Chiswick & Brook Green February 2015 by Runwild Media Group

Managing Editor Francesca Lee ASSISTANT EDITOR Lauren Romano Editorial Assistants Tom Hagues Jennifer Mason Henry Hopwood-Phillips Editorial Intern Tamir Davies Editor-in-Chief Lesley Ellwood Managing Director Eren Ellwood General Manager Fiona Fenwick senior Designer Lisa Wade Publishing Director Giles Ellwood

What’s inside An insight into this issue

“…A lot of the artists displayed in this exhibition have worked with historical paintings and etchings, altering and reworking them to create a new piece that they can call their own…” - Arts and exhibitions

Executive Director Sophie Roberts Client Relationship manager Friday Dalrymple BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Nicola Bloomfield Production Amy Roberts Hugo Wheatley Alex Powell Oscar Viney

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Runwild Media Ltd. cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited submissions, manuscripts and photographs. While every care is taken, prices and details are subject to change and Runwild Media Ltd. take no responsibility for omissions or errors. We reserve the right to publish and edit any letters. All rights reserved.

“…Director David Zellner uses Minnesota’s unforgiving climate to show how reckless Kumiko’s decisions are as she is wholly unprepared for the cold weather…” - Film

“…Brides-to-be, take note: The National Wedding Show is coming to Olympia. This is one of the country’s biggest fairs, with more than 300 different wedding specialists, each vying to help make your big day a success…” - What’s on

“…Most Brits associate Orthodoxy with foreign churches, long white wizards’ beards and distant feats of asceticism...” - Politics

[editor’s letter and contents]

From the

editor

CONTENTS

ebruary is the shortest month of the year, so with this in mind, we’re keen for locals to make the most of their days and get out and about in the area. We’ve rounded up all

the key dates for your diary on our What’s On pages, from events at Olympia to charity comedy nights; find out more from page six. Meanwhile, February brings with it the prerequisite homages to Valentine’s Day, but if you want to avoid the cliché with your other half and find an alternative activity, flick to page nine for inspiration aplenty. Meanwhile, on page 22 we’ve rounded up all the local places to eat sweet and savoury delights this Pancake Day. Elsewhere, we have all the latest listings for film (page 12), arts and

Dorsett Hotel, see page 10

REGULARS 6

TOP PICKS FOR FEBRUARY

The best events to attend this month

HP SOURCE

Discussing Orthodox Christianity in the modern world

WORD ON THE STREET

some of the special teas available from the Chiswick Tea Company on

The most pressing issues from Chiswick and Brook Green locals

page 20. If you’re at a loss at the end of the month, turn to page 18 for

FEATURES

weekend-long theatrical inspiration in the form of Secret Theatre and

Time for tea

Helpful hot drinks to combat the cold

Flipping tasty

Where to eat pancakes and attend Pancake Day-themed events

exhibitions (page 14) and music (page 15) so there’s no excuse to stay at home. And, if you like a brew or two (I know I do!), read all about

its many shows. We hope you enjoy the issue.

news, events and reviews 9

ALTERNATIVE VALENTINE’S DAY

How to do romance without the cliché

FINGER ON THE PULSE

Local news to keep you in the know

SILVER SCREEN

Keeping you up-to-date with the movie scene

ARTS AND EXHIBITIONS

A roundup of local art fairs and shows

ON THE COVER (left to right)

Turn it up

Macy Gray ©Hermin; Sam Wanamaker Playhouse ©Pete Le May;

Local concerts and new album releases

february’s theatre spotlight

Theatre productions to keep you occupied this month

and Will Pryce; Elbow; Vodafone London Fashion Weekend; Chamber Piece ©

CHIswick in bloom

All the information you need about Chiswick House’s Camellia Show

- US, Canada & Bermuda and Village Roadshow Films (BVI) Limited - All other

development focus

A glance at Chiswick Gate, the area’s latest project to start taking shape

Francesca Lee, Managing Editor

Taking inspiration from ancient classical elements - Earth, Water, Air and Fire - with a subtle sprinkling of British cool has led My-Perfect-T to the creation of beautiful, contemporary, unique and versatile prints. Precision cut silhouettes made out of specially sourced silks and ethical cotton projects create simple and flattering pieces, whilst allowing the inimitable prints to flourish and be the main focus of the design.

E: enquiries@my-perfect-t.com T: +44 (0)207 243 0962

my-perfect-t.com

Top picks for

FEBRUARY

The best events to attend this month

11 February TOUR DE HOUSE

14 February GIGGLES GALORE

16 February THROUGH THE LOOKING GRASS

Leighton House Museum always hosts a range of interesting activities and its latest tour is the best opportunity to get an insight into the grand house and its exhibition A Victorian Obsession. It’ll be led by Victorian art specialists, so visitors can rest assured that they’ll be guided round by a knowledgeable hand and they can also enjoy a glass of wine as they meander through the hallways. The numbers are limited, so it’s advisable to book early and avoid missing out on the chance to snoop around this fascinating address.

One of Africa’s favourite comedians, Basketmouth (real name Bright Okpocha) is bringing his chatty comedy style to London this month after a hugely successful tour last year. The evening will feature special guests and Afro-beat musicians, so there’s plenty to see during this multi-entertainment night. Basketmouth is an award-winning act, having already won two awards for his shows in the past. His popularity with Londoners is testament to his humour, so why not take a punt on someone new this month and reap the rewards in the form of split sides?

The Garden of Hogarth’s House; Past, Present and Future is a chance to peer into Hogarth’s House’s past, look ahead to its future and observe what’s happening at this very moment. Museum and heritage consultant Val Bott has been busy researching the garden at the famous house from its beginnings in the 1680s. The talk is organised by the Brentford and Chiswick Local History Society and will be illustrated with images and handy visual aids, meaning attendees can get a feel as to how the garden once looked and what it might be like in the near and distant future.

From £29.25, doors at 6pm, show at 7.30pm Eventim Apollo, 45 Queen Caroline Street, W6 9QH, 0844 249 1000 (eventimapollo.com)

Free admission, 7.30pm, Chiswick Memorial Club, Bourne Place, W4 2EL, 020 8995 7413 (valbott.co.uk)

image: Courtesy of Leighton House Museum and Will Pryce

£25, 6.30pm, Leighton House Museum, 12 Holland Park Road, W14 8LZ, weekday number 020 7602 3316, weekend number 020 7471 9160 (rbkc.gov.uk)

leighton house museum

the national wedding show

[EVENTS]

17 February DIGGING DEEP

20-22 February IN HOLY MATRIMONY

25 February ALL IN THE NAME OF CHARITY

It’s a lesser-known fact that the part of the River Thames flowing through west London has three layers. On the shore, there is a healthy collection of gastro-pubs, wine bars and restaurants. The middle layer is home to all sorts of aquatic creatures, and the third layer, under the riverbed, contains artefacts from historical periods that span the centuries. Treasure in the Thames is an illustrated talk by Jon Cotton, a former senior curator at the Museum of London, who discusses the many finds, like the Battersea Shield, that have been discovered during dredging programmes.

Brides-to-be, take note: The National Wedding Show is coming to Olympia. This is one of the country’s biggest fairs, with more than 300 different wedding specialists, each vying to help make your big day a success. This event will be the perfect opportunity to try things out before buying them and to get inspiration for the occasion. From elaborate cake-makers to dress designers, nuptial stationery to extravagant flower arrangements, the exhibition hall will be bursting with ideas from helpful experts.

Hosted by Absolute Radio’s Christian O’Connell, Stand Up For Shelter is an evening devoted to making people laugh in the name of charity. The best way to do this, of course, is to gather together some of the country’s best-loved comedians, such as Eddie Izzard, Josh Widdicombe and Sara Pascoe. All of the money raised from the ticket sales will go towards helping Shelter’s work in supporting homeless people and those in bad housing around the country. With other special guests joining the evening’s live laughter, there will be no shortage of charitable spirit and good humour.

£3, free for Chiswick Pier Trust members, 7.30pm, The Pier House, Corney Reach Way, W4 2UG, 020 8742 2713 (chiswickpier.org.uk)

From £15 advanced purchase, £20 on the door, Friday and Sunday, 10am-5pm, Saturday, 10am-6pm, Olympia London, Hammersmith Road, W14 8UX, 0844 874 0486 (nationalweddingshow.co.uk)

From £38.25, doors at 7pm, show at 8pm, Eventim Apollo, 45 Queen Caroline Street, W6 9QH, 0844 249 1000 (eventimapollo.com)

Eddie izzard

[EVENTS]

Out of town 13 February JAZZING UP YOUR MONTH

Jazz pianist Alex Hutton will be performing for your pleasure at Verdi Italian Kitchen in the Royal Albert Hall on a day that’s feared by so many. Avoid any black cats or walking under ladders as you make your way to the famous institution for an evening in the company of a talented musician. Hutton will be playing music from his forthcoming album and sampling tracks from his wellreceived record Songs from the Seven Hills. With good music, fine food and flowing wine, you’ll start to wonder why anyone would be worried about Friday 13th at all. Free, music from 8pm, Verdi, Door 12, Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, SW7 2AP, 020 7070 4401 (verdiitalian.com)

chiswick chatter 22 February YEAR OF THE GOAT

It’s Chinese New Year on 19 February and the festivities will kick off on the following Sunday. The celebration in Chinatown is free to attend, and with so much going on, you won’t know where to start. Stalls selling crafts and all manner of foods will be strewn around the area, and you can bet your left arm that you’ll be deafened by the sounds of drumming and general merriment filling the air. Of course, there will be dragon dancers weaving their way through the crowds, so it’ll be nothing less than a bazaar of tradition and fun that everyone should see at least once in their lives. Don’t forget that this year is the Year of the Goat, so dress accordingly. Chinatown, WC2H 7JS

What’s got Chiswick tongues wagging recently? @crownanchorw4 Don’t forget #Chiswick! #Breakfast is served Saturdays 9-12. Grab a paper, a comfy pew and let us take care of you after a long week!

