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Shepherd's Bush

Suburb of West London, England

Shepherd's Bush

Suburb of West London, England

FieldValue
official_nameShepherd's Bush
static_image_nameShepherds Bush Common in London, spring 2013 (3).jpg
static_image_captionShepherd's Bush Green
map_typeGreater London
coordinates
os_grid_referenceTQ235798
charingX_distance_mi5
charingX_directionE
london_boroughHammersmith and Fulham
regionLondon
countryEngland
post_townLONDON
postcode_areaW
postcode_districtW12
dial_code020
constituency_westminsterHammersmith and Chiswick

Shepherd's Bush is a suburb of West London, England, within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham 4.9 mi 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 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 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.

History

Main article: History of Shepherd's Bush

1841 map of London showing a largely rural Shepherd's Bush (far left) .

Origins

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 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.

19th century

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 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.

20th century

Foundation stone of a building in Shepherd's Bush showing Second World War shrapnel damage.

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, 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 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.

Geography

The area's focal point is Shepherd's Bush Green (also known as Shepherds Bush Common), a triangular area of about 8 acre of open grass surrounded by trees and roads with shops, with Westfield shopping centre to its north.

The Green 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 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 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.

Commerce

Commercial activity in Shepherd's Bush 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, 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 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.

Office buildings

As well as the offices within the Television Centre on Wood Lane, opposite this is Network House, 1 Ariel Way, a 20000 sqft building that was let by Frost Meadowcroft on behalf of Westfield to Zodiak Entertainment in September 2009 and in Rockley Road is the 160000 sqft Shepherds Building where Endemol another TV company are based and where Jellycat, a soft toy company, relocated their head office to in February 2010.

Residential

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 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 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.

Transport

Rail and Tube

Shepherd's Bush is a major transport interchange in west London. Five London Underground stations serve the area, including:

  • Shepherd's Bush – at the eastern apex of Shepherd's Bush Green, near the Westfield shopping centre
  • Shepherd's Bush Market – to the north-west of the Green, on Uxbridge Road
  • Goldhawk Road – to the south-west of the Green, on Goldhawk Road
  • White City – to the north of the Westfield shopping centre
  • Wood Lane – to the north of the Westfield shopping centre

All stations are in London fare zone 2.

The Central line links 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 the city, and the East End.

Shepherd's Bush railway station is served by National Rail trains, operated by London Overground () 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 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.

Bus

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, SL8, N72, N207, and C1 serve Shepherd's Bush Green and 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.

Cycling

Cycle lanes run around 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.

Road

The A3220/West Cross Route runs along the eastern rim of the district. Until 2000, the route was the M41 motorway, part of the abandoned London 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 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 A219 (Wood Lane/Shepherd's Bush Road) – northbound to White City, Wormwood Scrubs, and Harlesden, southbound to Hammersmith, Fulham, and Putney;
  • the A402 (Goldhawk Road/Holland Park Avenue) – westbound to Chiswick, eastbound to Notting Hill Gate, Marble Arch, and Oxford Street;
  • the A4020 (Uxbridge Road) – westbound to Acton and Ealing.

Politics

At Westminster, Shepherd's Bush is represented by Andy Slaughter, the Labour Party MP for the constituency of Hammersmith, which includes Shepherd's Bush, Hammersmith and North Fulham.

References

References

  1. Ruggeri, Amanda. (11 June 2021). "How Tube stations got their unusual names". BBC.
  2. [http://www.coursework.info/GCSE/History/History_Projects/Introduction_to_the_History_of_Shepherds_L56735.html GCSE History of Shepherd's Bush] {{webarchive. link. (26 April 2012 Retrieved July 2011)
  3. [https://books.google.com/books?id=2gTN5BuRpZEC&dq=shepherds+bush&pg=PA128 Evinson, Denis, p.128, ''Catholic Churches of London''] Retrieved July 2011
  4. [https://books.google.com/books?id=OvZOl56c7N8C&dq=shepherds+bush&pg=PA20 Bibe, p. 20, ''A Victim''] Retrieved July 2011
  5. [https://books.google.com/books?id=2N53-a3FafQC&dq=shepherds+bush&pg=PA141 Schreuders, Piet, p.141, ''Beatles London''] Retrieved July 2011
  6. London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. (June 2016). "Site Proposals – Site 36 White City Centre Site".
  7. Sharpfibre Ltd. "Case study: White City".
  8. The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations. "Who Framed Roger Rabbit filming locations".
  9. [http://west12shopping.co.uk/ West 12 Official Site] Retrieved March 2012
  10. (18 September 2009). "Shepherds Bush attracts Zodiak | News – print". Property Week.
  11. (26 February 2010). "Jellycat struts into Shepherds Bush | News – print". Property Week.
  12. Walks Around the Bush: Three Walks Looking at the Local History and Architecture of Shepherd's Bush (West London), Ivan Gibbons
  13. "London's Rail and Tube services".
  14. "Buses from Shepherd's Bush".
  15. "Buses from White City".
  16. (2 August 2007). "Mayor of London and the leader of Ealing Council agree new solution to traffic congestion as deal on Crossrail approaches".
  17. "Cycle".
  18. "Shepherd's Bush | Hidden London".
  19. Plunkett, John. (2013-03-22). "BBC Television Centre says final farewell with Madness and sadness". The Guardian.
  20. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927222443/http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1908/1908.pdf Official Report of 1908 Olympiad, p.204] Retrieved August 2012
  21. "WG Pride Awards". digital-thisis.co.uk.
  22. "Sculpture is 'opening goal on journey' | This is Somerset". Archive.is.
  23. "Bush Hall Music {{!}} About".
  24. Hann, Michael. (6 January 2015). "The gig venue guide: Bush Hall, London". The Guardian.
  25. (25 June 2011). "My space: Evelyn Glennie at her Huntingdon music studio". [[The Times]].
  26. [http://www.lbhf.gov.uk/directory/environment_and_planning/planning/urban_design_and_conservation/conservation_areas/20155_shepherds_bush_profile.asp Shepherd's Bush Conservation Area] {{webarchive. link. (11 December 2011 Retrieved December 2011)
  27. [http://www.andyslaughter.co.uk/ "Andy Slaughter MP"], Labour. Retrieved March 2012.
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