The real location that inspired Albert Square is a money spinner thanks to soap

The original square seems to have had a price boost thanks to its famous television imitation…

Analysis of House Sales data reveals that the East London street of Fassett Square, which was replicated to create the set of EastEnders’ famous ‘Albert Square’ has seen house prices soar since the 1990s.

Research by entertainment experts CasinoGuide found that house prices in the street and its surrounding area have increased by 1,101% since 1995, with homes now selling for upwards of £650,000 on average since 2020, a massive increase from the 1995 average of £55,000.

These price increases are more than 500 percentage points higher than the average London price growth of 600% across the past 25 years, and more than 700 percentage points higher than the UK average of 400%.

A spokesperson from CasinoGuide commented:

“This data highlights the influence that one of the most popular soaps in the UK has, with even factors like house prices seeing drastic change since EastEnders began in the 80s. What is an interesting statistic also highlights the astronomical increase of house prices across the UK, with homebuyers in Fassett Square looking at prices that are more than 10 times higher than 25 years ago.”

Fassett Square’s houses are identical to those of the fictional Walford version, however, the ‘square’ is more of a rectangle with the whole area vastly bigger than the BBC One version. Also the square doesn’t have a boozer. The Queen Victoria was styled on the real College Park Tavern on Harrow Road in Harlesden. The tavern no longer exists as a bar and has been turned into apartments, although the outside still has the very familiar Queen Vic styling.

Earlier this year EastEnders moved from its original 1984 built ‘Albert Square’ to its new replica at the BBC Elstree Studios.