Living in Shepherd's Bush: travel links, parking, schools, best streets — and the average cost of monthly rent

A house share at a great price in diverse, convenient ‘Shey Bu’ is perfect for this American in London.
1/9

When Prince Harry’s ex-girlfriend, Cressida Bonas, moved to Shepherd’s Bush in 2014 the area was thrust into the spotlight as newspapers investigated what on earth there was to do in the area.

The sale and subsequent redevelopment of BBC Television Centre into flats, restaurants, a hotel and, crucially, a branch of Soho House has definitively answered that question.

The lowdown on Shepherd's Bush

Nowadays Shepherd’s Bush is a destination in its own right — and not just for well-oiled Australians heading to the now-demolished local Walkabout pub, or journalists working at the BBC.

Who lives there? Young professionals love the transport links, families love the excellent local schools and the French love the French school in this multicultural area.

Parking in Shepherd's Bush

A parking permit in Hammersmith & Fulham costs £119 per year. Fully electric vehicles park for free, while a permit for low-emission vehicles costs £60 a year.

Crime in Shepherd's Bush

Crime in Shepherd’s Bush is above average with 23 crimes reported per 1,000 residents. The top reported crimes are shoplifting, violence and harassment.

Fitness clubs in Shepherd's Bush

Phoenix Fitness Centre and Janet Adegoke Swimming Pool is the local council-run fitness outlet near White City.

There’s a branch of Gymbox in Westfield, while as a Soho House member, Erin uses the “beautiful gym” at White City House.

Average cost of renting in Shepherd's Bush

Property size Average monthly cost
One-bedroom flat £1,632
Two-bedroom flat £1,951
Two-bedroom house £2,169
Three-bedroom house £2,430
Four-bedroom house £3,198

Source: Rightmove

Best Shepherd's Bush streets to live on

“Favourites have always been the likes of Sinclair Road and Addison Gardens. Pennard Rd is prime, too, and ever-changing Wood Lane is a massive hit with tenants,” says João Pires, director of the local Dexters and Shepherd’s Bush resident of 23 years.

Shepherd's Bush travel links and accessibility

Erin hops on the Central line to get to work in Soho, an easy 15-minute Tube journey. Friends in Clapham and east London may live relatively far away but Erin says they feel closer thanks to direct Overground trains.

Shepherd’s Bush Market station is served by the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines.

Best schools in Shepherd's Bush

Brackenbury Primary School, Good Shepherd RC Primary School, Miles Coverdale Primary School, St Stephen’s CofE Primary School, Jack Tizard School, Queensmill School, Ark Conway Primary Academy and St John XXIII Catholic Primary School are all rated “outstanding” by Ofsted.

Several others are rated “good” by the education watchdog.

Supermarkets and food markets in Shepherd's Bush

There’s a Lidl in the W12 shopping centre, a Tesco Express and a Sainsbury’s Local in Goldhawk Road and branches of Waitrose and Marks & Spencer in the Westfield London mall at White City.

Downsides?

Queens Park Rangers home matches at Loftus Road make driving or parking around Shepherd’s Bush a nightmare.

“Our Saturday viewings need to be arranged according to the fixtures,” says Pires.

What the locals say:

'My commute to Soho is 15 minutes'

"A really nice house": Erin Dodds pays £710 a month for a room in a shared house in Shepherd's Bush
Adrian Lourie

Do you love where you live so much you’d consider getting a tattoo celebrating the area? If the answer’s no then maybe you need to move to Shepherd’s Bush, where Erin Dodds, 29, lives with three housemates, two of whom now sport permanent tributes to “Shey Bu”, as W12 is known locally.

“We’ve become good friends through living together and even go on holiday together sometimes,” says Erin. “We’d discussed getting a house tattoo, kind of as a joke.

“Then we went to Barcelona and my two male housemates booked in at this really nice tattoo parlour and made the super-talented Spanish tattoo artists draw a stick figure shepherd and a stick figure bush on their thighs. I backed out.”

Erin, an American, didn’t know Shepherd’s Bush before she moved there but she has grown to love the area’s convenience and diversity — enough to commit to a third year’s rental contract, if not quite enough for an indelible reminder of it.

She pays £710 a month, before bills, for her room in the Victorian house, which she found through a mutual friend of hers and her housemates.

“The house itself is really nice, we’ve got wooden floors and a recently updated kitchen and bathroom, but we haven’t spent a ton of time worrying about the decoration,” says Erin.

“My housemates hadn’t invested a lot in doing it up when I moved in and I don’t want to spend a lot on furniture because it’s really expensive to ship if I ever move back to America.”

Shopping in Shepherd's Bush

It may be “really boring” but Erin says having Westfield on the doorstep is extremely convenient for all her high street shopping needs.

She also rates the local Traid charity shop, which is “less picked over than branches in trendier areas”.

Eating and drinking in Shepherd's Bush

Erin likes Flying Horse Coffee, which opened in Television Centre this summer.

She also recommends Ayam Zamman Syrian restaurant, Bird in Hand for the truffle pizza and Albertine wine bar.

Culture in Shepherd's Bush

“We have seen a couple of plays at Bush Hall. It’s really nice and really affordable.

White City House puts on good events like speakers, films and music and we’ve seen a few films as a house at the Vue,” says Erin.

Green space in Shepherd's Bush

Erin likes going to the farmers’ market at Brook Green; Ravenscourt Park for fresh air, and Holland Park.