Half 1 – Kew Bridge and Brentford
My stroll a number of days in the past in September 2022 started at Kew Bridge Station. I’d come half an hour earlier than I used to be as a consequence of meet my two companions to take a brief stroll round one of many newer elements of the world earlier than assembly them for an extended stroll to Isleworth.
Lionel Street runs north of the railway as much as meet the Nice West Street. It was once a reasonably run down space with railway sidings on one aspect and some outdated business buildings and works to the north. The final time I’d walked down right here on my method to Gunnersbury Park in 2018 the entire space had been a constructing website, however now could be dwelling to Brentford FC, at the moment doing fairly nicely within the Premier League.
Brentford was my native group once I was a child, and several other members of the award-winning under-11 group I performed for at left again on went on to play for them at their outdated floor (and at Chelsea.) One of many different patrol leaders from my scout group stayed there till he retired, although I by no means met him after I hung up my woggle, however learn his obit within the native rag.
Previous there I got here to the Nice West Street, a Thirties twin carriageway with cycle tracks I generally used additional west on my manner dwelling from faculty. Within the Nineteen Eighties or 90s I photographed many of the remaining Artwork Deco factories alongside it, although the bulldozers received to some first. Now it jogs my memory of J G Ballard’s novels, significantly ‘Crash’, set across the space we each lived in, with the elevated M4 above the older trendy street.
A brand new Brentford of tall blocks has sprouted right here, although extra land stays to be constructed on. Slightly-used rail line goes by it, the Kew Curve, with Brentford’s stadium changing the sidings and cattle pens to its west, with new constructing on the east in what was Brentford Market. It moved to this website in 1893 after the Brentford Native Board had purchased the two acre website from the Rothschild property as a result of market buying and selling within the space across the Categorical Tavern instantly south of the station which had developed informally away from Brentford’s conventional market in Market Place had turn out to be a public nuisance. The location was prolonged in 1905 after which coated land now a part of the Chiswick Roundabout. The market moved to the sting of Southall in 1974 as the brand new Western Worldwide Market and the Fountains Leisure Centre was constructed on a part of the location, with the remainder staying derelict for years.
My maternal grandfather, then a market gardener in Feltham, would drive his cart with produce to Brentford Market within the early years of the final century, previous the home in Hounslow the place my father, then a younger boy, used to see him driving previous. Round twenty years later when he turned engaged to my mom he discovered who he was.
I met my two colleagues and we walked collectively down by the west aspect of Kew Bridge to the Thames. To our proper was the place the Kew Bridge Ecovillage had squatted from June 2009 till Might 2010, now occupied by 164 flats, a enterprise centre, fitness center and pub.
The Hollows runs west between riverside moorings and up to date blocks of luxurious flats, finally returning us to Brentford Excessive St, and a park beside the river now referred to as Watermans Park. This was the location of Brentford Gasoline Works which straddled the Excessive Road right here and was an important attraction after we took the bus by it in my childhood, normally on our method to Kew Gardens. Entrance then was solely an outdated penny, and it was an inexpensive outing for households within the space. My father would have his scissors in his pocket and maybe take the odd small chopping to develop in our backyard. Moderately cheaper than backyard centres.
However for those who have been fortunate because the bus drove slowly down the normally congested avenue, certainly one of its Intermittent Vertical Retort would open sending a wall of purple scorching coke to the bottom, fairly a tremendous website as we peered from the highest deck. It nearly made up for the odor.
A gasoline works had been arrange right here and commenced manufacturing in 1821, first supplying has for lighting the turnpike to Kensington, however later serving massive areas round. Later different gasoline works have been arrange in Southall after which elsewhere as demand continued to rise. in 1926 the Brentford gasoline firm turned part of the Gasoline Gentle and Coke Co which later turned British Gasoline plc. Brentford Gasoline Woks closed in 1963 and the riverside buildings have been demolished in 1965 although the massive gasholder remained till 1988.
All than now stays of the gasoline works are a few of the substantial posts of the gasoline works jetty, the place colliers as soon as introduced in coal. There was an extended battle over the rights to moorings right here between boat homeowners and Hounslow Council with boat homeowners claiming that the foreshore right here belongs neither to the council nor to the PLA however to the Bishop of London, and refusing to abide by numerous eviction notices. Most have now moved however some derelict boats stay.
Brentford Ait runs alongside the centre of the river right here. It was purchased within the late nineteenth century by the Crown who planted timber on it to cover the gasoline works from guests to Kew Gardens on the other financial institution. A couple of yard upstream is Lot’s Ait, the place the Thames Steam Tug and Lighterage Firm Ltd arrange a boatyard in 1920 – many of the Thames lighters have been constructed there. The boatyard closed within the Seventies, however was reopened in 2012 when a brand new footbridge was constructed to it.
In addition to the park, the Watermans Arts Centre was additionally constructed on the gasworks website. We walked between it and the river, and continued on the riverside path, previous the bridge to Heaps Ait and up to date blocks of flats. There are new moorings round right here too.
A small spit of land leads from the underside of Ferry Lane (extra new flats) to an art work by the riverside. I’m not fairly positive what to make both of Liquidity or one other equally embellished column not distant, nevertheless it may present a helpful windbreak in unhealthy climate. This was the place as soon as a ferry ran throughout to Kew Gardens.
We adopted the Thames Path round a small dock, on what was the location of the Thames Cleaning soap Works after which continued alongside the aspect of the River Brent which flows into the Thames right here, persevering with alongside this beside the winding river previous one other boatyard to Brentford Excessive Road.
A couple of yards alongside we turned left down Dock Street to Thames Lock, previous an enormous mural and the opposite finish of the boatyard, to Thames Lock, the southern finish of the Grand Union Canal. Right here we took the trail beside the north aspect of the canal, main throughout a bridge over the Brent to Johnson’s Island and Catherine Wheel Street.
The mural, on the aspect of a multi-story automobile park had included an enormous kingfisher, and I’d joked saying this was the one kingfisher we’d see in Brentford. However as we walked throughout the bridge over the River Brent and stopped to take footage, perched on the highest of a submit there was one, nonetheless just for a second earlier than flying out of sight. By the point I’d raised my digital camera to my eye it was gone, although since I had and excessive wideangle lens it might hardly have been seen, just some extra vibrant pixels.
I’d deliberate to stroll alongside Brent Method and rejoin the canal towpath, however the entire of this space is now an enormous constructing website, and as an alternative we stroll alongside the Excessive Road to the canal bridge. I couldn’t deliver myself to stroll all the way down to the Gauging Lock preserved there, although I’ve accomplished so a number of instances earlier than, however the modifications to the world, now with a marina, flats and resort made me really feel too unhappy; we merely stood on the bridge and appeared for some time earlier than shifting on.
Half 2 will proceed the stroll from right here to its finish in Isleworth. You possibly can see extra footage from the stroll in a Fb album.
Tags: boatyard, Brentford, Brentford Ait, Brentford Market, constructing website, dock, flats, fountains, gasoline works, Grand Union Canal, Nice West Rd, Kew Bridge, kingfisher, London, London Images, moorings, mural, peter Marshall, River Thames, sculpture, Thames Lock, Thames Path, The Hollows, Watermans Park
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