What Do Residents' Association Meetings Talk About in Shepherd's Bush?

Dim Sum comes to The Bush at the new Dorsett Regency Hotel

Last week we had a long-overdue meeting of the Macfarlane Road and Hopgood St Residents' Association in our corner of Shepherd's Bush. Residents' meetings are not generally an exciting night out and many of the concerns expressed by our friends and neighbours revolve around the usual local worries about public nuisance, parking problems, petty crime and anti-social behaviour. 

We contact the Council and the Police and try to get things improved - it's far from glamorous stuff.  But what do our local residents really get excited about here in the Bush?  When does the conversation get seriously animated? Well, it's all about...

Free Stuff To Do in Shepherd's Bush - Holland Park

Kyoto Garden at Holland Park. Photo: Wikipedia

OK, it's not in Shepherd's Bush, but Holland Park is just a short walk away and is undoubtedly one of London's loveliest parks. Formerly the seat of Lord Holland, the park boasts an opera house, a Japanese garden, tennis courts, a giant chess set,  a children's playground, a cafe, ice cream (in summer), and Peacocks.  What more could anyone want?

Shepherd's Bush Tube Station Ticket Offices to Close

Shepherd's Bush Tube Station Southern Entrance by Sunil060902 via Wikimedia Commons

The ticket windows at Shepherd’s Bush Tube station are closing on 9 February, as part of TFL's plans to "modernise the Tube".  TFL say they are "moving their staff into the ticket hall" where they will apparently be "able to assist [the public] more effectively". And "the station will continue to be staffed between the first and last train times." So, all part of improving the service then?

Uxbridge Road to Get a Makeover

Uxbridge Road - in need of beautification?

Local residents in The Bush will have received a flyer through their door this morning announcing imminent roadworks in our neighbourhood. Of course, this means disruption, traffic delays, and inconvenience, but the upside is a massive new program of improvements - all put in place by the outgoing Council.  The Uxbridge road, a crowded and un-lovely main thoroughfare, will get a huge makeover.  So what can residents of The Bush expect?

Bush Theatre Offers 10% Discount to Local Residents!

Bush Theatre: Queen of The Uxbridge Road

Discounts on theatre tickets, food and drink are being offered throughout 2015 to anyone who lives or works near the fabulous Bush Theatre on the Uxbridge Road. The free Bush Local Scheme will continue this year thanks to a generous £6,000 donation by the West 12 Shopping Centre.

Free Stuff To Do In Shepherd's Bush - Fulham Palace

Fulham Palace. Photo: Wikipedia

Ok, it's in Fulham, not Shepherd's Bush, but Fulham Palace is just a short drive or bus ride away and you can even get there by walking along the river (very picturesque) from Hammersmith Bridge.  The Palace is one of the best treats of our part of London. Part palace, part garden, part cafe and restaurant, Fulham Palace is like a mini Hampton Court - but much closer. And much of it, including the lovely gardens, is completely free.

Nous Sommes Charlie Hebdo

Today at The Bush Telegraph we stand shoulder to shoulder with our French colleagues to uphold the right of all artists and journalists to speak their mind and express their views regardless of who might be offended. Cartoonists are not used to being murder victims.  Our hearts go out to the victims themselves, and the families of those who were murdered in the course of doing their jobs, fighting to the last for freedom of speech.

To see how cartoonists all over the world are responding to this brutal act of terrorism, follow this link.

An Exclusive Interview With Shepherd's Bush MP Andy Slaughter

Andy Slaughter MP. Photo: Wikipedia

A General Election is looming in May, and the old certainties of Labour -v- Conservative no longer apply. Coalition politics, the steady rise of UKIP, and an almost-victory for the Scottish Nationalists in the recent referendum means that political power in the UK looks more unpredictable than ever. With that in mind, we are inviting our local political candidates to talk about what the future holds for Shepherd's Bush, and what our politicians can do to improve our neighbourhood for the benefit of all our citizens. First up is local MP Andy Slaughter, our incumbent Member of Parliament.

Save the Palladium! Historic Shepherd's Bush Cinema Faces Demolition

Shepherd's Bush Palladium, originally the Cinematograph Theatre, in 1910

The Shepherd's Bush Palladium, more recently known as the Walkabout Pub, is facing demolition.  A pre-planning application has been received by the Council to turn it into a 16 storey block of - you guessed it - luxury flats. It will be an extension to the new Dorsett Regency hotel, itself a converted former cinema. Built in 1910 as the Shepherd's Bush Cinematograph Theatre, The Palladium stopped showing films in 1981, and was eventually converted into a pub, owned and operated for many years by the Walkabout chain. Until last year, Kiwis in flip flops and fancy dress were a common sight in The Bush.

Shepherd's Bush "a Dystopian Vision of Kebab Shops", says the FT

Shepherd's Bush Green: "a dystopian vision...a windswept traffic island ringed by kebab joints"

According to an article in May in The Financial Times, Shepherd’s Bush is "not one of London’s lovelier districts". Apparently we are "sandwiched between the elegant suburbs of Holland Park and Chiswick", and our architecture is "for the most part a tangle of unprepossessing Victorian streets clustered around a dystopian vision of the traditional village green", which the FT memorably describes as "a windswept traffic island ringed by kebab joints and mobile phone shops". A pretty harsh assessment - but is it a fair one? 