@MarysLGShop_W4 Kindness is always in fashion and so are you, #volunteer at Mary’s Living & Giving #Chiswick

@laura_mittens Misty run along the Thames at high tide #Strandonthegreen #Chiswick #Barnes #Kew #longrun

@fostersbookshop We currently have both sizes of the #Chiswick calendar in stock. All profits to @StMichaelsW4 & @CCW4StAlbans #W4

@Sezzakern Hmm – ‘Inspector Sands’ has just been asked to report in at #Hammersmith Tube...”Sands” is much like Miss Marple, emergencies follow him/her

@kaelynforde Capping another wonderful day on holiday last night with Nepalese curry & red wine in #ShepherdsBush. Nothing like #London

@Winkworth_W4 Christ Church on Turnham Green, #Chiswick was positively glowing tonight london fashion weekend

26 February-1 March DRESS TO IMPRESS

Vodafone’s London Fashion Weekend starts this month and it’s advisable not to wear anything too simple when you attend – you might get mobbed. It’s not all about the clothes, however, because you can also get your hair done and try out a whole range of different skincare and make-up products. It’s a chance to discover some new styles, get the low-down on this year’s fashion scene and take part in the fast-paced world of stilettos and jackets for a day or two. From £20, various entry times depending on the type of ticket, Somerset House, The Strand, WC2R 1LA, 0871 230 1558 (londonfashionweekend.co.uk)

@openplaques Novelist E.M. Forster b. OTD 1879 – celebrated in 4 plaques including one in Turnham Green

@hollynessling The Thames at Strand on the Green is lovely at dusk

[seasonal events]

The alternative

valentine’s day Chiswick & Brook Green recommends ways to do romance without the cliché

stay local

further afield the rest of london

Cruise Control

Lovers of luxury will enjoy a weekend at The London Cruise Show, exploring all the industry has to offer, including an array of destinations and cruise styles, talks, advice and showcases. Time to book next year’s romantic getaway? We’d say so.

Mood Setter Take a tour of The National Gallery’s raunchiest and most romantic works on the A Bacchanalian Romp on Valentine’s Day tour, which focuses on mythological paintings by Botticelli, Rubens, image © RBG Kew

14-15 February, 10am-5pm Saturday, 10am-4pm Sunday, £6 in advance, £10 on the door, under-16s free. Olympia London, Hammersmith Road, W14 8UX, 0871 620 4024 (cruisingshow.co.uk)

Correggio, Velázquez and others. The tour is bookended with pre-drinks from The Vanda arches in the Princess of Wales Conservatory

13 February, 6.45pm-8pm, from £25.

image © Andrey Moisseyev

Take the tour

LONDON CRUISE SHOW

Caribbean Celebration

As part of the Alluring Orchids festival, Kew Gardens is hosting exclusive, behind-thescenes tours of the Tropical Nursery where visitors can discover beautiful carnivorous plants, bromeliads, orchids and cacti and find out about the nursery’s plant conservation work. A fascinating alternative to a Valentine’s bouquet.

Freddie McGregor, alongside special guests Christopher Martin, Romain Virgo, Johnny Osbourne and Terry Linen, presents the Reggae Valentines Showcase Ball, a special musical event offering an excellent alternative to the traditional Valentine’s weekend.

14 February, tours at 1.30pm, 2pm and 2.30pm, £10 (plus entry fee to the Gardens), booking essential. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, TW9 3AB, 020 8332 5655 (kew.org)

15 February, 6.30pm, from £34.75. Eventim Apollo Hammersmith, 45 Queen Caroline Street, W6 9QH, 0844 249 4300 (eventimapollo.com)

Furry friends

Get your giggle on this V-Day with an exclusive and amusing celebration, Don’t Boo Me Off Stage – The Valentines Special, featuring Slim, Curtis Walker, Kane Brown and other comedic talents.

Feline Lonely is an event at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home which provides the opportunity to cuddle with a resident cat that’s looking for a new home. Pop along in the evening on 14 February for a free glass of bubbly, a few canapés and the chance to find a new companion while getting to know the cats in their pens and deciding whether any of them should go home with you. Who needs a romantic dinner anyway?

15 February, 8pm, from £22.50. O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, Shepherd’s Bush Green, W12 8TT, 0844 477 2000 (o2shepherdsbushempire.co.uk)

14 February, 5.30pm, free but suggested donation of £2, 4 Battersea Park Road, SW8 4AA, 0843 509 4444 (battersea.org.uk)

Laugh out loud

6pm and supper afterwards.

Meet at The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, WC2N 5DN (arthistoryuk.com)

The Rokeby Venus by Diego Velázquez image © Diego Velázquez, The Toilet of Venus (‘The Rokeby Venus’), 1647-51, © National Gallery, London

be a connoisseur Put an end to your usual last-minute prowl of the supermarket ailses for a bottle of plonk and spend a little time deliberating over a wine that will impress. A tour of London Cru, the capital’s first urban winery, is a fun way to expand your drinking horizons à deux. See the nuts and bolts of the process, before sipping your way through the collection. 12 February, 7pm, £15. London Cru, 21-27 Seagrave Road, SW6 1RP, 020 7381 7871 (londoncru.co.uk)

Finger on

the pulse TAKING OVER

The Chiswick Moran Hotel will be taken over by hotel group Dalata in a recently decided deal. The four-star hotel, which is close to Chiswick Business Park and opened in 2006, will be added to the Irish company’s portfolio in a transaction worth more than £400million. Dalata will also be acquiring other hotels under the Moran Bewley umbrella across Ireland and the UK, and the Chiswick Moran will be worth more than any of the other hotels in Dalata’s portfolio when the deal comes to completion. The building houses 123 bedrooms and is popular for its conference facilities. (chiswickmoranhotel.com)

A BIT MORE THAN BITE-SIZED

An enormous cake assembled at Westfield Shopping Centre in Shepherd’s Bush in November of last year has been officially announced by Guinness World Records as

the largest cake sculpture attempt. The cake measured 12.17 by 9.8 metres and stood at 41 centimetres tall, meaning it was almost half the size of a tennis court. Nine people were tasked with baking the spectacle, and a team of 35 assembled and decorated it overnight. Over the course of three days, the cake fed approximately 12,000 people who were asked to donate £1 per slice to the Bake-A-Wish campaign organised by MakeA-Wish Foundation UK. Television presenter Amanda Holden was at the shopping centre to unveil the cake and cut the first slice. (guinnessworldrecords.com)

AWARD-WINNING ARCHITECTURE

Last month’s 91 winners of the Civic Trust Awards included two local projects: the Dorsett Shepherd’s Bush Hotel and The Clothworkers’ Centre for the Study and Conservation of Textiles and Fashion. The hotel, situated on Shepherd’s Bush Green and

image © Anthony Weller

Local news to keep you in the know

Dorsett Hotel exterior

housed within a Grade II-listed building, is an imposing site that was designed by Flanagan Lawrence, which specialises in creating progressive architecture. The Clothworkers’ building has a storage system specially adapted for preserving the institution’s collections of clothes, and its design was devised by architectural firm Haworth Tompkins at a cost of more than £2million. The Civic Trust Awards recognises architecture of outstanding quality and the awards ceremony will take place on 6 March. (civictrustawards.org.uk)

image © Guinness World Records

A BIG BIRTHDAY

The London Borough of Hounslow came into existence 50 years ago this year. To celebrate, the local council will be delving into its archives to see how the area has changed. It’ll focus on the development of town centres, transport and housing, as well as more general changes in fashion, food and music. The council will also encourage residents to share their own photographs. a bit more than bite-sized

(hounslow.gov.uk)

[NEWS]

DEMANDING RESULTS

local literature

The leader of Hammersmith and Fulham Council, Stephen Cowan, has written to Mayor of London Boris Johnson asking for action to be taken over the Hammersmith flyunder project. The mayor’s office, through the expertise of Transport for London, has responsibility for the flyover and the development of its replacement flyunder, and local residents across west London have backed the idea of demolishing the ageing road and building a tunnel in its place. However, in recent months, questions have been raised

THE ART OF UNPACKING YOUR LIFE by Shireen Jilla Next month, Shireen Jilla’s second novel will be published. The Art of Unpacking Your Life tells the tale of Connie, who embarks on a safari holiday with her old university friends in the Kalahari and soon realises that they no longer have much in common. Connie feels lonely thanks to her adulterous MP husband and is confused by the conflicting feelings she has towards old flame Luke. Sara, a highly-driven, single barrister makes Connie feel insecure about herself but despite these tensions, the group is drawn into the adventure and as their daily worries ebb away under the African sun they all start to enjoy themselves. As they begin to feel comfortable with one another, many of them open up and revelations come to light, making for a dramatic storyline. xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Shireen Jilla and her husband, Guto Harri, have three children and live beside the river in Hammersmith. She worked for the Evening

about the feasibility of the plans and now the project’s future looks uncertain. In his letter, Cllr Cowan stated that the council would fully support the work if it was to go ahead in a bid to speed up the decision-making process.

THE ROAD TO DONETSK by Diane Chandler

Standard for more than a decade as a journalist

Local author and former employee at the

Four, and then wrote a novel. Her first novel,

before working in television, launching Film

European Commission Diane Chandler recently

Exiled, was met with critical acclaim and this

published her début novel entitled The Road

second book is a complete change in subject

to Donetsk. The book is set in 1994 in Ukraine,

matter and setting. The Art of Unpacking

shortly after the fall of communism, and the

Your Life will be published on 5 March by

plot focuses on Vanessa, a young international

Bloomsbury Reader.

aid worker. In Ukraine, Vanessa gets her dream job and meets an American named Dan who

£6.99 (bloomsbury.com)

she falls in love with. He’s older and wiser than she is, but admires Vanessa for helping the wives of the coal miners in Donetsk. Still young

(lbhf.gov.uk)

and incredibly ambitious and passionate about what she does, everything is going well for Vanessa, until Dan turns her life upside down and inside out. The inspiration for this novel comes from Diane’s own experiences as an international aid worker in Ukraine. The locations she worked in, such as Kiev, the coalfields of Donetsk, Odessa and Chernobyl, all feature in this book with vivid descriptions. It’s a fictional story that draws on the author’s

image © hammersmith and fulham council

many varied experiences of a worldwide aid operation in eastern Europe. Clare Short, the former secretary of state for international development described it as ‘compelling and enjoyable’. The Road to Donetsk is published by Blackbird Digital Books. £10.04 (blackbird-books.com) hammersmith flyover

Silver

ACADE MY AWARD S SPECIA L

screen

Keeping you up-to-date with the movie scene REVIEW 2015 OSCAR NOMINEES The 87th Academy Awards ceremony, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, will take place on 22 February. Here are the

Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter Tamir Davies is left out in the cold by this slow-paced film

nominees for the five biggest categories.

