The name apparently relate to someone called Shepherd who owned the land there at some point in the Middle Ages. Another land owning family from the 15th century, the Goldhawks, gave their name to Goldhawk Road. In the 17th and 18th century Shepherd’s Bush was an area for digging clay and producing bricks for the housing developments springing up in London. Otherwise, it was farmland. In the late 19th century, after railways came through the area, it was developed for working class terraced housing. In 1908 40 acres were used for the Franco-British Exhibition and included pavilions and artificial lakes. There were more than 8 million visitors and it was then used to house the 4th Olympic Games the same year. It became derelict after the First World War and in the 1920s much of it was redeveloped as housing estates, and later for the BBC Television Centre. Shepherds Bush Market was set up in 1914 on an access road intended for the Tube station. Shepherd’s Bush Common is 8 acres of former common land which was taken into public ownership by an Act of Parliament in 1871. The rather larger Wormwood Scrubs is 190 acres of open land or “scrubs”. The prison called Wormwood Scrubs was built there between 1874 and 1890 by an ingeniously efficient method – convicted criminals built it and, in the process, own accommodation as they went along.

Near Shepherd’s Bush Green, and around Shepherds Bush Tube station, is an enclave of Victorian terraced houses from Caxton Road to Stern Street. The most sought-after streets in Shepherd’s Bush are west of Shepherd’s Bush Green between Uxbridge Road and Goldhawk Road as far west as Coningham Road. St Stephen’s Avenue and Godolphin Road are particularly attractive. From Coningham Road to Askew Road is the area of Cathnor Park. There are cottage-style properties near the park itself, for example in Melina Road. There are larger Victorian and Edwardian terraces in streets further out; there are also some modern flat blocks. On the west side of Askew Road is the Wendell Park area. The streets are generally tree-lined with Victorian family houses, often semi-detached. The roads to the south of the park, such as Rylett Road and Crescent, contain sought-after large family houses, some of which are detached, and some in terraces. The area is sometimes referred to as Ravenscourt Park because of the park to the south, but Starch Green is also coming back into use. To the north, there are Victorian terraces ins streets such as Cobbold Road and St Elmo Road. To the west, the streets around Valetta Road are often referred to as “Little Malta” with a mix of Victorian and Edwardian properties. Wellington Court is a modern blocks of flats in Mayfield’s Road.

North of Uxbridge Road is Caxton Village where there are small Victorian terraces in streets such as Tadmor and Bulwer Streets. West of Wood Lane it is a less favoured neighbourhood, but there are attractive houses in a Frithville Gardens and Stanlake Road near the BBC television Centre. Loftus Road is a conservation area (but also houses Queens Park Rangers football ground to the west) and there are more streets of Victorian and Edwardian properties. Oaklands Grove is particularly sought after. There are 1930s and more modern semi-detached houses further west near Old Oak Road. The so-called “Flower” estate – roads named Wallflower, Orchid, Hemlock etc - was originally a council estate but now mainly privately owned, with small greens enclosed by red brick houses. The traditional blocks of the Cleverley Estate nearby in Sawley Road. The White City estate with large blocks of council flats is further north.