BBC TV Centre Demolished

BBC Tv Centre being demolished. Photo: Eddie Morgan

In this photo by local resident Eddie Morgan, taken a few days ago, you can see the old BBC TV buildings on Wood Lane being demolished.

But wait, you say - aren't they listed? Well, yes and no. The building to your left is listed - that's the donut shaped main building, which is subject to a preservation order and will be saved.

But much of the rest of the site is coming down, to be replaced by posh flats and offices and - so it is said - a Soho House club with a rooftop swimming pool.

Virginia Ironside is Growing Old Disgracefully

Virginia Ironside, local activist, author and performer, is doing a one-woman show, titled Growing Old Disgracefully, at the St. James’ Theatre in Victoria on Sunday October 25th at 2 pm. 

There is also a show on Sunday November 1st at 2 pm. 

The show is one hour long, and tickets cost from just £15. 

Virginia is the main reason why Hammersmith Park has been saved for our community, so come along and support her play!

Excellent News for Hammersmith Park

Hammersmith Park - good news at last

According to a recent email from local Councillor Guy Vincent, there is very good news at last for Hammersmith Park.  After a long battle, and some very protracted negotiations, Play Football and LBH&F have come to a formal agreement on the future of the park. And this future looks a lot better than might have been the case just a few months ago.

F*ck The Polar Bears at The Bush Theatre

The Bush Theatre on Uxbridge Road is currently showing a play titled F*ck The Polar Bears. But must they?  I'd rather go and see the play because it's good, and gets good reviews - not because it has (shock!) naughty words in the title.  Anyway, the play is on until October 24th, and it got 3 stars in a recent review by the Guardian.

The £20m Local Art Collection You'll Never See

Cupid Delivering Pysche (1867) by Burne-Jones.
Not on display.

In a recent post by Councillor Harry Phibbs at the Hammersmith & Fulham Forum, Harry asks why our Council won't showcase the 54 works in the Cecil French Collection, donated to Fulham Borough Council in 1953 and containing important works of pre-Raphaelite art by artists including Sir Edward Burne-Jones, and Frederic Leighton (the only British artist ever to receive a peerage). 

So come on LBH&F - why can't the residents of our Borough see our very own (and very valuable) art collection?

Hammersmith Bridge Closed All Week

Hammersmith Bridge:
Wikimedia Commons

Hammersmith Bridge is closed again, and will be closed southbound from 8am to 4pm every day this week. The latest closure will once again create traffic chaos, forcing drivers over Chiswick Bridge or Putney Bridge instead. 

Prepare for big delays all through this week until works are finished on friday.  And, if that wasn't enough, brace yourself for the closure of the bridge for much of next year, starting in January 2016, as major structural work is done to permit the bridge to take big lorries and double-decker buses once more.

Princess Victoria Wins London County Dining Pub of the Year in the Good Pub Guide

Princess Victoria

Shepherd’s Bush's venerable pub, The Princess Victoria, has been awarded the London County Dining Pub of the Year in the latest edition of the Good Pub Guide.

The Princess Victoria is an excellent pub.  Located on a rather drab windswept section of the Uxbridge road, this former Victorian gin palace has been transformed in a stunning gastropub which somehow manages to achieve excellent food without the pretension of many pubs-turned-restaurants.

Today is Brook Green Fair Day!

Today is Brook Green Fair Day!  This is a community event which was started by the Friends of Brook Green in 2010 as a way to "bring the whole community together". According to the FBG, "The Western Lawn is transformed into a fairground/fete and the day offers children and adults a host of activities."

Humans of The Bush No 5 - A Tale of Westfield Security

Westfield. Don't mess with us.

"At noon the other day I was stopped by security people in Westfield.  I was pushing a Waitrose cart through the mall to the Westernmost exit near Debenham's.

They said it was a health and safety issue. I caused a big ruckus, asking for the rules in writing.  I pointed out prams, and wondered if they were violating the health and safety of others.

Finally! Wormholt Park To Get a £1m Makeover

According to a recent Council press release, work will soon begin on the £1 million refurbishment of Wormholt Park.

