northfields as a west London enclave with a village community feel, fine parks and good schools.
He says it is still possible to buy a good-size family house in Northfields for under £1 million, and the eventual arrival of Crossrail has attracted new families to the area.
Gardening seems to be in Northfields’ DNA and apples were its speciality. The Steel family had extensive apple orchards, and when they turned developer some roads south of the station, such as Bramley Road, were named after types of apple.
Famous Brentford nurseryman Hugh Ronalds (1760-1833) grew plants in the area between Northfield Avenue and Blondin Park. In 1831 he published Pyrus Malus Brentfordiensis, a vast treatise on apples.
It was to Ronalds that Sir Joseph Banks turned for plants to take on his expeditions to Australia.
Today, Northfields lays claim to having London’s oldest allotments. The Northfields Allotments, established in 1832, have more than 140 plotholders and 75 on the waiting list
In 1886 the world’s most famous tightrope walker, Charles Blondin, bought a house close to what is now Blondin Park and named it Niagara House after his many crossings of Niagara Falls on a tightrope, once stopping in the middle to cook and eat an omelette, another time carrying his manager on his back.
He lived there until his death in 1897 and as well as the park, there is a road, Niagara Avenue, named in his honour.
Northfields’ other claim to fame is Sixties pop star Dusty Springfield, who in the Fifties was a pupil at St Ann’s Convent in Place House in Little Ealing Lane.
The classical building, empty since the departure of King Fahad Academy in 2005, will soon become home to Ealing Fields High School, run by the respected Twyford CofE Academies Trust.
The school opened in September 2016 in nearby Boston Park and according to Ronan McNamara, it has made a big difference to Northfields with many families staying in the area rather than moving once their children reach secondary school age.
The property scene
Northfields has mainly Victorian and Edwardian terrace houses. Period conversions and maisonettes start at around £425,000, with garden flats ranging between £500,000 and £525,000.
Two-bedroom cottages range from £675,000 to £750,000; three-bedroom houses are £825,000 to £950,000 and the more substantial houses east of Northfield Avenue start at £1.25 million.
Typical of the more expensive houses available in Northfields is a four-bedroom extended Edwardian house in Wellington Road on sale for £1.075 million.
New-build homes
Housing association Network Homes is about to start work on the development of the Orion Park industrial estate on Northfield Avenue, north-west of the station.
Locals objected to five- and six-storey residential buildings but there is now planning permission for 76 new homes and 9,000sq ft of shops and restaurants along Northfield Avenue.
Reynard Mills in Windmill Road in nearby Brentford is a development by housing association Notting Hill Genesis of 123 one- and two- bedroom flats and 72 three- and four-bedroom homes ready to move into; three-bedroom houses start at £750,000 and four-bedroom houses at £870,000.
For the houses contact Savills 020 7409 8756.
First-time buyer and shared-ownership homes
There are shared ownership homes at Reynard Mills; one bedroom flats start at £90,630 for a 25 per cent share of a flat with a market value of £385,000; and two-bedroom flats start at £119,375 for a 25 per share of a flat with a market value of £477,500.
Buyers have a three-month rent-free period on the portion not purchased. Contact 020 3815 1234.
So Resi Ealing in nearby West Ealing is the development of the former BHS building in Uxbridge Road. Metropolitan Thames Valley is launching shared ownership flats here soon. Contact 020 8607 0550.
Renting
There is strong demand from corporate tenants, from major local employers Glaxo, Sky, Diageo and Allianz, with landlords achieving rental yields of 3.5 to four per cent.
Staying power
Improvements to an existing comprehensive school and a new one mean that parents are now much happier to stay in Northfields.
Elthorne Park, which is judged “good” by the Government’s education watchdog Ofsted, has a £14 million extension, and Ealing Fields High is a new Church of England comprehensive school which opened in September 2016 and moves to its permanent site on the old St Ann’s Convent school site in Little Ealing Lane next year.
Postcode
Most of Northfields falls into the W13 West Ealing postcode, a large postcode which stretches as far as the A40. South of Northfields station some streets fall into the more favoured W5 Ealing postcode.
On the western edge there are roads in the W7 Hanwell postcode and to the south it strays into the TW8 Brentford postcode.
Best roads
The loveliest houses are around Walpole and Lammas parks towards Ealing Broadway, where there are spacious semi-detached, some double-fronted, and detached Edwardian houses. Culmington Road backs on to Walpole Park and Elers Road backs on to Lammas Park.
