This reasonably affluent West London neighbourhood sits right between Stamford Brook and Hammersmith and is focussed around the beautiful 21-acre Ravenscourt Park, which not only boasts some of London’s finest scenery, but also tennis courts, a walled garden, a children’s pool and many other facilities. A commuter hotspot, the neighbourhood is blessed with three convenient tube stations, including Hammersmith, which provides the community with District, Piccadilly, Hammersmith & City, and Circle line services. Nearby, the busy high street of King Street is dotted with all the amenities one could need, and the leafy, suburban streets that radiate from the main roads are lined with large, typically Edwardian terraces. Despite its reputation as a commuter hub, Ravenscourt Park maintains a unique small-town feel amongst the hustle and bustle of the West London sprawl. The local council’s efforts to improve the park were recognised when Ravenscourt Park received a Green Flag Award, a scheme which rewards well managed parks and green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.

From the medieval period, the beating heart of the area was the large moated manor of Paddenswick, which was home to several significant political and religious figures. It was only in 1747 that the manor was renamed Ravenscourt after it was purchased by Thomas Corbett. The raven on his coat of arms and the play on the French word ‘corbeau’, meaning ‘raven,’ is said to have been the inspiration for its new title. In the early 19th century the gardens were developed and the building of houses along its edges encouraged, and by 1845 there were 330 houses within the park. The land surrounding Ravenscourt Manor was opened to the public in 1888, but sadly you won’t find much evidence of the grand house today, as it was sadly ruined during the Second World War. Nonetheless, you can still get a lingering sense of its great history by enjoying the grounds which make up the public park. The Tea House housed within the park, now a Grade II Listed Building that is now two centuries old, is currently undergoing restoration. While it was expected to reopen in April 2022, works have yet to be completed but it will certainly add to the park’s historic and social value once it’s accomplished.

Ravenscourt Manor, or Paddenswick Manor as it was known back then, was where Alice Perrers, royal mistress to King Edward III, resided. Unfortunately, history hasn’t been particularly kind to her; she was known as ‘Alice the Destroyer’, ‘the greedy’, and ‘the unattractive’. Despite her lack of good looks and her common descent, her seductive charms allegedly broke apart King Ed’s 40-yearlong devotion to Queen Philippa.

Apparently, the waters of Stamford Brook, a little stream that used to run through the area, used to have mild laxative properties and peddlers sold vials of it to constipated Londoners in the 1800s. The tube station that takes its name, Stamford Brook station, was the first tube station to have an automatic ticket barrier. The other tube station in the area, Ravenscourt Park, is famous for being remarkably un-famous; it was the least Instagrammed station in London in 2016, with a grand total of 0 photographs of it appearing on the site.

Despite the area’s affluence, the ward of Ravenscourt Park comprises two areas belonging to the top 20% most deprived areas nationally, and one area to the top 10% most deprived nationally, using the UK’s Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD). The IMD specifically ranked the ward negatively with regard to its living environment, crime, and barriers to housing and services. That being said, the ward has seen improvements in its deprivation level, seeing as it is now less deprived than in 2010 or 2007.

King Street’s, the area’s main High Street, suffered up until recently from aesthetic and economic neglect. Regeneration plans developed by the local council have begun to respond to these issues and a marked improvement in the high street’s activity and streetscape has taken place. In February 2022, a new retail centre, Livat Hammersmith, was opened in place of King’s Mall, accompanied by public realm improvements within and around the centre. In the near future, Hammersmith & Fulham Council’s new Town Hall and Olympia London, a new culture and arts centre, are both expected to be complete and open to the public by 2023 and 2024, respectively. Both redevelopments aim to highlight the modern architecture of the listed buildings they’ve incorporated in the schemes while modernising and diversifying their functional and social uses.

A third of the area’s population is foreign-born, predominantly originating from other European nations, a high proportion of these residents being of Polish descent. The Polish Social and Cultural Association (POSK) located on King’s street is a testament to their proud community. In addition, the neighbourhood has seen a recent increase in its Black and other Minority Ethnicities population, further enriching its social and cultural diversity. Almost half of residents are couples, and almost a quarter of households in the area have dependent children. The area is not only characterised by its family-oriented appeal but also by its close proximity to a number of highly regarded private and state schools including Latymer Prep and Upper School, Ravenscourt Park Prep School, Orchard House Prep School, and Godolphin and Latymer Secondary School. The area’s population is noticeably young or middle-aged, with 68.1% between 18 and 64 years of age. A little over 70% of working age residents are economically active and the Olympia London development is expected to contribute to an increase in regional and household economic activity by contributing 5400 new jobs after its completion.