Boat race 2016: from Putney to Chiswick, the Thameside homes with the best riverside views of the route

The annual boat race between Oxford and Cambridge puts some of London's most coveted riverside neighbourhoods in the spotlight, with rows of luxury Thameside homes offering unrivalled views of all the action from riverside balconies and rooftop terraces.

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Becky Davies24 March 2016

More than 300,000 people are expected to line the banks of the Thames this Sunday to watch the annual Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge.

Visitors come from all over the world and millions more will be watching on television, but what better place to see this historic event than from your own home?

The 4.2-mile race, which was first staged in 1829, starts at Putney bridge and finishes just before Chiswick bridge, taking in some of the capital's most spectacular riverside homes in Putney, Fulham, Hammersmith, Barnes and Chiswick.

Savills' analysis of the 27-mile stretch of the Thames between Teddington Lock and Royal Docks has found second-hand waterfront flats within 100 metres of the Thames command an average premium of 13.5 per cent compared to homes sold in the surrounding area up to one kilometre away.

£2.35 million: this three-bedroom house has both a decked garden and a south-west facing balcony overlooking the river, making it a prime location to catch the race. Within walking distance to Chiswick station, the property also has off-street parking.

Sophie Chick, of Savills residential research, says: "The Thames runs right through the heart of London and has historically been at the centre of the capital’s economic success. As the commercial importance of the river has waned, it is waterfront living and leisure that have come to define the modern Thames.

"On the south-west waterfront, there is a high proportion of period stock and a high number of properties fronting the river are large houses with gardens stretching to the water’s edge.”

Putney, famous as the spiritual home of rowing, not only has a selection of smart new flats attracting young professionals, but its streets full of striking Victorian and Edwardian houses keep them in the area when it's time to find more space.

North of the river, in Fulham, it's the same property story, with the former working-class neighbourhood offering homes closer to central London. There's a plentiful supply of purpose-built flats and conversions for first-time buyers, while some extended Victorian homes in the area now go for millions of pounds.

£2.95 million: this fifth floor three-bedroom apartment in Fulham, W6, has three balconies offering views of the Hammersmith bridge

Neighbouring Hammersmith is a stone's throw from some of the most expensive properties in the world, in Kensington and Chelsea, and its own housing stock includes gorgeous Georgian riverside houses, two-bedroom cottages in Brackenbury Village and new apartment developments on Glenthorne Road and Beadon Road.

Barnes was recently named as the second best place to live in the capital, thanks to its village feel, including its own green and cricket pitch, while being a mere 15 minutes from central London by train. Georgian riverside houses, Victorian villas in Castelnau and a good supply of mansion flats means this idyllic location is available to those of vastly varying means.

The Boat Race's finishing line in Chiswick is much busier than Barnes, but also offers the feel of a large village with its tree-lined wide streets encompassing small cottages in Strand-on-the-Green to detached Arts and Crafts villas in Bedford Park.

The women's race starts at 3.10pm, while the men's race starts at 4.10pm on Sunday, March 27.