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White City is a place in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham

The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham is a London borough in West London and forms part of Inner London.It was formed in 1965 by merging the Metropolitan Borough of Hammersmith and the Metropolitan Borough of Fulham....
, to the north of Shepherd's Bush
Shepherd's Bush

Shepherd's Bush is a district of west London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, situated 4.9 miles west of Charing Cross. Although it is primarily residential in character, its focus is the shopping area of Shepherds Bush Green, which has a small shopping centre with a supermarket, cinema and gym, and a large number of small a...
. Today, White City is home to the BBC Television Centre
BBC Television Centre

BBC Television Centre in West London, sometimes abbreviated to TVC, TC or TV Centre, is the headquarters of BBC Television. The greater part of the BBC's television output comes from here, as well as, in more recent years, that of BBC Radio 5 Live and, since 1998, that of most of the corporation's national BBC News service....
 and BBC White City
BBC White City

BBC White City refers both to a collection of BBC buildings at Wood Lane, White City, London in west London, and an office building opened in 1990 within that collection of buildings....
, and Loftus Road
Loftus Road

Loftus Road is a Football stadium in Shepherds Bush, London. It is home to the Football in England team Queens Park Rangers F.C. and has a Seating capacity of around 18,200....
 stadium, the home of football club Queens Park Rangers FC.

area now called White City was level arable farmfields until 1908, when it was used as the site of the Franco-British Exhibition
Franco-British Exhibition (1908)

The Franco-British Exhibition was a large public Expo which took place in London, United Kingdom in the early years of the 20th Century. The exhibition celebrated the Entente Cordiale which had been signed by the United Kingdom and France in 1904 and attracted 8 million visitors....
 and the 1908 Summer Olympics
1908 Summer Olympics

The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London....
. In 1909 the exhibition site hosted the Imperial International Exhibition and in 1910, the Japan-British Exhibition
Japan-British Exhibition (1910)

The Japan-British Exhibition of 1910 took place at White City, London in Great Britain from 14 May 1910 to 29 October 1910. It was the largest international exposition that the Empire of Japan had participated in to date, and was driven by a desire of Japan to develop a more favorable public image in Great Britain following the renewal of t...
.






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White City is a place in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham

The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham is a London borough in West London and forms part of Inner London.It was formed in 1965 by merging the Metropolitan Borough of Hammersmith and the Metropolitan Borough of Fulham....
, to the north of Shepherd's Bush
Shepherd's Bush

Shepherd's Bush is a district of west London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, situated 4.9 miles west of Charing Cross. Although it is primarily residential in character, its focus is the shopping area of Shepherds Bush Green, which has a small shopping centre with a supermarket, cinema and gym, and a large number of small a...
. Today, White City is home to the BBC Television Centre
BBC Television Centre

BBC Television Centre in West London, sometimes abbreviated to TVC, TC or TV Centre, is the headquarters of BBC Television. The greater part of the BBC's television output comes from here, as well as, in more recent years, that of BBC Radio 5 Live and, since 1998, that of most of the corporation's national BBC News service....
 and BBC White City
BBC White City

BBC White City refers both to a collection of BBC buildings at Wood Lane, White City, London in west London, and an office building opened in 1990 within that collection of buildings....
, and Loftus Road
Loftus Road

Loftus Road is a Football stadium in Shepherds Bush, London. It is home to the Football in England team Queens Park Rangers F.C. and has a Seating capacity of around 18,200....
 stadium, the home of football club Queens Park Rangers FC.

History

The area now called White City was level arable farmfields until 1908, when it was used as the site of the Franco-British Exhibition
Franco-British Exhibition (1908)

The Franco-British Exhibition was a large public Expo which took place in London, United Kingdom in the early years of the 20th Century. The exhibition celebrated the Entente Cordiale which had been signed by the United Kingdom and France in 1904 and attracted 8 million visitors....
 and the 1908 Summer Olympics
1908 Summer Olympics

The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London....
. In 1909 the exhibition site hosted the Imperial International Exhibition and in 1910, the Japan-British Exhibition
Japan-British Exhibition (1910)

The Japan-British Exhibition of 1910 took place at White City, London in Great Britain from 14 May 1910 to 29 October 1910. It was the largest international exposition that the Empire of Japan had participated in to date, and was driven by a desire of Japan to develop a more favorable public image in Great Britain following the renewal of t...
. The final two exhibitions to be held there were the Latin-British (1912) and the Anglo-American (1914). During this period it was known as the Great White City due to the white marble
Marble

Marble is a nonfoliated metamorphic rock resulting from the metamorphism of limestone, composed mostly of calcite . It is extensively used for Marble sculpture, as a architecture material, and in many other applications....
 cladding used on the exhibition pavilions, and hence gave its name to this part of Shepherd's Bush
Shepherd's Bush

Shepherd's Bush is a district of west London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, situated 4.9 miles west of Charing Cross. Although it is primarily residential in character, its focus is the shopping area of Shepherds Bush Green, which has a small shopping centre with a supermarket, cinema and gym, and a large number of small a...
.

