Tom looks forward to old age
I hope I’m still eating and drinking in La Brocca aged 87!
Tom loves La Brocca
Enjoyed a double-dose of La Brocca food last weekend… My favourite moments were the gnocchi; bubbling hot, with nips of basil adding occasional zest to an already delicious dish, and the fennel & endive salad, as ever respectfully dressed.
The best was reserved for last though; a quite delightful apple and caramel crumble, which, due to its generous proportions, I was happy to share just for once.
That’s a thought… how about a giant-sized apple crumble, as a main meal? See, I’m full of good ideas after a bottle and a half of Shiraz…
No sign of first night nerves at Spiga
Last night Tom and I decided it was Our Duty to check out Broadhurst Garden’s newest restaurant, Spiga. It was opening night so I wasn’t really expecting to review it as there were bound to be first night issues and it’s not really fair to give a definitive verdict on such an occasion.
As it was, our meal was verging on faultless. From a friendly welcome from front-of-house manager Marcello through to the cheery goodbyes a couple of hours later, it was refreshingly hard to find much room for improvement. The menu looks appealing, and there’s a set menu tucked away on the back page that has an early bird price option before 7pm. An interesting selection of bread appeared swiftly and we were assured it was made on the premises. While we struggled to choose from the tempting menu we ordered some stop-gap olives, which were not the usual dull overly-marinated selection beloved of so many restaurants, but a nice handful of vibrant green and black juicy monsters.
Tom will, no doubt, post his own review, so I’ll focus on my meal. I had carpaccio di polipo (octopus) as a starter. This was good, although not as good as I’ve had in Italy. I like the slices even thinner and a slightly spikier dressing, although that’s not to say this wasn’t enjoyable. It was served with a few more olives, and a rocket and potato salad. A good start.
Main course was rack of lamb. This was a very generous portion – a rack and a half of perfectly cooked meat. I’ve had lamb with more flavour before, but rarely as well cooked – certainly not in restaurants at this price level. The lamb had a Grissini crust, and this was the only element of the dish I was less keen on – too thick for me and I could see no benefit in it compared to a traditional herbed breadcrumb crust. It’s not on the menu, but main courses are all served with a pea and onion side – sort of like a stew and perhaps cooked in ham stock (vegetarians would want to check)? Sounds odd, tasted great – and again very generous portions.
We’d merrily drunk our way through a bottle of house red – a Sangiovese/Merlot blend that was better than I expected for £12.95. The wine list isn’t that extensive, but does befit the vibe of the restaurant. Those that remember the Green Room will recall the rather glossy boudoir look it had. Spiga has gone for a slightly retro 70s look, but it feels modern and welcoming. No red & white checked trattoria tablecloths to be found. I do think the lighting could be dimmer if it’s looking to create a more romantic atmosphere.
At this point, Sandra Royer, the French wife of one of the two Albanian brothers who own Spiga and are the chefs, came over to say hello and we felt it was only reasonable to reveal who we were. It turned out she was already an avid reader and fan of Tom’s Diner. That boy will go far! She explained that they’d hoped to open a bit sooner but some admin issues, delivery hold-ups, and a minor flood downstairs had pushed them back. It was good to see that we weren’t the only diners that evening, and although some punters clearly knew the owners there were others like us checking the place out (and we all stared intently at each other’s food).
Sandra told us that most of the food is sourced from Italy, so it is clearly going for the authentic angle. I was surprised to hear this was their first restaurant venture, although her husband has been a chef elsewhere – this was certainly no novice in the kitchen.
Tom grappled manfully with a large slice of chocolate torte and we both indulged in a grappa. We were joined by @moyasarner who saw us as she walked past and was immediately offered a basket of bread and a drink.
I was impressed with the service – friendly and professional throughout, even though the junior waitress was clearly a little nervous and made a couple of minor mistakes, which I heard Marcello pick her up on quietly afterwards.
The mark of a good restaurant is consistency. If Spiga can keep delivering the sort of food and experience that we enjoyed then it will do well. In ambience and menu it has kept itself suitably different from very close neighbour Sarracino and while I always found the Green Room to be style over substance, I think Spiga marries the two rather well.
Spiga
182 Broadhurst Gardens
020 7372 8188
(website still under development!)
If you go, do leave comments below.
Cocoa Bijoux opens
It’s a hive of activity on Broadhurst Gardens at the moment. New Italian restaurant Spiga opens tonight (I know we’re all waiting for the verdict from Tom’s Diner), and Cocoa Bijoux opened with a soft launch at the end of last week. Senses of course closed a while ago (no great surprise), so there is another vacant unit up for grabs.
Cocoa Bijoux’s owner Stuart Daniel has been in the chocolate business for 20 years, and it’s clear that this is his passion. Having operated as a wholesaler he finally decided it was time to open his own place. Cocoa Bijoux occupies one of the small units in Broadwell Parade and sits between the cigar shop and Luli’s barbers.
Stuart has two chocolatiers who create artisan chocolates – he’s less interested in the endless matching rows of classic Belgian creams that you might find at Fortnum & Mason’s, and more in offering something a little more unusual. Generously he let me sample a few. I had a lovely caramelised walnut coated in dark chocolate and dusted with cocoa powder. He uses very specific French walnuts that are less bitter than many on the market. Then I had a delicious Grand Marnier truffle, but unlike any I’ve had before (mostly because it was twice the size). And finally, I tried a salted caramel ball. Very fashionable right now of course and I have to say this was the best I’ve had. Not too salty, not too sweet and with a perfect liquid centre.
Stuart also sells English chocolates from Prestat, which come in gorgeously designed boxes, and all manner of other treats. He focuses otherwise on French and German chocolates rather than Belgian. Cocoa Bijoux also has a table inside and will have some chairs outside for coffee or hot chocolate (made from couverture chocolate of course).
It’s a slightly odd site, and a very small shop, but I could see this working. There’s not much competition, especially since Wilton & Noble up by Waitrose closed, and being next to another destination shop (the cigar shop, not Luli’s) can only help. There is a new chocolate shop – Coco Exchange – opening on Belsize Road, but that’s apparently going to have a Belgian focus.
Stuart also seems like he knows what he’s doing and is open to trying things out. I wish him the best of luck. He’s also generously donated a nice (large!) box of chocolates for the Whampgather raffle, which I thought was very kind given that he’d only just met me!
Those of you who bang on about supporting independent shops – here’s another one to add to the list. I know it’s not going to please everyone because it’s high-end luxury items rather than day-to-day goods, but we have to face economic facts – these are the sorts of shops that are more likely to survive.
I will add a few photos to this post soon – didn’t have my phone with me this morning.
What have I missed since August 22nd?
This week the world said goodbye Gadaffi and Goodnight Irene, but what were the comings and goings in West Hampstead?
On Tuesday night there was a major police incident on Sherriff Rd.
Jobs are at risk at Netherwood day care centre.
Sgt Timms from the West Hampstead Safer Neighbourhood Team will now also be leading the Fortune Green team.
