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Shepherd's Bush is a suburb ofWest London, England, within theLondon Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham 4.9 miles (7.9 km) west ofCharing Cross, and identified as a major metropolitan centre in theLondon Plan.
Although primarily residential in character, its focus is the shopping area ofShepherd's Bush Green, with theWestfield London shopping centre a short distance to the north. The main thoroughfares areUxbridge Road,Goldhawk Road and Askew Road, all with small and mostly independent shops, pubs and restaurants.Loftus Road football stadium in Shepherd's Bush is home toQueens Park Rangers. In 2011, the population of the area was 39,724.
The district is bounded byHammersmith to the south,Holland Park andNotting Hill to the east,Harlesden andKensal Green to the north and byActon andChiswick to the west.White City forms the northern part of Shepherd's Bush. Shepherd's Bush comprises the Shepherd's Bush Green, Askew, College Park & Old Oak, and Wormholt and White City wards of the borough.
The nameShepherd's Bush is thought to have originated from the use of thecommon land here as a resting point forshepherds on their way toSmithfield Market in theCity of London.[citation needed] An alternative theory is that it could have been named after someone in the area, because in 1635 the area was recorded as "Sheppard's Bush Green".[1]
Evidence of human habitation can be traced back to theIron Age. Shepherd's Bush enters the written record in the year 704 when it was bought byWaldhere,Bishop of London as a part of the "Fulanham" estate.[2]
A map of London dated 1841 shows Shepherd's Bush to be largely undeveloped and chiefly rural in character, with much open farmland, compared with fast-developingHammersmith. Residential development began in earnest in the late 19th century, as London's population expanded relentlessly. In 1904 the Catholic Church of Holy Ghost and St Stephen, built in theGothic style with a triple-gabled facade of red brick andPortland stone, was completed and opened to the public.[3]
Like other parts of London, Shepherd's Bush suffered from bomb damage duringWorld War II, especially fromV-1 flying bomb attacks (known as "doodlebugs" or "buzzbombs"), which struck randomly and with little warning.[4]
On 13 April 1963,the Beatles recorded their first-ever BBC Television broadcast atLime Grove Studios in Shepherd's Bush. The group returned in 1964 for a further recording. Lime Grove Studios was demolished in 1994 to make way for residential accommodation.[5]
More recently, theWhite City bus station is housed in the redevelopedDimco Buildings (1898), Grade II listed red brick buildings which were originally built in 1898 as a shed for a London Underground power station.[6][7] The Dimco buildings were used as a filming location for the 'Acme Factory' in the 1988 filmWho Framed Roger Rabbit, and later served as the interior of the British Museum inThe Mummy Returns.[8]
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The area's focal point isShepherd's Bush Green (also known as Shepherds Bush Common), a triangular area of about 8 acres (3 ha) of open grass surrounded by trees and roads with shops, with Westfield shopping centre to its north.
The Green is a hub on the local road network, with four main roads radiating from the western side of the green and three roads approaching its eastern apex, meeting at the large Holland Park Roundabout. This position makes it an important node of thebus network, with eighteen bus routes arriving there. It is also served by fiveLondon Underground stations (seeTransport below):Shepherd's Bush andWhite City both on theCentral line, andShepherd's Bush Market,Goldhawk Road andWood Lane all on theHammersmith & City andCircle lines.
To the east, Shepherd's Bush is bounded by the physical barrier of theWest London railway line and the grade-separatedWest Cross Route (part of the aborted 1960sLondon Motorway Box scheme); the Holland Park Roundabout and the small Addison Bridge to the south are the only ways to cross this barrier from Shepherds Bush.
Most of the areas to the east of the barrier differ significantly in character, being associated with the more affluent Holland Park and Notting Hill; although the Edward Woods Estate just to the north-east of the roundabout is part of and is managed by theLondon Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.
To the south, Shepherd's Bush neighboursBrook Green andHammersmith.
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Commercial activity in Shepherd's Bush is now focused on the Westfield shopping centre next to Shepherd's Bush Central line station and on the many small shops which run along the northern side of the Green.
Originally built in the 1970s with a rooftop car park and connecting bridge to the station, the olderWest 12 Shepherds Bush shopping centre was significantly redeveloped in the 1990s. The bridge was removed, and the centre now houses several chain stores, a 12-screen cinema, gym, pub, restaurants, a medical practice and a supermarket.[9]
The small shops continue along many of the most popular roads within Shepherd's Bush, such as Uxbridge Road. Many of these establishments cater for the localethnic minority communities. For example, a relatively large proportion of the local shops on Goldhawk Road (south of the Green) are dedicated to Ethiopian culture, whether that be through food, clothing or barbershops. (seeDemographics).