The White City Stadium
White City Stadium

White City Stadium was built in White City, London, London, for the 1908 Summer Olympics....
 in the north of the area, known as the Great Stadium, was officially opened by King Edward VII on April 27, 1908 for the Olympics. After the Olympics, it continued to be used for athletics until 1914, and was later turned into a greyhound racing
Greyhound racing

Greyhound racing is the sport of racing greyhounds. The dogs chase a lure on a track until they arrive at the finish line. The one that arrives first is the winner....
 track, although it was also used for short periods by Queens Park Rangers football club, and for other sports. The stadium was demolished in 1985 to make way for the BBC White City building. Today, the 1908 Olympics are commemorated with a list of athletes inscribed on the side of the BBC Broadcast Centre Building, and the athletics finish line is marked in the paving outside the building.

The Marathon from these London Olympics played an important part in the development of the modern marathon race. In the early years of competitive international sport, the long distance marathon race did not have a standard set distance. The distance run at the first seven Olympics from 1896 to 1920 varied between 40km
Kilometre

The kilometre , symbol km is a Units of measurement of length in the metric system, equal to one thousand metres.Slang terms for kilometre include click and kay ....
 and 42.75km. The starting point of the race at the 1908 Olympics was at Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle, in Windsor, Berkshire in the England county of Berkshire, is the largest inhabited castle in the world and, dating back to the time of William I of England, is the oldest in continuous occupation....
 creating a distance of 26 mile
Mile

A mile is a Units of measurement of length, usually used to measure distance, in a number of different systems. In contemporary English contexts, mile most commonly refers to the statute mile of 5,280 Feet or the nautical mile of 1,852 meters ....
s 385 yard
Yard

A yard is a Units of measurement of length in several different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units....
s (42.195 km) to the finishing line at White City stadium. In 1921 this was adopted as the standard distance.

To house the growing population of Shepherd's Bush, a five-storey housing estate
Housing estate

A housing estate is a group of buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Accordingly, a housing estate is usually built by a single contractor, with only a few styles of house or building design, so they tend to be uniform in appearance....
 was built, which also took the name of the White City.

In 2001, BBC Television Centre was damaged by a car bomb attack by the Real IRA. The bomb went off on Wood Lane, in front of the Television Centre news building.

New development

Westfield Group (with Hausinvest Europa) has built a new shopping centre, bounded by the West Cross Route
West Cross Route

The West Cross Route is a short, 0.75 mile dual carriageway section of the A3220 road route in central London. It runs north-south between the northern elevated roundabout junction with the western end of the Westway and the southern Holland Park Roundabout....
 (A3220
A3220 road

The A3220 is a primary status A roads in Great Britain in London. It runs north from Clapham Common to the A40 road Westway at Ladbroke Grove....
, formerly the M41 motorway), the Westway
Westway (London)

The Westway is a 2.5 mile-long elevated dual carriageway section of the A40 road route in west London running from Paddington to North Kensington....
 (A40
A40 road

The A40 is a major trunk road connecting London to Fishguard, Wales. It is 256 miles long.It is one of the few remaining of the "old" trunk routes not to have been superseded by a direct motorway link, though some parts, such as the southern section from London to Oxford are now better served by the M40 motorway....
) and Wood Lane
Wood Lane

Wood Lane is a street in London. It runs north from Shepherd's Bush, under the Westway past Wormwood Scrubs where it meets Scrubs Lane. The road is wholly in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham ....
 (A219
A219 road

The A219, is a road in West London, England, which connects the A404 road Harrow Road in Harlesden to the A24 road in South Wimbledon. Running from North to South, it starts near Willesden Junction station, crosses the Grand Union Canal and runs through Shepherd's Bush, Hammersmith and Fulham, crossing the River Thames at Putney Bridge....
). This centre has been branded "Westfield London
Westfield London

Westfield London is a shopping centre in Shepherd's Bush in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. The centre was developed by the Westfield Group, run by Frank Lowy, at a cost of ?1.6bn,...
".

Two stations were built to serve the centre close to the sites of closed former London Underground stations:
  • Wood Lane
    Wood Lane tube station

    Wood Lane is a London Underground station in west London, on the Hammersmith & City Line. It is located adjacent to Wood Lane in the White City, London area, and serves the new Westfield London shopping centre nearby....
     on the Hammersmith and City line, located to provide a walking distance connection with the Central Line
    Central Line

    The Central line is a London Underground line, coloured red on the tube map. It is a deep-level "tube" line, running east-west across London, and has the greatest total length of track of any line on the Underground....
     station at White City
    White City tube station

    White City tube station is a London Underground station situated in Wood Lane in West London. The station is on the Central Line, between Shepherd's Bush tube station and East Acton tube station stations, in Travelcard Zone 2....
    .
  • Shepherd's Bush
    Shepherd's Bush railway station

    Shepherd's Bush station is a new railway station on the West London Line of the London Overground and Southern network, opened on 28 September 2008....
     on the West London Line
    West London Line

    The West London Line is a short railway linking Clapham Junction in the south to Willesden Junction station in the north. It was built to enable trains to cross London....
    , to the east of the site adjacent to the Holland Park roundabout and served by London Overground
    London Overground

    London Overground is a Commuter rail in the United Kingdom service in London, United Kingdom. The London Overground name is the brand applied by Transport for London to the services which it manages on four railway lines in the London area: the Watford DC Line, the North London Line, the West London Line and the Gospel Oak to Barking Line....
     trains.