At last! We have been pressing for some time for this long overdue improvement of what has long been a very neglected park.

Free Cycle Marking Today at Shepherd's Bush Green

Free Cycle Marking today!

Today at Shepherd's Bush Green our local police are marking bicycles for free, binding a non-removable marker to your bike and adding it to a national register so that, if stolen, your bike can be returned to you. They are also offering a free tune-up from "Dr Bicycle", and an opportunity to sit in the cab of a heavy goods vehicle to see just how hard it is for them to see you.

Open House London - Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th September

Open House London takes place this weekend, on Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th September.

Come along and view the best in contemporary and traditional architecture in our Borough. Best of all, it's all completely free.

House Prices in The Bush Hit a New Record - But Who is Buying?

Yours - for almost £4m

According to a recent story at shepherdsbushw12.com, property prices in the Bush hit a new record this year.  The average property price in Shepherd's Bush reached almost £700,000 in the second quarter of 2015.

But with the price of housing now far out of reach of most Londoners, and Stamp Duty at increasingly ridiculous levels (12.5% over £1.5m), who can afford to buy property in Shepherd's Bush?

Michaelmas Fair at St Stephen's on Sunday 27 September

Michaelmas Fair at St Stephen's on Sunday 27 September at 11.30am

St Stephen's church on the Uxbridge Road is hosting a Michaelmas Fair on Sunday 27 September to launch their roof appeal (repairs to this historic building will cost upwards of £200k).  Events include a bouncy castle, face painting, "beat the Rev" (sounds suspicious), and many stalls. Entry is free and children are welcome. Come along on Sunday 27th September and bring the family.

Humans of Shepherd's Bush No 4

"I was born in Shepherd's Bush at Queen Charlotte's hospital last week, so there's not much to say about my past.  But my future is very likely to be 100 years long, according to the statisticians.

In 2020 I will start primary school in Shepherd's Bush.  In 2027, twelve years from today, I will be starting secondary school and jumping on the bus all on my own.

I'll do my GCSEs (or whatever they will be called by then) in the summer of 2032 and will hopefully have discovered what I am best at and most interested in by then and can do my A Levels (probably five as my parents have already told me how clever I am many times in my few days of existence) in 2034.

Free Snacks From Nakd Foods in Westfield until September 13

UK Food snacks brand Nākd is promoting its products in Westfield this week by unveiling an "edible billboard", open until 13 September. 

The huge advert is described as "edible", and visitors to Westfield will be encouraged to "find their fave" snack - such as fruit and nut bars, crunch bars and Nibbles. The free snack bar is open from 10am each morning.

Storystock returns to the Bush Theatre October 28-30

The Bush Theatre is our newest temple of culture in The Bush, occupying the formerly vacant old library on the Uxbridge Road, a venerable Victorian structure founded by entrepreneur and philanthropist Passmore Edwards in the late 19th century.

From October 28-30 StoryStock comes back to the Bush Theatre, bringing art and culture to children of all ages.

Local MP Andy Slaughter Backs Yvette Cooper

Yvette Cooper.
Wikimedia Commons

Local MP Andy Slaughter and Hammersmith and Fulham Council Leader Stephen Cowan have both backed Yvette Cooper for leadership of the Labour Party. 

It's curious that the front runner candidate Jeremy Corbyn enjoys such strong support among the party membership - but very little among Labour MPs or Council leaders.

There is a big disconnect between the hopes and dreams of the rank and file members and the men and women elected to represent them. 

Humans of Shepherds Bush - No 3

"My dad was known as Wally Biscuits because this stall was called the Bush Biscuit Box. He started in 1933 and was on the stall until 1991 when I took over and it became Laura's Fruit and Nut Box.

It has been open non-stop all that time, apart from during the war when biscuits were rationed so it was closed.  Dad signed up and when they asked him what he could do he said that he was good at fixing things, so they put him on the air strip at Swindon to fix Wellington Bombers.

After the war he was offered the chance to go and work for Boeing in the US but he chose to come back and re-open the Biscuit Box.  It was so funny because no one on the market ever knew his real last name.  No-one knew anyone's last name, because everyone was known by what they sold."