Christmas present ideas from the Chiswick Antiques & Vintage Christmas Market this Sunday The Chiswick Antiques & Vintage Market comes into its own this Sunday (10 December). Three weeks before Christmas is absolutely the time to buy stuff you don't actually need but just want, or you think someone else might, just because it's pretty, or perhaps it has a history. “There’s nothing at that market that anybody necessarily needs, it’s all about what we love and what we want,” says Catty Patel, who has been a trader at the Chiswick Antiques & Vintage Market since it opened here three years ago. "Whether that’s as a stallholder or someone who’s buying stuff,” she told The Chiswick Calendar, "it is just pure pleasure.” The market, run by Jennifer

Guest blog by Kathleen Mitra As “it’s the season to be merry”, what better way to kick off the festive cheer than a Christmas Chiswick Flower Market on Sunday 3 December? Set against the backdrop of the Chiswick High Road, which is already busy with Christmas preparations, the market promises a day of blooms, greenery, merry melodies and family fun. Wreaths Galore! We are expecting to have the best selection of Christmas wreaths in London. Lots of our traders will be selling hand-crafted wreaths using locally grown foliage. From traditional to contemporary designs, there will be a wreath for every taste, style and budget. For those looking to add a personal touch to their front door decorations, the Christmas Flower Market will host a wreath-making workshop

Image above: Homayoun Fahimipour, owner of Mali's and Nikki's Bakery Mother and daughter cafés run by a very busy husband and father It is nearly ten years since Nikki's Bakery opened on Chiswick High Rd. The early bird café beside Snappy Snaps on the corner of the High Road and Turnham Green Terrace, open from 7.30am every day except Sunday (when they open a whole half an hour later) has become a firm favourite with Chiswickians for its good coffee, fresh pastries and cakes, sandwiches, quiches and seasonal salads. It is always busy and owner Homayoun Fahimipour and his wife Mali have been able to branch out and open a second business in Chiswick: Mali, the café-delicatessen next to Waterstones, which Homayoun named after his wife and opened in June. (Nikki's

Image above: Wild Arts poster featuring Jesus Messiah, artist Jorge Cocco Santángelo A version of the Messiah like you've never seen it before Well, you may have. I have only seen the Messiah performed by a huge choir. My impression of Handel's 1741 oratorio, which has become a Christmas staple and one of the best-known and most frequently performed choral works, is chiefly one of mass and volume, with many voices belting out 'Hallelujah' in glorious chorus. When I talked to Orlando Jopling, the founder of Wild Arts, the company performing Messiah at St Michael & All Angels Church in Chiswick on Saturday 9 December, he confounded my preconceptions by explaining the Messiah works perfectly well with a small group of musicians, and a

Image above: Fr Kevin Morris, Vicar of St Michael & All Angels In contrast to the events in the centre of London, the Remembrance ceremonies in Chiswick were quiet and respectful as usual. Torin Douglas was at the service at St Michael & All Angels Text by Torin Douglas MBE. Pictures by Torin and Jim Cox More than 200 people of all ages attended this year’s Remembrance Sunday service at St Michael & All Angels Church Bedford Park. The Choral Requiem Mass was led by the Vicar, Father Kevin Morris, with the Choir of St Michael & All Angels under the director of music and organist Jonathan Dods. The mass setting was Requiem Opus 9 by Maurice Durufle and there was a prayer, written by the Archbishop of Canterbury, for all who suf

 Images above: Kok-Tee with husband Peter and with a friend's cat Kok-Tee Khaw wanted to make a difference when she died Kok-Tee Khaw, a consultant radiologist who lived in Chiswick and died last year, chose to donate her organs, because she realised from her life as a doctor how important it could be – both life-saving and life-changing for the recipients. Malaysian-born Kok-Tee, who was 67 when she died, became an organ and tissue donor when she had an accident and suffered untreatable injuries. READ ALSO: Kok-Tee Khaw obituary Her case is being used by the NHS Blood and Transplant unit as one of a number of examples to try and persuade more people, particularly from B

Image above: Spring bulbs on Turnham Green; photograph Friends of Turnham Green With 8,000 bulbs to plant, your help would be appreciated It is that time of year when your help would be greatly appreciated planting bulbs on Turnham Green. The Friends of Turnham Green have organised a bulb planting session on Saturday 11 November. The Friends supplement the work of the Parks department at Hounslow Council by volunteering their time and labour to make the Green look more attractive. They describe their mission as ‘to rescue Turnham Green from municipal shabbiness’. As a result, the park has received the Green Flag award from the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy for at least the past five years. Leading British landscape designer Tom Stuart-Smith drew

