Supporting Older Folks in Shepherd's Bush This Xmas

LBHF Xmas Party 2019

As a local resident and a wheelchair user, I was disappointed to learn that the Christmas lunch for older people has been cancelled this year. 

Whilst I am personally fortunate enough to be younger and do have family to spend Christmas with this year, many are not so lucky.

In 2019 Hammersmith and Fulham council hosted a lunch for 260 people, but the event will not take place this Christmas.

Hammersmith Park Tennis Lockdown

Thou Shalt Not Play Tennis

Lockdown is a confusing time in Shepherd's Bush.  Exercise is permitted, but tennis appears to be banned. At least, it must be, because our council has padlocked the gate to the tennis courts in Hammersmith Park. 

There is no sign of course, and no explanation as to why – but the answer to everything these days is Covid. 

An enterprising local has found their own solution – someone has cut a hole in the fence, to make a handy entrance to the tennis courts.  

This past Sunday all three tennis courts were full, even the one that doesn’t have a net – our Council still haven’t found the money (we've been waiting for many years) to replace it.  

Hammersmith Bridge Protest on Saturday 5 December

On Saturday 5 December from 2-3pm there will be a Hammersmith Bridge Protest Meeting.  Hammersmith Bridge is now closed not just to vehicles but also to bicycles, pedestrians and river traffic. 

The bridge is to remain closed indefinitely, as our Council, TFL and central government argue over who should pay. 

When will the bridge re-open? It has been closed since April 2019, following a long and sorry saga of temporary closures and regular postponement of the necessary repairs.

If you're fed up with the endless delays and prevarications and would like to see our council do something about repairing the bridge (which they own), then show up and let your voice be heard.

D-Day-style Solution for Hammersmith Bridge?

Proposed temporary bridge by Tim Beckett

According to a recent article in the Daily Mail, Shepherd's Bush author and journalist Robert Hardman has identified an imaginative solution to the perma-closure of Hammersmith Bridge - a "D-Day"-style steel replacement. 

The temporary bridge is the brainchild of marine engineer Tim Beckett and his team at Beckett Rankine, builders of harbours, bridges and piers. 

Cooke's Pie and Mash Reborn?

Photo: Helen Carey

Cooke's Pie and Mash is back - or is it? Cooke's Pie and Mash closed its doors on 25 July 2015, a casualty of the aborted redevelopment of Shepherd's Bush Market that never was. 

Cooke's Pie and Mash had been a feature of the the Goldhawk Road for over a century, and was made famous by the cult film Quadrophenia, as well as being a favourite haunt of the Sex Pistols. 

Cooke's was part of the local landscape, and when they closed they even lost the right to use their trading name.  

The original building signage is being restored, but sadly the shop is not re-opening. Today, it is a plain old office building, but one that is celebrating its heritage with a new paint job. 

Shepherd's Bush Lockdown 2.0

Empty trains on the Central Line

Shepherd's Bush is back into Lockdown. Pity the businesses who barely survived the first Lockdown; now they must endure it all over again. 

There are however some rays of sunshine, such as the empty Tube train which opened its doors to me during my morning commute on Thursday - the first time in my adult life when I have sat in an empty train during "rush hour".  

For those who aren't getting out much, or indeed at all, below are some resources for surviving Lockdown 2.0 in Shepherd's Bush.

Humans of Shepherd's Bush - No 14

Amar, aka Tony

Meet Amar, also known as Tony. Amar's father, Amaro, came from India to London in 1954 and started this shop at Shepherds Bush Market in 1960.

In the beginning Amar sold men’s ties in Petticoat Lane in East London on Sundays; he moved the business to W12 a few years later.

"Most of the shops here were run by women during the week, while the men had day jobs in factories.  My father cut rubber at a foundry nearby and worked in the market on the weekend for an extra income. The market ran for three days as it was also hard to get much stock in due to London rebuilding after the war".

Tony’s mother, Manjit, joined his father 15 years later from Punjab. She was chosen by his grandmother as a suitable wife for the then 19 year old Amaro while he was still in London. 

Ginglik Applies for Planning Permission

Former Ginglik nightclub

There may be some good news at at last for much-neglected Shepherd's Bush Green.

The site formerly occupied by Ginglik, the Edwardian loo-turned-nightclub that closed a decade ago, has applied for planning permission to re-open as a restaurant. 

The application states as follows: 
"2020/02747/FUL | Use of the lower ground floor level of the premises to serve hot food (Class E) ancillary to the existing bar/nightclub. | Ginglik Club On The Green 1 Shepherd's Bush Green London W12 8PH".

Zoom Call re Future of Shepherd's Bush Market

Yoo - Market Owners

Yoo Capital, the new majority owners of Shepherd's Bush Market, are hosting a virtual conference to air their early ideas for the market and wider area and to receive feedback. 

The Zoom call will be held on two dates: Wednesday 21 October at 6pm and Saturday 24 October 2020. 

To sign up,  email info@myshepherdsbushmarket.com or call Louise on: 07539 096459.

Japanese Garden Cleanup in Hammersmith Park

Volunteers at work on Sunday

On Sunday October 11 the Japanese Garden at Hammersmith Park enjoyed a much-needed cleanup operation, as local volunteers got to work.

The team was led by Japanese Garden Chair John Gordon-Smith, Mick, the park gardener and five local volunteers including Richard, a gardener from Kew Gardens, who all worked hard to help restore the garden.  Many thanks to all of them for their hard work and dedication.

Thinnest House in Britain for Sale for Just Under £1m

skinniest house in Britain?