On the blog we took a trip down memory lane, discussed the Jubilee Line, and are giving you a chance to win a book on London buildings with a local buildings competition.
We’ve had lots of photos of rainbows and amazing sunsets. This was one of the best.
There’s a Kilburn Priory ghost.
West Hampstead councillor John Bryant got married this week.
The chocolate shop on Broadhurst Gardens opened. Ladudu will now be opening from 10am not 7am, and The Wet Fish Café will open from midday on Mondays (previously it was 6pm).
Meanwhile, Powers has a new website.
Tom’s Diner had tea at Lena’s.
What was Bombay Bicycle Club is now to be Costellos – a “funky chamelon concept“.
Tweet of the Week
Want to promote your business here? Read how.
Tom roadtests Spiga
I was pleased to have an opportunity to check out Spiga, the new Italian restaurant on Broadhurst Gardens, especially having drunkenly glanced at the menu in advance via Jonathan’s pre-opening photo exclusive, and seen various things I immediately felt an urgent, pressing need to eat.
In terms of “barometers of quality”, bread, olives, and house wine are all good indicators, and we got off to a flying start on all three counts. There was a standard white bread, a rosemary focaccia, and two varieties of “giant crisps” – one pleasingly oily, the other drier, like a poppadom. And big, proud triangles of butter too! The olives were wonderful, in a garlicy oil, the green ones vibrant in colour – luminous almost (v. useful in a power cut).
The house red, a Sangiovese and Merlot blend, went down very easily indeed, earthy soft tannins and not lacking a finish. In hindsight we should have ordered a second bottle, to test its hangover rating. Next time.
To start off the fun I tried the asparagus with poached organic egg and parmesan shavings. Here, I do think a touch of first night nerves were in evidence, with the egg being rather too…errm…soft – the yolk not quite turning from watery to oozing yellowy. However the asparagus was marvellous; giant-size spears and cooked delicately. The dish perhaps needed a pinch of salt, but very enjoyable.
Somehow managing not to overdose on the aforementioned bread, next up was my grilled tuna steak on rocket and mixed peppers, with a sweet and sour balsamic. It’s a combination I’ve had at Base on Baker Street in the past, and was very well executed. The tuna respectfully done; not overcooked, and the balsamic (something I’m not usually mad about) tastefully judged. Just from a personal angle, I’d prefer something a little less sweet, and firmer in texture than the slithery little peppers; perhaps some semi-dried tomatoes? Accompanying my generous tuna was a side of hand-cut chips, and in another pointer to a chef who knows what he’s doing, these were excellent; old-style in size (i.e. not big, fat wedges – not that I dislike those, obviously!) and with a pleasing exterior and a dash of salt. Overall then, a splendid, satisfying main course.
I’m babbling on a bit more than usual (and this is without a drink in hand), but dessert warrants a few details too; a chocolate torte with mascarpone and strawberries – a very generous slice – was delicious. The texture of the pastry was bang-on, with a thick, gooey swamp of dark chocolate on top.
As Jonathan reported, the charming Sandra was all too pleased to chat and tell us a little about their venture, and there was a feeling of combined warmth and confidence in the service, which added to the occasion.
All in all then, a very welcome addition to the local selection of eateries, and I won’t be leaving it too long before heading back there to try the gnocchi… and another slice of the chocolate torte too no doubt.
Welcome, Spiga!
Do you know where it is yet?
When I was asked to review a book about London architectural landmarks, I immediately handed over responsibility to local architecture fiend Lauren. She’s starting work on her own exciting project about the Kilburn State, and seemed the perfect person. We also have a copy of the book to give away if you can tackle our slightly challenging local buildings quiz below. But first, here’s Lauren’s review:
“Those striking caricature-style illustrations of London landmarks that have been appearing on ceramics and tea towels for a while now, have found their way into a book. ‘London Buildings – An Architectural Tour‘ by Robin Farquhar and Hannah Dipper (pub. Batsford) is a neat collection of 45 illustrations by People Will Always Need Plates, the company behind the stylised line drawings of the likes of the Barbican and the Trellick tower.
The bright orange cover (looking almost like a stylish record sleeve) features beloved London landmark Battersea Power Station, and fairly accurately reflects the entire contents of the book. Bright, simple black and white graphic descriptions of the best of this city’s architecture; from 16th Century Classicism to 1960s Brutalism and everything in between. Locally, there are some brilliant examples of Modernism in Hampstead at 66 Frognal and its neighbour, the 1930s Sun House.
The big, bright blocks of colour and minimal text set the book out as a good introduction to London’s showcase buildings, with an eclectic selection including tube stations and gas towers. With minimal detail and lack of background distractions, these drawings are clearly intended to get you thinking about how you read the built environment. The unique illustration style is what makes this quirkier than your average photo-filled coffee table architecture book – it would make a great gift or a fun ‘beginers guide’ for exploring London’s architectural history.”
Quiz time
Interest piqued? Good. To win your own pristine copy of London Buildings all you need to do is correctly identify the name or location of the nine local landmarks pictured below. Some are easy, one or two are a little trickier. Click on the image to see a much bigger version, which might help (or not).
It’s possible no-one will get all nine, so even if you only have 7 or 8 it’s probably worth a bash. The person with the most correct answers wins, and if there’s more than one of you then the winner will be decided on a tiebreaker judged by Lauren and me.
Tiebreaker: In no more than 15 words tell us your favourite local landmark building and why.
UPDATE: WE HAVE A WINNER
Congrats to Ian Farrar who correctly identified all the photos below. 1) Clock by Kilburn Grange park, 2) Wet Fish Cafe, 3) Cholmley Gardens, 4) Swiss Cottage Library, 5) West Hampstead library, 6) Sidney Boyd Court, 7) Czech National House, 8) West Hampstaed tube station, and 9) Kilburn State.
Ian’s favourite building is Lately’s “for its enlightened door policy of turning people away for not being drunk enough”.
Have your say
Now it seems that order has been restored to the streets of London after the rioting and looting of a couple of weeks ago, Camden council has set up three public meetings to discuss the borough’s response. Camden Town and Chalk Farm were the worst affected parts of the borough. Nevertheless, as we know, the problems were fairly widespread, with even the relatively calm Kilburn High Road having one shop looted.
The nearest meeting for NW6ers is at Kingsgate Community Centre on September 6th.
Jubilee Line finished, but closures persist
I’d spotted last week that the Jubilee Line had more weekend closures scheduled for September and October. I was a bit confused, because I was fairly sure that the upgrade work was complete, we were now getting an incredible three trains more an hour (yet I still had to wait more than 5 minutes for one yesterday), and all was hunky and dory on the Stanmore-Stratford silver subway.
Then a tweet this morning from the BBC London’s transport correspondent Tom Edwards explained the situation. The four weekend closures still to come (see below for details) are actually because the Metropolitan Line work is unfinished. Given how close the lines are to each other it’s simply not safe to have people working on the Met Line while Jubilee line trains swish past. Yes, I know the Met Line has been open sometimes when the Jubilee has been closed, but the Jubilee closures have been about signal work and testing more than track work.