In 2007, it was announced that the BBC would sell its landmark Television Centre as part of a cost-cutting programme.

In 2008 English Heritage announced its recommendation to list parts of TV centre as an excellent example of 20th century architecture.

Schools in the area include Phoenix High School
Phoenix High School, London

Phoenix High School is a secondary school near White City, London, London, England. In 2003 it had 759 students, of whom 429 were boys. In 1994 the school had been placed in special measure and was listed as one of the eight most challenging schools in England....
.

Nearest places


  • Wormwood Scrubs
  • Notting Hill
  • Kensal Green
  • Bayswater
    Bayswater

    Bayswater is an area of west London in the City of Westminster. It is a built-up district located 3 miles west north-west of Charing Cross and borders the north of Hyde Park, London over Kensington Gardens....
  • North Kensington
    North Kensington

    North Kensington is an area of west London lying north of Notting Hill Gate and south of Harrow Road.North Kensington is the key neighbourhood of Notting Hill....
    *Acton
    Acton, London

    Acton is a place in west London, England situated west of Charing Cross. At the time of the United Kingdom Census 2001, Acton, comprising the wards of East Acton, Acton Central, South Acton and Southfield, had a population of 53,689 people....
  • West Kensington
    West Kensington

    West Kensington could refer to:* West Kensington, London, the London postcode W14, primarily located within the Inner London London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and encompassing some Western areas of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
  • Shepherd's Bush
    Shepherd's Bush

    Shepherd's Bush is a district of west London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, situated 4.9 miles west of Charing Cross. Although it is primarily residential in character, its focus is the shopping area of Shepherds Bush Green, which has a small shopping centre with a supermarket, cinema and gym, and a large number of small a...


Nearest tube stations

  • White City
    White City tube station

    White City tube station is a London Underground station situated in Wood Lane in West London. The station is on the Central Line, between Shepherd's Bush tube station and East Acton tube station stations, in Travelcard Zone 2....
  • Shepherd's Bush Market
  • Wood Lane
    Wood Lane tube station

    Wood Lane is a London Underground station in west London, on the Hammersmith & City Line. It is located adjacent to Wood Lane in the White City, London area, and serves the new Westfield London shopping centre nearby....
  • Shepherd's Bush
  • Goldhawk Road
    Goldhawk Road tube station

    Goldhawk Road is a London Underground station located in northern Hammersmith, on the south side of Goldhawk Road about 250m west of Shepherds Bush Green....
  • Latimer Road
    Latimer Road tube station

    Latimer Road Station is a London Underground station in North Kensington on the Hammersmith and City Line, between Wood Lane tube station and Ladbroke Grove tube station stations....
  • East Acton
    East Acton tube station

    East Acton is a London Underground station in Acton, London in west London. It is close to the HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs jail and Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital....


Nearest railway stations

  • Shepherd's Bush
    Shepherd's Bush railway station

    Shepherd's Bush station is a new railway station on the West London Line of the London Overground and Southern network, opened on 28 September 2008....


In popular culture


Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend

Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend , is an English rock and roll guitarist, singer, songwriter, composer, and writer, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for The Who, as well as for his own solo career....
, of The Who
The Who

The Who are an England Rock music band formed in 1964. The primary lineup was guitarist Pete Townshend, vocalist Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon....
 and former resident of Shepherd's Bush, released a solo album entitled White City: A Novel
White City: A Novel

White City: A Novel is a solo album by Pete Townshend of The Who. The concept album was released in 1985 on Atco .The title refers to a story that accompanies the album, and which takes place in a low-income housing estate in the West London area of White City, London, near where Townshend grew up....
 in November 1985 on Atco. The title refers to a story which accompanies the album and which takes place in the London area of White City.

The Pogues
The Pogues

The Pogues are a band of mixed Irish and English background, playing traditional Irish music with influences from punk rock and jazz, formed in 1982 and fronted by Shane MacGowan....
 made a song about the stadium and its demolition, called White City. It can be found on their 1989 album Peace and Love
Peace and Love (Pogues album)

Peace and Love is a 1989 album by The Pogues, their fourth full-length studio production.The album continued the band's gradual departure from traditional Irish music, and was their first full length album without a single traditional tune....
.

In the Westfield shopping centre area at White City, the grade II listed Dimco buildings (1898), now being redeveloped as a bus station, were used as the location for the ‘Acme Factory’ in the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 fantasy film comedy film directed by Robert Zemeckis, produced by Steven Spielberg and based on Gary K. Wolf's novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?....
?.

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