Tickets have gone on sale for next month’s Chiswick Book Festival, which will take place in front of live audiences, after last year’s event was held online because of the COVID-19 outbreak. This year’s speakers include Gyles Brandreth and Ed Balls, talking about their memoirs; Clare Balding on her first non-fiction book for children; Alan […]
Image above: C9, Chiswick High Rd; photograph James Willcocks The Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps has said traffic schemes to support cycling must “be allowed to bed in” and not removed by local councils before they’ve had a chance to be tested against more normal traffic conditions than we’ve seen over the past […]
Image: Times newspaper, Monday 2 August, report on financial affairs of Malcolm Grumbridge The Times newspaper has published an article about the financial dealings of Malcolm Grumbridge, one of the directors of the Hogarth Club, who lives in Chiswick. Their investigation, they say. ‘lays bare the key role Grumbridge, 68, has played at the heart […]
Image above: Annakarin Klerfalk Annakarin Klerfalk managed the Waterstones in Chiswick for three years before leaving in 2018 to start a family and set up her own literary agency. Many people in Chiswick will remember her from the children’s story telling sessions she ran in the shop and from the Chiswick Book Festival, where she […]
A seal sign has been added to the towpath at Strand on the Green, at the point where it joins Thames Rd at Strand End. The sign lets passersby know that there may be seals on the foreshore and the public should give them their space. The advice is: Do keep well away – use […]
Image above: Devonshire Rd – New signes installed Monday 26 July 2021 Devonshire Rd has been reopened to through traffic between the hours of 8.00am and 5.00pm, and will be closed to traffic overnight from 5.00pm to 8.00am except for access, following consultation with shopkeepers and members of the public. And as Johnny Nash once […]
LB Hounslow has signed off changes to Cycleway 9 proposed by Transport for London. Amongst other improvements, they now plan to add bus shelters at stops along the High Rd and to introduce more places for taxis and other vehicles to pick up and drop off passengers. At a Cabinet meeting on 20 July, Cabinet […]
Image above: Five bedroom Victorian terraced house currently on the market with John D Wood & Co Guest blog by Julian Masson The property market for sales in the second quarter of the year was extremely busy as buyers and sellers across the country took advantage of the extension to the Stamp Duty holiday. Across […]
Image above: Ruth when she won ‘best newcomer’ in the Hackney Wheelers Glamorous bike ride Cycling UK’s 100 Women in Cycling list celebrates ‘inspirational women who are encouraging others to experience the joy of cycling’. Ruth Mayorcas, who campaigns for safe cycling in Chiswick, has been picked as one of the 100 this year. Every […]
Image above: Hogarth Club pool The Hogarth Centre has gone through several incarnations since March 2020. First they opened up with outside activities only – tennis for example. They’ve moved lots of gym equipment outside and built separate pods in the open air. They started offering exercise classes by Zoom and made the cafe takeaway […]
Images above: Asparagus, pea, radish and mint salad; Crudites platter with Green Goddess Dip From Jules the Foodie Now that the weather is finally looking like summer and social distancing restrictions have been lifted, many people are beginning to have friends round for a drink and some food in the back garden. Juliet Kane, aka […]
A gap has opened up along the tow path at Strand on the Green between the path and the retaining wall which stands on the shore, in the stretch where it narrows between the Bull’s Head and the City Barge. I noticed it on Thursday 15 July and given the devastation wrought by the flash […]
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has launched a massive campaign to get Londoners back using public transport. The TV and poster campaign to get people back on the tube and on the buses is the biggest advertising campaign from Transport for London since the Olympics. The Welcome Back London campaign focuses on what people […]
Liberal Democrat MPs, London Assembly members and council and group leaders in South West London have written to South Western Railway boss Claire Mann, calling for masks to continue to be required on their train services. The letter from Lib Dem politicians says: ‘Many key workers from across south west London have used South Western […]
BBC reporter Dougal Shaw’s video captures the flood underneath the railway bridge, where one driver had to abandon their car. Monday’s downpour caused flash floods all over London, as steps were turned into waterfalls and puddles into lakes. Many roads and railways across the West London area have become inaccessible and several businesses have had […]
