Find out which district of London gives the West End a run for its money and come and discover Hammersmith, home of the renowned Hammersmith Apollo and Riverside Studios. Surrounded by Shepherds Bush, Fulham, West Kensington and Chiswick, this bustling district that occupies a picturesque bend in the River Thames sits outside the congestion charging zone in the West London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. The A4 (which provides you with a direct link to Heathrow Airport and the West End) runs right through it. You will also find two tube stations in Tube Zone 2 in the area (Hammersmith and Ravenscourt Park), so it’s easy to get around London. There’s a direct tube link to Heathrow Airport too!

Evidence of occupation in the Hammersmith area stretches as far back as Roman and Anglo Saxon Times! Hammersmith began as a small tranquil village, whose main trade was basket making thanks to the willows that grew by the River Thames. Over the years, it slowly grew into a popular riverside suburb, but when the railways arrived in 1864, house construction and industrial development took place on a massive scale. Although the manufacturing industry has all but died in the area, Hammersmith has taken on the appearance of a downtown American city, with the tall London headquarters of massive global companies like L’Oreal, Coca-Cola and Disney based here. This is thanks to the A4 (providing a direct route to the West End and Heathrow Airport) that runs right through the heart of Hammersmith.

As Hammersmith is now such an important employment centre, has fantastic transport links, boasts amazing entertainment venues and a charming Riverside sector, it has becoming an increasingly appealing place to live for Londoners. Recognising this, the council have started to clean up some of the down at heel areas of the district, hence the new and gleaming Hammersmith Broadway complex of shops and restaurants. Of course, transformation takes time, but as there’s so much to see and do in Hammersmith right now you can’t afford to wait for it to be complete, so come to Hammersmith today!

Thanks to a prestigious arts scene, with amazing venues like the Hammersmith Apollo, the Lyric Hammersmith and the Riverside Studios, Hammersmith has a real buzz about it that you will enjoy immensely. You will also get the chance to escape to the riverside and relax in the upmarket pubs and restaurants that line this stretch of the River Thames. There are fantastic transport links here too. The A4 provides you with direct access to Heathrow Airport and the West End via car, and Hammersmith’s two tube stations will whisk you all over the capital quickly and easily. As Earls Court and Shepherds Bush surround this district, you’ll also find it easy to get to places like the Earls Court Exhibition Centre, the Shepherds Bush Empire and the massive Westfield London.

The fact that the ugly 1960’s Hammersmith Flyover of the A4 has torn the district in two is lamented. Sometimes you’ll find it hard to avoid the noise of thousands of vehicles thundering across it every day, but there are plenty of Hammersmith hotels far enough away, and you can always escape along the Riverside walk for a few hours. You might be put off by the unattractive nature of Hammersmith’s shopping street, Kings Street, too, but the council is in the throes of redevelopment and the shiny newness of the Hammersmith Broadway is sure to infiltrate the area soon enough. As there are so many entertainment venues here, Hammersmith can get incredibly busy and noisy in the evenings, but surely this is what you are coming to Hammersmith for anyway!