Other top roads are Clovelly Road, Waldemar Avenue, Lavington Road and Lyncroft Gardens. However, for families with small children the roads near Fielding primary school in Wyndham Road, west of Northfield Avenue, where the houses are smaller, are very popular and can command a premium of 10 per cent.
Up and coming
Where Northfields meets Boston Manor in W7 and where it meets Brentford in TW8 is generally cheaper.
Transport
The M4 sits to the south of Northfields giving easy access to Heathrow and the West Country.
For Tube connections, Northfields is on the Heathrow branch of the Piccadilly line and has a station designed by the famous Art Deco architect Charles Holden, who designed many of the stations on the line. The station is in Zone 3 and an annual travelcard to Zone 1 costs £1,648.
Crossrail, renamed the Elizabeth line, will stop at nearby West Ealing and Ealing Broadway stations and is now due to open in December this year.
Council
Ealing (Labour-controlled); Band D Council Tax 2018/2019: £1,410.12.
Lifestyle
Shops and restaurants
Northfields’ high street is along Northfield Avenue where there are mainly independent shops and cafés popular with young mums during the week and families at the weekend.
There has been a pub, the Plough, at the southern end, where Northfield Avenue meets Little Ealing Lane, since the Middle Ages and although it has been rebuilt several times it remains a popular local, run by London brewer Fuller’s, and next door there is a busy coffee shop, The Fields.
Other highlights include award-winning gift shop, Mooch; two bakers, the Pitshanger Bakery and Parkers Bakery, although the later is closing in April after 106 years; Papillon Deli and Patisserie; cheese shop Cheddar Deli; Tapas restaurant Tapelia; and Sicilian restaurant and pizzeria Sikulo; and Patri is a newly opened café offering Indian street food; Klein & Wallace is the local boutique, and The Forester, another Fuller’s pub, is a local Victorian landmark, while Love Handmade sells painted furniture.
Local estate agent Ronan McNamara rates Ealing Park Tavern in South Ealing Road as the best local gastro pub.
Along the Uxbridge Road in West Ealing there is a selection of chain stores but there is also an independent coffee shop Doppio, which started life in Kentish Town but now has five London branches; and Persian Palace, a popular Iranian restaurant.
Open Space
Northfields’ parks are Lammas Park, which has tennis courts, a croquet court, bowling greens, children’s playground and nature area; and Blondin Park, a local nature reserve which has a community orchard, wildflower meadow and pond and an active friends’ group.
There are also peaceful walks along the Grand Union Canal.
Leisure and the arts
The Watermans in Brentford is the local arts centre and the Questors in Ealing is one of the country’s leading amateur dramatic companies.
Pitzhanger Manor in Ealing was the country home of classical architect Sir John Soane; it reopens after an extensive programme of renovation on March 16 with an exhibition of the work of leading sculptor Anish Kapoor.
The nearest council-owned swimming pool is Gurnell Leisure Centre in Ruislip Road East in Ealing.
Schools
Primary schools
All Northfields state primary schools are judged to be “good” by the Government’s education watchdog Ofsted; the “outstanding” primary school is Fielding in Wyndham Road, although Little Ealing in Weymouth Avenue is also very popular.
Comprehensive
The local neighbourhood comprehensive school, Elthorne Park (co-ed, ages 11 to 18) in Westlea Road is judged to be “good”; the new CofE comprehensive school, Ealing Fields High (co-ed, ages 11 to 18) currently in Wyke Gardens in Boston Manor, opened in September 2016 and has not yet been inspected by Ofsted.
Gunnersbury RC (boys, ages 11 to 18) in The Ride in Brentford is judged to be “outstanding” as is nearby Drayton Manor (co-ed, ages 11 to18) in Drayton Bridge Road.
Private
The private primary and preparatory schools are: Clifton Lodge (co-ed, ages three to 13) in Mattock Lane; Avenue House (co-ed, ages four to 11) in The Avenue; Harvington Prep (girls, ages three to 13); Durston House (boys ages four to 13) both in Castlebar; La Chouette (co-ed, ages two to six) a English/French bilingual nursery and pre-school in The Mall and Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain, London Welsh School (co-ed, ages three to 11), an English/Welsh bilingual school in Westcott Crescent in Hanwell.
The all-through private schools are: Notting Hill & Ealing High (girls, ages four to 18) in Cleveland Road; St Benedict’s RC (co-ed, ages four to 18) in Eaton Rise; and International School of London (co-ed, ages three to 18) in Gunnersbury Avenue.
Ealing Independent College (co-ed, ages 14 to 18) in New Broadway is a private fifth and sixth form college.