What does this mean for us? Well, as West Hampstead is one of the stations where trains can “turn round” as it were, it doesn’t mean much for southbound passengers. All the closures are between Stanmore and West Hampstead, so the station will be open for those wanting to go into town. Those of you who use stations from Kilburn north are back on the (frighteningly expensive for TfL) rail replacement buses.
Naturally, there is political capital to be made of this. Val Shawcross, London Assembly member and Labour’s transport spokesperson said “On at least five separate occasions this year Boris Johnson has promised an end to weekend tube closures on the Jubilee Line and each time he has broken his promise.”
Ken, sensing a chance to have a swipe at Boris and of course himself an avid Jubilee user, has been up in arms about it, asking for a halt to the autumn closures, although as The Scoop points out, the Met Line work does need to be done.
According to the BBC report, a spokesperson for the Mayor said, “We appreciate that this does mean further frustrations when some interconnecting lines need maintenance and upgrade work.”
What do you think? Has Boris just been shafted by the whole shoddy process or should he and TfL been more creative in finding ways to minimize the weekend closures that have blighted NW London for what now seems like for ever?
Here are those closure dates:
Sat 3rd & Sun 4th September
Jubilee closed Stanmore to West Hampstead
Met closed Harrow-on-the-Hill to Aldgate
Sat 17th & Sun 18th September
Jubilee closed Stanmore to West Hampstead
Met closed Harrow-on-the-Hill to Aldgate
Sat 1st & Sun 2nd October
Jubilee closed Stanmore to West Hampstead
Met closed Harrow-on-the-Hill to Aldgate (Sat), Uxbridge to Aldgate (Sun)
Sat 15th & Sun 16th October
Jubilee closed Stanmore to West Hampstead
Met closed Harrow-on-the-Hill to Aldgate
Note that there are other closures on the Met Line on other weekends, but they are mostly north/west of Wembley Park. There is a Baker St-Aldgate closure on the 8th/9th October and the 6th November.
A trip down Kilburn’s memory lane
I got sent a fantastic link via Twitter this morning. It was to a photograph taken in 1965 of the State building on Kilburn High Road. The photograph is interesting, but the history site that it’s part of turned out to be a treasure trove.
Click on any of the seven photos of Kilburn taken around the same time, and you’ll find a few dozen comments from people who grew up in the area. It takes a bit of diving into the site to find all of them – some are comments to the initial memories, and so on. They paint a picture of post-war Kilburn that in many ways we could recognise today: a lively, bustling, rough-around-the-edges neighbourhood that people generally have an affection for, with characters such as Biff Lewis (who of course gets into a fight) and Susan the Swedish employee at Woolworths.
Naturally there are also some big changes – not least in the number of cinemas. One person recounts four different ones: the Ionic, the Grange, the Essoldo and of course the State.
I shall leave you to browse the site, but here’s one of my favourite excerpts as Fred Parker’s recalls trips to the cinema:
“Every Saturday evening I would go to the ‘pictures’.. with a group of friends. Often we would have to queue to get in and maybe stand for some time once we got in. We sat in the 1/6d seats. Films ran continuously in those days and we often saw the end of the film before we saw the beginning. We would walk home after the cinema and probably buy a bag of chips plus a pickled onion if we were flush.”
Thanks to Jon Kelly for the original link. Look out for an architecture competition on the blog in the next day or so. And if you want to read about some West Hampstead history, check out this post about how our part of London fared during the Second World War.
Update 4.30pm, 20th Century London sent me a link to some more great old photos of Kilburn including one of the Rolling Stones backstage at the Gaumont State.
Cooling down with Orange
Get your barometers out whampers!. On the 25th and 26th August, Orange (the phone people) will be driving round London with an ice cream van handing out… well, ice cream. The only real question is which ringtone they’ll use for the van.
Anyway, London is a big place right? And the van is only in town for two days. So, if you want it to come up to these parts then you need to get active.
There are two ways to get them up here:
1) Head over to The Feed and submit NW6 (just the first part of your postcode is required). If the first part of your postcode is NW3 or NW8 then you can damn well afford to buy your own ice cream.
2) Head straight to Twitter and just tweet “NW6” to @OrangeTheFeed along with the hashtag #keepmecool.
The more mentions NW6 gets, the better the chance of Orange taking a turn through the hood (although if they choose Queens Park over West Hampstead there’ll be trouble). Get on it people.
The ice cream will be free, but if it doesn’t satisfy your craving, pop along and give your custom to this Kilburn ice cream van with its, um, ominous jingle.
What have I missed since August 15th?
It’s been a week that started with more hand-wringing and has ended with major world news. But has it been silly season in West Hampstead?
There was finally a report on the stabbing in Kilburn from the week before.
The local Somali asylum seeker family got a lot of coverage.
The man who attacked someone by the Tricycle back in February was sentenced to 8 years.
Agents from Greene and Co. were found guilty of parking fraud.
Café Bon is taking over Wood Grill as well as Caffè West.
Two chocolate shops have moved into the area. The Cocoa Exchange on Belsize Rd, and a yet-to-be-named placed on Broadhurst Gardens.
The report of June’s place shaping workshop for West Hampstead was published.
The blog launched a new section: Tom’s Diner.
West Hampstead Wanderers won the league.
Can you help drive some old people to social events?
David Miliband came to LoveFood.
The New End Theatre in Hampstead has been forced to close – whether temporarily or permanently isn’t clear.
West End Lane Books has launched a crime writing readers’ group.
The Green Room has become Spiga – but is yet to open.
Whampgather sold out rather quicker than anticipated. If you have a ticket you know you can’t use, please release it back or let me know – the waiting list is lengthy!
Tweet of the Week
More of a sort of public service announcement this week in a double-header ToTW:
At the diner on the corner
If you raise your eyes ever so slightly to the menu of pages under the logo, you’ll spot a new one: “Tom’s Diner”. Not, obviously, my personal homage to Suzanne Vega (we all know Luka was a better song anyway), but the gastronomic musings of my new Food & Drink correspondent Tom.
Many of you know Tom, and will be aware that there could be no-one more enthusiastic about eating and drinking. Those that don’t know him should understand that he probably contributes more to the local restaurant economy than the rest of us put together.*
His very personal thoughts on his drinking and dining experiences can be found here. We both hope you enjoy them.
*blatant exaggeration
Contact the Elderly needs you
A guest blog by Charlotte, who needs your help:
My friend Kathleen recently turned 100.
“What’s your secret?” I asked as we tucked into tea and cake at a special party to celebrate her landmark birthday.
“I always eat wholemeal bread,” came the reply.
Kathleen is one of nine elderly people I really enjoy chatting to and spending time with on a monthly basis at our local Contact The Elderly tea parties.
Once a month myself and other volunteers pick up lonely elderly people in the North West London area who are unable to leave the house by themselves and take them to a tea party.
The parties take place at volunteer host’s houses between 3pm and 5pm – where guests are given tea, sandwiches and cakes and get the chance to chat. Our elderly friends really benefit from this social interaction and it clearly makes a massive difference to their lives.
