London W5 guidebook

Also known by the moniker Queen of the Suburbs, the west London borough of Ealing enjoys the best of both worlds - an enticing mixture of leafy suburbia complete with tree-lined streets and plenty of parkland and a cosmopolitan, bustling hubbub of shops and social gathering places.

Its pseudonym hails from the 1880s when its far-sighted local authority, determined to keep the area securely middle class, permitted only the construction of "solid homes" for professional persons.

Many of the descendants of these original middle classes remain today, mostly in the popular Castlebar/Montpelier area where they reside alongside young professionals who are happy to embark upon the fairly easy commute into town or Heathrow.

Indeed, Ealing is something of a commuter's dream, with Piccadilly, Central and District underground lines providing swift underground access to the centre of the capital. The rail network takes you easily to Reading, Slough and Paddington, while Heathrow airport is a mere eight miles away, and Standsted and Gatwick are reached by the M25.

Ealing is perhaps most famous for the Ealing Studios with its prolific comedic offerings of the 40s and 50s. Still in existence today, the studios are being redeveloped by a consortium of companies at a cost of £50 million.

Their plans are to refurbish and expand the studios with the aim of "saving and regenerating Ealing Studios as the home of British cinema", a venture that's bound to benefit the area both artistically and financially.

The borough of Ealing appeals to a variety of ethnic communities and has large Asian and Afro-Caribbean populations, as well as smaller groups including Irish, Polish, French and Japanese, all of whom contribute to the rich cultural mix of the borough.

This guide covers the W5 part of Ealing - the borough also includes London W3, London W7, and London W13 as well as Perivale, Northolt, Southall and Greenford.

Large house off Ealing Common Green views and large Victorian houses characterise this scenic part of Ealing, a long-standing favourite with families. South of the Broadway, Gunnersbury Avenue, which runs past the Common, has large five bedroom family homes with 100' gardens, while roads such as The Common, Kennilworth Road and Tring Avenue have imposing six and seven-bedroom detached residences which, unsurprisingly, would set you back a seven-figure sum. However, for those with smaller budgets, just off The Common (the road), you'll find some miniscule one-bed cottages that were once homes to 19th century farm workers who would no doubt be astonished at the money their modest dwellings would command nowadays. Two bed cottages can be found on Warwick Place, off Warwick Road.

Cottages close to Ealing Common Further south of the Common, there are more affordable, though still pricey, 1920s and 30s semis around Delamere Road. - Shops etc: Ealing Common has plenty of shops and its thriving Japanese community means there are several tempting Oriental influences such as a Japanese book shop, deli and sushi a-plenty. - Green spaces: Ealing Common - Transport: Travelling from this area is convenient with easy access to the A40, and Ealing Common station serving both the tube and the railway.

The oldest part of Ealing, and still holding on to its village feel, the streets around St Mary's church itself are made up of Victorian and Edwardian terraces.

The area spans both sides of St Mary's Road, taking in, to the East, the streets around Warwick Road, The Park and Webster Gardens, where you'll find mainly two, three and four bed Victorian and Edwardian houses as well as some modern developments (such as The Curve on St Mary's Road).

To the west of St Mary's Road is the network of streets bordering two of W5's finest green areas: Walpole Park and Lammas Park.

Close by Walpole Park, the Ealing Studios are situated in Ealing Green, which, with the studios' ongoing renovation, is metamorphosing into a modern media centre, with new stages and studios already up and running, and plans to expand even further.

It's a complete contrast to the old-world ambience so prevalent elsewhere in St Mary's, but it's fitting that the studios which put Ealing firmly on the map are continuing to flourish in the 21st century.

The popular Lammas Park area is home to the most expensive properties which are an eclectic mix of styles ranging from Victorian through to Art Deco, and the park itself covers some 25 acres.

South of here, toward South Ealing tube station (Piccadilly Line), life becomes a little more affordable, and three and four bed Victoriana is the order of the day.

- Green Spaces: Walpole Park, hosts Jazz and comedy festivals in the summer and features a rose garden, a water garden, an ornamental pond and Pitshanger Manor Museum. Lammas Park includes a nature area, bowling greens, a croquet pitch tennis courts, junior football pitch playground and play centre.

- Transport: South Ealing tube station (Piccadilly Line)

This is the most southerly area of W5 and is generally a more affordable option relative to other neighbourhoods, though the closer you get to Lammas Park the larger the houses and the higher the price of entry.

Both neighbourhoods have a mix of one and two bed conversion flats, a sprinkling of new-build developments, and larger 4-5 bedroom Victorian family houses.

Mount Carmel primary school in Little Ealing tends to have an influence on prices and property in the catchment area gets snapped up quickly, according to local agents.

