Barnes

For other uses, see Barnes (disambiguation).

Barnes
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Location
OS grid reference:	TQ225765
Latitude:	51.474136°
Longitude:	-0.235241°
Administration
London borough:	Richmond
County level:	Greater London
Region:	London
Constituent country:	England
Sovereign state:	United Kingdom
Other
Ceremonial county:	Greater London
Historic county:	Surrey (1965)
Services
Police force:	Metropolitan Police
Fire brigade:	London Fire Brigade
Ambulance service:	London Ambulance
Post office and telephone
Post town:	LONDON
Postal district:	SW13
Dialling code:	020
Politics
UK Parliament:	Richmond Park
London Assembly:	South West
European Parliament:	London
London | List of places in London

Barnes is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is located 5.8 miles (9.4 km) west south-west of Charing Cross in a loop of the River Thames, with Hammersmith Bridge at the north end. It has some of the most expensive housing in London, prized for its relatively secluded location (the river acts as a barrier to much through traffic) and its elegant mansions.

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

Barnes is cited as the internet shopping "hotspot" of Britain, with local residents spending an average of £150 pa per head on mail order goods ranging from clothing to wine. ^[1]

Tourist Attractions

The only permanent tourist attraction in Barnes is the WWT London Wetlands Centre, next to Barn Elms, comprising over 40 hectares of artificial wetlands created on the site of a former reservoir as a bird sanctuary. Also, once a year, the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race passes around the loop of the Thames surrounding Barnes. Barnes also has an attractive village green and duck pond (recently rebuilt after a series of leaks).

A low-key attraction is the Olympic Studios on Church Road. Relocated from Central London in 1966, they have played host to many of rock and pop music's greatest stars ranging from the Rolling Stones, Queen, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin to Massive Attack, Duran Duran, Coldplay and Will Young.

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

Barnes has a unique place in the history of football. First, Headmaster of St Paul's School Richard Mulcaster is credited with taking mob football and turning it into an organised, refereed team sport that was beneficial for schoolboys. Second, Barnes was home to Ebenezer Cobb Morley who was a founding member of the [Football Association]] in 1862. In 1863, he wrote to Bell's Life newspaper proposing a governing body for football that led to the first meeting at the Freemason's Tavern that created the FA. He wrote at his house in Barnes the first set of rules of true modern soccer that were adopted by the FA and spread all over the world. As a player, he played in the first ever match of football played according to today's rules. For his key role in establishing modern Association Football, Ebenezer Cobb Morley is considered the father of Soccer. Finally, Barnes Rugby Football Club has evidence to show it is the oldest Rugby Football club in the world. It is located next the WWT London Wetlands Centre at Barn Elms. St Paul's School is on Lonsdale Road.

The site of pop musician Marc Bolan's car crash on Queen's Ride in 1977, in which he was killed, now forms Bolan's Rock Shrine. The memorial receives frequent visits from his fans, and in 2002 a bronze bust of Bolan was installed to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of his death.

At the end of Lonsdale Road, The Bull's Head is a pub on the river known as the suburban Ronnie Scott's - there is live jazz every night of the week, often by internationally renowned acts as part of a longer tour. Consequently the pub attracts fans from all over London and beyond. The pub is noted for the very poor service and a very rude bar manager.

Notable Restaurants

• Riva Restaurant, on Church Road where it has turned on to Castelnau. Top-rated place frequented by celebs.
• Sonny's Restaurant, on Church Road. Popular and acclaimed.
• The Red Lion pub, at the junction of Castelnau and Church road. Recently rebuilt pseudo-traditional pub, with standard pub food.
• The Sun Inn, opposite Barnes Green. A pricey traditional pub, with a range of food made on the premises.
• The Bridge, at the top of Castelnau, near Hammersmith bridge. Recently rebuilt. This is a lousy place because my mum says.
• The Castelnau, at the top of Castelnau (opposite The Bridge.) Bar / restaurant.

Nearest places

• Chiswick
• Fulham
• Hammersmith
• Kew
• Mortlake
• Putney
• Roehampton

Railway Stations

• Barnes Bridge railway station
• Barnes railway station

References

1. ^ Source Experian report featured in The Times, Wednesday 30th August 2006.

External links

• Barnes online community website
• The Old Sorting Office arts centre website
• Barnes Rugby Football Club
• www.BarnesSW13.com community website
• Holy Trinity Church, Barnes

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