Barnes, London

Barnes is a riverside London suburb in southwest London and in terms of local governance falls under the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is located around west south-west of Charing Cross in a loop of the River Thames, with Hammersmith Bridge at the north end. Barnes has a number of 18th and 19th century buildings of exceptional quality, and is often noted for its historic village area centred on the pond, forming the Barnes Village conservation area.

History

Historically part of Surrey, Barnes appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Berne". It was held by the Canons of St Paul of London. Its Domesday assets were: 8 hides, paying tax with Mortlake; 5 ploughs, of meadow. It rendered (in total): £7.

The original Norman chapel of St Mary's, Barnes' village church, was built at some point between 1100 and 1150. It was subsequently extended in the early thirteenth century, and again in c1485 and 1786. After a major fire in 1978 destroyed the Victorian and Edwardian additions to the building, restoration work was completed in 1984.

Some of the oldest riverside housing in London is to be found on The Terrace, a road lined with Georgian mansions which runs along the west bend of the river. Construction of these mansions began as early as 1720. Gustav Holst and Ninette de Valois lived in houses on this stretch, both of which have corresponding blue plaques. The Terrace also has an original red brick police station, built in 1891. It was recently remodelled as apartments but still preserves the original features.

The pink-fronted Rose House facing the area's pond dates to the 17th century, while the area's oldest is one once belonging to Henry Fielding which also faces the pond, parts of which date to the 16th century.

The listed Barnes Railway Bridge was originally constructed in 1849 by Joseph Locke, and dominates the view of the river from The Terrace on the western side of Barnes. In 2009 a project began to re-paint the bridge.

Castelnau, in north Barnes and on the banks of the river, has a small church, Holy Trinity. The area between Castelnau and Lonsdale Road contains a 1930s council estate (including roads such as Nowell Road, Stillingfleet Road and Washington Road), mostly consisting of "Boot Houses", constructed by the Henry Boot company. These houses no longer meet building regulations and need to have their external walls reconstructed. This means that new buyers cannot get a mortgage on un-reconstructed houses and so residents of this area have usually lived in their houses for a long time (in some cases it being passed down).

In recent years, Barnes has been cited as the leading area in the United Kingdom for internet shopping, with £150 pa per head being spent.

Barnes Common and the London Wetland Centre

Barnes Common is an important open space and a local nature reserve. Its dominate the south of Barnes, providing a rural setting to the village and a wealth of habitats including acid grassland, scrub, woodland and wetland. Beverley Brook passes through part of the common before meeting the Thames at Putney.

In April 2001 Barnes Pond dramatically emptied overnight. Although a broken drain was suspected no cause could be conclusively found. The pond was redeveloped and landscaped with funding from Richmond Council and the local community.

Barn Elms reservoirs were turned into a wetland habitat and bird sanctuary in 1995. The majority of the WWT London Wetland Centre comprises areas of standing open water, grazing marsh and reedbed. It is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest as it supports nationally important wintering populations of Shoveler (Anas clypeata) and Teal (Anas crecca).

Tourist attractions

A popular cultural attraction is the former Olympic Studios on Church Road. Relocated from central London in 1966, the studios played host to many of rock and pop's greatest stars down the decades, from The Beatles, who recorded the original tracks of "All You Need Is Love" in Barnes, to The Rolling Stones, Harry Nilsson, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Queen, Eric Clapton, Ella Fitzgerald, The Verve, Massive Attack, Duran Duran, Coldplay, Madonna and Björk.

Facing the Thames, at the end of Lonsdale Road, The Bull's Head pub is known as the suburban Ronnie Scott's and was one of the first and most important jazz venues in Britain from the postwar years onward.

The Old Sorting Office arts centre adjacent to Barnes Pond has become known as a venue for art and fringe theatre, hosting numerous exhibitions and theatre productions, as well as a regular auction. Well-known names to have performed at the venue include Patricia Hodge, Stephanie Cole, Timothy West, Julian Glover, and Robert Pattinson.

The area in and around Barnes Pond is host to several open-air and covered markets each month. Barnes Common is the site of the Barnes Fair, held each year in the first week of July and organised by the Barnes Community Association (BCA), with their headquarters in Rose House, a distinctive 17th Century pink-painted building on Barnes High Street.

Landmarks

The site of rock musician Marc Bolan's fatal car crash on Queen's Ride in 1977 is now Bolan's Rock Shrine. The memorial receives frequent visits from his fans, and in 2002 a bronze bust of Bolan was installed to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of his death. In 2007, the site was recognised by the English Tourist Board as a 'Site of Rock 'n' Roll Importance' in their Guide 'England Rocks'.

Sport

Barnes has a place in the history of football. Firstly, a former High Master of St Paul's School, Richard Mulcaster is credited with taking mob football and turning it into an organised, refereed team sport that was considered beneficial for schoolboys. St Paul's School is currently sited on Lonsdale Road, although in Mulcaster's time it was located at St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London.

Barnes was also home to Ebenezer Cobb Morley, who in 1862 was a founding member of the Football Association. In 1863, he wrote to Bell's Life newspaper proposing a governing body for football, and this led to the first meeting at the Freemasons' Tavern where the FA was created. He was the FA's first secretary (1863–1866) and at his home in Barnes he set out the first set of rules for modern football, and these were adopted by the FA and subsequently spread throughout the world. As a player he took part in the first match played according to today's rules. Morley may be considered the father of football for his key role in establishing modern Association Football.

Finally, Barnes Rugby Football Club has evidence to show that it is the oldest club in the world in any football code. Its ground is next to the WWT London Wetlands Centre at Barn Elms.

The loop of the Thames surrounding Barnes forms part of the Championship Course used for the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race and several other major Tideway head races. This stretch of the river is popular with rowers throughout the year.

Education

Notable people

Gustav Holst, composer Freddie Mercury, musician (1969–70) Henry Fielding, author Brian May, musician David Harsent. poet Ninette De Valois, founder of the Royal Ballet Simon Le Bon, musician Robert Pattinson, actor Honor Blackman, actress

Jan Pienkowski, author

Chris Patten, politician

Colin Patterson, palaentologist

Nearest places

Railway stations

Barnes Bridge railway station

Barnes railway station

References

External links

Barnes and Mortlake History Society

Barnes Village Web site

Category:Districts of London Category:Districts of Richmond upon Thames Category:Districts of London on the River Thames Category:Districts of London listed in the Domesday Book