In many people s eyes, this is one of the true London villages. It used to be known for its population of well-to-do artists and writers but now the preponderance of City money has pushed up prices beyond those of Putney and Wandsworth.

The village itself is a tight network of roads, centred around the duck pond, with Victorian red brick terraces, intermingled with streets such as Hillersdon Avenue and Laurel Road, with larger 5/6 bedroom houses . Prices range from £750,000 to £2.5 million. Running through the middle of the village is Church Road with shops and restaurants running west towards the river and the terrace, locally known as Barnes on Sea , an 18th Century patchwork of styles facing onto the river and looking north over Chiswick and Dukes Meadows.

To the north of Church Road is the major portion of Barnes with swathes of Edwardian and inter-war housing on square plots of land giving good lateral space and off-street parking for between £750,000 and £1.25 million. The most popular houses in Barnes continue to be the large villas along Castelnau and Londsdale Road which range from 3,000 to 7,000 square feet. Most have off-street parking and some large gardens overlook the 105 acres of wetland that is now a nature reserve in the middle of London. The downside is that this is the main route from the A3 over Hammersmith Bridge to the A4, so road noise is an issue. Prices start at £1.75 million but have yet to top the £3 million.

At the bottom of Castlenau Road before Hammersmith Bridge is the site of the Harrods Furniture Depository and Barnes Waterside, both recently developed into 570 flats by the river.

The Schools within Barnes itself are St Paul's, Collet Court and the Harrodian, the latter being mixed. Barnes is also home to the Swedish school - a huge influence on the rental market.

Access by road to Kensington and Knightsbridge is surprisingly easy from Barnes, providing Hammersmith Bridge remains open. Mainline stations are at Barnes Common and Barnes Bridge to Waterloo. The Tube is from Hammersmith - quite a walk.

As with everywhere along the river, aircraft noise is a problem.

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