Brentford has been around since before the Romans arrived in London; it’s about an hour’s commute from central London, and housing is less expensive than in neighbouring areas. It’s probably best known nationally for its Premier League football club, but is Brentford a nice place to live?
If you’re thinking of moving to Brentford, we’ve gathered some information that might help you to make your decision.
Is Brentford in a nice location?
Brentford falls within the borough of Hounslow, and sits nestled between Isleworth, Richmond,
Chiswick and Ealing. If Premier League football isn’t your game, Brentford is also located a stone’s throw from
Twickenham, home of England’s Rugby.
A defining feature of Brentford is its enviable location alongside the Grand Union Canal, where you can enjoy a stroll or cycle, or a spot of fishing. There are lots of waterbirds to spot, and if you’re interested in England’s waterways one of London’s smallest museums,
The Grade II Listed Toll House, is worth a visit.
The jewel in Brentford’s crown is
Syon House and Gardens. This is a huge area of green space, home to the Duke of Northumberland, with grounds designed by the famous landscape architect Capability Brown. This is a great place to spend the day with your family or friends, enjoy a picnic or have coffee and cake in the Garden Centre.
With this on your doorstep, you don’t really need to go further afield, but a short drive or walk along the High Street and across the canal at Kew Bridge will take you straight to Kew Gardens (and, as a Hounslow Borough resident, you’ll be entitled to discounted entry, which is a bonus!).
If you live in Brentford, you’ll also be close to
Gunnersbury Park, where you can wander around the museum, make use of the boating lake or just enjoy walking around the grounds in the fresh air. Richmond Park isn’t far either, and if you have young children they’ll enjoy petting the animals and exploring the maze at nearby Hanwell Zoo.
What’s the housing in Brentford like?
Brentford has been through a lot of regeneration and some gentrification over the last few years. This has created quite a confusing
array of architecture and building styles that certainly give the area character! There are new housing developments being built (especially along the waterfront) as more people are drawn to the area, but also still plenty of period property available, much of which stems from the post-War boom.
The
average house price in Brentford is £518,000, which is lower than in areas like Chiswick and Richmond.
Is it noisy in Brentford?
Heathrow airport is only about 5 miles away from Brentford, so you might be concerned about aircraft noise. Brentford is affected by aircraft noise, though at the moment it is not directly under a flightpath. When the proposed third runway is completed, though, it is highly likely that there will be a direct flightpath over Brentford.
Residents vary in how much they say this affects them.
Some say they quickly got used to the sound, whilst others dislike the noise and have installed triple glazing to reduce its impact. The best way to determine whether this is something that will affect you is to visit Brentford at different times of the day to experience it for yourself.
Is Brentford a nice place to live?
There’s a great sense of community in Brentford, with locals regularly supporting
Brentford FC at the Gtech Community Stadium. There are weekly markets on Sundays and with so many open spaces it’s difficult to feel lonely when so many people are out and about.
There are several Good and Outstanding schools, both state and independent, and there are plenty of local independent shops and cafes. Popular places to eat and drink include the Weir Bar (serving excellent pub grub) and the Black Dog Beer House. The local crime rate is listed on the local police website as low. So yes, Brentford is a lovely place to live.
Are there many jobs in Brentford?
Quite a high proportion of residents (16% or thereabouts) are self-employed, and there’s a real entrepreneurial spirit about the place. Other major industries in the area providing the most jobs are IT/digital, media & broadcasting and transport. It’s also a hub for artists: Johnsons Island is located on the Grand Union Canal and is a community of sculptors, photographers and painters who operate events and occasional open studios.
If you don’t want to work where you live, it’s
easy to commute from Brentford thanks to its road and rail networks. Depending on where in Brentford you choose to settle, your closest railway stations are Syon Lane, Brentford and Kew Bridge, which are all Southwestern Train services in Zone 4 on the Hounslow loop and will take you straight to London Waterloo. It takes just less than 40 minutes to reach central London by train, or you can commute by car in around an hour. There are also Piccadilly line stations at Boston Manor, Northfields and South Ealing.
Convinced?
If you think Brentford is the place for you, we have a
storage facility just off the Great West Road not far from Syon Park.
Self storage can be useful when
moving house because you can store excess belongings before the move (reducing the cost of your removals service). You can keep all your things clean, safe and dry until you’re ready to move them into your new home. You might want to deep clean, decorate or renovate for example, and keeping the majority of your belongings safely out of the way while you do so will make life so much easier!
If you think we can help, please get in touch and our friendly team can offer no-obligation information so you can make some decisions. If you need any help or support in reserving a unit, we can help with that too.