Running parallel to, and partly under, an elevated section of theHammersmith & City line there is a large permanent market, theShepherd's Bush Market, selling all types of foodstuffs, cooked food, household goods, clothing and bric-à-brac.
TheWestfield Group (with Hausinvest Europa) opened a shopping centre in October 2008.
As well as the offices within theTelevision Centre onWood Lane, opposite this is Network House, 1 Ariel Way, a 20,000 sq ft (2,000 m2) building that was let byFrost Meadowcroft on behalf ofWestfield to Zodiak Entertainment in September 2009[10] and in Rockley Road is the 160,000 sq ft (15,000 m2) Shepherds Building whereEndemol another TV company are based and where Jellycat, a soft toy company, relocated their head office to in February 2010.[11]
The residential areas of Shepherd's Bush are primarily located to the west of the Green, either side of Uxbridge Road and Goldhawk Road to the southwest, and about as far as Askew Road in the west. Much of the housing in this area consists of three- or four-storeyterraces dating from the late 19th century, and subsequently divided up into small flats.[12]
Shepherd's Bush is also home to the White City Estate, ahousing estate that was originally constructed in the 1930s and further extended after the war in the early 1950s. It was built on the site of the grounds of the 1908 Franco-British Exhibition and close to theWhite City Stadium and has given its name to the northern part of Shepherd's Bush which is now better known as White City.
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Shepherd's Bush is a major transport interchange in west London. FiveLondon Underground stations serve the area, including:
– at the eastern apex of Shepherd's Bush Green, near the Westfield shopping centre
– to the north-west of the Green, on Uxbridge Road – to the south-west of the Green, on Goldhawk Road – to the north of the Westfield shopping centre – to the north of the Westfield shopping centreAll stations are inLondon fare zone 2.[13]
TheCentral line links the area toEaling and areas of north-west London, such asGreenford andRuislip. To the east, the line links Shepherd's Bush to London'sWest End,the City, andStratford.
TheCircle andHammersmith & City lines share the same route through the area, with direct services southbound to nearbyHammersmith. To the north, the lines curve eastwards towardsLatimer Road andLadbroke Grove. The lines then run directly to key destinations such asPaddington,King's Cross,Moorgate in the city, and theEast End.
Shepherd's Bush railway station is served byNational Rail trains, operated byLondon Overground (
) andSouthern. There are direct services from Shepherd's Bush toKensington, andClapham Junction andBalham, both of which are based in the south west of London, andCroydon in the south east of London. Northbound Southern services link the area toWembley,Watford,Hemel Hempstead, andMilton Keynes. London Overground services running northbound travel towardsWillesden Junction, where services continue towardsWest Hampstead,Camden,Hackney, andStratford in east London. The station is anout-of-station interchange with Shepherd's Bush tube station on the Central line, and is situated on the western side of Holland Park Roundabout.[13]
There are two main bus interchanges in Shepherd's Bush.
London Buses routes 31, 49, 72, 94, 95, 148, 207, 220, 228, 237, 260, 272, 283, 295, 316, SL8, N72, N207, and C1 serve Shepherd's Bush Green and the southern side of the Westfield shopping centre.[14]
Most of these routes also serveWhite City bus station on the northern side of Westfield.[15]
Shepherd's Bush was also the proposed terminus of theWest London Tram, an on-streetlight rail line running toUxbridge viaActon,Ealing andSouthall. This project was cancelled in 2007[16] in favour of an enhanced bus service and the development ofCrossrail.
Cycle lanes run around the southern rim of the Holland Park Roundabout on the eastern side of Shepherd's Bush. This provides cyclists with traffic-free access fromHolland Park Avenue toShepherd's Bush Green.
Transport for London (TfL) proposes that a cycle spur will link the roundabout toCycleway 9, which is intended to run alongKensington High Street.[17]
TheSantander Cyclesbicycle-sharing system operates around Shepherd's Bush, with docking stations near Westfield, Wood Lane station, and Shepherd's Bush Road.[17]
TheA3220/West Cross Route runs along the eastern rim of the district. Until 2000, the route was theM41 motorway, part of the abandonedLondon Ringways network oforbital roads in London. Despite not retaining motorway status, pedal cycles are prohibited from using the route northbound. The A3220 links Shepherd's Bush with theA40/Westway to the north. This provides the area with a dual-carriageway link toPaddington andMarylebone to the east, and westbound toActon and theM40 motorway. Southbound, theA3220 is namedHolland Road and links the area toEarl's Court,the A4, andChelsea.
Other key routes through Shepherd's Bush include:
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The junkyard in the sitcomSteptoe & Son was situated at the fictional Oil Drum Lane, Shepherd's Bush.[18] It is often referred to in the BBC seriesAbsolutely Fabulous where the main character, Edina Monsoon, owns her home but prefers to say she lives in the more favourable, Holland Park nearby.