BEST PICTURE American Sniper The Imitation Game Birdman Selma The Theory of Everything Boyhood The Grand Budapest Hotel Whiplash

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE Steve Carell Michael Keaton Eddie Redmayne Benedict Cumberbatch Bradley Cooper

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE Marion Cotillard Felicity Jones Julianne Moore Reese Witherspoon Rosamund Pike

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Robert Duvall Mark Ruffalo J.K. Simmons Ethan Hawke Edward Norton

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Patricia Arquette Laura Dern Keira Knightley Emma Stone Meryl Streep

KUMIKO, THE TREASURE HUNTER

eep in the heart of Tokyo, a young woman lives in solitude with unsatisfied desires that she wishes to resolve. Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter follows the life of Kumiko (Rinko Kikuchi) whose infatuation with a mysterious video tape she finds hidden in caves on a beach drives her to undertake an incredible journey. The film opens with a piece of footage showing a man burying a satchel of money in the snowy fields of the American midwest, which is supposed to be the VHS tape that our heroine uncovers. In this deeply sincere but comic odyssey, Kumiko travels from the depths of a metropolitan rat race with nothing but a handmade map of the treasure’s location and the video tape as her guide. The beginning of the film is quite clear about what it’s trying to do: we’re shown that Kumiko has a monotonous daily routine and we should expect this to change drastically when she ventures out into the wintry wilderness of America. Kumiko’s loneliness is highlighted by the fact that her only companion is a rabbit named Bunzo to whom she feeds noodles. You can’t help but feel sorry for her. Director David Zellner uses Minnesota’s unforgiving climate to show how reckless

Kumiko’s decisions are as she is wholly unprepared for the cold weather. Arriving on American soil in the second half of the film, she meets local people who are willing to help her, but as soon as she leaves the airport, she finds her teeth chattering and ice forming around the tips of her hair. The interesting way in which she forms relationships with strangers makes for snatches of compelling viewing interspersed with an otherwise slow narrative. Wearing a blanket stolen from a dingy hotel for warmth, Kumiko is soon befriended by a policeman (Zellner). Comic dialogue lightens the mood that darkens as Kumiko’s failure to find the treasure becomes more and more inevitable. A first viewing of this film is hard-going; it’s a slow, drudging narrative lacking in plot-driving features, but its saviour is Rinko Kikuchi’s performance. She subtly depicts a woman driven to great lengths to find a mythical treasure and, in doing so, finds her true prize in the kindness of a stranger. Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter is released on 20 February rating

[film]

ALSO OUT THIS MONTH 20 February CAKE 2014

Directed by Daniel Barnz Starring Jennifer Aniston, Adriana Barraza and Anna Kendrick Aniston plays Claire, a woman who is scarred and in constant pain from a car crash she was involved in. She begins an affair with a widower and starts to see hallucinations of her lover’s dead wife, so this isn’t the usual rom-com laugh-a-long that we usually see Aniston acting in.

20 February MAIDAN

6 February JUPITER ASCENDING

Directed by Andy and Lana Wachowski Starring Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, Sean Bean and Eddie Redmayne Kunis plays Jupiter, a woman who cleans other people’s houses to make a living, and has given up on the idea that she is destined for something greater. But Caine (Tatum) descends to Earth in typical Hollywood fashion to tell her that she is, in fact, special and whisks her away to achieve great things that will have a huge impact on the cosmos.

Directed by Sergei Loznitsa A documentary of the unrest in the square in Ukraine’s capital city in 2013 and 2014.

13 February FIFTY SHADES OF GREY

20 February PREDESTINATION

Directed by Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig as The Spierig Brothers Starring Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook and Noah Taylor A time-travelling agent is tasked with one last mission – to pursue the criminal who has escaped him for many years. A sci-fi thriller that will leave you either gawping in amazement or scratching your head in confusion as you try to keep up with it.

maidan

Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson Starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan Like any book that gets even the smallest whiff of attention, Fifty Shades of Grey has become a film. Its inevitable release in the UK falls nicely in step with Valentine’s Day, because, of course, this story is all about romance and love.

Aniston plays Claire, a woman who is scarred and in constant pain from a car crash she was involved in 27 February FOCUS 2015

Directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa Starring Will Smith and Margot Robbie A well-practised, con-artist takes a young woman under his fraudulent wing, but things get oh-so-complicated when they become romantically entangled with each other. This film is billed as being a romantic comedy-drama, which is industry speak for ‘we can’t think of a particular genre that this film can fit into’. Perhaps this is down to Smith’s genre-spanning roles during his lengthy career. He’s done a lot after all.

FOCUS

[Arts and Exhibitions]

display

A roundup of local and London-wide fairs and shows

altering perspective

12 February – 13 March ALTERING PERSPECTIVE

The Tragedy of Landscape attempts to alter people’s ideas of the ‘landscape’ genre (but not just by turning an image round to ‘portrait’). A lot of the artists displayed in this exhibition have worked with historical paintings and etchings, altering and reworking them to create a new piece that they can call their own. Talents including the likes of Ambrosine Allen, Geoff Diego Litherland and Anouk Mercier will be featured, and they each have a distinctive style from the weird and wonderful to downright daring. Free admission, 10am-5pm Monday-Thursday, 10am-4pm Friday, The Griffin Gallery, 21 Evesham Street, W11 4AJ, 020 8424 3239 (griffingallery.co.uk)

13-15 February WEST LONDON STORY

For those who want to slap on an orange face, strap a microphone to their left cheek and leap around a stage in discerningly tight trousers for a career, then PERFORM at Olympia is just the exhibition to attend this month. It’s perfect for actors, students

and teachers, or simply anyone interested in the performing arts who wants to get into the industry. There’s a healthy number of workshops to take part in, more than 60 in fact, and you can meet representatives from drama schools to find out whether their academy offers a course in Advanced Chitty Chitty Bang Bang studies or An Introduction to Chicago. For anyone seriously considering a career in the industry, bring along a CV and headshot (and for the super-keen, a Tony Award acceptance speech) and hand them out to contacts at the Interact Zone. One day pass £6 in advance, £9 on the door, certain classes at additional fees, 13 and 14 February 10am-7pm, 15 February 10am5pm, Olympia West, Blythe Road, W14 8UX (performshow.co.uk) west london story

central london 10 February – 26 April INTERPRETING THE PAST

History Is Now is this month’s ‘one to see’ at the Hayward Gallery in the Southbank Centre. Seven artists have been tasked with creating their own take on the United Kingdom’s

The pieces will each shine a spotlight on a key moment in the past from the post-war period to the modern day

cultural history. The works will each shine a spotlight on a key moment in the past from the post-war period to the modern day. With such a variety of different moments to choose from, this exhibition is likely to come up with some pretty clever pieces of art and leave people saying ‘I remember that happening, I was there!’ These artists will provide visitors with a trip down memory lane. Standard tickets from £10.90, students from £8, 12noon-6pm Monday, 11am-7pm TuesdaySunday, late nights until 8pm Thursday and Friday, Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX, 020 7960 4200 (southbankcentre.co.uk)

Until 8 March ART AS DOCUMENTATION

The Imperial War Museum is currently home to one of the largest collections of British First World War art seen for almost 100 years. Entitled Truth and Memory: British Art of the First World War, the idea behind the exhibition is to show how artists commemorated the War in their own ways and created ever-lasting memories of the conflict. Free admission, 10am-6pm daily, Imperial War Museum London, Lambeth Road, SE1 6HZ, 020 7416 5000 (iwm.org.uk) image © IWM ART 2243, Oppy Wood, 1917. Evening, by John Nash

image : Geoff Diego Litherland SpaceShipEarth, Accept What You Destroy, Oil on Linen, 100 x 100cm 2014, Courtesy of Antlers Gallery

a stone’s throw away

art as documentation

[music]

Turn

it up Local concerts and new album releases to satisfy your musical needs this month 02 shepherd’s bush empire

they both began busking when they were young, and with that much practice up their sleeves, you can expect good things.

MILKY CHANCE

German best friends Clemens Rehbein and Philipp Dausch met when they took an advanced music course at school and immediately hit it off, both creatively and personally. Eventually they became Milky Chance, playing pop and folk music for the masses to enjoy, and they’ve reached London with this leg of their tour.

Soul legend Macy Gray is bringing her music to the O2 this month. Her raspy voice has elevated her to the status of one of the most recognisable singers in the business, which is always a bonus in a world of similar sounding musical acts.

MACY GRAY

14 February, 8pm, from £32.50

18 February, 7.30pm, from £26

12 February, 7pm, £13.50

8-9 February, 7pm, £15

LITTLE BIG TOWN

Country music group Little Big Town first released an album in 2002 and they’re still going on tours 13 years later, which suggests they’re doing something right.

ADAM COHEN

HUDSON TAYLOR

image © hermin

10 February, 7pm, from £22.50

These two are brothers with music in their genes. Their father was a musician and

DOYLE BRAMHALL II

Besides having one of the grandest names in music history, Bramhall is known for his work with Eric Clapton’s solo career. A fun fact surrounding the world’s second Doyle Bramhall is that he plays his guitar upside-down due to the fact that it’s a righthanded one and he’s a left-handed player. He also produced Sheryl Crow’s 100 Miles from Memphis and worked with the musical mastermind that is Elton John, so it’s fair to say that he has many left-handed fingers in lots of pies. Be prepared for a Texan twang and blues-inspired sounds.

macy gray

Do we mean Leonard Cohen? No, this is Adam, Leonard’s son, and he’s got his own musical career. His four major-label albums are well-established, with three of them sung in English and the other in French. He acts as an ambassador for his father’s paintings and artworks and once wrote a song that Bette Midler used on one of her albums, so he’s a very busy member of the Cohen family. 20 February, 7pm, £18.50

COLOSSEUM

The band split up in 1971, but lovingly reunited in 1994 and is now performing for your pleasure. It describes itself as progressive jazz-rock and that sounds exciting because it is. They combine rockstyle sounds with jazz-like improvisation, and the result is always spectacular. Definitely one to see this month. 28 February, 7pm, £27.50

hudson taylor

O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, Shepherd’s Bush Green, W12 8TT, 0844 477 2000 (o2shepherdsbushempire.co.uk)

D’ANGELO

bush hall

21 February, 7pm, 21 February, from £45.75

Ah, the dulcet tones of blues music crossed with alternative-country. Is there anything more obscure but pleasant? Hiss Golden Messenger is made up of two Americans from North Carolina who have been lurking in the musical undergrowth since 2007. They flew out of the thicket with their third album last September and are now showing it off on this tour.

Even though he’s had numerous sabbaticals during his career – periods of time where his music productivity came to a grinding halt – D’Angelo (Michael Archer) is still around. His latest tour, The Second Coming, is promoting his newest album Black Messiah which has gone down a treat with critics. Catch him before he does his disappearing act again.

HISS GOLDEN MESSENGER

12 February, 7.30pm, £14

eventim apollo

ELBOW

RYAN ADAMS

These five musicians first elbowed their way onto the alternative-rock scene in the late 1990s, and they’re still very much in the game. Elbow was one of the acts to be chosen to perform during the London Olympics’ closing ceremony, and the event brought them into the consciousness of many of the nation’s previously Elbow-less citizens.

This musician has done the oh-so-original thing of naming his latest album Ryan Adams so you can easily find it and buy it. A talented marketer as well as a singer, it would seem, but don’t be intimidated by his numerous talents. This gig will be an enjoyable lesson in how rock, punk-rock and alternative country music should be done.