A cosy setting to relax and enjoy a meal on Chiswick High Road Rock & Rose in Chiswick High Rd has launched it autumn menu. Owner Lorraine Angliss, who also owns Annie's restaurant at Strand on the Green and Little Bird opposite Chiswick Station, told The Chiswick Calendar that she likes to give her customers crowd pleasing dishes that offer comfort on wet and windy autumnal days. Lorraine opened Rock & Rose Chiswick in April 2022, following the success of Rock & Rose Richmond and her other two restaurants in Chiswick. People love it, she says, "they are blown away by the level of service and the quality of the food." It is very well reviewed on Tripadviser, where people praise the good food, friendly service and cosy setting. Cosy settings are very much Lorra

Image above: Tim Thornton, founder / owner of Base Face Pizza A pandemic inspired life change which has paid off Base Face Pizza celebrated its second birthday this summer. The neighbourhood pizzeria was started by Chiswick native Tim Thornton at 300 King Street in June 2021, as a result of a Covid enforced period of reflection and reassessment. Tim was a professional jazz bassist, a member of the house band at Ronnie Scotts until the pandemic hit. When that put paid to touring he turned his attention to his other passion: pizza, which he had consumed in vast quantities in far flung places on world tours, becoming something of a connoisseur during his time on the road. Before opening the restaurant he first tried out his homemade pizzas on the neighbours, serv

Image above: Bookcase on Chiswick High Road; Underground Vinyl is in the basement "If I had a pound for everyone who tells me they regret getting rid of their records" Every day Underground Vinyl has people come in who regret getting rid of their record collection. The record shop which opened in the basement of Bookcase on Chiswick High Road 18 months ago is home to both new and second-hand albums across the whole range of music tastes - rock, psychedelia, jazz and blues, pop and classical. Jazz and Blues is the most sought after, but the people who come in to buy records go right across the board, says Dan Coombes, who runs the shop along with colleague David Szunyog - musicians, a lot of DJs, young people who realise analogue sound is cool, and yes, older peop

Image above: Elizabeth Keane, Head teacher of St Mary's RC Primary School, Chiswick, with some of her pupils New head teacher Liz Keane shares her vision for the school St Mary's RC Primary School has a new head teacher. Liz Keane joined the school in Duke Road in September and is already making her mark. She says she has received a very warm welcome, and she is described by parents as "a breath of fresh air." The school received an Ofsted inspection during the summer term and is classed as 'Good', with an 'Outstanding' score for pupils' personal development. Under the leadership of previous head teacher Joan Harte, Ofsted inspectors concluded: 'Leaders have high aspirati

Image above: Promotional artwork for Cages via Riverside Studios Autumn programme has "huge range" for west Londoners The full details of the 2023 autumn season at Hammersmith's Riverside Studios has been announced. The season includes theatre, art, cinema, family entertainment, and events that offer audiences in west London and beyond a huge choice of experiences under one roof, along with all- day dining overlooking the River Thames. With the genre-busting visual spectacular Cages now running in Studio 2 until January, other theatrical offerings include Trainspotting Live (18 October – 6 November), the world premiere of KT Tunstall’s musical Saving Grace (22 November – 4 Dec

Image above: Jack Binstead at Rocks Lane Sports Centre; Photograph by Matt Smith TV star Jack Binstead searching for sponsors for adaptive padel at Rocks Lane Actor and comedian Jack Binstead, best known for playing Rem Dogg in Bad Education, plays adaptive padel at Rocks Lane Sports Centre just off Turnham Green Terrace. Padel tennis has soared in popularity over recent years, which can be attributed to several factors, including its accessibility, the social aspect of playing doubles, and the fact that it is a fun and easy sport to learn for players of all ages and skill levels. Jack talked to The Chiswick Calendar about the popular new form of tennis, sharing his inspiring story, his ambitious pur

Image above: Chiswick Cheese Market; photograph Fran Warde How a well-meaning wish to help food businesses during the pandemic became a flourishing and successful business it its own right The Chiswick Cheese Market has been running for two and a half years, taking place on the third Sunday of the month in Old Market Place outside the rank of shops beside the George IV pub in Chiswick High Road. It has raised more than £20,000 for good causes, which it did not set out to do, and playing host to the Big Cheese Weekender on Sunday 15 October is real recognition from the cheese industry that it is recognised and respected in the world of quality artisan cheese makers, says organiser Lucy Cufflin. Launched in 2020 by founders Patrick McGuigan and Tracey Colley, t