Living in W2, Westminster
What the open data says about house prices, schools, crime and flood risk around W2 in Westminster. Built from the same sources as every property report on this site, not opinion or marketing copy.
- Homes on the streets around central W2 sold at a median of £680,000 across 90 recorded sales, above the England average of £290,000 (HM Land Registry).
- Prices across Westminster are down 20.7% on a year ago (UK House Price Index). The index for Westminster rests on 84 recorded sales in May 2026, the newest month with a count. July 2026 is a first estimate, which HM Land Registry revises as more sales are registered.
- Of the 250 schools within about 3 miles, 90% are rated Good or Outstanding, against 90% of state schools in England (Ofsted).
- The centre of W2 is in flood zone 1 (low probability), on the Environment Agency flood map for planning.
- A Band D household in Westminster pays £1,050 in council tax for 2026-27, every precept included (MHCLG).
- Police recorded 2,239 crimes within roughly a mile of the centre in August 2026, most commonly anti social behaviour (Police.uk).
Figures gathered 17 October 2026, each from the source named in its section.
House prices
Average price in Westminster: £876,788, down 20.7% on a year ago (July 2026). The index for Westminster rests on 84 recorded sales in May 2026, the newest month with a count. July 2026 is a first estimate, which HM Land Registry revises as more sales are registered. The wider London average is £550,037.
Check sold prices for a specific address in W2 →
See where W2 ranks across London →
Council tax at Band D in Westminster: £1,050 a year (2026-27). Running costs by postcode: council tax, energy, tenure, and the estate charge no listing shows →
Compare W2 with another district
Sold prices, the price trend, schools, flood zone, Band D council tax and crime for W2 against any other district, each from the source the section below names.
What actually sold around W2
90 recorded home sales on the streets around central W2 in the last 2 years, with a median of £680,000 and a range from £295,000 to £23,000,000. Mostly flats and maisonettes.
| Address | Type | Sold for | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Second Floor Flat 17D Orsett Terrace, W2 6AJ | Flat or maisonette | £490,000 | 12 Aug 2026 |
| Flat 3 Cranleigh Court, 4 - 5 Leinster Gardens, W2 6DP | Flat or maisonette | £525,000 | 6 Aug 2026 |
| Flat 2 153 Gloucester Terrace, W2 6DX | Flat or maisonette | £689,500 | 10 Jul 2026 |
| Flat 26 Peters Court Porchester Road, W2 5DR | Flat or maisonette | £366,938 | 30 Jun 2026 |
| Flat 241 The Colonnades, 34 Porchester Square, W2 6AS | Flat or maisonette | £700,000 | 30 Jun 2026 |
| Second Floor Flat 18C Orsett Terrace, W2 6AJ | Flat or maisonette | £432,500 | 17 Jun 2026 |
How to read this
Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data. Every sale of a registered property in England and Wales appears here once it completes, so the most recent weeks are always still filling in.
Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data
Schools nearby
250 schools within 3 miles , of which 90% are rated Outstanding or Good by Ofsted.
| Nearest well-rated schools | Stage | Ofsted | Distance | Admitted from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ark Atwood Primary Academy | Primary | Outstanding | 0.6 mi away | 0.46 mi 2024/25 |
| Fox Primary School | Primary | Outstanding | 0.7 mi away | no figure |
| Paddington Academy | Secondary | Outstanding | 0.7 mi away | no figure |
| Colville Primary School | Primary | Outstanding | 0.8 mi away | 0.29 mi 2025/26 |
| St Peter's CofE School | Primary | Outstanding | 0.8 mi away | no figure |
| Ark King Solomon Academy | Secondary | Outstanding | 0.8 mi away | no figure |
Schools in W2 with a published admission distance
How far away the last child offered a place lived, as the council published it. Tightest first; each name opens the school's page and its postcode checker.
| School | Stage | Admitted from | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| St James & St John Church of England Primary School | Primary | 0.14 mi | 2024/25 |
| Hallfield Primary School | Primary | 0.51 mi | 2024/25 |
Will an address here get a place? How far Westminster schools admitted from, school by school →
102 state primary and 25 state secondary schools within range, plus 93 fee-paying schools.
