All about White City
For many years, East London has been London’s creative hub, however White City has now challenged this. It has become a fantastic area with a real creative scene and is home to my favourite development in London – the Television Centre. Traditionally, White City was never one of London’s hotspots or even a very desirable place to live. It’s really bloomed in the last three years and I’m a great believer in the future of the area. For buyers who are not tied to London’s traditional hotspots, this is arguably one of the best areas to live and invest in.
The Television Centre is arguably one of the key developments that helped put White City on the map. What once used to be the headquarters of the BBC is now one of London’s most exciting developments. Soho House, the trendy private members club opened a space within the development which attracted its clientele to the area. Many hospitality businesses also opened in the commercial section of the development, including Kricket, Homeslice, The Allis, the Electric Cinema and Endo at the Rotunda (a Michelin starred Japanese restaurant). These new hospitality spots not only serve residents of the building and the area, but has made White City a place to hang out in. The commercial section of the building is also home to many office headquarters, such as Publicis and The White Company. The owners of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger will also be moving to a new building within the development in 2023.
The Television Centre is not only a great place to work and have fun in, but it also has fantastic homes for the residents. There are all the bells and whistles of a new build – comfort cooling, underfloor heating, 24-hour concierge, and parking. Residents get access to the Soho House gym, which is arguably the most impressive gym in London. There are two sections of the residential side of the development – The Helios and The Crescent. The Helios is an original donut shaped building that has been refurbished and is Grade II listed. The key features of The Helios include the original crittall windows and decorative tiling. The Crescent wraps around the Helios and is newly built. There are floor to ceiling windows and balconies, some of which face the beautiful Hammersmith Park.
My favourite thing about the apartments at The Television Centre is that unlike other new builds, many of the apartments are very different to one another. This is because of The Architects’ Series for the premium units, where five contemporary architects were chosen to design apartments and penthouses. Although they retain the same quality of finishes, each has a unique and tailored feel. A few of these units are still available, click here to see a video tour of a three bedroom penthouse and here for a two bedroom penthouse. There are also resales of the non-premium units.
There’s more to White City than the Television Centre. Imperial College, one of the world’s leading universities, has invested £3 billion in a brand-new campus. A total of 25 acres, the aim of the new campus is to give academics and students a place to collaborate with entrepreneurs, investors, tech-experts and creatives. Just across from the Television Centre is Westfield, one of London’s largest shopping centres. Another development is White City living, which offers 2,300 homes set within eight acres of parks and gardens.
If you are interested in finding out more about homes for rent or for sale in White City, please get in touch for a free consultation.