The Microhood: Chiswick

The arcadian beauty of Chiswick House (Alamy). Main image, the Thames-side Chiswick Mall (Alamy)

What’s it got that we love?
An amalgam of urban villages along a pleasing reach of the Thames, Chiswick is charming, laid-back and liveable. As Elizabeth Sunman, Savills associate residential director for Chiswick, says: “When people come here, they stay. After all, why move?”

This west London neighbourhood offers easy access to nature and opportunities for outdoor exercise, with appealing riverside walks and plenty of options for cycling and rowing – the annual Boat Race finishes near Chiswick Bridge. There’s a lifeboat station here, one of just four on the Thames. The nearby M4 is great for access to country getaways in the southwest, and Heathrow airport is a 20-minute taxi ride away.

The arcadian beauty of Chiswick House and Gardens brings to mind a scene from the deepest shire, rather than a park 20 minutes from central London. Lovely, too, is the home of William Hogarth, the 18th-century artist. And while Chiswick is metropolitan rather than Metroland, the garden-suburb ideal began here at Bedford Park with Victorian starchitects including Norman Shaw and EW Godwin.

Smart and self-contained, Chiswick can feel a little reserved, but it’s getting younger, says Sunman: “People are moving here for schools and lifestyle, often from Chelsea and Kensington.”

Chiswick High Road is chock-a-block with independent stores (Alamy)

They will find plenty to do, with members’ clubs such as High Road House, padel courts at Rocks Lane, the independent Chiswick Cinema, theatre at the Tabard pub and the Headliners comedy club at the George IV – all enhanced by beer from the local Fuller’s brewery, whose cart horses add to Chiswick’s considerable charm.

How’s the shopping?
Chiswick High Road is chock-a-block with independent stores. The Old Cinema is a fixture for vintage décor, Turnham Green Terrace is home to an excellent butcher’s shop (Macken Brothers) and greengrocer (Lemon and Limes), while Wheelers garden centre is a much-loved horticultural hub. And as the name “Chiswick” derives from “cheese farm”, naturally there’s a monthly cheese market here, too.

The antiques and vintage market and the flower market also land once a month. There’s a Book Festival in September and a Writer’s Trail, which passes sites such as Walpole House, where Vanity Fair author William Makepeace Thackeray went to school. And you can browse for literary rarities at Foster Books. “Chiswick has all you need for day-to-day life, and more,” says Sunman.

Hang out at…
At the Old Pack Horse, you can pair a pint of Fuller’s London Pride with Thai food, or head to the Swan for excellent modern British cuisine.

The finest houses on Chiswick Mall have a Thames frontage (Alamy)

Order a G&T at the seasonal Silver Birch restaurant, which serves locally distilled Sipsmith gin, soak up the patriotic vibe at the Dove on Upper Mall, where Rule, Britannia! was written in 1740, or pay homage to local Pinball Wizard scribe Pete Townshend by playing the pinball machines at Chief Coffee.

Sunman’s favourites? Napoli on the Road does “the best pizza outside Italy”, Hack & Veldt deli is “always popular” and Angie’s is a “Chiswick staple” for salads. The Duke of Sussex and the riverside City Barge are “great for after-work drinks”, and Annie’s serves “platters with attitude”. Fine dining is on offer at the Michelin-starred La Trompette and French bistro Le Vacherin, both neighbourhood favourites.

Where to buy?
Chiswick’s domestic architecture is a dreamy mix: mostly Victorian and Edwardian, with some Georgian riverside gems. Poet Laureate John Betjeman saved Bedford Park in the 1960s and described it as our “most significant suburb”, while the Queen Anne-style homes by architects such as Norman Shaw feel like small country houses. For high-end homes, head for the Orchard, Marlborough Road, Spencer Road or grand St Peter’s Square.

Some of the most sought-after homes on Chiswick Mall have Thames frontages, and the Glebe estate’s picturesque workers’ cottages might be small but they are perfectly formed.

Strand-on-the-Green, one of Chiswick's four medieval villages (Alamy)

You’ll find mansion flats and rare new-builds off the High Road. Chiswick Gate offers a choice of penthouses and townhouses, while Chiswick Green Studios has an ultra-glam apartment in a converted munitions factory on the market for £3,950,000.

Little black book
Thames Path; Chiswick Lifeboat Station; Chiswick House and Gardens; Hogarth’s House; High Road House; Chiswick Cinema; Theatre at the Tabard; Headliners; Fuller’s; The Old Cinema; Macken Brothers; Lemon and Limes; Wheelers; Chiswick Cheese Market; Chiswick Antiques & Vintage Market; Chiswick Flower Market; Chiswick Book Festival; Foster Books; The Old Pack Horse; The Swan; Silver Birch; The Dove; Chief Coffee; Napoli on the Road; Hack & Veldt; Angie’s; The Duke of Sussex; The City Barge; Annie’s; La Trompette; Le Vacherin.