BT's Phone Booth Scam

Another pointless phone booth in Shepherd's Bush

What's The Point of Phone Booths? We asked this question back in January, noting that they seem to be springing up everywhere, despite everyone nowadays having a mobile phone.

Thanks to the Hammersmith Society and the Ladbroke Association, we now have the answer.

It's not about telephones, it's about advertising. According to the Summer 2017 Ladbroke Association newsletter, phone companies like BT "can make a lot of money selling advertising space". Today, a phone booth is "no more than a hooded upright stand with an advertisement on one side and a telephone on the other".

But if this is - as it seems - just an advertising scam, without fulfilling any public need - why does our Council allow this to take place?

Lidl Coming to Shepherd's Bush

Two weeks ago I was having my hair cut by the excellent Polish stylists in the West 12 Centre (£5! How can you go wrong?) and I asked what was happening to the old Morrisons space that has been empty since November 2016. "Lidl is coming", they said. "Really? Is that true?" I asked. "50% true", they said.

Anyway it turns out that the rumour is true, and it just goes to show that barbers and hair stylists always get the news first.  Lidl is coming, hopefully in place by Christmas, so budget supermarket shopping will return to Shepherd's Bush. You can read the full story here.

King Street Development Dead - Cineworld Demolished

Cineworld in Hammersmith - demolished for nothing

The Hammersmith Society, guardians of good architecture in our neighbourhood, have reported that the redevelopment of King St in Hammersmith is dead, apparently because of "differences between the Council and the developer". 

What is most disappointing about this is that the Cineworld, the lovely old art deco cinema on King St, has already been demolished, leaving a giant hole in the ground next to the Town Hall, and no prospect of anything good coming of it. 

Music For Grenfell at St Stephen's Church 27 July at 7pm

Music For Grenfell is a concert to raise money for the victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster, and will take place at St Stephen's Church on the Uxbridge Road  Thursday 27th July, from 7pm.

Tickets are £10 on the door, or available online through this link.

New Post Office - Not The Worst Place on Earth

Many Shepherd's Bush residents were very upset when our local Post Office on Shepherd's Bush Green closed. Local MP Andy Slaughter even got involved, chiding the Post Office for abandoning the area.

The new Post Office is in Westfield, at the back of WH Smith. I went there this morning and found myself in a shiny new space with short queues and mailing machines that actually work.

Notable by their absence were the crazy people who used to mumble menacingly in the (reliably long) queue in the old Post Office on Shepherd's Bush Green.

To remember just what you are missing, read Richard Herring's memorable piece on the "worst place on earth" that was the old Shepherd's Bush Post Office.

Why Does LBHF Take So Long To Repair Our Parks?

Hammersmith Park climbing mound in April 2016

Early in 2016 some long-overdue repairs were begun by our local Council, The London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, to the children's playground in Hammersmith Park. A company called Valley Landscape Management put up fences around the damaged climbing mound (see above) and began repairs. But, more than a year later, the job still isn't done. Why does it take our Council so long to complete basic repairs to our parks?

The Funfair is Back - But Must It Be For a Full Month?

The funfair is back. Good news for some, but for many local residents, who hate the noise and disturbance, it's a betrayal of promises by our Council to reduce the impact of these events.

George Irvin's Funfair is here for a full month this time, from 21 July until 20 August. That is much longer than usual (in the past it's been around 2 weeks tops), and now it is open until 10pm, surely well past most childrens' bed-times.

Princess Victoria Closes

Princess Victoria

Shepherd’s Bush's venerable pub, The Princess Victoria, which was awarded the London County Dining Pub of the Year in last year's edition of the Good Pub Guide, has closed.

The Princess Victoria, or "The PV", as everyone called it, was an excellent pub.  Located on an otherwise unremarkable section of the Uxbridge road, this former Victorian gin palace was transformed into a stunning gastropub which somehow managed to achieve excellent food without the pretension of many pubs-turned-restaurants.