The area is largely residential, though Northfield Avenue has a useful parade of shops (including a Tesco Express), as well as the handy Northfields tube station (Piccadilly Line).

- Green Spaces: Both Northfields and Little Ealing are within reach of Lammas Park, although there are also more local green spots such as Blondin Park and Nature Area, which includes a community orchard, wildflower meadow and pond.

- Transport: Northfields tube station (Piccadilly Line).

Move north of the Broadway and you have a solidly middle class swathe of property that runs from Haven Green through Castlebar and Montpelier to Pitshanger.

Haven Green holds the Broadway mainline and tube stations, which makes commuting a doddle, and Haven Lane, an ever-popular and pretty street, has cottage-style properties each with its own garden.

Haven Green also has a mix of three and four bed period properties, conversion flats, and mansion blocks (including the popular Art Deco Have Green Court). For large seven bedroom properties, Madeley Road is the place to look, though quite a few have been converted into spacious flats.

North of here are the popular Montpelier and Castlebar areas, mainly Victorian and Edwardian semis and detached houses, some modern townhouses and flats, and semis and detached houses from the 20s and 30s, with a range of prices as varied as the styles.

Montpelier Primary School has a good reputation and is an attractive proposition for families wishing to provide their offspring with a sound educational foundation.

North of here is Pitshanger, which, given its doctor, dentist, library, butcher, and bakers, is not unfairly referred to as a village - if there isn't yet a candlestick maker, then surely it's only a matter of time before its arrival completes the idyll.

The community - and there is a strong community spirit here - contains around 3,000 households, who mainly live in the area's lovely Victorian and Edwardian semis and terraces (three or four bedrooms with good gardens).

Plenty of parkland and a popular school - North Ealing Primary - also add to Pitshanger's appeal, as does the proximity of Ealing Golf Course and the Brentham Sports Club.

East of Pitshangher is the Brentham Garden Estate, 620 houses developed in the garden suburb fashion that was later to inspire Hampstead Garden Suburb. The estate is a leafy Arts and Crafts enclave with a mix of property types - terraces, semis, cottages and flats.

It is, needless to say, a conservation area and is immaculately maintained. The estate has its own website - listed on our Ealing page - which includes a full history and photo gallery.

East of Brentham Gardens is a more recent development - the popular Art Deco Greystoke Estate, mainly semis and detached family homes.

- Green spaces: Montpelier Park, accessed off Montpelier Road, has recently been developed into a nature area with a woodland glade, a wildlife pond and deadwood habitats. Pitshanger Park has a bowling green football pitches, a tennis school, allotments, play centre, play area and picnic ground.

- Transport: Ealing Broadway tube (Central and District lines), and railway.

Art Deco house, Haymills Estate To the east of Hanger Lane is the Haymills Estate, a Thirties development with a mix of mock-Tudor, Neo-Georgian and Art Deco/Moderne style houses, all of it in set in pleasantly landscaped surroundings. The estate was developed as a piece in the 1930s by the architects Welch, Cachemaille Day and Lander and was unsual for its integration of houses, commercial premises and the new Park Royal tube station. It is laid out in a series of concentric half circles that includes Chatsworth Road, The Ridings, Ashbourn Road and Corringway, Audley Road, Beaufort Close, East Close, Heathcroft and Rotherwick Hill.

Mock-Tudor, Hanger Hill Estate East of here, and across the postcode border into West Acton, W3, is the Hanger Hill Garden Estate, a conservation area of large houses designed between 1928-1936 by the architects Douglas, Smith and Barley. The estate consists of 258 flats in three storey blocks on Queens Drive, Links Road, and Monks Road and 361 houses in Links Road, Queens Drive, Monks Drive, Vale Lane, Princes Gardens and Tudor Gardens. The estate is notable for its half-timbered 'mock Tudor' style and landscaped setting - even the blocks of flats were designed to look like a Tudor Manor House standing in its own gardens. Green Spaces: Green areas here include Hanger Hill Park (across Hanger Lane) - grasslands, flowerbeds, ancient oaks and a playground, and Hanger Hill Wood, which includes a cycle path. Transport: Park Royal and North Ealing tube stations are situated here. West Acton tube (Central Line) is closest for the Hanger Hill Estate. A trek to the peak of Hanger Hill is well worth the effort for the spectacular views it affords.

Railway stations: Ealing Broadway, Ealing Common.

- Tube stations: Ealing Broadway (Central, District), Ealing Common (District, Piccadilly), Northfields (Piccadilly), South Ealing (Piccadilly), North Ealing, Park Royal (both Piccadilly line).

- Heathrow, approximately eight miles away, is the nearest airport to Ealing.

- Major road routes: Handy for M4/M40. Hanger Lane gyratory links to the North Circular, which links to the M1.

Jocelyn Beattie

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