Private schools
93 fee-paying schools within 3 miles: Al-Sadiq School, Al-Zahra School, Alleyns Regents Park Prep, Arnold House School, Ashbourne College, Bales College and others.
All 93 fee-paying schools near W2, with ages and admissions →
Fee-paying schools are inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate, not Ofsted, and the ISI publishes no open data feed. That is why they carry no rating here. A missing grade means we cannot see one, not that the school was judged poorly.
Universities
8 higher education institutions within 3 miles: Central School of Speech and Drama, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, Institute of Cancer Research, London Business School, Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Art and others.
Relevant beyond study: a large student population shapes rental demand, and term-time letting is a different market from family letting.
What people here do for work
The most common occupations among working residents, from the 2021 Census. This is occupation rather than industry: it says what people do, not which industries employ them.
| Occupation group | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Professional occupations | 26.3% |
| Associate professional and technical | 16.5% |
| Managers, directors and senior officials | 13.8% |
| Elementary occupations | 12.1% |
| Caring, leisure and other service | 8.0% |
Source: ONS Census 2021, table TS063, for this district's small area.
How W2 has changed since 2011
The biggest move: degree-level adults, up 10.1 points since 2011, with England's change beside each line.
How to read this
The census neighbourhood at the centre of W2 (E01004696, 1,442 residents in 2021, down 9.1% on 2011) on the 2011 and 2021 censuses, with England's own change over the same decade for scale. Each line is a share of the neighbourhood's households or residents, so a growing area and a shrinking one compare fairly. The biggest move here: degree-level adults, up 10.1 points.
| Measure | 2011 | 2021 | Change | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 29.9% | 29.0% | -0.9 pts | -2.0 pts |
| Households renting privately | 23.6% | 27.4% | +3.8 pts | +3.7 pts |
| Households renting socially | 44.3% | 42.0% | -2.3 pts | -0.6 pts |
| Residents under 15 | 17.6% | 12.9% | -4.7 pts | -0.3 pts |
| Residents 65 and over | 14.2% | 14.8% | +0.6 pts | +2.1 pts |
| Adults with a degree or equivalent | 39.1% | 49.2% | +10.1 pts | +6.5 pts |
| Residents born outside the UK | 52.6% | 59.5% | +6.9 pts | +3.6 pts |
| Residents in good or very good health | 73.5% | 77.0% | +3.5 pts | +0.8 pts |
| Residents in a white ethnic group | 52.1% | 46.9% | -5.2 pts | -4.4 pts |
Office for National Statistics, Census 2011 and Census 2021, Open Government Licence. A district holds many neighbourhoods; the full report for an address shows the one it sits in.
Crime
2,239 crimes recorded within roughly a mile of central W2 in August 2026, most commonly anti social behaviour.
Flood risk
Zone 1 (low probability). This is the Environment Agency's flood zone for the area's centre point, an individual property's own risk can differ, especially near a specific watercourse.
Deprivation
This area falls in decile 2 of 10 on the Index of Multiple Deprivation (most deprived nationally), based on Westminster's figures.
Buses from the centre of W2
Best-served stop: Gloucester Terrace, with 23.5 buses an hour on weekday daytimes.
Evenings, Sundays and routes
The best-served stop within 800 m of the centre of W2 is Gloucester Terrace: 23.5 buses an hour on a weekday daytime, 21.5 in the evening and 19.6 on Sunday daytime; first bus 00:24, last 00:29. Routes there: 36, 27, 23, 7. 5 stops with a scheduled service within that distance.
Departures a passenger can board, from the timetables operators publish to the Department for Transport's Bus Open Data Service, for Tuesday 8 Sep 2026 and Sunday 13 Sep 2026. Scheduled, not observed. Two stops on opposite sides of a road are two stops. The full report does this for the stops within 500 m of an address.
