Brackenbury Village
Brackenbury Village, Hammersmith & Fulham
An estate agents’ and property developers’ label for the area between Ravenscourt Park and Hammersmith Grove
From the 1860s, terraced cottages and some substantial houses were built on former market gardens and brickfields and the present streetscape was almost complete in 1890.
Shown in the photo above, a mission hall was constructed in 1883–4 on a site between Iffley Road and Tabor Road given by the Bishop of London. It was established to provide ministry for the expanding residential district between Glenthorne Road and Goldhawk Road but its primary purpose is believed to have been a Sunday school. More recently used as a studio by a scenic artist, the building was belatedly grade II listed in 2015.
By the mid-20th century many of the neighbourhood’s properties were in such a run-down condition that the council considered demolishing some streets and replacing them with municipal housing. Instead, the homes were progressively improved and from the early 1980s gentrification took hold.
With tube stations at three corners and its varied and pretty architecture, Brackenbury Village (or simply Brackenbury) saw numerous conversions and restorations in the late 20th century, with an accompanying influx of specialist retailers, services and eateries, and it is now one of the most desirable neighbourhoods in inner west London. The cluster of shops and cafés at the junction of Brackenbury Road and Aldensley Road adds to the sense of community.
There is another Brackenbury Village in north Ickenham, in the London Borough of Hillingdon, but the name is not widely used. Aylsham Drive is its main thoroughfare.