10 February, 7pm, from £40.75

27 February, 7pm, £40.75

HAMELL ON TRIAL

Punk rock is still alive thanks to this New York-born act formally known as Edward James Hamell. The music he produces is informed by politics, so it’s punky and edgy, and his intelligence and wit make for some entertaining but philosophical lyrics. His comedic elements have previously won him a Herald Angel Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and his musical shows are interspersed with amusing anecdotes and extended jokes. He’s an entertainment jack of all trades. 13 February, 7.30pm, £16

IBEYI + SPECIAL GUESTS

Although relatively new to the game, Ibeyi is a French Cuban duo that’s trying to conquer the musical world. The music is soul-R&Belectronic inspired (so everything, then) and they’ve dabbled in ‘experimental music’

elbow

SAM BAILEY

She was the 2013 The X Factor champion and this is her first tour as a headline act. Her powerful voice wowed the judges at almost every stage of the competition, so hopefully her pop and soul-style of music will have the same effect on her audience during her solo tour this year. 18 February, 6.30pm, from £34.25

THE AUSTRALIAN PINK FLOYD

Replicating the work of the original Pink Floyd, this merry band of Aussies tries to recreate Floyd’s look and sound by using visual aids and inflatables. It’s the ultimate tribute act and a sight for sore eyes. 28 February, 7pm, from £33.25 Eventim Apollo, 45 Queen Caroline Street, W6 9QH, 0844 249 1000 (eventimapollo.com)

image © Christian Bertrand

image © tom cronin

eventim apollo

grant nicholas

[music]

review

TITLE by Meghan Trainor Tom Hagues thinks Title has two personalities

ibeyi

(whatever that might be). The pair’s name is pronounced ee-bey-ee and comes from the Yorùbá (an ethnic group from southwestern Nigeria and southern Benin) ibeji, meaning ‘twins’, which is what they are. 19 February, 7.30pm, £12

GRANT NICHOLAS + SPECIAL GUESTS

Nicholas is a Welsh musician who sings and plays the guitar, and from what we can gather, he does it quite well. His genres include alternative-rock, Britpop and post-grunge (which has nothing to do with Royal Mail, we checked) and is adept at incorporating pianos and keyboards into his tracks. He was once part of a band, but now works alone. 26 February, 7.30pm, £16 Bush Hall, 310 Uxbridge Road, W12 7LJ, 020 8222 6955 (bushhallmusic.co.uk)

meghan trainor

rainor’s new album, Title, (of which the title track is titled Title) arrives after she stormed the pop charts with her début single All About That Bass. The great thing about this single was the fact that there wasn’t much out at the time that was like it. Its reliance on doo-wop and an infectious, uplifting beat meant it was instantly recognisable, and there are elements of this throughout the whole of Title. The more notable tracks feature this blend of bubblegum-pop and doo-wop and you can tell that it’s Trainor behind the microphone. This works well for the album in the same way that it did for All About That Bass because it simply makes it ‘obviously Trainor’. For anyone listening with the idea that she’s an innocent, good-as-gold lyricist, be prepared to be surprised. The song Walkashame is of a morally questionable nature as she describes stumbling around in an unfamiliar bedroom the morning after and putting her pants on insideout. Confidence is key in most of the songs, especially this one, where she sings Neighbours stare / I smile and wave ’cos I just don’t care / they’re probably jealous of my sexy hair. Either that or they’re wondering why her pants have got the label clearly on display. Bang Dem Sticks is a riot, even if it does sound like Trainor’s doing a singing impression of someone on a pub karaoke machine. Bizarrely, in the middle of this

song, she breaks out into a sort of rap, which is out of place. During this ‘rap’, she refers to herself as ‘M Train’, which has the same cringe-inducing effect as listening to your grandmother use a slang term to try and sound hip. Trainor drops the ball a bit with some of the slower songs, and this is where she loses her individuality. In particular, What If I is a hugely boring track that sounds like it’s been shoved in there to show off her vocal range, but in all honestly, you don’t listen to this album for the scale of her octaves. No, Title is a sugary, unashamedly feel-good album in most places, although No Good For You, Close Your Eyes and 3am are all worth skipping. Credit is arguably the best song on the album since it combines the demonstration of her voice and the classic doo-wop loveliness that this album is dripping in. The first half of Credit is accompanied by backing vocals going ‘shoooo-ooooh’ in a way that you only see in musicals set in 1950s America. Unfortunately there’s a brief attempt at a rap in Credit as well and it’s confusing, but not as confusing as when she suddenly incorporates the word ‘boobies’ into the lyrics. As long as the slower songs are avoided, this album is uplifting and a joy to listen to. Beware the curse of the catchy lyrics and be prepared to be humming them for weeks afterwards. £6.99 on iTunes, £8.99 deluxe version rating

[THEATRE]

February’s theatre

spotlight

Theatre productions to keep you occupied this month one to watch Full Listing of The Secret’s Out Grand Finale Weekend

28 February and 1 March KEEP YOUR LIPS SEALED

Saturday 28 February Glitterland at 11am Show 6 (Group A) at 3pm A Streetcar Named Desire at 5pm A Series Of Increasingly Impossible Acts at 9pm

Secret Theatre Talk (Group B) at 3.30pm

show 6

Sunday 1 March Chamber Piece at 12 noon © Helen Maybanks

The Lyric Hammersmith recently underwent an extensive redevelopment and, behind all the noisy construction work, something incredible was taking shape. The theatre formed a group called The Secret Theatre Company, which got to work with producing seven brand-spanking-new shows and during the last 48 hours of February, they’ll all be performed in a secret-spilling marathon of drama. Saturday’s stint will show four performances, including the classic A Streetcar Named Desire, Glitterland and the raucous A Series of Increasingly Impossible Acts. The Sunday leg will put on three shows – including Woyzeck and A Stab in the Dark, which is described as being a classic British farce set in Afghanistan – and a repeat of the plainly named Show 6. With so much going on and the opportunity to see so many new plays, it’s a wonder why you’d ever want to leave the area.

Show 6 (Group B) at 2.30pm Secret Theatre Talk (Group A) at 2.30pm Woyzeck at 4.30pm A Stab in the Dark at 8pm

glitterland

£75 for all the shows, £15 for individual shows, performance times vary, Lyric Hammersmith, Lyric Square, King Street, W6 0QL, 020 8741 6850 (lyric.co.uk)

central london

This musical has already been a hit Stateside and looks like it’s set to be popular here, too. It details the little-known story of Carole King growing from schoolgirl to world-famous musician and shows her relationships with friends and her husband. If you’ve ever thought ‘I wonder what Carole King’s story is?’, this is the perfect musical to satisfy your curiosity and entertain you at the same time. From £15, Monday-Saturday 7.30pm, matinees Thursday and Saturday 2.30pm, previews from 10 February, Aldwych Theatre, 49 Aldwych, WC2B 4DF, 0845 200 7981 (aldwychtheatre.com)

recommended DRAMA Until 1 March THE CHANGELING

A Jacobean play that’s regarded as one of the best tragedies of its time, The Changeling is about a woman called Beatrice-Joanna who is betrothed to Alonzo but is in love with Alsemero. Beatrice enlists the help of De Flores, who loves her (lost track yet?) to kill Alonzo so she can be with Alsemero. The sub-plot of this play is set in a madhouse and is just as romantically confusing as the main storyline. It focuses on Alibius and his wife Isabella, who is loved by Franciscus and Antonio, who pretend respectively to be a mad man and a fool so that they can see her. If you can keep up with all of that, this is a play that’s well worth seeing, even if it’s just for the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse’s candle-lit performance space. This part of

Shakespeare’s Globe is an intimate room that sees various operas and performances take place throughout the theatre’s season. From £10, performance dates and times vary, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Shakespeare’s Globe, 21 New Globe Walk, SE1 9DT, 020 7401 9919 (shakespearesglobe.com)

recommended MUSICAL From 10 February BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL

Sam Wanamaker Playhouse

[the great outdoors]

Chiswick in

bloom All the details for this year’s floral festival

WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR

Many of the blooms you’ll see are descended from the original planting that took place in 1828 – including Middlemist’s Red, which was brought to Britain from China in 1804 by Londoner John Middlemist, a nurseryman from Shepherd’s Bush. This stunning camellia is one of only two in the world known to exist; you’d have to travel to Waitangi in New Zealand to see the other.

he winter thus far may not have included many sunshine-filled days, but the balmy weather of spring is now on the horizon, heralded by the arrival of the annual Chiswick House Camellia Show. This month, we’ve investigated what makes these beautiful blooms so special and why taking a moment to smell the flowers is something that we highly recommend.

WHY visit CHISWICK HOUSE?

Surely the most spectacular backdrop against which to view these pretty petals is the conservatory at Chiswick House. A 300-ft glasshouse designed by Samuel Ware in 1813 for the 6th Duke of Devonshire, it has become a national treasure. A Grade I-listed building, the conservatory was designed by architect WHAT ARE CAMELLIAS? Samuel Ware (who later Camellias are one of the most dates for the show designed the Burlington popular winter-and-spring-flowering Arcade, Piccadilly) and plants. Originally from eastern and 28 February at 300-ft long, it was southern Asia, they have been grown to 29 March one of the earliest large in China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam glasshouses to be built – a for thousands of years. The blooms forerunner of Decimus Burton’s were given the name ‘Camellia’ in the glasshouse at Kew and Joseph Paxton’s 18th century in honour of Georg Kamel, an Crystal Palace. The conservatory’s camellia apothecary and botanist, who worked in the collection is believed to be the oldest under Far East. The camellias growing at Chiswick glass in the western world and includes House are all of the same species, C. rare and historically important examples of japonica, also known as ‘the rose of winter’ the species in an array of colours: pink, red, – one of the most popular and famous kinds white and striped. of camellia.

28 February-29 March, free entry, Tuesday to Sunday 10am-4pm. Chiswick House and Gardens, W4 2QN (chgt.org.uk)

Camellia Japonica

The International Camellia Society has been taking care of the precious collection in recent years since the conservatory fell into disrepair in the late 20th century. Since the restoration in 2010, the trust has initiated a programme that aims to guarantee a DID YOU KNOW? successful future for these rare Camellias of the species specimens by giving gardeners C. japonica are the state flower a chance to purchase one of of Alabama in the USA 16 heritage varieties from the original collection.

image © john fielding

A few NOTES FOR all those GREEN-FINGERED VISITORS

the conservatory

Time

for tea

If wintry illness is getting you down, why not pop the kettle on?

for the perfect cuppa Tea leaves need different brewing times and different water temperatures in order to release most of their goodness. Steeping times can range from one to two minutes to three to five, depending on the leaf and how strong the tea needs to be. Water temperatures usually range between 80 to 100 degrees centigrade and, for the more pernickety drinker, special tea thermometers can be purchased to make sure the

image © William Perugini

water’s just right.

es, February is cold, we know. It’s dark, wet and the last thing people need after a similarly loathsome January. This month is also a time when people are especially prone to getting colds or the flu from other passengers on the Tube, train or bus when everyone’s crammed in together. Try not to panic, though, because there are numerous helpful remedies in the form of teas, all of which will help to calm your symptoms and make everything feel that little bit better. There are three types of tea leaves – green, white and black. Black tea is what English breakfast tea is made from, as well as Earl Grey and other traditional favourites that you would usually see on the shelves at your local supermarket. Black tea, on the whole, is not as good for the body as green or

white tea, and this is down to the fact that the process it goes through is less natural and more rigorous than its cousins. What results is a product that (although tasty) has

Black tea, on the whole, is not as good for the body as green or white tea had most of its goodness destroyed during the process. Green tea is made from dried leaves, while white tea leaves are prepared by drying them through a steaming process, which simply means that more of the antioxidants and goodness within the leaves

are preserved. Remember that next time you sit down to a cup of builder’s tea. The great thing about tea is that it’s fairly multi-purpose and can be consumed for the taste alone as well as providing a boost for anyone whose energy levels might be flagging during the day. It’s a well-known fact that tea has been considered a medicine in places like Asia and India for centuries, and the natural ingredients that go into making herbal teas is the main reason why. These rumours of medicinal uses for tea aren’t just old wives’ tales, either; people often turn to a cup of hot brew as soon as symptoms start creeping in. Here are some of the teas that could provide anyone with almost instant relief from the most common ailments and problems people face in February.

