What it's like to live in Hammersmith

There is a good spread of schools nearby. West London Free School Primary is 0.2 miles away, with St Peters C of E, John Betts and St Paul's CE Primary all around 0.3 miles. For older children, Sacred Heart High School is half a mile off and Hammersmith Academy 0.6 miles, with Fulham Cross Academy and Chiswick School within a mile and a half. Parayhouse School is 0.8 miles away.

For days out with children, Ravenscourt Park is the obvious one, with Dalling Road Open Space, Furnivall Gardens and Upper Mall Open Space all within a short walk of the centre.

Worth knowing: the wider borough skews young and adult. Under-16s make up 15.6 per cent of residents, below the England average of 18.6 per cent.

Hammersmith is one of the easier parts of London to get around without a car. Hammersmith bus station is about 0.4 miles from the centre, and there are stops right on your doorstep, including several around Ravenscourt Park station within a couple of minutes' walk.

For trains, Kensington (Olympia) and Shepherds Bush are both around 1.1 miles away, with South Acton, Barnes Bridge and Acton Central within two miles. That gives you options if you commute out of the immediate area.

On foot, the centre is very walkable: schools, parks, pharmacies and shopping are almost all within half a mile. Driving is possible but parking and traffic are the usual London headache, so many households here manage with one car or none.

For a place this size, there is plenty. Riverside Studios doubles as a cinema and community venue, and The Chiswick Cinema is under a mile away. Vue at Westfield in Shepherd's Bush is about 1.2 miles for the big releases.

Shopping is a real strength: Livat Hammersmith and the Broadway Shopping Centre are both within half a mile, with Goldhawk Road and W12 a bit further out.

Pubs sit right in the middle of things, including The William Morris, The Salutation and The Hammersmith Belle. Jazz Cafe Posk and the Polish Social and Cultural Association add something different, and Hammersmith Library, the Polish Library and Askew Road Library are all within a mile. Gyms and personal training studios cluster tightly around the centre.

Employment in the wider Hammersmith and Fulham area runs above the national picture: 63.4 per cent of adults are in work, compared with 57.4 per cent across England. That reflects a borough full of working-age people, with 38.5 per cent aged 25 to 44.

Unemployment sits a little higher than average at 5 per cent, and 4.8 per cent of 16 to 64-year-olds claimed unemployment-related benefits in August 2026, against 4 per cent nationally. So it is a busy job market, but not an easy one for everyone.

Practically, Hammersmith works well for commuters. Central London, Chiswick and Shepherd's Bush are all reachable by bus or train, which widens your options considerably.

Housing in the borough is unusual. Only 32.1 per cent of homes are owned outright or on a mortgage, and 36.4 per cent are privately rented. Social renting accounts for 29.8 per cent, well above the England figure of 17.1 per cent, split fairly evenly between council and housing association homes.

The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham is by far the biggest social landlord with nearly 12,000 homes, followed by Notting Hill Genesis, The Guinness Partnership, Peabody Trust and Southern Housing.

Average weekly social rents in 2024/25 were £132 for a one-bed, £145 for a two-bed and £162 for a three-bed. That is a genuine advantage in a part of London where private rents are steep.