The "Thinnest House in Britain" is on the Goldhawk Rd, and is yours for just under £1m.

According to an article in the Daily Telegraph a few years back, the house is just 66 inches wide, and was last sold in 2009 for around £500,000.

Needless to say Faron Sutaria, the estate agents who sold it, said that its small size "adds to its charm".

The house on the Goldhawk Road apparently used to be a hatshop, and there is a nod to this ancestry in the form of the hat still hanging in what used to be the shop window.

Free Covid-19 Testing Today

Our local council are offering free Covid-19 testing from a Mobile Testing Unit at the Phoenix Leisure Centre, today, Wednesday 9 September, until 3.30pm. 

The Unit is located on Bloemfontein Road, White City, London W12 7DB. No appointment is necessary, you just walk-up. 

The test is aimed at anyone who has symptoms, or think they might.

LBHF is asking that face coverings should be worn, and a 2m distance is maintained at all times.

Hammersmith Bridge Protest Tomorrow at 5pm

Hammersmith Bridge 

Hammersmith Bridge is now closed not just to vehicles but also to bicycles, pedestrians and river traffic. This is apparently because of an "increased risk to public safety due to a sudden deterioration in key parts of the suspension structure."

The bridge will apparently remain closed "until the engineers are confident that it is safe to re-open to pedestrians and river traffic".

But when will this be? The bridge has been closed since April 2019, following a long and sorry saga of temporary closures and regular postponement of the necessary repairs.

Tomorrow Thursday 3rd September at 5pm there will be a Hammersmith Bridge Protest Meeting, to be held on both sides of the bridge.

Guests include a cross channel swimmer who will be swimming across the Thames from Barnes to Hammersmith.

If you're fed up with the endless delays and prevarications and would like to see our council do something about repairing the bridge, show up and let your voice be heard.

Why Can't We Clean Up Shepherd's Bush Green?

Shepherd's Bush Green on a Summer Morning

Back in 2014 we first started started posting about the sorry state of Shepherd's Bush Green, and the failure of our Council to do anything about enforcing the law.  Six years on, things are worse than ever.

Walk across Shepherd's Bush Green in the morning and you will see piles of fast food, empty bottles and cans, often dumped right next to the bins.

The worst thing is that there doesn't seem to be any attempt by our Council to enforce the laws against dropping litter. Why not?

BLM Protest in Shepherd's Bush on Sunday

Shepherd's Bush Green

A Black Lives Matter protest is to be held on Sunday at 12.45pm on Shepherd's Bush Green. According to a recent article at W12, the protest will be "peaceful, and socially distanced", as well as "family friendly" and will "include live music and socially distanced dancing".

Many BLM events have begun in peaceful protest and ended in violence. Let us hope, for the sake of everyone in our neighbourhood, that Sunday's protest is as peaceful as promised.

Let's hope it also doesn't leave a big mess behind. Protests don't generally involve live music and dancing - this one sounds a lot like a street party.

To see what a recent street party in White City was like - read this blog post.

Albertine Goes Al Fresco

Albertine - Outside Dining

It's not all bad news in Shepherd's Bush.  Our local wine bar, The Albertine, has at last won permission from our Council to set out some street furniture, allowing customers to sit outside and eat al fresco.

Wood Lane needs a bit of cheering up, and it's worth reminding Shepherd's Bush residents that eating out just got a lot cheaper - thanks to Chancellor Sunak's "Eat Out to Help Out" scheme, which gives diners 50% off the usual cost.

So let's give some help to Shepherd's Bush's struggling businesses and spend some money.

Threshold House Being Demolished

Threshold House, the 1960s office block on Shepherd's Bush Green that used to house the old Post Office, is being demolished.

After many years of legal wrangling,  the Hoxton Hotel group are building a new hotel on Shepherd's Bush Green. The old building is being swiftly - and remarkably quietly - taken down.

Friday Night - Trouble in White City

Friday Night in White City

On Friday night, the White City Estate was the site of an incident of some fairly serious public disorder, the latest in a series of illegal street parties turning into riots - and violence against the police.

Anyone trying to get some sleep in West London on Friday night can hardly have missed the noise of the Police helicopters circling overhead. 

According to BBC news, "seven police officers were injured after police tried to break up an unlicensed music event in west London."

But if "Unlicensed music event" sounds to you like some innocent fun on a friday night, think again. Local resident Adam tells the story.

Guerilla Gardening in The Bush

Flowers in Macfarlane Rd

Every now and again, amidst all the noise and grunge of Shepherd's Bush, someone does something that makes you think our neighbourhood is pretty decent after all.

In Macfarlane Rd, one of our neighbours has anonymously and quietly planted flowers in the street next to one of the municipal cherry trees.

This is a quiet act of public-spirited optimism, in part because even flowers often get stolen in Shepherd's Bush. 

Macfarlane Rd - Meet Your Neighbours on Sunday 5th July

Macfarlane Rd

Residents of Hopgood St, Wood Lane and Macfarlane Rd are cordially invited to come and "Meet Your Neighbours" on Sunday 5th July at 5pm, and celebrate 75 Years of the NHS.

The Corona virus hasn't brought us many benefits (less traffic?) but it has brought some communities closer together.

In Macfarlane Rd, the indefatigable Belinda Mitchell-Innes organised leaflets, a Facebook Group, and a WhatsApp Group to help keep an eye on the most vulnerable and make sure local people stayed safe. This weekend, she is inviting neighbours to a "Street Meet and Greet" at 5pm on Sunday 5th July.