This rather affluent neighbourhood, which sits predominantly in the town of St John’s Wood, is nestled in north London in between Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill. It is overflowing with trees, greenery, nearby parks, coffee shops, boutique shopping, including Panzers, a specialist grocery store specialising in the unusual and the hard to find. There are also numerous pubs in the area, with The Duke of York and The Ordnance Arms being local favourites. Richoux is a popular brunch and tea spot, where the occasional celebrity can be spotted in the corner. The neighbourhood is filled with large detached and semi-detached villas on tree lined streets, as well as apartments in historic mansion blocks occupied by families, celebrities and professionals. This quiet greenery, and the proximity to the convenient St John’s Wood tube station, makes this area an ideal location for the well-to-do, just outside of the hustle and bustle of central London.

The neighbourhood area of St John’s Wood was once part of the Great Forest of Middlesex, and its name is derived from its medieval owners, the Knights of the Order of St John of Jerusalem. After the Reformation, St John’s Wood was taken over by the crown and Henry VIII established Royal Hunting Grounds in this area and what is now known as Marylebone Park.

The area remained agricultural in use until the end of the eighteenth century, when plans for residential development first appeared. It was one of the first London suburbs to be developed, with a unique pattern as it was designed to have a large amount of low density, semi-detached villas, abandoning the terraced house style that was popular at the time. In the 1960s, most of St John’s Wood was designated as a Conservation Area and its houses listed by English Heritage, meaning this area will keep its charm and historic architecture for years to come.

St John’s Wood is also the neighbourhood where the character of Irene Adler resided in Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1891 Sherlock Holmes story “A Scandal in Bohemia”.

Rent prices in this area can be a bit steep. The average rent is £751 per week, which is 22.4% above the London average of £613 per week. The housing prices are much higher than the London average, but residents do get a lot of amenities living in the neighbourhood.

There are currently plans to demolish existing Barracks buildings and redevelop the site for residential use, producing a total of 179 units, including 59 affordable units and 41 affordable residences to be built elsewhere. Demolition contractor McGee was appointed to the project in late 2022. The project also involves the restoration and re-purposing of the Grade II listed barracks’ Riding School as an amenity. However, much of this neighbourhood has been listed by English Heritage as a Conservation Area, meaning that the face of this appealing residential area will not change much.