It is also a lovely experience for the volunteers too, who not only get to enjoy tea and cake, but also all the amazing stories from years gone by.
Kathleen was born an only child in Dollis Hill in 1911 and worked for many years as a teacher in Willesden and Harrow. She has endless stories about travelling the world. In 1936 she made her first visit to Hamburg and then travelled on to Berlin where the Olympics were being held. Since then she has visited most of the European capitals, as well as the USA, Canada and Japan. It is a real privilege to spend time with her.
We rely on the goodwill of our drivers and also the hosts who throw open their homes to elderly guests for the tea parties but with nine elderly members now and not enough volunteers we are struggling.
We are now looking for new voluntary drivers to help pick guests up and also hosts willing to arrange a tea party perhaps once or twice a year.
Many of our guests are frail so any host home would need to have easy ground-floor access, a downstairs toilet available and a space large enough to seat around nine elderly guests comfortably. There will also be about five volunteers in attendance.
If you can help then please email charlotteward@fastmail.fm or call 0208 208 2021
West Hampstead place shaping workshop report
You may recall that at the end of June I was invited to join a “place shaping” workshop organised by Camden council. I wrote it up, but explained that the full report would be available later. That later is now. I received the document this morning. It’s quite long so, although I feel it’s a very fair reflection of at least my workshop (there were two in total), I’m not sure you need to read the whole thing unless you’re really interested.
Therefore, I’ve circled paragraphs that I think capture the main points, and made a few annotations. It’s important to clarify that the purpose of this was not to find solutions, but to try and establish some common purpose that can inform decisions taken by the council. Of course, much of what came up is not really in the council’s purview, and to some extent the least tangible concepts of community are up to residents to demonstrate themselves. Do leave comments and (if they’re appropriate) I can pass them back into the whole process.
Tom takes tea at Lena’s
I spent an hour chilling out with my brother Bong in Lena’s Café 2 (he’s a campanologist, before you jump to the wrong idea)
I like the bright orange and yellow colour scheme in there, and I’m sure it’s this as well as the remarkable array of salads, and baskets of fruit and vegetables on display, that attracts people passing by and lures them in. I’m also fairly sure the girl who works there thinks I’m a bit of a lunatic (quite reasonable), as several times I’ve marched up and down, closely auditing all the salads and cakes, whilst taking photographs, sometimes from odd, unnecessary angles.
Anyway, despite only purchasing pots of Earl Grey, the manager – who turns out to be the chef too – kindly brought over complimentary baklava. I know they say big hits of sugar aren’t too good for you, but I must say I felt very good indeed after eating mine, and could have happily demolished a couple more. There are lots of nice ideas going on in Lena’s, and I look forward to lunch there soon.
PS: Wikipedia helpfully advises that baklava is… “not to be confused with balaclava”. Thanks for the advice, Wiki!
Slightly stunned
I confess to being very (pleasantly) surprised at the speed at which Whampgather tickets went. All the tickets have been snapped up in less than 24 hours. We are now at the legal limit of the Priory Tavern, so I can’t release more even though a) I know that not everyone will turn up and b) even if they did they probably wouldn’t be there at the same time. But I don’t think it would be a very responsible move.
There is a waiting list for #whampgather (register below). I’m quite sure that not everyone who has tickets will be able to make it, so if you’ve missed out then please put yourself on the waiting list.
If you have tickets and realise at some stage that you won’t be able to use any or all of them, please let me know so the waiting list people can have them.
In the meantime, thank you all for your enthusiasm – it promises to be a great night! Ideally, please bring your printed tickets with you, although we’ll accept smartphone tickets, and will have the ticketholder names on the door. Afraid that as things stand, we can’t take last minute +1s.
What have I missed since August 8th?
Not sure whether you heard about this, but there was some rioting and a lot of looting on the streets of England this week. There may have been other news in places like… ooh, I don’t know, Syria and East Africa, for example. But mostly the news was about stolen PS3s and a “visible police presence”. But what happened in and around West Hampstead this week?
Monday night saw some damage in Kilburn and West Hampstead.
On Tuesday night, there was trouble in St John’s Wood, although arrests were later made.
Reactions came from the leader of Camden council, local MPs, and Paul Perkins of youth charity The Winch. And from local (apparently) Camila Batmanghelidjh of Kids Company on Question Time.
And, on Monday morning before things really deteriorated across London, from me on the Londonist Out Loud podcast. I also penned a few words about the experience.
Away from the riots and general tension, there was other news. The Jewish Community Centre on Finchley Road is starting to take shape.
There was a “Brooms and Lollipops Protest” planned for Saturday in Kilburn.
The planning application to knock down the historic Ebenezer Chapel on Kilburn Vale was withdrawn.
A steam train stopped at West Hampstead overground.
An inquest heard how a West Hampstead man fell to his death from a flat window.
There was a car accident outside The Priory Tavern on Sunday evening. No-one was hurt.
The horses from St John’s Wood barracks caused some disruption on West End Lane.
Mill Lane store Dass has started Sunday morning bread/pain au chocolat deliveries.
Tweet of the Week
Almost impossible to choose this week, especially given the volume of tweets on Monday and Tuesday. In the end I liked this one from SJ, sent on Tuesday around the time I think we all realised we would probably have a calmer night than many had feared.
Whampgather VII – Four Worlds Collide
It’s that time again… no, not Hammer Time; not even “business time”. It’s whampgather time.
If you’ve been knocking around the world of whamp for a while, you’ll know the drill. Every few months, we organise a large get together. It used to be a tweet-up, but tweet-ups are a bit passé these days, and plenty of non-tweeters turn up (and are very welcome). So, it’s more a hyperlocal gathering. On September 8th, we’ll have number 7 (read about previous ones).
For this whampgather I’ve extended the invitation beyond the borders to some of our neighbouring hyperlocals: St John’s Wood, Swiss Cottage, Maida Vale and of course Kilburn. Lets make this this biggest whampgather ever!
Very excitingly, this wll be only the second gather where we have exclusive use of a venue. And what a venue. The incredibly popular Priory Tavern has very kindly given us the pub for the night. If you’re in the know you’ll be aware that this means amazing cocktails (as well as great beer and wine), so look out on the night for some very special customised local concoctions. Food will also be available. We’re starting earlier than usual – 7pm, so you might want to come straight from work
I’m also really pleased to announce that DJ Sid Trotter (a regular at The Good Ship) will be providing the music. There will of course be the chance to win fab local prizes in the raffle (with all money raised going to The Winch).
Best of all, there’s the chance to meet some fellow locals. I realise some people aren’t sure about meeting people “off the internet”, but hopefully, the fact that we’re on No.7 of these events and each one is bigger and better than the last proves that people enjoy it. So why not take a gamble and come along? Everyone is remarkably friendly, the age range is wider than you might imagine, and it’s neither geeky nor cliquey – just a bunch of great people who happen to live in the area.
