I remember exactly when I moved to Hammersmith: September 15, 2000. It’s Battle of Britain Day, and I’m interested in aeroplanes.
I bought the house because it had a garage, and garages attached to houses are quite rare around here. We knocked that house down and built a new one, which was a bit of a passion project.
I love it; I’d like to stay here until the end. It’s the first time I’ve ever felt that about a house — everywhere else it’s just been somewhere to sleep. But this is my home.
Eating and drinking
One of the things I like about Hammersmith is that it’s very multicultural. Multiculturalism manifests itself most readily as a flavour, I think. There are Indian, Middle Eastern, Japanese, Chinese, South African, French, Italian, Thai, Vietnamese, German, American and even some British restaurants here. We tend to be creatures of habit: we go to Indian Zing and Tosa, a Japanese café-restaurant, both on King Street.
My local is The Cross Keys, on Black Lion Lane, which serves my gin. It’s one of two pubs in Britain where it’s on sale, the other being my own pub in Wiltshire. Do I order it there? To be honest, no. I’ve got gallons of it at home. I tend to drink the local beer, the Fuller’s. The pub lets me run a tab; if I’m working into the evening I’ll get a pint, bring it home with me and have it at my desk. When the tab gets to about £100, they let me know.
There’s The Carpenter’s Arms, also on Black Lion Lane, which is slightly more gastro. And then there are the riverside pubs. I particularly like The Dove, on Upper Mall, or The Blue Anchor, on Lower Mall. There’s also Riverside Studios, on Queen Caroline Street, which has a nice bar and café, and there’s The Crabtree, on Rainville Road.
Where I work out
I like to cycle around London. The riverside from Fulham all the way down to Richmond, Twickenham and beyond is a pretty good bike ride.
To commune with nature
As well as the riverside, there’s Chiswick House. It’s got fabulous gardens and a big water feature.
Grocery shopping
I’m not a fan of the weekly shop. My theory is that there are so many shops in London that you might as well treat them as your fridge and buy things when you need them.
There’s a Tesco and a Sainsbury’s on King Street, where we get our staples. Saffron Supermarket is an independent Middle Eastern grocery shop, and Sriracha has Thai, Korean, Japanese and Chinese ingredients. There’s a Turkish deli, Istanbul Organic, too.
The great thing about Saffron is that I can buy one chilli or a handful of mushrooms. I don’t want a packet of three leeks for the two of us. I want a leek. It must piss them off when I buy about 45 pence worth of ingredients, but I hate food waste.
For a culture fix
The Chiswick Cinema, on Chiswick High Road, is nice. There’s another cinema (and theatre) at Riverside Studios. Mostly we would go into town.
We’re pretty regular at Wigmore Hall and the Royal Opera House, and like to go to the RA and Tate Britain.
Getting around
There are lots of buses and I can use them for free now, as I’m old. Ravenscourt Park, on the District Line, is my closest Tube.
I avoid using the car in town. I do 80 per cent of my London journeys by bicycle.
Dream street
I’ve come close to buying places down by the river on Upper Mall. There was a house from the sixties down there that I tried to buy several times. Eventually it came back on the market but we’d already bought this one.
Something you only see in Hammersmith
Hammersmith Bridge is only for pedestrians and bicycles, which is fantastic.
What’s the catch?
Down near the river, on the other side of the A4, there is a problem with flooding when there are spring tides. The water comes up the road and goes into some people’s gardens — and, in extreme cases, under their front doors.
In three words
Hammersmith über alles.
James Gin is stocked at The Cross Keys and is available online (jamesgin.com).
Schools
There are seven primaries rated as outstanding nearby, including St Peter’s, Earl’s Court Free Primary School and West London Free Primary School.
For secondaries, Sacred Heart High School is the top choice, deemed outstanding, with West London Free School and Hammersmith Academy both rated good.
What it costs
Buying in Hammersmith
Average flat price: £597,000
Average house price: £1,451,700
Renting in Hammersmith
Average flat price, pcm: £3,240
Average house price, pcm:£4,120