[FOOD AND DRINK]

the teas and their benefits EASE THE QUEASY

Nauseous folk might be best drinking lemon and ginger tea, because of the way it settles rioting stomachs. Sipping on a cup of this provides more or less immediate quelling of sickness, be it because of a boat, car or train ride, or because of pregnancy. The best thing about this one is that it tastes as good as it makes you feel, and it warms the whole body as well as calms your tummy.

VITAL VITAMINS

The cause of a common cold is much debated by scientists and doctors, but one thing most people can agree on is that hibiscus herbal tea can do wonders to alleviate symptoms. A cup of this tea contains just the right amount of vitamin C to help battle unwanted viruses and does a similar job to a glass of cranberry juice, but the taste is less bitter. It’s also believed to help reduce blood pressure. It has an incredibly intense, fruity flavour and this alone is enough to win over people to try it.

FEEL-GOOD SWEETNESS

Silver Needle from China is picked on sunny mornings when the air is still relatively cool, but warm enough to remove any moisture that might have developed on the leaves overnight. Once they’ve been plucked from the fields, the leaves are left under the hot sun to dry out completely and to start wilting. Its flavour is similar to that of cantaloupe melon, which isn’t exactly an offensive taste, and it’s popular because of its tender leaves and mellow sweetness that sends shivers of pleasure down the spines of tea lovers.

lemon and ginger tea

SUPER DETOX

Green tea is heralded as the great antioxidant, and has been for many years. It’s now so popular and believed to do people so much good that it’s available in a dry, finely-milled form called matcha powder that can be dropped into coffee, milk, water or anything else that might take away the fact that it doesn’t taste very nice. This powder is simply a ground, intense version of what a green tea bag is, and really, three cups of green tea will be much more enjoyable and do the same amount of good as a spoonful of this potent powder. Green tea is always helpful after an evening – or weekend – of overindulgence, so drink it and feel righteous. The Chiswick Tea Co. sells a green tea called Dragon Well, which is widely reputed to be the highest-quality green tea: the Champagne of tea, if you will.

hibiscus herbal tea

SLEEPING BEAUTY

Sleeplessness is most people’s idea of a nightmare. To help stop lying in bed with eyes wide open or getting up at four o’clock in the morning to have a wander around the house, have a cup of chamomile tea before going to bed. It relaxes the body and calms the nerves, and is much more pleasant to ingest than taking a sleeping tablet. Try it with a teaspoon of sweet honey (which is also perfect for easing chesty coughs) to create a soothing, sweet relaxant that will put you in such a satisfying slumber, you’ll soon wish you’d discovered it sooner.

SILVER NEEDLE TEA

The all-rounder

The Chiswick Tea Co. also sells a tea called Jiaogulan which might just be a miracle drink. It comes from the cucumber and melon family and, as far as we’re aware, neither of those things has ever caused anyone any harm. This relation also means that the brewed liquid is naturally sweet and even makes excellent iced tea, so it’s perfect as an all-year-round all-rounder. It’s perhaps no coincidence that the area of China where it’s grown has a population with an exceptionally long life span.

jiaogulan tea green tea

chamomile tea

All of the above are available at chiswicktea.com

Flipping

tasty

Chiswick and Brook Green investigates where to eat pancakes and attend Pancake Day-themed events

hrove Tuesday is important to many, either for religious reasons or simply because pancakes are pieces of culinary art that can’t be topped (apart from with lemon and sugar, obviously). This year, Pancake Day falls on 17 February, so we’ve rounded up some of the best places to go – and this is by no means an exhaustive list – if you’re going to undertake the mouth-watering tradition of pancake-eating.

the local area OUTSIDER TART

This place is bursting with American goodies that aren’t usually found on our fair shores. The pancakes, however, are very familiar and they’re done decidedly well. We recommend a stack of four buttermilk pancakes with blueberries tumbled over them for the perfect combination of sweet, tart and American style. 8am-6pm Sunday-Wednesday, 8am-10pm Thursday-Saturday, 83 Chiswick High Road, W4 2EF, 020 7096 1609 (outsidertart.com) spinach, ham and cheese pancake, CRÊPEAFFAIRE

CRÊPEAFFAIRE

the HOTHOUSE CAFÉ

LA PETITE BRETAGNE

An obvious choice, but well worth it. Crêpeaffaire has a ridiculously large selection of goodies to choose from, which is unsurprising since that’s what it lives and breathes. Hold onto your hats, here’s a few of the choices: bananas and Belgian chocolate; apples, cinnamon, almonds and butterscotch; fresh strawberries and cream; bananas and French orange liqueur and (deep breath) for the savoury lover: a crêpe filled with an English-style breakfast. It would appear as though almost anything can be a filling, however outlandish.

If sweet pancakes are a bit too sickly for you, The Hothouse Café has the answer. Its selection of savoury pancakes is extensive, and if that’s not enough to tempt you in, they’re all named after Chiswick and its surrounding areas. The Chiswick Breakfast Pancake with sausage, bacon and maple syrup is a winner, but also try The Stamford Brook ( feta cheese, tomato, red onion and olives) and The Grove Park (mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes and olives). It’s not all savoury, though – it also has sweet versions for those who can’t resist the temptation.

We wouldn’t be surprised if the chefs at La Petite Bretagne are contenders for a ‘most accommodating crêpe-makers’ award. If there’s not something on the menu that catches your eye, the staff will try their very hardest to make your pancake dreams come true (within reason, of course). The savoury pancakes are made with buckwheat flour and are gluten and wheat-free (all the rage these days) and the sweet pancakes are made with good old-fashioned regular flour. We suspect La Petite Bretagne has thought of everything.

8am-7pm Monday-Sunday, 382 Chiswick High Road, W4 5TF, 020 8994 4939 (crepeaffaire.com)

7am-6pm Monday-Friday, 8am-6pm Saturday-Sunday, 448 Chiswick High Road, W4 5TT, 020 8581 1890 (hothousecafew4.com)

8am-10pm Monday-Friday, 10am-10pm Saturday-Sunday, 5-7 Beadon Road, W6 OEA, 020 8127 5530 (lapetitebretagne.co.uk)

[food AND drink]

pancake races THE GREAT SPITAlFIELDs PANCAKE RACE Running shoes and frying pans are required for this fundraising race. Competitors will take to the streets of Spitalfields in teams of four to help raise money for the London Air Ambulance this month. The organisers will supply the pancakes; all the runners need is a competitive attitude and a craving for crêpes. There are prizes available for the winners and runners-up and every entrant will be given a hot pancake to take away the pain of running around the cobbled streets. It’s a bit of fun and you don’t have to be Mo Farah to take part. Interested parties should register before the day by emailing info@alternativearts.co.uk but can also enter on the day if paying a donation. Free when booked in advance, 17 February, 12.30pm, Dray Walk, Old Truman

fruit and maple syrup, caFÉ PLUM

CAFÉ PLUM

These treats are only available at the weekend, but they’re worth the week-long wait. They come with grilled bacon or fresh fruit and Greek yogurt, but why not be cheeky and ask for both options? 9am-4pm Saturday-Sunday, 17 Crisp Road, W6 9RL, 020 8741 5001 (cafeplum.com)

BILL’S

Here you’ll find a simple stack of buttermilk pancakes with bananas, blueberries and maple syrup. It’s an easy choice, but even easier to eat. Breakfast served 8am-12 noon Monday-Friday and 8am to 1pm Saturday and Sunday, 270-272 Chiswick High Road, W4 1PD, 020 8994 2923 (bills-website.co.uk)

SAM’S BRASSERIE

Sam’s Brasserie offers a buttermilk pancake stack with two very satisfactory options. Available 9am-12 noon Monday-Sunday, 11 Barley Mow Passage, W4 4PH, 020 8987 0555 (samsbrasserie.co.uk)

image © sibs meaney

Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, E1 6QL, 020 8800 6665 (alternativearts.co.uk)

the great spitalfields pancake race

BETTER BANKSIDE ANNUAL CHARITY PANCAKE DAY RACE From the sounds of it, this race is a mixture of all things enjoyable: pancakes, music and food from Borough Market. Even if you’re not racing, pop down for pancakes and to cheer on friends, colleagues or strangers as they take part in the Pancake Flipping Relay Race. It may end in disaster for some teams, but everyone can finish the day knowing that they’ve had a good laugh. Teams are encouraged to make

Jackson + Rye

This entry speaks for itself; American-style pancakes from specialists in USA cuisine.

donations, and all the money raised will go to a local charity. The teams are restricted to four runners and can be registered by emailing info@betterbankside.co.uk. Free but donation suggested, 17 February, 12.30pm, RSVP by 13 February, Jubilee

Brunch menu until 4.30pm Saturday and Sunday, 217-221 Chiswick High Road, W4 2DW, 020 8747 156 ( jacksonrye.com)

Place, Borough Market, SE1 1TL, 020 7928 3998 (betterbankside.co.uk)

[politics]

hp source:

henry hopwood-phillips reports on local issues

March of the faithful One of the few Orthodox Christian cathedrals in the country stands in Chiswick, so Henry HopwoodPhillips talks to one of the church’s clerics about how the religion is faring after many years of neglect

Russian orthodox church Chiswick

image © Andrey Bayda

o those who aren’t local, a standout feature of Chiswick is an exotic-looking onion dome, its blueand-gold head popping out above the trees next to the M4. Most residents will know, however, that it is, in fact, a Russian Orthodox cathedral – the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God & the Holy Royal Martyrs to be precise. The Russian Orthodox Church in England may go back to the late 17th century when Peter the Great granted a petition raised by Greek priests to fund an Orthodox church in London, ‘but the Orthodox Church itself has far older roots on these islands,’ Friar Michael Wood, a Russian Orthodox hieromonk, tells me. ‘Don’t forget that Harold, the last Anglo-Saxon English king before the Norman Conquest, was Orthodox.’ Most Brits associate Orthodoxy with foreign churches, long white wizards’ beards and distant feats of asceticism. ‘We are victims of wilful amnesia,’ Fr Michael warns. ‘Aristobulus, Britain’s first bishop (in AD 37) was Orthodox’; he lists about 20 native saints, from Hilda to Botulph, who were Orthodox too. It reminds

Entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem

me of the fact that the Great Schism, the climax of incremental divergence (which resulted in the separation of the Catholic Church from the Orthodox fold) in 1054 is rarely taught at university, let alone school. Perhaps this anonymity is due to its reputation as an unfashionably conservative church. The priest isn’t convinced. ‘You’d think that, but the reality is that due to the eccentricities of our culture, its refusal to do homage to the passing whims and fads actually makes it popular.’ Fr Michael is sure that the dilution of Christ’s message and the tendency of other Churches to bend to political trends, cripples real belief. ‘How many martyrs (witnesses to Christ) have these other Churches produced over the past few centuries?’ Fr Michael asks rhetorically, his snowy eyebrows raised, the implication being that where suffering ends, complacency begins. This is all beginning to feel a little far from leafy Harvard Road where the cathedral opened in 1999, however, so I ask what the Church is going to do to attract more Britons. ‘We need to enlist every media means we can,’ he answers. ‘We may live in a post-

Christian age but we have manoeuvered past a distorted version of Christianity, not the true teaching.’ Fr Michael also reminds me that the number of Orthodox parishes using English as their sole liturgical language is growing. The priest is helping form a fellowship of St Aristibule (saintaristibule. org) for Brits who want to learn about Britain’s Orthodox heritage and become Orthodox themselves. He doesn’t want the Orthodox faith to prompt awkward dinner-table questions such as ‘Are you Greek then?’ or ‘Have you married a Russian?’ Referring to Bishop Anthony Bloom (d.2003), he uses the Metropolitan as an example of one who converted many, spoke excellent English, wrote several books about Orthodoxy and was a broadcaster too. ‘I don’t want to pretend that joining the Church is easy though,’ Fr Michael cautions, who joined the Russian Orthodox Church (the cathedral’s denomination) because he saw it as the most rigorous keeper of all that is holy in Orthodoxy. ‘We teach the way, not just a part of it.’ (russianchurchlondon.org)

[LETTERS]

Word on

THE STREET The most pressing issues from Chiswick and Brook Green locals

PARTY TIME

RUMBLING IN THE SKIES I know I’m not the only one who feels this way, but I really hope that the new runway isn’t built at Heathrow. We must do everything we can by working together to stop the airport’s expansion. I know it’s good for the economy, but frankly I don’t think I could live here with increased overhead noise. The thunder-like sound of planes coming in to land is bad enough at the moment, so I can’t bear to think what it would be like if there is increased traffic in the skies over Chiswick. - Mr Paulson

FINE STREETS I can’t tell whether the introduction of littering fines by Hounslow Council is making much of a difference. It looks like it has in some places, but others are just as littered as they used to be. I suppose it’s quite a difficult thing to enforce, what with people dropping rubbish discreetly or late at night, but it seems odd that it fluctuates so much. I know the council is attempting to crack down on the problem, but I’ve a feeling it might take a while. - Mr Potts

party time

ON THE RIGHT TRACK Our part of the District Line is getting more new trains to replace the outdated ones that everyone recognises. I read that the new carriages will have fewer seats in them to accommodate more standing passengers which, at first, I thought wasn’t a great idea. But as I read more about it, I’ve changed my mind and now think it’s probably not a bad way to go. After all, the trains are more or less empty whenever I use them in the middle of the

image © Michal Rosak

rumbling in the skies

Does anyone know of a good venue in which to host a medium to large-sized function? It’s my husband and I’s wedding anniversary next month and we would like to put on a lunch or afternoon tea in a private room, but aren’t sure of the best place to do it. We’ve been in the area for a while so have exhausted all the obvious choices. Any recommendations would be very welcome. - Mrs Lock

day and they’re only packed during rush hour. I’m looking forward to using the updated trains, that’s for sure. - Mrs Wheeler

on the right track

WATERY VIEW I’ve been really enjoying walks by the Thames recently. I always thought that I should go down for riverside walks more often and now I finally have. Even when the weather’s overcast (which is most of the time, in all honesty) it’s pleasant to just follow the river’s meander and stop off for a coffee or glass of wine on the way. It’s a great thing to do with guests from abroad as well; a lot of my family from Australia like to go there when they visit. I always feel so proud when they make remarks about the view and how clean the banks are. - Mr Goodman

watery view

SLOW DOWN! I think more traffic-calming measures should be rolled out across Chiswick. I have lost count of the number of times motorists have driven past my house too fast and it’s becoming a real issue for me and my neighbours. Speeding cars make it difficult to cross the road and makes a horrible, loud noise. It’s selfish and something needs to be done to combat it. I’m sure I’m not the only person who has this problem. - Mrs Lane

Slow down!

MY SLICE OF HEAVEN I’ve been out in my garden a lot recently, despite the colder weather. I find nothing more relaxing than preparing the flowerbeds for the spring or simply sitting on the patio with a cup of tea. Wrapped up warm, of course! - Mrs Lesley

If you have anything you’d like to share, ask or say, email us at chiswick.bg@residentsjournal.co.uk, write to us at Chiswick & Brook Green, Runwild Media Group, 6th Floor, One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5AX or tweet us @Chiswick_BG

[planning and development]

Development

focus

Chiswick’s newest residential build will be a draw to the area

t’s often agreed that there are particular types of residents who live in the houses that line the streets of Chiswick and Brook Green. Young professionals with young families tend to flock to the area especially, and not least of all because it’s not a million miles away from the centre of London. At a distance often described as ‘very good’, Chiswick and Brook Green postcodes enjoy fast links to the capital from the District line, national rail services and the Piccadilly line. But transport, as essential as it is, is not the main reason people choose to live in this part of London. To say Chiswick and Brook Green is a cultural hotspot is, frankly, an understatement. For those who don’t know London particularly well, or for those who assume the City stretches merely from Canary Wharf to Mayfair, the thought of living in an area like Chiswick (and spending a whole weekend outside of zone one) is unfathomable. ‘Why would you not make the most of the restaurants at the weekend when you live so close?’ they might ask. This is when Chiswick and Brook Green residents play their trump card in defence of their chosen dwellings. The sheer number of bars,

the chiswick gate development

pubs, restaurants, Michelin starred-hotspots and cafés in the area mean people can stay within walking distance of their front doors and still enjoy the lifestyle of someone who lives in central London. Of course, people who live in W4 and its surrounding postcodes already know this, and often endeavour to keep it their little secret to avoid overcrowding their beloved bistros. From Strand-on-the-Green to Hammersmith Bridge, the Thames flows right along the southern side of the postcode, separating it from Kew and Barnes. River races and boating opportunities are plentiful, but you don’t need to don a plastic fisherman’s mac and take to the (admittedly tiny) waves to enjoy the Thames. The number of pubs sitting on the edge of the water with

Why would you not make the most of the restaurants at the weekend when you live so close?

fancy terraces and a ‘we could be on the French Riviera’ attitude is astonishing, and something that both visitors and residents enjoy taking advantage of. Chiswick Gate is the latest development to take shape in this popular area. Comprising 122 homes, with a selection of one, two and three-bedroomed apartments and three to five-bedroomed townhouses, the project will have a residents’ gym, landscaped gardens and an orchard. It’ll be built just a few steps away from the picturesque Chiswick House and Gardens a few more from Chiswick train station, meaning the area’s transport links and one of its greatest cultural assets are minutes away. Berkeley, the company behind the development, says: ‘Close your eyes and, sometimes, you can hardly believe that this is London’. It’s a poetic sentence that conjures up a tranquil scene, but more importantly, it’s true. The development will be tucked away in landscaped gardens that wouldn’t be out of place in the greenery of the home counties with birds chirping and providing a relaxing soundtrack to this so-close-to-London area. The properties in the development are all within a mile of Chiswick High Road; great for foodies and shopaholics alike. The building will be situated at the eastern side of W4, with the Great West Road close enough to provide access to the M4, other major routes out of the capital and Heathrow airport, but far enough away not to cause an intrusive amount of noise. This property will be a modern injection into an area known for its historical terraces. Chiswick Gate’s information centre will open on site in spring 2015, with the official project expected to launch in September 2015, and first completions are due in early 2017. The properties will provide a great environment for young families to move into and become part of Chiswick’s wellestablished and close-knit community. Prices to be confirmed, for more information call 020 3411 8602 (chiswick-gate.co.uk)

[PROPERTY]

Market

insight Christopher Bramwell, Head of West London residential at Savills, takes a look at how stamp duty reforms are affecting the property market in 2015

he market for property above £937,500 significantly changed after the autumn statement last year. It is now more tax-burdened. The Chancellor has scrapped the previous slab structure by which the percentage paid was calibrated to the purchase price band – so much more stamp duty would be liable if the property price fell just above the threshold – and put in its place a method comparable to the system of income tax. It’s a progressive tax. Before, if you went over the £2million mark it resembled a cliff edge, but now its structure is incremental. In essence, buyers are having to analyse their budgets more carefully, the additional tax costs are being sliced off their spend for those potential purchases approaching £1million or more. For those buyers, below £937,500, it is advantageous allowing them to increase their spend, translating into larger deposits to possibly obtain better mortgages. Hopefully, this will help first time buyers get themselves onto the property ladder. The stamp duty reform introduced by the government came as a great surprise to the markets at the end of last year. Sales in London’s most expensive areas hit their highest one-day volumes in a decade but now things are much more stable. The volume of property transactions has decreased and this is partly because many sellers and buyers are waiting for outcome of the general election in May of this year. Labour is still keen on pushing through their mansion tax proposals if they win the election and form a government and this will affect properties worth more than £2million. Property remains a very solid investment though, especially when compared to other asset classes because a certain confidence has been retained, and where confidence blooms, growth is expected to follow.

(savills.co.uk)

christopher bramwell

Property

houses of parliament

Most MPs would choose new council tax bands over a mansion tax

Seven in 10 MPs believe that an extra higher rate of council tax is a better option than a new mansion tax on homes of a higher value. A recent survey, carried out by polling organisation ComRes and the British Property Federation, found that 69 per cent of MPs across all parties think council tax is the best option when it comes to property taxes undergoing reform. Ninety-two per cent of Conservative MPs, 89 per cent of Lib Dem MPs and 39 per cent of Labour MPs support the idea of re-banding council tax as opposed to introducing a new mansion tax, while just 56 per cent of Labour’s MPs are towing the party line and supporting a new annual levy on high-value dwellings. An even stronger majority – 75 per cent of Members of Parliament across the parties (87 per cent of Labour MPs; 64 per cent Conservative) – believe that council tax needs a revaluation anyway, with 53 per cent plumping for a change in the band system before 2020.

