Chiswick is famous for its café-lined High Road, its green spaces and its distinct neighbourhoods. These include Bedford Park, north of the High Road, the earliest garden suburb with its Norman Shaw-designed houses, Grove Park, south of the High Road, and Glebe Estate, the Victorian terraces that run off the High Road. For many a banker with a family, Chiswick is as good as it gets.

But can I afford to live there?

You need considerable earning and borrowing power. Although prices fell by about 25 per cent between July 2007 and October 2008, they are now within 5 per cent of their peak. A one-bedroom flat off the High Road costs about £325,000, while a three-bedroom cottage in central Chiswick will set you back £800,000. You can expect to pay £1 million to £1.5 million for a five-bedroom Victorian house in Grove Park; the price tag for a slightly larger house in Bedford Park is between £2.5 million and £3.5 million.

Who lives there?

Locals tend to work in the City, or law, the arts or the media (the BBC is near by in Shepherds Bush). Ant and Dec, Colin Firth and Richard Briers are among the well-known faces you may see on the High Road. This increasingly international area inspires unusual loyalty: people in their early thirties move in and trade up (when they can afford it) — and often stay on for good, even when the children have grown up and left home.

What about the schools?

Parents pay a premium to be in the catchment area of Belmont, a primary. St Mary’s RC Primary is another school with a good reputation. Gunnersbury Catholic School for boys and Gumley House Convent Schoolhave achieved good results. But you will overhear parents talking about key West London independent schools such as St Paul’s Boys, St Paul’s Girls, Godolphin & Latymer (girls) and Latymer Upper (co-ed).

What’s the transport like?

Chiswick is well connected. The A4 cuts it in two, providing quick access to the M25, M4 and Heathrow, which is about 15 minutes’ drive away. District Line Underground trains from Turnham Green, Chiswick Park or Stamford Brook take you to the City in about 25 minutes.

What about eating out?

Cafés and restaurants range from High Road House, an offshoot of Soho House, to Sam’s Brasserie and Bar, La Trompette, Le Vacherin and Carvosso’s. There are also many family-friendly chain restaurants, such as Giraffe.

Any architectural gems?

The neo-Palladian Chiswick House and its vast gardens, which are undergoing a £12.1 million restoration (and will fully reopen in the spring). Hogarth’s House, the country home of the painter and satirist William Hogarth (yet to reopen after a refurbishment), and the elegant houses of Chiswick Mall on the river.

Upside A delightful proximity to the river, and strong community pride. A mix of chain and independent retailers and a growing music and literary life.

Downside The noise in some parts: the thundering A4 and M4 cuts through Chiswick and the Heathrow flight path diminishes some of the charm of Grove Park. Some accuse the place of being too self-satisfied.

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