Image above: Darrell & Andy from Lost in Scent Darrell & Andy from Lost in Scent As part of our new ‘Meet the Chiswick Makers’ series we meet Darrell & Andy from Lost in Scent. ‘Our travel-inspired candles are hand poured with love at our West London workspace’. Lost in Scent’s candles are available in […]
Image above: Up & Running Chiswick shop Up & Running is up and running A new shop opened on Chiswick High Rd on Saturday. In between M&S and Mint Velvet at no.242 Chiswick High Rd., Up & Running is a specialist shop for runners which sells all that a runner could need. It’s part of […]
Image above: Chiswick Cinema The new Chiswick Cinema, which was officially opened by David Puttnam on Thursday 24 June after a week of ‘soft’ launches – free screenings for Founder members – has been beset by teething problems. The Chiswick Calendar has received a number of complaints about the cinema. “We’re working on it” say […]
Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced to the House of Commons on Monday (12 July) that lockdown rules would end in England on Monday 19 July. Almost all legal restrictions on social contact will be removed, but some ‘guidance’ will remain. The legal requirement to wear face coverings in some enclosed public places will be removed […]
Images above: Suzette Llewelly; Suzanne Packer and their book Still Breathing – 100 Black Voices on Racism One of the speakers at the Chiswick Book Festival 2021 will be Suzette Llewellyn, known better as an actor. She has played Patrick’s third wife, Sheree, in EastEnders since 2019 and before that played Estelle Vere in another […]
Image above: Map showing case rates per 100,000 people for seven day period ending 5 July Cases up by more than a third over previous week New Covid cases registered in Chiswick were up by more than a third in the seven days up to 5 July, the latest figures released by Government. On the […]
Image above: Chiswick High Rd cycle lane; photograph James Willcocks Transport for London claims new data published by themselves and LB Hounslow shows that Cycleway 9 is a success, both in terms of the number of people using it and of improved road safety and air quality in Chiswick. The new data shows cycling has increased […]
Image above: TfL Overview map of Cycleway 9 Streetspace scheme Transport for London has announced it would like to make changes to the part of Cycleway 9 which comes through Chiswick High Rd, as a result of consultation with people who have contacted them. Amongst other improvements, they now plan to add bus shelters at […]
It wasn’t looking good as the traders set up their stalls and the skies opened, but after the early downpour it brightened up in time for the good folk of Chiswick to emerge, hungover from celerating England’s 4-0 win over Ukraine in the European Championship, blinking in the sunlight. Thanks to Frank Noon for the […]
Image above: Carere holds hand of an elderly person Home Instead Chiswick suddenly very much in demand During 2020 ‘an extraordinary number’ of excess deaths in care homes were caused by Covid. In the first wave 19,286 care home resident deaths were recorded between mid-March and mid-June where the coronavirus was mentioned. During the second […]
Image above: Mark Perry introducing a show at Chiswick Playhouse The owner of Chiswick Playhouse Mark Perry welcomed the Prime Minister’s intention to end all lockdown restrictions on 19 July as a “massive boost”. The little theatre has been struggling to stay afloat financially, as they have not received Government funding in the way the […]
Image above: Ealing festival 2019 The organisers of the Ealing Comedy Festival hope that Monday’s announcement by the Prime Minister that he intends to scrap all Covid restrictions on 19 July will mean they are able to put more tickets on sale. Boris Johnson said at the Downing St press conference on Monday 5 July: […]
Image above: Chiswick House shop; bag in the foreground featuring the artwork of Emily Faccini Exclusive gifts from Chiswick House Shop Where in Chiswick can you buy interesting, original gifts? Chiswick House is one place. The shop, at the back of the house, is open from 10.00 am-4.00 pm daily, selling a delightful range of […]
Image above: decapitated flowers from Karen Liebreich’s front garden A woman who criticised Abundance London Director Dr Karen Liebreich MBE, making accusations which were untrue, has withdrawn her comments, apologised publicly and paid half the legal costs, as she was asked to do. When Karen came out of her house one day to find the […]
The Life Lessons festival at Chiswick House has been cancelled. The festival was to have been over the weekend of 16 – 18 July, featuring world class speakers such as Prof Brian Cox, Mary Portas, Dr Rangan Chatterjee, Claudia Winkleman, Ruby Wax and Chris Packham. Images above: Dr Rangan Chatterjee; Ruby Wax; Robin Ince & […]