What now? For the first time, this will be a ticketed event. It’s still free of course, but if you’d like to come along then please order tickets here. There is a maximum capacity, so I suggest ordering sooner rather than later to ensure your place.
If you don’t know the Priory Tavern, it’s on the southern edge of West Hampstead on Belsize Road (between Kilburn High Rd and Priory Rd, near Little Bay). It’s a five minute walk from Kilburn Park tube, amd a brisk 10 minute walk from West Hampstead tube. If you’re coming from the northern reaches, I’d suggest a bus down the Kilburn High Road and if you’re coming from Swiss Cottage or St John’s Wood, then the 31 bus.
See you there!
Genetics
In case you wonder where Tom gets his apprecation for food from, this attack by his mum on underwhelming restaurant salads should make it crystal clear:
I have now given up ordering side salads as they tend to be just a small straggle of limp, bitter undressed leaves from one of those endless supermarket packets. For goodness sake, have chefs forgotten how to make a salad and a dressing these days? I’d rather have a plain green salad – almost slugs, worms [well perhaps not these!] caterpillars, blackfly, ants and grit included – than the sorry rubbish that’s often served. And if they can’t be bothered to make a dressing, then can we please have a bottle of oil and vinegar on the table!
Watch out next time she visits Tom in West Hampstead!
On the record with Londonist
On Monday morning I found myself in Hackney Wick – bit out of my usual patch. I was there with @BarnetEye to contribute to the Londonist Out Loud podcast, hosted by the hugely likeable and professional N Quentin Woolf.
It was a strange time to be talking all things London. The riots of Sunday night were of course fresh in everyone’s mind, but we obviously didn’t know that the situation was going to escalate later that day. So, we joined everyone else in speculating wildly about the context. At this stage I didn’t feel I had much to add given that north-west London had yet to feel any effects from the trouble. I would have had a lot more to say had we recorded on Tuesday morning, both about the damage and the social media implications.
The whole experience was fun – oddly, aside from the rioting there wasn’t a lot of other fascinating London news to discuss, but we seemed to cover a fair amount of ground.
If you want to listen to me ramble on riots, blogging, and communities then you can do so.
Hold your horses
West Hampstead residents are fairly used to seeing horses clip-clopping their way down West End Lane. As most of us know, we are home to one of the Metropolitan Police’s eight stables. Almost every day the horses are taken out for a stroll around the area. Although this is primarily for exercise, it’s not uncommon to see mounted police stopping people – they are on duty after all.
Less frequently, we see even more horses on our streets. The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery is based at a barracks in St John’s Wood.
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The barracks itself is privately owned, but will close after more than 200 years in operation. The owners announced back in June that they were going to sell off the land, which is expected to fetch more than £250 million.
The “troop” is often seen in convoy on Finchley Road, but this morning was spotted (and snapped by the aptly named in this case @cyberdonkey) heading north up West End Lane, prompting tweets ranging from “makes an amazing noise”, to “try and be more inconvenient”. They won’t be inconveniencing us any more once they move to Woolwich.
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| King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery on West End Lane Photo via @cyberdonkey |
Largely unscathed
West Hampstead and surrouding areas escaped Monday night’s widespread rioting and looting relatively unscathed. Despite the rumour mill working overtime when it came to Kilburn the actual damage there was limited to the Vodafone shop on the High Road. This was broken into and stock was stolen but apparently the police were on the scene very quickly.
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| Photo via Mike Katz |
The Guardian reported that 20 people had been arrested in Kilburn and it seems that generally whenever there was a crowd gathering, the police dispersed them fairly rapidly. This approach appeared to work well.
As I was tweeting into the early hours of Tuesday, I did feel nervous for the first time as there were reports of groups of young men heading down Adelaide Road towards Swiss Cottage and down Belsize Park in the same direction. I had visions of them coming through West Hampstead to get to Kilburn, or just stopping off in West Hampstead itself.
In the end the impact locally was very limited. The bottom pane of glass at Flower Gallery, the florists by the tube station, had been smashed – which could have happened any night really. By Finchley Road tube, Parkheath estate agents was broken into and their posh iMacs were stolen. I heard today that this wasn’t really a rampage, but was done quite carefully, and I also heard that they chose to install Windows rather than Apple’s operating system, which will surprise the eventual owners.
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| Photo via @RentalflatsNW6 |
Anyway, back to the verified facts… the only other casualty in the area was Carphone Warehouse on the corner of Burrard Rd and Finchley Rd, up in the north of West Hampstead. This took a bit of a battering, but that was pretty much it for our part of the world. Real Radio Scotland interviewed a witness.
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| Photo via @msjlucas |
I took a walk through Kilburn on Tuesday morning to check the damage for myself. The Vodafone shop certainly had been hit and there was a police car parked outside and police tape round the entrance. Reports of damage to one of Halfords’ windows were also correct – just a bit late: this had happened a few weeks earlier. Finally, there was some concern when staff were spotted sweeping water and minor debris out of one of the entrances to Poundland, but a quick enquiry revealed that a pipe in the ceiling had burst. Shit happens.
I took another turn through Kilburn mid-afternoon amid rumours that the police presence was increasing and after the Guardian reported that the police were telling shops on the High Road to close. It was a sunny day, and although not as busy as usual, the main drag was still bustly. Some shops were closed, notably TKMaxx, Primark, Phones4U and HSBC. Others, such as Sainsbury’s main store, had strong security on the door. There were no police to be seen. Eventually, I came across four constables heading north on foot patrol and asked one about the instruction to shops. He looked blank and shook his head. He said they weren’t advising shops what to do, although some of course were closing and it was an individual choice.
This was contradicted sometime later by a pub landlord and a member of the public who said he had stood there while a café owner had been advised to close although the timings of these events weren’t clear. Anyway, as the afternoon wore on it became clear that most larger shops were certainly closing earlier than usual. Sainsbury’s obviously had an edict to close its “Local” stores at 6pm, as the shops in Kilburn, West Hampstead and Willesden all shut at the same time.
Despite this, and a distinct tension in the air, West End Lane was busy with people determined to enjoy the good weather, sitting outside the bars and cafés in the evening sun. This wasn’t “normal” though. A police car came hurtling up Lymington Road and swung left on West End Lane. Nothing especially unusual about this, but everyone stopped in their tracks and watched it.
Hopefully, as the atmosphere cools in the capital we won’t have a repeat of Monday night over the next few days.
Tom dives into the menu at Mill Lane Bistro
Popped into the bistro for some well-earned dinner… Starters took a fair while – the place was busy and buzzing as usual – but that gave us a chance to savour a fine Languedoc wine, a Picpoul de Pinet that had a mineral edge to it that somehow reflected the ominous end-of-summer weather (not quite sure how, but it did!)
I kicked off the fun with deep-fried Camembert on a beetroot and walnut salad. Very nice, though the “home made” croutons were absent (not that you’d expect bought-in croutons this side of Garfunkel’s?!). Tried the baked cod next; an elegant-looking dish, perhaps could have come out of the oven a fraction earlier, but the firm texture worked well on the bed of spinach, I thought. Potatoes too – in a sort of caper butter or something (delicious). The bread was satisfyingly chewy, but comically tiny – I would happily have had three baskets of it – with butter too preferably.
