South Africa Road · Shepherd's Bush · London W12 7PJ
Loftus Road: you cannot see it until you are there
QPR's ground is enclosed by terraced housing on all four sides with the stands rising almost straight from the touchline. It is the tightest, steepest and most claustrophobic ground in London, and from the surrounding streets you would not know it was there.
All of them boxed in by housing. There is no concourse, no plaza and no space anywhere around the ground. Eighteen thousand people arrive and leave through gaps in a residential terrace, which is the whole logistical story.
What a fully enclosed ground means
Loftus Road is a Victorian street plan with a football stadium inserted into it, and the streets came first.
On any side
Houses back onto three stands and a road runs along the fourth. There is nowhere for a crowd to gather.
Almost vertical
The stands rise sharply from the touchline, which makes the atmosphere superb and the exits narrow.
The frontage
Ordinary residential street. A brief set-down and no waiting whatsoever.
A few minutes east
Westfield and the wider White City development, which is where the space is and where we collect.
W12 from Kent
West London again. The journey is the long part; the ground itself is a hundred metres of walking.
| Pick-up area | Distance | Matchday journey |
|---|---|---|
| Bromley & Orpington | 19 miles | 60–90 min |
| Bexleyheath & Welling | 21 miles | 65–95 min |
| Sidcup & Bexley | 21 miles | 65–95 min |
| Dartford & Bluewater | 29 miles | 75–110 min |
| Sevenoaks & Tonbridge | 31 miles | 70–100 min |
| Gravesend & Northfleet | 34 miles | 80–115 min |
| Rochester & Chatham | 43 miles | 90–125 min |
| Maidstone & Aylesford | 44 miles | 90–125 min |
| Canterbury & Ashford | 68 miles | 115–150 min |
Where the space is
Not around the ground. A few minutes east, where White City opens out.
| Where | Note |
|---|---|
| South Africa Road | The frontage. Set-down only, no waiting. |
| Ellerslie Road and Loftus Road | Residential terraces backing onto the stands. Permit controlled. |
| Wood Lane and White City | Wide, modern and where we collect. Five to eight minutes' walk. |
| Westfield London | Immediately east. Food, and somewhere warm before kick-off. |
| Three tube stations nearby | White City, Shepherd's Bush and Shepherd's Bush Market. All queue afterwards. |
A matchday in W12
Collect at White City, not at the ground
There is genuinely nowhere for a vehicle around Loftus Road. The residential streets are permit controlled and too narrow, and South Africa Road takes a set-down at most. Five to eight minutes' walk east brings you to Wood Lane and the White City development, which has wide modern roads and space. That is where we hold, every time.
Westfield changes the pre-match
Having a very large shopping centre a few minutes from a football ground is unusual and useful, particularly in winter. Plenty of our QPR bookings include an earlier drop so people can eat somewhere warm rather than standing outside a terraced pub in January. It costs nothing extra to build in.
The atmosphere is the compensation
Everything difficult about this ground comes from the same feature that makes it worth visiting: the stands are on top of the pitch and the noise has nowhere to go. Visiting supporters consistently rate it among the best atmospheres in the country, and that is directly because of the constraints that make the transport awkward.
Three stations, all of which queue
White City, Shepherd's Bush and Shepherd's Bush Market all serve the ground, which sounds generous and is not, because eighteen thousand people arrive at them simultaneously. From Kent the onward connection at the far end is where a rail journey stops being sensible.
Loftus Road questions
A ground with nothing around it.
Can a car get near Loftus Road?
A brief set-down on South Africa Road, and that is all. The ground is enclosed by terraced housing on all four sides and the surrounding streets are permit controlled and too narrow to wait in.
Where do you collect?
At White City, five to eight minutes' walk east, where Wood Lane and the modern development give proper space and moving roads.
Is there parking?
No. Every street around the ground is residential with matchday controls. There is no space anywhere near it.
Can we eat before the match?
Yes, and Westfield London is a few minutes east, which is unusually convenient in winter. An earlier drop costs nothing extra.
How far is it from Kent?
An hour to two and a half hours depending on where you start. West London on a Saturday is the slow part.
Is the atmosphere as good as people say?
By common agreement, yes. The stands rise almost vertically from the touchline and the noise has nowhere to escape. It is the direct result of the same tightness that makes the transport awkward.
Which station should we use?
White City, Shepherd's Bush or Shepherd's Bush Market, all of which queue after the whistle. From Kent the connection at the far end is where a rail journey stops making sense.
Is the fare fixed?
Yes, agreed at booking and unaffected by traffic or added time.
West London grounds
The W postcodes, covered from Kent.