Last Chance for Pie and Mash in Shepherd's Bush

Cooke's Pie and Mash, on the Goldhawk Rd. But not for long.

Cooke's Pie and Mash has been a feature of the the Goldhawk Road for over a century - but this long tradition of authentic local food will soon come to an end, once the redevelopment of Shepherd's Bush Market begins in 2015. Market traders are soon to be moved to temporary accommodation while demolition of the existing structures takes place and the ground is prepared for a huge new housing and shopping development. So Cooke's days are numbered, and the shop made famous by Quadrophenia will soon be gone.

Merry Christmas to All in Shepherd's Bush - But Where Are The Christmas Decorations?

Where are the decorations?

Our Council must be cutting back this year - Shepherd's Bush Green looks the same as ever. No lights, no tinsel, no Christmas Tree, nothing to mark the season and cheer the place up.  It's a real pity; last year there was at least an effort to help the local traders compete with the glamour of the Westfield behemoth, by sprucing up the lamp-posts and hanging some Christmas lights. Not this year. Anyway, despite the lack of festive cheer, lights or no lights, The Bush Telegraph wishes a very Merry Christmas to all our readers!

Eating Out in Shepherd's Bush - The Time Out Guide

Time Out in Shepherd's Bush

Where should you go to eat out in Shepherd's Bush? Here is what The Time Out Guide to Shepherd's Bush has to say about our neighbourhood: "The vibe in Shepherd's Bush? Hectic! With its Overground and underground stations, a spaghetti-like road network, its old-school street market and the behemoth Westfield shopping centre, the Bush is bustling day and night. Its biggest selling point is that it's home to great music venues like the Shepherd's Bush Empire and Bush Hall, original theatre courtesy of the Bush Theatre, as well as plenty of bars and restaurants from all over the world." Amen to that. If you're not eating well in Shepherd's Bush, you're not trying hard enough. So what and where does Time Out recommend?

What's Up With the Weird Shed on Shepherd's Bush Green?

Sad looking shed

Shepherd's Bush Green (or Shepherd's Bush Common, as it is also known) was completely refurbished last year, a major undertaking which was apparently funded largely by the developer of our shiny new Westfield Centre.  However, in the course of fixing the place up (which is much nicer than it used to be), someone forgot to renovate the dilapidated shed which is currently decaying on the north west side of the Green. So what happened? did someone forget? Or did the Westfield money just not stretch that far?

Laura Bristow (aged 8) reviews Dick Whittington and His Cat

Now Playing at the Lyric, Hammersmith

Dick Whittington and his Cat is now playing at The Lyric in Hammersmith, running until 3rd January 2015. The Lyric is, along with The Bush Theatre on the Uxbridge road, one of our local centres for excellence in theatrical production. Tickets are very reasonable; far less than you would pay for a West End performance. We asked Laura Bristow, aged 8, to review the show.

The Visitors at The Bush Theatre Gets 5 Star Reviews

The Visitors - now playing at The Bush Theatre

The Bush Theater moved to its new home in the old library on the Uxbridge Road in 2011, and since then has established itself as a worthy temple of culture in Shepherd's Bush, bringing excellent new writing and rising talent to a building which had been dark since the new library opened in the Westfield Centre in 2008. Now playing at The Bush Theatre is - The Visitors - getting 5 star reviews.

Chris Underwood's Shepherd's Bush Blog is Back Online

The original Shepherd's Bush Blog

The Original Shepherd's Bush Blog is back online - at least as a historical archive of life in the Bush. Chris Underwood's excellent local blog, which he kept up for five years from 2008 until his move to South Africa in 2013, is live once more. It has not been updated since the end of last year, but it remains an excellent resource for all sorts of aspects of life in The Bush.

The Visual Effects Industry Comes to Shepherd's Bush

Escape Studios VFX Festival 2015

Who knew that Shepherd's Bush is a global hub for visual effects work? Walk a short distance south of Shepherd's Bush Green and you will find Escape Studios, who will be running their latest VFX Festival on January 28th 2014 at the VUE Cinema in the West 12 Centre. To find out more, and sign up, follow this link. The event is an excellent way to find out about careers in the visual effects industry, what jobs are out here and how to break in to the movie business.

A Bird in The Bush - Your Guide to Shepherd's Bush

A Bird in The Bush

A Bird in the Bush was an excellent blog about our neighbourhood. Now sadly discontinued, the archive is still accessible and you can see plenty of recommendations about places to go and things to see and do in our part of West London. Some of it is a bit our of date, but overall it's still a great resource.

Save Hammersmith Park!

Hammersmith Park - worth saving?

Bush resident, author and journalist Virginia Ironside is leading a campaign to save Hammersmith Park from development by Play Football, whose plans would in effect turn one third of the park into a pay-to-play football pitch. Contracts were signed and planning permission was given by the outgoing council, and while the new Labour administration oppose the plans, they are not able to speak out against them for fear of being in breach of contract. It is now up to local residents to decide the issue. If the voices against this private development are loud enough, it may yet be enough to persuade Play Football to change their minds.