I do love this place as it feels like a proper little slice of France right there on Mill Lane. I find it particularly gratifying to be referred to as “monsieur” (I’m easily pleased!).
Grabbed profiteroles for dessert – wonderful! Two tennis ball sized gems with gorgeous ice cream and chocolate sauce; also a glass of Burgundy that had a really intoxicating nose – next time I’m going to tan a whole bottle of that, been meaning to for a while actually.
Nice to see this place such a success; it’s a cheery and uplifting way to start the weekend.
Live tweeting a quiet night in Kilburn
It’s been a busy evening on Twitter. Naturally, I have a search set up for “Kilburn” in my timeline and from late afternoon it seemed that every other message came from someone suggesting that riots were going to kick off in Kilburn.
It became increasingly hard to determine fact from speculation from deliberate fanning of the flames – whether for fun or for more sinister motives.
Finally, I began to get more convincing sounding reports, many from people I know and trust, that said there wasn’t much happening. It became clear that there was a substantial police presence, and that shops were closing… although it was approaching 6pm, so some were closing anyway. Around 6.30pm someone tweeted that all the banks were closed. No kidding.
There began to be more reports of small groups of young men mooching up and down the road, some with masks. Initially skeptical I refrained from retweeting this, but eventually I was convinced. Several people were doing trawls of the entire High Road to see what was happening – after all Kilburn High Road is a mile long – and reporting that there was no actual trouble. Then there were solid reports that police were stopping some peole and shortly after the Guardian’s Simon Rodgers tweeted that 20 people had been arrested in Kilburn.
I’m willing to trust the Guardian, so lets assume this is true. The Guardian’s rolling riot coverage read:
“Kilburn, in north west London, has also seen trouble reports Simon Rodgers. He says there have been 20 arrests near Kilburn High Road. Youths are roaming around the area, Simon says.”
This seemed a fair reflection of the situation, and was clearly chicken feed compared to the serious situation in Hackney, Peckham and Lewisham.
Unfortunately, the Guardian then tweeted this:
Follow LIVE #LondonRiots updates as trouble spreads to #Croydon #Kilburn and #Birmingham http://gu.com/p/3x4he/tw.
Of course this got RTd to death and suddenly perfectly sane people were understandably concerned. Of course the news moved on, nothing at all happened in Kilburn, and the Guardian carried on talking about the serious problems in Croydon and Clapham. Is it too much to expect a follow-up to say that Kilburn was calm? I know the journalists are stretched, so maybe it is too much. This isn’t meant to be a Guardian-bashing post anyway. But it’s indicative of the challenge journalists and responsible tweeters/bloggers have in trying to be up-to-date with events while not falling for seductive sounding “breaking news” tweets. People like to give their false reports authenticity… “my aunt says…” “a colleague rang me to say…”, etc. But it’s fairly easy to weed those out.
Harder to unravel were those messages from people I know who hear something from someone they know and – in a commendable effort to be helpful – ping me to keep me up to speed. With so many people tweeting though, one isolated report without a picture is to be taken with a large pinch of salt. In every single case, further investigation revealed that the reported fact simply wasn’t true. Many were either misunderstandings, or nuance was lost in the brevity of Twitter, or it was the product of over-active imaginations. But each one gets retweeted, especially when it’s written by someone with a lot of followers, before there’s a chance to contradict it and the whole thing starts again.
Part of me wonders whether it’s worth doing this – I’m under no illusion that fighting (with some very able allies – thanks to Julius_Geezer in particular) all the misinformation has any impact on what might happen, but it does seem worthwhile to allay people’s genuine fears.
More importantly, I would much rather be spending an evening trying to counter some misinformation than writing about looting, arson and general thuggery in the neighbourhood. In the parlance of the day, stay classy Kilburn.
Tom visits The Arches
I had an impromptu dinner at The Arches last night…good food.. I had a Moroccan chick pea soup to start, then baked whole sea bass – very nice. Excellent sautéed potatoes, with that dry, crisp outside. I wondered if they did those with goose fat or something but the waitress just said “deep fried in oil”. Pleasingly large cheesecake to finish, and 4 glasses of Pinot Noir which I was surprised to find later on was Chilean (I thought it was French, but not a Burgundy). Looking back, it did have similarities to that Chilean drop I like to guzzle in Brocca. Checked the bill today, a bit cheeky, the 2nd two glasses were large ones – I was drinking 175s at first – no wonder I have a frigging hangover!
What have I missed since July 31st?
It’s August – traditionally the quiet news month. So we’ve just had the US’s credit rating downgraded, financial market meltdown, and riots in north London. Wake me up when there’s some real news. Have things been livelier in West Hampstead and surrounding areas? Well, actually it’s been extremely quiet in the ‘hood this week
The Ham & High reported a spate of muggings of teenage boys, notably on Mill Lane and around the O2 centre.
Meanwhile, the Camden New Journal tried hard to dig up a less positive take on the Billy Fury mural.
Lewis Hamilton apparently popped into West Hampstead (not just a sighting, someone spoke to him!).
Kingsgate Community Centre’s popular Cafe Mangobajito has closed.
The Tricycle is launching a Sunday Music Series featuring string chamber music and starting on Sunday 14th August.
Despite being the national “team of the season”, West Hampstead Hockey Club might need a new ground before the season starts again in October.
Talking of great local sports teams, West Hampstead Wanderers won its 5-a-side league, just pipping West Hampstaed Athletic on goal difference. Athletic spun off from the Wanderers’ underperforming 7-a-side team of earlier in the year.
And er… that’s all folks.
Except of course for Tweet of the Week.
Tom eats cheese at Mill Lane Bistro
I ate alone – just a cheeseboard – in the bistro last week, and that lovely French girl came straight over to chat and explain the cheeses as if it were a tasting menu. THAT is good service and food.I was a bit miffed they were totally out of all salad items and the cod – even more annoying when the woman next to me turned out to be eating the last of the latter!
What have I missed since July 24th?
As the US teeters towards financial doom, are things any less partisan in NW6?
West Hampstead’s community centre (yes, we have one) is in jeopardy after substantial council funding was withdrawn.
The play service for Camden kids is also being scaled back.
There was a good turnout for the opening of Billy Fury Way.
The local police also got stuck in to a local hostel’s garden.
A Kilburn fast food owner has been fined for dumping waste on the street.
As of Monday, the Jubilee Line will be up from 21 to 27 trains per hour
Local foxes attacked and injured some dogs in a West Hampstead back garden.
Feng Sushi is set to open in West Hampstead in the autumn.
There was a fire at Wood Grill on Saturday night.
West Hampstead Wanderers are top of their league with one match to go.
St John’s Wood tube station has been awarded Grade II listed status.
Tweet of the Week
Billy Fury Way officially opens
The path from West End Lane to Lithos Road was named Billy Fury Way last year following a poll. Billy Fury – one of Britain’s original rock & roll stars – recorded regularly at Decca Studios on Broadhurst Gardens.
