Barnes, Mortlake & Sheen area guide

Summary:

Barnes, located about six miles south-west of central London, is an extremely affluent suburb in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Barnes still has a slightly village feel to it, contained on three sides by the Thames, with open spaces and a continuous towpath alongside the river. It has some of the most expensive housing in the city, prized for its relatively secluded location (the river acts as a natural barrier to much through traffic) and its elegant mansions. Barnes is often seen as a quieter area to live in compared to the neighbouring alternatives of Kensington, Fulham and Chelsea. Mortlake used to be a village as well, but is more built up nowadays. Away from the river, Sheen borders Richmond Park and commons area to the south. Traffic in SW13 has been a hot topic for some time. For three years in the late nineties Hammersmith Bridge was closed to everyone but foot passengers, two-wheeled traffic and public transport. A popular decision with some residents but not with retailers.

Properties:

Charming Victorian houses surround the Common, both Castelnau and Lonsdale Roads, to the north of the High Street. Smaller, early-Victorian cottages (three, four and five bedrooms) and terraces can be found off the High Street. Also splendid 18th century and modern riverside homes overlook the Thames. A new suburb called 'Barnes Waterside' boasts classy flats and imposing villas, whilst ex-council houses and mansion flats in North Barnes offer cheaper prices. Mortlake is more Victorian; smaller houses on the whole. Sheen has Edwardian and other 20th century homes. Wide range of styles and sizes reflected in the prices. Waterside homes and Harrods Village rise above standard price range.

Buyers:

Barnes is the most expensive area, but none are cheap. Popular with wealthy, middle-class families, media types, sportsmen and political people, diluted with European, (especially Scandinavians) and US businessmen/diplomats. Few ethnic minority groups are represented. Sheen is seeing a steady influx of professional families as older residents move on.

Sales Information:

The table below details the most recent sales information for this area, broken down by postcode, property type and average sale value.

Postcode	Detached	Semi-Det	Terraced	Flat / Mais	Total / Average
SW13	4 sales £1,386,250	17 sales £1,677,764	41 sales £802,863	21 sales £441,740	83 sales £918,806
SW14	6 sales £1,575,500	18 sales £873,972	32 sales £635,598	24 sales £328,997	80 sales £667,745

Source acknowledgement: Information produced by Land Registry. © Crown copyright material reproduced with the permission of Land Registry. This material was last updated on 11th Feb 2010. It covers the period from Oct 2009 to Dec 2009. Restricted Use. Users of this product must not copy, distribute, sell or publish any of the Crown copyright material without the formal permission of Land Registry. If you think any of the above information is incorrect please click here to notify the Land Registry.