House price inflation spreads to outer London boroughs

The centre cannot hold, notes real estates services company CBRE in its annual ‘Hot 100’ report, as a widening price gyre spreads from central London to the greater capital. A decade of stellar performance in the central and ‘Golden Postcodes’ seems to have passed its peak, with outer boroughs – led by Lambeth with a massive +40.1 per cent in 2014 – outperforming most prime heartlands over the last year. Westminster sits in second place after the City for house price growth among London’s boroughs over the last decade, with prices rising by 183.5 per cent since 2005, but Mayfair’s borough doesn’t even make the top 10 for growth in the last 12 months. Hammersmith & Fulham’s house prices have risen by 114.4 per cent over the last 10 years. Property consultancy JLL agrees with CBRE’s prognosis, noting that Greater London will be a ‘bright spot’ for property price growth, outperforming more central prime areas this year for the first time in more than five years.

Map by CBRE

image © xmaurice (cc by sa 2-0)

news

10-year house price inflation

Pickles cracks down on unauthorised development

Council planning teams across the UK are being tooled up with a £1million war chest to stop property developers and homeowners in their tracks when it comes to illegal planning action. Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has unveiled the new Planning Enforcement Fund (PEF), which will essentially pay

Graph by Hamptons International

House plans

50 per cent more Londoners cash in on price chasm

Graph by Hamptons International

[PROPERTY]

Total value of homes bought outside the capital by Londoners

without the use of the courts, but over the last decade local planning authorities in England have issued an average of 60 injunctions a year, mainly for the most serious breaches. These typically cost about £13,000 a time, so Pickles is billing the PEF as ‘a real boost to councils’ capacity to take action against unauthorised development. Those refusing to abide by a court injunction could face being sent to prison. the costs that the council would incur when seeking a court injunction against homeowners and property developers who ‘flout planning laws and cause misery to local residents’. Rather than reaching into their own coffers, councils can now apply for a handout of up to £10,000 per case to secure the injunction. Most planning breaches are resolved

The London Exodus: 50 per cent more Londoners cash in on price chasm

The number of Londoners leaving the Big Smoke and bright lights to set up home elsewhere leapt by 50 per cent in 2014, says Hamptons, as buyers look to cash in on the price gap that’s become more of a widening chasm. Londoners purchased around 58,000

homes worth more than £21billion outside the city limits in the last 12 months, half as many again as in 2013 – and almost double the value – and the highest quantity since 2007. They don’t seem to be straying too far though: 80 per cent bought in the SouthEast and East of England, maintaining relatively easy access to the capital and all it has to offer. Londoners, according to Hamptons, accounted for 18 per cent of all sales across the Home Counties in 2014’s last quarter, which is the highest proportion since 2007. Throughout the year, townies bought up 45,000 homes worth £17billion across the South-East and East of England.

Off to a

good start

Ramsey Conyers, head of Knight Frank Chiswick, explains why the early 2015 market is shaping up to be a promising one

Emlyn Road , £2,750,000

ith all the talk about the general election and the threat of a mansion tax looming on the horizon, you might think it sounds pretty confident of Knight Frank Chiswick’s head honcho Ramsey Conyers to open with a statement saying: ‘We’re expecting the start of the year to be very busy.’ But the experienced agent is ready to back up his claims. ‘We’ve had 12 listings in the past week,’ he elaborates. ‘Since the start of the year, with the slight change in the market and to Stamp Duty

[good news for anyone buying property costing less than £937,500, according to the Treasury], many people have come back to the trusted name of Knight Frank and we’ve had a lot of interest.’ Ramsey insists that, although things may change in the run-up to election day on 7 May, things have started positively. ‘We’ve always got a residual amount of business due to the internal migration within Chiswick; people who are upsizing or downsizing but are keen to stay in the area,’ he says. ‘However, with mortgage

rates a lot more competitive than they were a year ago, we are seeing more and more people who have sat down at the Christmas dinner table and decided it’s time to move.’ Would he agree with that decision? ‘Absolutely,’ he replies. ‘If you’re planning on moving, I’d recommend doing it in the next couple of months. The closer we get to the election, the more chance there is of the market beginning to stall.’ The mansion tax, however, is no longer the hottest topic on everyone’s lips, Ramsey insists. ‘There was a lot of talk about it when the Chiswick

[PROPERTY]

British Grove, £1,050,000

It’s the kind of situation that will really help local buyers to get on the property ladder in Chiswick market is rocketing up, there’s not much available, which isn’t the ideal situation for those looking to buy,’ Ramsey admits. ‘Now with the increase in stock, buyers have more choice and we believe it is a great time to buy.’ The early part of last year saw the property market shoot up before plateauing in the final few months.

Does Ramsey see 2015 following a similar pattern? ‘In terms of pricing there might be a steady increase this year,’ he considers, ‘but we expect the growth to be marginal before the market really kicks off again in 2016-17. It’s the kind of situation that will really help local buyers to get on the property ladder in Chiswick, rather than having to look elsewhere because they’re priced out of the market.’ Business has been going from strength to strength at Knight Frank’s Chiswick HQ, which, since opening in autumn last year, has been a hub for those interested in the local property market. ‘People want to have a proper conversation about their property and the market in general,’ Ramsey tells us. ‘Knight Frank is well-placed in both the local and global markets to offer that – and we have an open-door policy here at the office. Anyone interested in making the most of our fantastic research department is welcome to come in for a chat – even if they’re not immediately concerned about selling their property.’ So what would Ramsey like to see happen in 2015? ‘For me, it’s about the individual stories,’ he replies. ‘I love to see people coming back to Knight Frank, buying and selling through my team and actually

reaping the benefits of our advice. I hope to change people’s preconceptions about estate agents; to prove that we can play a valuable role in a close community like we have here in Chiswick.’ Knight Frank Chiswick, 64 Turnham Green Terrace, W4 1QN, 020 3757 6230 (knightfrank.co.uk)

office first opened towards the end of last year,’ he explains. ‘I can’t say that’s completely disappeared, but I no longer get asked about it at every market appraisal. The fact is, the economy is improving and inflation was reported at a record low the other day; all of which is positive news for the prospective buyer.’ Another nail in the coffin of the doom-and-gloomers is the clear influx of stock joining the market in this early part of the new year. ‘When the

ramsey conyers

savills.co.uk

EXTENSIVE TWO BEDROOM APARTMENT WITH A GARDEN sinclair road, w14 Reception room ø kitchen/dining room ø 2 bedrooms (1 en suite) ø bathroom ø cloakroom ø garden ø 82 sq m (883 sq ft) ø EPC=D

Guide £875,000 Share of Freehold

Savills Brook Green Camilla Harris charris@savills.com

020 3618 3777

STUNNING VICTORIAN HOUSE WITH STYLISH CONTEMPORARY FAMILY ACCOMMODATION gunterstone road, w14 Reception room ø drawing room ø family room ø kitchen/dining room ø 7 bedrooms (2 en suite) ø 2 bathrooms ø utility room ø 3 cloakrooms ø garden ø 351 sq m (3,778 sq ft) ø EPC=D

Guide £4.3 million Freehold

Savills Brook Green Christopher Bramwell cbramwell@savills.com

020 3618 3777

savills.co.uk

CREATIVELY DESIGNED HOUSE WITH STUNNING FAMILY SPACE ormiston grove, w12 Reception room ø family room ø kitchen/dining room ø 5 bedrooms (1 en suite) ø 2 bathrooms ø garden ø 225 sq m (2,422 sq ft) ø EPC=D

Guide £1.95 million Freehold

Savills Brook Green Dean Moriarty dmoriarty@savills.com

020 3618 3777

WONDERFUL AND ELEGANT FAMILY HOME MOMENTS FROM BROOK GREEN luxemburg gardens, w6 Double reception room ø drawing room ø dining room ø kitchen/breakfast room ø 6 bedrooms (2 en suite) ø 2 shower rooms ø bathroom ø cellar ø garden ø 312 sq m (3,358 sq ft) ø EPC=E

Guide £2.975 million Freehold

Savills Brook Green Camilla Harris charris@savills.com

020 3618 3777

savills.co.uk

FABULOUS FLAT WITH SOUTH-FACING GARDEN bassein park road, w12 Reception room ø kitchen ø bedroom ø bathroom ø south-facing garden ø potential to develop (subject to planning permission) ø 57 sq m (614 sq ft) ø EPC=C

Guide £575,000 Leasehold

Savills Chiswick Emma Sims esims@savills.com

020 8987 5550

Computer

ATTRACTIVE GARDEN FLAT BOASTING OPEN PLAN LIVING SPACE IDEAL FOR ENTERTAINING weston road, w4 Reception room/kitchen ø 2 bedrooms ø bathroom ø garden ø 85 sq m (915 sq ft) ø EPC=C

Guide £650,000 Leasehold

Savills Chiswick Emma Sims esims@savills.com

020 8987 5550

savills.co.uk

STUNNING DETACHED HOUSE WITH SUPERB GARDEN ADJOINING RAVENSCOURT PARK goldhawk road, w12 3 reception rooms ø open plan kitchen/breakfast room ø 4 bedrooms (3 en suite) ø bedroom 5/ study ø bathroom ø utility room ø cloakroom ø off-street parking ø garage ø south-facing garden ø 354 sq m (3,820 sq ft) ø EPC=D

Guide £3.75 million Freehold

Savills Chiswick Christopher Bramwell cbramwell@savills.com

020 8987 5550

Computer Generated Image

AN EXCLUSIVE OPPORTUNITY TO ACQUIRE A SUBSTANTIAL PLOT WITH FULL PLANNING PERMISSION park road, w4 Planning permission granted for detached house ø 5 bedrooms ø separate studio ø basement ø off-street parking ø 418 sq m (4,500 sq ft)

Guide £2.25 million Freehold

Savills Chiswick Christopher Bramwell cbramwell@savills.com

020 8987 5550

1 2

savills.co.uk

LETTINGS LAYOUT ONLY

RAVENSCOURT GARDENS, w6

CHISWICK HIGH ROAD, w4

2 bedrooms (1 en suite) ø open plan reception room/kitchen ø brand new apartment ø communal garden ø off-street parking ø 72 sq m (788 sq ft) ø Council Tax=TBC ø EPC=C

3 bedrooms ø open plan reception room/kitchen ø 2 bathrooms ø roof terrace ø 112 sq m (1,203 sq ft) ø Council Tax=E ø EPC=E

Flexible furnishings £550 per week

Unfurnished £760 per week

+ £276 inc VAT one-off admin fee and other charges may apply* Savills Chiswick jgread@savills.com 020 8987 5550

STRAND ON THE GREEN, w4

AUDLEY ROAD, w5

4/5 bedrooms ø 2 reception rooms ø 2 bathrooms ø annexe with 2 rooms ø triple garage ø 261 sq m (2,811 sq ft) ø Council Tax=H ø EPC=E

5 bedrooms (1 en suite) ø double reception room ø kitchen ø family bathroom ø loft ø garden ø off-street parking ø 231 sq m (2,485 sq ft) ø Council Tax=H ø EPC=D

Unfurnished £1,500 per week

Unfurnished £980 per week

+ £276 inc VAT one-off admin fee and other charges may apply* Savills Chiswick jgread@savills.com 020 8987 5550

3 4

*£36 inc VAT for each additional tenant/occupant/guarantor reference where required. Inventory check out fee – charged at the end of or early termination of the tenancy and the amount is dependent on the property size and whether furnished/unfurnished. For more details, visit www.savills.co.uk/fees.

