Acton has become a popular west London alternative to some of the more expensive areas nearby, such as Queen’s Park and Notting Hill. Offering a similar community feel, many families are drawn to the neighbourhood for its numerous relatively affordable Victorian and Georgian style terraced houses. Along Uxbridge Road, locals find that pretty much everything is at their fingertips. Lined with numerous independent shops and eateries, such as the historic George and Dragon pub, and the impressive W3 art gallery, there’s plenty to do in the area. Families especially love visiting the London Transport Museum Depot, where a wide array of historical train cars and buses are on display. The area, already increasing in popularity, has only seen its desirability increase with the opening of the Elizabeth Line.

For the majority of its life, Acton was just a small village surrounded by farmland. However, during the 19th century, industrial warehouses and factories began to open in the area. This led to the development of housing and alms houses in order to house the workers who were employed locally. By the First World War, the area had more or less suburbanised, but was not seen as a quaint area like other parts of outer London. Instead, it was characterised as a “suburb of production.” Today, the area is largely residential, but has a mixed variety of housing styles due to its industrial past.

Renowned social scientist, Richard Titmuss, lived in the neighbourhood back in the mid- 20th century. He’s been nicknamed ‘The High Priest of the Welfare State’.

Crime rates are higher in this neighbourhood than they are elsewhere in the borough of Ealing, and London. Fortunately, most of these crimes have been categorised as non-violent, being incidents like vehicle theft.

In 2022, the Acton Main Line Rail station’s extension for the Elizabeth Line was completed and opened. Now residents are able to commute into central London in under 15 minutes! In preparation for this new line, the station has been undergoing major improvements like platform extensions and new lifts. Even before the line’s completion, house prices in the area, especially around the station, experienced a 12% increase in their value and people moved to the area for its greenery and anticipated connectivity.