On Friday, the path was officially opened and a new mural was sprayed on at the West End Lane end of the path by graffiti events company Graffiti Life.
As well as being a interesting visual addition to West End Lane, the idea is to spruce up this path and to encourage young people from the area to contribute more artworks along the whole path. I understand that Graffiti Life will be supporting this and working with the local community.
Festivities began yesterday at 1pm with a song-title laden address in St James’ Church hall from Sgt Dave Timms, from West Hampstead’s Safer Neighbourhood Team. Odd? Well, not really – this is in fact an initiative driven by the police. Some of you will remember that one of the imperatives for naming paths such as this one and the Black Path was so the police could identify their location when chasing wrong-uns down these network of alleyways. It’s great to see real community support from our local police team who have similar plans for other parts of the footpath network.
Some 40 or so Billy Fury fans came along – many of whom had travelled from all over the country – including Holly Johnson of 80s band Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
After a blessing of the site, councillor John Bryant who had driven the renaming exercise cut the ribbon.
ShakeTastic took the opportunity of a crowd just outside to hand out free samples, while the police were spending half their time posing for photos and half stopping the traffic on West End Lane from mowing down ageing rock fans.
The Safer Neighbourhoods Team also worked with Network Rail on the land it owns alongside Billy Fury Way, which included overhanging shrubs, hidden lighting and damaged fencing. Network Rail has undertaken a ‘deep-clean’ of one the most badly affected areas of litter and have re-fenced the area.
Meanwhile, Camden’s Highways Engineering Team plans inspections and repairs to damaged pavement, and street cleaning contractors will clean these paths twice a week. The council will also start patrols to identify any irresponsible dog owners. Dog litter bins, as well as free standing regular litter bins, will be placed halfway along Billy Fury Way.
PC Ruth Marshall, also from the Safer Neighbourhoods Team, said: “We want people to feel safe using Billy Fury Way. By keeping the area maintained, it will encourage the public to use it,” adding that the artwork was a “fitting tribute” to Billy Fury.
There are more plans for more murals to celebrate the area’s musical heritage. Lets hope that this one sets a good precedent for the paths.
Tom’s baffled by La Smorfia
Enjoyed the food, but there were minus points which, given the stiff competition, confuse me. The pizza was very good; really flavoursome and satisfying. One of the ingredients – anchovy – was very sparse. Admittedly this pizza (Trappola) had quite a few toppings, but the anchovy is obviously important. Still, nice food.
Now here’s my first gripe; you know my thoughts on side salads – they should not be a token gesture. I ordered a mixed salad, and there was nothing awful about it, basically it felt like some assorted leaves from a supermarket packet. They chose to lob in a few olives, pretty cheap ones. Now, I like those, I buy them, but if you’re going to add olives, use proper marinated ones or something. Further, the tomato slices were completely flavourless and out of the fridge. If you go to a restaurant, surely you want it to be as good as, or better than, what you’d do at home? And not just ‘good’, but interesting. I fail to understand how things like this are given such lack of thought. I am fussy, but this is West Hampstead – the competition is out there and I would guess that other locals would be similarly interested in detail.
Strada have done great side salads on most occasions, and you also get a salt mill with either rock or sea salt – again makes a difference. I had no salt at all on my table.
Nice big glass of pleasing house wine. Good but somewhat blank-faced service – certainly didn’t strike me as “ooh – new customer – let’s pull the stops out” – though a free little bruschetta bite was appreciated.
No sweet menu forthcoming so I went home.
What have I missed since July 18th?
It’s been a strange week, starting with farcical scenes of the Murdochs under mild interrogation and ending with tragedy. And it rained a lot. And I was on holiday. And it rained a lot on my holiday.
Local councillor Andrew Marshall has been single-handedly cleaning up the mean streets of South Hampstead. First there was rubbish in Greencroft Gardens, then there were the plans to improve the open land, and finally there was the mysterious case of the oil trailer on Goldhurst Terrace.
There were also reports of overflowing rubbish in Gascony Avenue, and a request has been made for a bin at the junction of Crediton Hill and West End Lane.
West Hampstead’s Beckford school celebrated 125 years with a reunion of pupils from half a century ago.
An alteration/tailoring shop is opening on Finchley Rd roughly opposite the O2 centre.
Estate agents Brian Lack finally closed on West End Lane, to be replaced by Goldschmidt & Howland (as reported here some weeks ago).
The Alice House has applied for longer opening hours: until midnight Mon-Wed & Sun, and until 1am on Thursday.
Camden libraries have a new online borrowing system and e-books have been launched at Swiss Cottage library.
What did we think of the PrioryTavern when we went to roadtest the menu?
A woman was found in a distressed state by garages in Fairhazel Gardens late Saturday night. The police are investigating the circumstances.
On Wednesday a Kilburn Safer Neighbourhood meeting set two priorities: Rowley Way/Abbey estate and anti-social behaviour on the Kingsgate Estate.
On Tuesday, there was a large public meeting about the Abbey estate regeneration plans. Formal plans will be submitted in the next couple of weeks.
Tweet of the Week
Something non-derogatory about Kilburn for once:
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You can now sponsor the weekly news blog post
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Priory Tavern, Belsize Road menu tasting
A couple of weeks ago, a small group of us were guests of Merlin and Lucille – owners of the Priory Tavern on Belsize Road. They had asked us to roadtest their menu, and who were we to say no.*
When the couple took over the pub last year they opted for a fairly straightforward pub menu, but a trip to Vancouver and a restaurant called Meat & Bread prompted a change of direction. With a chef hired from No.5 Cavendish Square, and ingredients sourced from ‘proper’ suppliers, including local outfit Gail’s Bakery, the Priory is striving for something a little different. “The only things that are frozen are the peas, the sorbet and the ice cream,” says Merlin.
We kicked off with some chunky dippers – huge jenga-style bricks of bread and a bowl of gravy, which got the seal of approval from Anthony, our professional northerner.
We also tried a baked camembert, which was suitably fondue-gloopy but needed more bread or something to scoop it out with (and seemed oddly overpriced compared to everything else). It was served with a cranberry and rosehip syrup sauce – a nod to the couple’s impressive mixology pedigree and that impressed Mark. The last of our starters was a rather nice salad with a subtle dressing that lived up to the high standards expected by Tom.
The next round of food was the one most influenced by Meat & Bread. We had a gammon and egg sandwich – the meat was delicious, and this would make a great brunch dish (although Kat wondered whether the chips and the bread might not be overkill). There was also a ribeye steak sandwich in a ciabatta, and a vegetarian sandwich full of amazing chutney and that converted a couple of avowed meat eaters to the delights of vegetarian food. In each case the bread was chunky and delicious, but it does make these very filling sandwiches.