Source: operators' timetables on the Bus Open Data Service (Department for Transport)
GP practices and A&E
3 GP practices within 3.0 km of the centre of W2. The nearest, The Garway Medical Practice, has 3,439 registered patients and 1,612 patients per fully qualified GP, against an England median of 2,186.
| Practice | From the centre | Patients | Per qualified GP |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Garway Medical Practice | 0 yd | 3,439 | 1,612 |
| Lancaster Gate Medical Centre | 0.3 mi | 6,544 | 2,479 |
| Newton Medical Centre | 0.3 mi | 14,374 | 5,183 |
Nearest A&E: Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, where 70.3% of type 1 attendances were seen within four hours in July 2026; then Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust at 73.1%.
How to read this
NHS England: patients registered at a GP practice (1 Aug 2026), the general practice workforce (July 2026), and A&E attendances by provider, monthly. Fully qualified GPs exclude trainees. Practices are matched by postcode.
Source: NHS England, monthly releases
Council tax and the council's finances
A Band D household in Westminster pays £1,050 for 2026-27, all precepts included, a rise of 3.0% on the year before against an England median rise of 4.8%. Every band for Westminster, and how it compares.
| Year | Band D bill | Rise |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | £829 | +6.0% |
| 2022-23 | £866 | +4.5% |
| 2023-24 | £914 | +5.5% |
| 2024-25 | £975 | +6.7% |
| 2025-26 | £1,019 | +4.5% |
| 2026-27 | £1,050 | +3.0% |
No exceptional financial support from government since 2020-21 and no section 114 notice on record for Westminster, as at 7 Sep 2026.
How to read this
A home's own band is on its council tax bill, free to look up at gov.uk/council-tax-bands; the report shows every band's bill at the council beside the home's other checks.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, live council tax tables (Band D, area averages) and the Exceptional Financial Support lists published each year; section 114 notices as published by the councils.
Source: MHCLG live council tax tables and Exceptional Financial Support lists
Common questions about W2
What is the average house price in W2?
The average sold price in Westminster is £876,788 as of July 2026, according to the UK House Price Index.
Are house prices rising in W2?
Prices in Westminster are down 20.7% on a year ago (UK House Price Index). The index for Westminster rests on 84 recorded sales in May 2026, the newest month with a count. July 2026 is a first estimate, which HM Land Registry revises as more sales are registered.
What do houses actually sell for in W2?
The median of 90 recorded sales around central W2 in the last 2 years is £680,000, ranging from £295,000 to £23,000,000 (HM Land Registry Price Paid Data).
Are the schools good in W2?
250 schools sit within 3 miles of central W2, and 90% are rated Outstanding or Good by Ofsted.
How much crime is there in W2?
2,239 crimes were recorded within roughly a mile of central W2 in August 2026, most commonly anti social behaviour (Police.uk).
Is W2 at risk of flooding?
Central W2 sits in Zone 1 (low probability) for river and sea flooding (Environment Agency). Individual addresses vary, so check the full report for a specific property.
Is W2 a good place to live?
That depends on what you need, so here is what the official data says rather than an opinion: 90% of nearby schools are rated Outstanding or Good by Ofsted; the median home sells for £680,000; the area sits in decile 2 of 10 on the Index of Multiple Deprivation; 2,239 crimes were recorded within about a mile. Every one of those figures names its source on this page.
Is W2 safe?
2,239 crimes were recorded within roughly a mile of central W2 in August 2026, according to Police.uk. The most common category was anti social behaviour. Crime counts follow how many people are around, so a busy district records more than a quiet one of the same size.
Neighbouring districts
Want the full picture for a specific property?
This page covers W2 as a whole. For sold price history, EPC rating, exact-address crime and flood risk, school catchment areas and 30+ other checks on one specific property, search its full postcode.