If you’re breaking out the Monopoly board for a game with the family this Christmas, perhaps you might be wondering what it would look like if it was reinvented for today’s London? Well Barratt London has done just that – created a reimagined version of the iconic board celebrating its long history of creating new homes around the capital.

The original game of Monopoly was first marketed in 1935 and was based on the streets of Atlantic City, New Jersey, but later that year, toy company John Waddington Ltd bought the rights to market a UK version and our familiar London board was born. Apart from a few colour changes, nothing in the game has changed in nearly 90 years – although the prices of the real homes certainly have!

Barratt London’s reimagined Monopoly board celebrates 22 of the homebuilder’s best-loved developments from the past, currently available projects and one that is shortly to launch – all alongside the average house price in that area according to Rightmove. For example, in place of Trafalgar Square, Barratt London has introduced Dulwich Gate – a luxury gated development of 23 townhouses built in the mid-1980s. Its most famous residents, retired Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her golf-loving husband Dennis, bought a five-bedroom property there in 1990, conveniently close to Dulwich & Sydenham Golf Club. The average house price around Dulwich Gate is now £725,394, but the Thatchers’ old Barratt home would be worth a cool £2 million.

In place of Pall Mall, Barratt London has introduced Wembley Park Gardens, an exciting new development created in partnership with Transport for London, transforming an old car park into a well-connected development of 454 one and two-bedroom apartments near Wembley Park Station. Set in residential towers rising from a podium garden, every home has outdoor space, and most are dual aspect, with fabulous views. The first phase is 80% sold, with remaining properties starting from £435,000 – considerably below the average price for homes in this area according to Rightmove. The latest development, in the place of Bow Street, is Royal Gateway, a newly approved development of 300 apartments in Acton that will be launched in 2024.

The developer has stuck to the plan of the original board when it comes to having four stations – but these aren’t the King’s Cross and Fenchurch Street of old, but modern transport facilities that make getting around London so much easier that it was back in the 1930s.

The stations on the re-imagined board are:
• Acton Main Line – a Zone 3 station served by the new Elizabeth Line, with rapid services into central London and Heathrow airport. Barratt London’s fully sold Western Circus development is nearby, as are Royal Gateway and Bollo Lane, another exciting joint venture with TfL to create 900 new homes.
• Wembley Park – this Zone 4 underground station is served by the Jubilee and Metropolitan Lines and is next door to Barratt London and TFL’s Wembley Park Gardens development.
• Hayes & Harlington – a Zone 5 station that is served by the Elizabeth Line with services to Bond Street in 20 minutes and Heathrow in five minutes; a 10-minute stroll from Hayes Village.
• Nine Elms – a Zone 1 Northern Line underground station that opened in 2021 to serve the new community boosted by Barratt London’s Nine Elms Point development of 647 apartments.

It’s all-change when it comes to the utilities as well, as the Electric Company and the Water Works have given way to public open spaces, recognizing the vital importance of green parks and places to relax. So, look out on the board for Springfield Park and Brent Reservoir. Springfield Park comprises 32 acres of green space and gardens on the 82-acre Springfield Village site where Barratt London is building Springfield Place. Residents of the 232 one, two and three-bedroom apartments, and 29 two and three-bedroom houses there can enjoy all the park’s facilities including a pavilion café, an amphitheatre, children’s playground, youth centre and gardens. Brent Reservoir, also called the Welsh Harp, is right next to the Hendon Waterside development, which will eventually have more than 2,000 new homes. The reservoir is bordered by a 170-acre green space with a wide range of land and water-based leisure activities.

Yolanda Jacob, Sales and Marketing Director at Barratt East London said: “It has been a fascinating exercise to reimagine the Monopoly board to feature some of the many locations where we have built more than 50,000 homes across four decades. When the original board was created in 1935, 85% of new houses sold in the city for less than £750[1]! Sadly, we can’t bring back figures like those, but what we can guarantee is that all our new developments offer fantastic value for money in areas that are undergoing regeneration, have excellent transport links and provide a great location to live. London is a thriving, ever-changing city, and our special board reflects the increasing importance of up-and-coming areas that are perfect for putting down roots. You may not want to be a property tycoon, but if your Christmas game of Monopoly makes you eager to own your own slice of London life, then Barratt London has all the expertise you need.”