Shepherd's Bush Green

Shepherds Bush Green (also known as Shepherds Bush Common), is an approximately 8-acre (3.2 ha) triangular area of open grass surrounded by trees and roads with shops in Shepherd's Bush, an area of west London which takes its name from the Green. The Green is also a ward of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. The population of the ward at the 2011 Census was 12,175.

The origins of the name Shepherds Bush are obscure. The name may have originated from the use of the common land as a resting point for shepherds on their way to Smithfield Market in the City of London. There appears to have been an ancient custom of pruning a hawthorne bush to provide a shelter for shepherds protecting them from the elements as they watched their flocks. Alternatively the Green may simply be named after a local landowner. In any event, in 1635 it was recorded as "Sheppards Bush Green".

At the turn of the 20th century Hammersmith MP Sir William Bull was appalled to see Shepherd's Bush Green become home to destitute unemployed sleeping rough, gambling, and playing pitch and toss.

Today the Green is surrounded by busy roads on all three sides. Four main roads radiate from the western side of the Green and three roads approaching its eastern apex, meeting at the large Holland Park Roundabout. This position makes it an important node of the bus network, with eighteen bus routes arriving there. It is also near five London Underground stations; Shepherd's Bush (Central line), White City (Central line), Shepherd's Bush Market (Hammersmith & City line), Goldhawk Road (Hammersmith & City line) and Wood Lane (Hammersmith & City line).

On the north side of the Green is the Uxbridge Road, and beyond that the Westfield London shopping centre. To the east, the Green is bounded by the physical barrier of the West London railway line and the grade-separated West Cross Route (part of the aborted 1960s London Motorway Box scheme). The Holland Park Roundabout and the small Addison Bridge to the south are the only ways to cross this barrier.

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