L L O

savills.co.uk

LETTINGS LAYOUT ONLY

A WELL PROPORTIONED FAMILY HOME IN AN ENVIABLE POSITION IN BROOK GREEN rowan road, w6 5 bedrooms ø 2 reception rooms ø separate kitchen ø 2 bathrooms ø patio garden ø 191 sq m (2,056 sq ft) ø Council Tax=G ø EPC=E

Unfurnished £975 per week + £276 inc VAT one-off admin fee and other charges may apply*

Savills Brook Green Ben Charlsey bcharlsley@savills.com

020 3618 3785

AN ELEGANT NEWLY BUILT TOWNHOUSE BY THE RIVER THAMES rutland grove, w6 3 bedrooms ø reception room ø open plan kitchen/dining room ø 2 bathrooms ø 2 cloakrooms ø 2 terraces ø off-street parking ø 148 sq m (1,599 sq ft) ø Council Tax=F ø EPC=C

Unfurnished £1,150 per week + £276 inc VAT one-off admin fee and other charges may apply*

Savills Brook Green Ben Charlsey bcharlsley@savills.com

020 3618 3785 *£36 inc VAT for each additional tenant/occupant/ guarantor reference where required. Inventory check out fee – charged at the end of or early termination of the tenancy and the amount is dependent on the property size and whether furnished/unfurnished. For more details, visit www.savills.co.uk/fees.

KnightFrank.co.uk

Emlyn Road, London W12

6 bedroom semi‐detached house for sale in W12 A superb 6 bedroom semi‐detached house of over 3,000 sq ft with a 45 ft rear garden and off street parking for 2 cars. Good transport links available from Turnham Green and Stamford Brook Tube Stations. Approximately 283 sq m ﴾3,046 sq ft﴿. Freehold. EPC rating F.

KnightFrank.co.uk/Chiswick Chiswick@knightfrank.com 020 3757 6230

Price on application. ﴾CWK140055﴿

cbg- 6 Emlyn Road

27/01/2015 11:30:11

cbg

:11

KnightFrank.co.uk

British Grove, Chiswick W4

An exquisite two bedroom artist studio for sale in W4 Ideally located just behind the sought after St Peters Square, this exceptional two bedroom artist studio offers an abundance of space and light throughout. The living area consists of a large reception room, two double bedrooms, modern kitchen and private patio garden. Approx 915 sq ft. Freehold. EPC rating E. Price on application.

KnightFrank.co.uk/Chiswick Chiswick@knightfrank.com 020 3757 6230

﴾CWK150003﴿

cbg- british grove

27/01/2015 11:26:08

KnightFrank.co.uk

The Avenue, Chiswick W4

A stunning 4 bedroom Edwardian house for sale in W4 A meticulously refurbished and elegant four bedroom family house on a popular tree lined road in Bedford Park. Only a short walk from Chiswick High Road and Turnham Green Underground Station. Approx 1,657 sq ft. Freehold. EPC rating E. Price on application.

KnightFrank.co.uk/Chiswick Chiswick@knightfrank.com 020 3757 6230

﴾CWK140018﴿

cbg- The Avenue with cm

27/01/2015 11:28:38

cbg

:38

KnightFrank.co.uk

Southfield Road, Chiswick W4

A stunning two bedroom flat to rent with a private garden A bright first floor maisonette flat is situated in the desirable area of Bedford Park. It comprises 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a large reception with a open plan kitchen and a private garden. Available to rent end of February. Furnished. EPC rating D.

KnightFrank.co.uk/Chiswick Chiswick@knightfrank.com 020 3757 6230

Price: £850 per week Short let ﴾CWK140055﴿

cbg - Southfield Road

27/01/2015 11:40:03

Richford Street W6 £1,399,999 Freehold Hammersmith & Shepherds Bush Sales 020 8563 7100 | hammsales@dng.co.uk

North North

Chelsea Chelsea

Fulham Fulham

A large, Victorian terraced home covering over 1,500 sq.ft. located in the heart of W6. The property offers fantastic living space and currently has planning permission to be extended.

Hammersmith & Shepherd’s Bush Hammersmith & Shepherd’s Bush

Kensington Kensington

Kensington Gate Kensington Gate

3 bedrooms, Bathroom, Shower room, Reception room, Study, Kitchen, Utility room, 40 ft garden, EPC: C.

South Kensington South Kensington

Notting Hill Notting Hill

Pimlico & Westminster Pimlico & Westminster

douglasandgordon.com

Theresa Road W6 ÂŁ700 per week Fees apply Unfurnished Hammersmith & Shepherds Bush Lettings 020 8563 4422 | hammlets@dng.co.uk

South

Balham

Battersea

Battersea Park

A stunning cottage which has been recently refurbished throughout. The ground floor offers wonderful open-plan living which leads onto a lovely southfacing garden.

Clapham

East Putney

Southfields & Earlsfield

2 double bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (1 en-suite), Open-plan kitchen/ reception room, Patio garden, EPC: C.

West Putney

St Albans Avenue, W4 Place,W4 W4 StDevonhurst Albans Avenue, St Albans Avenue, W4

£1,795,000 Freehold £1,075,000 LeaseholdFreehold plus SoF £1,795,000 £1,795,000 Freehold

A superbly presented and recently renovated four bedroom two bathroom home in this sought after location only a short A presented recently renovated four bedroom two home ininthis onlybuilding a short Asuperbly rare opportunity toand acquire two bedroom twoHigh bathroom fifthbathroom floor apartment thissought soughtafter afterlocation residential walk from Turnham Green tubeaand the Chiswick Road. A superbly presented recently renovated fourcan bedroom twoon bathroom home thiscorner soughtofafter location enjoying only a short located the heartGreen ofand Chiswick. The be found the south and in west the building an walk frominTurnham tube and theapartment Chiswick High Road. walk from Turnham tube and the Chiswick abundance of light.Green Secure underground parkingHigh and Road. porterage. Leasehold plus share of freehold. EPC rating = C • Sought after location Prime residential •• • Sought after location Walking distance oflocation the high road •• • Sought after location Sought after development Walking distance of the high road • Contemporary style •• • Walking distance of the high road Fifth floor Contemporary style • Contemporary style

• • •

• 25’ Double reception room South and west facing room •• 25’ Double reception room Large kitchen/dining •• 25’ Double receptionroom room Two bedrooms, Large kitchen/dining • Four double bedrooms • Large kitchen/dining room Two bathrooms • Four double bedrooms • Four double bedrooms

w w w. a n d r ew n u n n a s s o c i a t e s . c o . u k w w w. a n d r ew n u n n a s s o c i a t e s . c o . u k w w w. a n d r ew n u n n a s s o c i a t e s . c o . u k

 020  020  020

• •• •• • •• •

Two bathrooms • Juliet balconies Two bathrooms Landscaped garden Two bathrooms • Secure underground parking Landscaped garden EPC = D Landscaped garden • Porterage EPC =D EPC = D

8995 8995 8995

15 0 0 15 0 0 15 0 0

Dukes Avenue, W4 Blenheim Road, W4 Dukes Avenue, Dukes Avenue, W4

£2,500,000 Freehold £507 PWFreehold To Let £2,500,000 £2,500,000 Freehold

A wonderful opportunity to acquire this family house in Dukes Avenue with a west facing rear garden enjoying wonderful to acquire family house Dukes Avenue with a west rear garden enjoying AA fabulous twoopportunity bedroomover garden flat this intowards one of the most of Bedford Park,running located only a short High walk Road. from uninterrupted aspects gardens the west.indesirable Located instreets this sought after facing road off Chiswick A wonderful opportunity to acquire this familythe house Dukes Avenue with a west rear garden enjoying Turnham Green tube and Chiswick High Road. Available immediately. uninterrupted aspects over gardens towards west.inLocated in thisUnfurnished. sought after facing road running off Chiswick High Road. uninterrupted aspects over gardens towards the west. Located in this sought after road running off Chiswick High Road. • Prime central location • Semi-detached family house • Prime central room location • •Large reception withhouse high ceilings • Semi-detached Wonderful west family facing garden • Semi-detached • •Ground floorwest family Wonderful facing house garden • Wonderful west facing garden • •Two double bedrooms Prime central location

• • •

• Six bedrooms Good size garden rooms •• Six bedrooms Two reception •• Six bedrooms Convenient Two reception • Vaultedlocation kitchenrooms •• Two rooms Short walkreception from Turnham Green station Vaulted kitchen • Vaulted kitchen

w w w. a n d r ew n u n n a s s o c i a t e s . c o . u k w w w. a n d r ew n u n n a s s o c i a t e s . c o . u k w w w. a n d r ew n u n n a s s o c i a t e s . c o . u k

 020  020  020

• Off street parking Available ••• Off street immediately parking Freehold ••• Off street parking Unfurnished Freehold • EPC = E ••• Freehold EPC = E • EPC = E

8995 8995 8995

15 0 0 15 0 0 15 0 0

ProPerty. It’s not just what we do, It’s who we are.

In the heart of Hammersmith Private fitness suite, 24-hour concierge service, residentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; private underground parking** and just 150m from two underground stations.

ÂŁ2,199,950* sovereign-court.com 020 3773 7655

Elite Collection from

Sovereign Court, Sales & Marketing Suite, Glenthorne Road, Hammersmith, London W6 0LJ Open daily.

* Price correct at time of going to press. **Parking is on a right to park basis and available at an additional price. Computer generated imagery for illustrative purposes only.

SGW_SC_Chiswick&Brook_ResJournal_268x190_Feb15.indd 1

30/01/2015 10:54

Blythe Road W14 ÂŁ2,395,000 This recently refurbished, beautiful family home, located in the heart of Brook Green, offers superb attention to detail and well-proportioned accommodation. Freehold. EPC=D

Brook Green: 020 7605 7760 sales.bkg@marshandparsons.co.uk

Dorville Crescent W6 ÂŁ1,650,000 This fantastic family home, located on a desirable road in the heart of Brackenbury Village, offers substantial living space and four bedrooms. Freehold. EPC=E

Askew Road: 020 8102 0123 sales.ask@marshandparsons.co.uk

St. Peters Road W6 ÂŁ750 per week Located between Ravenscourt Park and The River Thames, this incredible two-bedroom house, with off street parking and a south-facing patio garden, has been finished to an incredibly high standard. EPC=D

Askew Road: 020 8102 0123 lets.ask@marshandparsons.co.uk

Double fronted property of magnificent proportions Matching people and property in London for 150 years.

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