I’ve lived on a cul-de-sac just off the Shepherd’s Bush roundabout for about a year now.
If I had three legs, I could step out of my front door and put one in Brook Green, one in Holland Park and one in Shepherd’s Bush.
My street is still quite higgledy-piggledy, but 100 metres away in Holland Park you’re immediately looking at three or four times the price.
The truth is that it’s more a marriage of convenience than love. I used to live on Roman Road in east London, but wanted easier access to my family in Worcestershire.
We’ve just bought an old house that was built by my great-great-grandfather and will hopefully turn it into studios and a sculpture park.
Best eating and drinking
I haven’t got that go-to Indian or Turkish place yet. I like to get lunch at The Polish Club in Kensington, which is one of London’s best-kept secrets. It’s non-descript but it’s got this beautiful, simple interior.
I’m quite domesticated these days and don’t drink.
For coffee? The honest answer is that I tend to do the drive-through at the Wild Bean petrol station after charging my electric car at Westfield. When I was living in east London I had my local coffee shop, but it’s not that kind of area. It can feel quite futuristic, with the big spaceship of Westfield and the motorways.
Where I work out
I don’t do the gym life, but I walk in Hyde Park every day with my dachshund, Apollo. That’s our routine.
To commune with nature
A lot of my current work is to do with AI and our relationship with nature, and I like to feel grounded away from the digital stuff.
Holland Park is lovely and does great opera in the summer, but Apollo can be weird with people or other dogs so we tend to stick to Hyde Park. I love the Italian Gardens.
Richmond Park is amazing. It’s about a 20-minute drive from me, so I’ve been doing lots of exploring since I got the car. It’s got ancient oak woodland.
I like heading down to Kew Gardens, too, or going into the countryside for long walks and open-water swimming.
For a culture fix
We’ve got the Shepherd’s Bush Empire and Bush Hall, where I’ve seen everyone from Van Morrison to Dave Chappelle.
I live close to the old Woodstock Studios, which were historically part of the music scene too. A lot of albums by that Nineties lot were made there — people like Robbie Williams.
I don’t really do festivals these days, but I do go to arts events in the parks. It’s all very middle-aged. Some of the squares in Holland Park put Shakespeare on in the summer.
There’s a beautiful Grade I-listed church called St John the Baptist on Holland Road.
I like to go down to the Brompton Oratory Latin mass at 11am, which is like a free concert. The architecture is stunning and they allow dogs. Why spend a hundred quid on the opera?
Grocery shopping
There’s the Shepherd’s Bush Market, but I tend to get my shopping delivered.
I’ll occasionally use Zapp, which was one of those late-night booze run apps that will now bring you anything from deodorant to chocolate.
Getting around
I think the Central line has got to be the best line: it cuts right through London like an artery. My studio is still in east London, so I’ve been spending a lot of time dashing across town. Unfortunately Apollo isn’t a fan of the Tube.
Running a physical studio in London is expensive, but it’s really important to me to have that space with my assistants.
Being an artist can be isolating, so I have to make a conscious effort to get out and chat to people.
Dream street
Holland Villas Road is minutes away from me and it’s ridiculous, but I’m not sure I’d want to live in a place that big.
Something you only see in Shepherd’s Bush
This massive roundabout with all these billboards is quite dystopian in a way. Sometimes I get quite excited by it, but equally it can feel depressing.
What’s the catch?
There’s often noise from someone’s scaffolding or Thames Water digging up the road. That may just be a general downside of living in London.
In three words...
Eccentric. Dystopian. Charming.
Henry is currently exhibiting at Claridge’s Artspace. THE HUDSONS, Family Ties places his work alongside pieces by his father, the sculptor Richard Hudson, and his brother Richard WM Hudson. Until 14 April; claridges.co.uk/claridges-artspace/
Schools
Miles Coverdale School and St Stephen’s CofE are primaries rated outstanding by Ofsted. The area is short on secondary schools, but Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School is outstanding in Holland Park.
What it costs
Buying in Shepherd’s Bush
Average flat price: £534,220
Average house price: £1,120,340
Renting in Shepherd’s Bush
Average flat rent, pcm: £2,540
Average house rent, pcm: £3,880
