You’d be hard pressed to find another community like Barnes. It’s fun, vibrant and a mix of thoroughly interesting and creative types who love their neighbourhood, reflected in the colourful list of coffee shops, delis, independent retail shops, great pubs and the much-loved Olympic Cinema.
It’s also a hub of public transport; another factor in this extraordinary city fringe destination, along with exceptional public spaces (such as Barnes Common and Richmond Park), the Saturday Farmers markets and events at the OSO by the pond, keep you occupied and fulfilled at weekends.
Ranelagh Avenue is a quiet residential street that runs along the northern edge of Barnes Common, and is immensely popular. Barnes is the ultimate village within a city, and life-long residents become misty-eyed about their childhood spent feeding the ducks on the pond, and sneaking into the Olympic Studios Cinema for a romantic teenage tryst. There are wonderful pubs along the river, and the annual Boat Race is a huge deal. Over 95% of the shops are independent, and it is renowned for its schools, which include St Pauls, Colet Court, The Harrodian, Ibstock, The Swedish School and St Osmonds. Communications are excellent, with Barnes Station (Waterloo 20 mins) a short walk away and a walk over Hammersmith Bridge brings you to the tube (District, Piccadilly, Hammersmith & Fulham). The A316 allows fast access to the M3, M25, M4 and beyond.