The BBC used to have a number of offices in Shepherd's Bush however, many have now been closed or moved. They included theLime Grove Studios on the site of previous film studiosGaumont andGainsborough Pictures. Sulgrave House, Threshold and Union Houses and Kensington House—now a hotel. The BBC's presence in the Bush is now concentrated in two huge sites on Wood Lane, Television Centre and the White City building. The Media Village was built next to the White City building in the mid-1980s on the former site of theWhite City Stadium. It is used by the BBC and other media companies includingRed Bee Media (formerly BBC Broadcast, now a private company). Television Centre was the national home of BBC Television, and it is from there that BBC TV and radio news, the BBC website and a host of TV drama and light entertainment were broadcast. The BBC moved all of its news operations from Television Centre toBroadcasting House in central London in 2012.
Shepherd's Bush Green The newly regenerated Green in 2012–13 was the site for the public sculptures Goaloids by Fine Artist Elliott Brook. This Inspire Mark (awarded by LOCOG (London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games) making it part of theCultural Olympiad) artwork was installed on Shepherd's Bush Green for the duration of London 2012 and theParalympic Games. These large unique rotating football related sculptures commemorated the history of Shepherd's Bush andWhite City, which hosted the1908 Summer Olympics football.[19] TheLondon Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham is the only Borough to have three football teams playing Premier League Football.[20][21]
Bush Theatre is a writing theatre, situated on the Green.
Shepherd's Bush Empire is a music venue and former television studio, and has played host to a number of acts and TV programmes, includingDavid Bowie,Rolling Stones,Bob Dylan,The Old Grey Whistle Test,Wogan,That's Life!,Crackerjack, andThis Is Your Life.
Bush Hall is a venue at 310 Uxbridge Road, built in 1904[22] as a dance hall. It predominantly showcases smaller acoustic performers.[23]
Shepherd's Bush Walkabout was a music and live sports venue located on the western end of the green, and home to theWest London Wildcats andShepherds Bush Raiders Aussie Rules teams. On Australian and New Zealand national holidays, big sporting events such as theNational Rugby League Grand Final,Rugby Championship andBledisloe Cup Rugby Union test matches,Australian Football Leaguegrand final, memorial days such asWaitangi Day,Australia Day, andAnzac Day, and on Sundays after The Church, the Shepherd's Bush Walkabout was the centre of Antipodean life in London. The live music was usually a mixture of up and coming local acts, and cover bands who played Australian and New Zealand classic songs and contemporary popular music. Shepherd's Bush Walkabout closed in early October 2013 and it was announced the site would be redeveloped into a hotel.
The casting agency 2020 Casting, which supplies extras for film shoots, is based in Hopgood Street, just off Shepherd's Bush Green.[24]
A number of influential music groups originate from in and around Shepherd's Bush.The Who infused much of their work with the youth culture of Shepherd's Bush during the 1960s and 1970s.Steve Jones, guitarist ofpunk legends theSex Pistols, was born in Shepherd's Bush, andPistols drummerPaul Cook grew up here.The Clash's early work is infused with the culture of Shepherd's Bush and theWestway.Libertines andBabyshambles frontmanPete Doherty moved to Shepherd's Bush at age 16.Tony Butler, bass-player with 1980s bandBig Country and others, was born in Shepherd's Bush. BandsBush andSymposium hail from Shepherd's Bush, the former taking their name from the area.
Classical musiciansEvelyn Glennie[25] andRobert Steadman have both lived in Shepherd's Bush.[citation needed]
In theWestfield shopping centre area at White City, the grade II listed Dimco buildings (1898), now redeveloped as a bus station, were used as the location for the 'Acme Factory' in the 1988 filmWho Framed Roger Rabbit.[8]
Shepherd's Bush is home toQueens Park Rangers football club, who play their home games inLoftus Road.Olympic gold medal winnerLinford Christie also grew up in Shepherd's Bush and lived in Loftus Road as a child. A stadium on nearbyWormwood Scrubs is named theLinford Christie Stadium in his honour. Some of the football games in the1908 Olympics were hosted in Shepherd's Bush.Shepherds Bush F.C. were the local side until 1915.
FormerEngland national rugby union team captainLawrence Dallaglio was born in Shepherd's Bush.[citation needed]
TheLondon Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham has created theShepherd's Bush Conservation Area in order to promote the protection of local buildings of historic interest, and improve the character of the neighbourhood.[26]
At Westminster, Shepherd's Bush is represented byAndy Slaughter, the Labour Party MP for the constituency ofHammersmith, which includes Shepherd's Bush, Hammersmith and North Fulham.[27]
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