These sandwiches came with “squishable” fries (definitely fries not the sort of chunky chips that one might expect) served in little wire baskets. The sandwiches – in fact everything – is served on chopping boards. It’s fashionable, but is it practical? Lauren was unequivocal: she prefers plates. Certainly anything with a gravy or sauce is not best served on a wooden board and, given the generous servings, it does seem to be an issue. Put to a vote, the majority of us were pro-plate.
After the “meat and bread” dishes came the “meat and veg” plates (or boards). We tried a rosé veal dish and a pork dish served with a variety of well-cooked vegetables. These main courses were good and well-seasoned. If you’re choosing your own food then you get to choose your meat, your veg, and your sauce. The menu changes every couple of days depending on what’s come in.
Our meal closed out with a couple of amazing brownies. “Dish of the day” said Anthony. They were large and excellent (although the melting ice cream rather proved our chopping board point as it ran onto the table).
Much discussion about our meal followed over after-dinner drinks concocted by our hosts. The consensus was that the food had all been very good and very enjoyable. The overall menu was perhaps a little too meat and carbs heavy, with very few light dishes. There’s not much fish on offer and, given the high quality ingredients, there was a suggestion that having a couple of top-notch staples such as sausages and mash would be a good addition. Offering so much choice for constructing a main course probably isn’t necessary – simply letting the chef decide what works well together is enough for most people (and you can always accept substitutions).
So the overall verdict was that the Priory Tavern serves good food that’s well cooked, and you can sense that real care and thought has gone into the offer. Perhaps a few tweaks to the menu could broaden its appeal without damaging the concept and ethos.
The Priory Tavern will host Whampgather VII (Four Worlds Collide) on September 8th – yes, I know it’s not right slap in the middle of West Hampstead, but there’s a good reason we’re having it there. Trust me.
*As regular readers know, we generally do our whampreviews anonymously so, while it was very kind of the Priory Tavern to invite us and provide us with free food, we had also agreed that our opinions wouldn’t be swayed by their generosity.
Photos courtesy of Kat, Lauren and me
What have I missed since July 11th?
So, the Euromillions winner may not have lived in West Hampstead but did we have other winners in NW6this week?
Well, West Hampstead men’s first team won England Hockey’s Club Team of the year.
Kilburn’s hurling team won an international tournament back in Ireland.
Adrian Hall – the Iverson Road garden centre – is closing [read the comments for more detail].There was also a report today that Wilton & Noble, the giftshop on Goldhurst Terrace, has closed.
There was a meeting to report back on the latest plans for 187-199 West End Lane.
The Kilburn Times reported on last weekend’s Kilburn festival.
In crime news – the EUR 50 note scammer who’d targeted people on the streets of West Hampstead has moved to door knocking now. Don’t give strangers £20 in exchange for EUR 50 – it’s a fake note.
There have been more plant thefts after the Wet Fish Cafe had a tree stolen – Achillea Flowers and the Bulgarian food shop on Mill Lane have both suffered.
A new 60-bed hostel is being built in Kilburn to help vulnerable people.
TKMaxx opened in Kilburn – the queues on opening day were long, but there wasn’t much Twitter trafficabout it afterwards.
Read my review of Loyalty at Hampstead Theatre.
Coming up
Abbey Road area public meeting on Wednesday.
Tweet of the Week
Monday was flying ant day. In case you didn’t notice….
Loyalty at Hampstead Theatre – review
Loyalty, written by Sarah Helm, is set during the run-up to the Iraq war, and around the period of the inquiry into it. She brings a unique insight into the machinations of government at this time – she is the wife of Tony Blair’s chief of staff Jonathan Powell. She is also an experienced Middle East correspondent.
The play, described as a “fictionalised memoir“, stars Maxine Peake as Laura a staunchly anti-war journalist with experience in the Middle East who is married to Nick (Lloyd Owen), who happens to be chief of staff to a prime minister called Tony (Patrick Capaldi). As you can see,
the fictionalization only goes so far.
It’s a compelling play with some chilling moments and a genuine sense of internal conflict. Peake starts off perhaps too shrill, but settles into a more believable character that balances excitability with a sense of conscience and inquiry. Owen, understated throughout, is a convincing foil. Capaldi musters up a rather enjoyable Tony Blair, cutting something of a tragicomic figure throughout.
There are some poignant scenes that resonate very strongly today – Murdoch pops up at one stage telling Tony that war is the right decision. This leads to some lines getting laugh where perhaps laughs weren’t intended (unless such scenes have been hastily added in light of recent events).
Edward Hall’s production is pacey, especially the second half, with good sets and a strong supporting cast. I recommend it.
Loyalty runs until August 13th at Hampstead Theatre.
Iverson Road garden centre to close?
I received an e-mail yesterday:
“I heard today that Adrian Hall Garden Centre on Iverson Road, right next to the new Thameslink station entrance, is to close at the end of the month. The staff only heard two days ago. Apparently Network Rail sold the land at the point when Adrian Hall would have needed to renew their lease.
West Hampstead is fast becoming a desert as far as useful supplies are concerned. First Tesco and Sainsbury and now we will have no garden centre. And who will take over the site and for what? Adrian Hall has been there for 34 years…”
If anyone has any more information on this, do please let me know. Note also that this site is adjacent to the Liddell Road industrial estate, which is a potential site for a new primary school.
187-199 West End Lane report
You’ll recall that on July 2nd there was a “Community Planning Day” to discuss the plans for the site adjacent to the tube lines to the west of West End Lane currently being used by the car wash, limo company, motorbike dealers and retail services such as Peppercorns and Café Bon.
The report back was apparently very much a presentation rather than a second opportunity to discuss the plans. The distributed “newsletter” sketched out a very rough plan for the site, but this is extremely preliminary.
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| Click for full-size version* |
The document included a list of “key themes”. These are based on the public’s contributions to the planning day. They are broadly ideas most people would agree with, but note that the newsletter doesn’t say that these ideas will be implemented, it is merely a synthesis of comments.
Residents will probably hope both that the developers and architects will do more than just bear these comments in mind, and that the council will take them very seriously when assessing the plans – especially in light of the place shaping conversations. Questions were apparently raised in the report back session about the need for public service provision in light of an increase in population, notably in schools and medical services.
The key points so far:
- Mixed use – preliminary proposal is for a public square (with farmers market potential) bordering West End Lane and retail units near the front of the site. The development will be residential-led, however;
- Affordable housing should be integrated into the plans;
- Building height is very likely will increase towards the back of the site as the land slopes down;
- Green spaces should be integral to the plans and existing trees retained;
- New parking should be kept to a minimum.
What next?
“The Ballymore and Network Rail Team [the site’s co-owners] now plan to meet with London Borough of Camden’s planning officers and Councillors in the coming weeks or so to discuss the community feedback and work with local stakeholders to form a steering group which we intend to work with during the remainder of the consultation”
I will of course continue to keep you all up-to-date with any developments and if I can get a full PDF of the newsletter, I’ll add the link here.
What have I missed since July 3rd?
We may have lost one Sunday paper this week, but fear not – WhampNews lives on thanks to its fearless strategy of listening to people’s conversations on Twitter. So what scurrilous scandals have we unearthed and what litigious licence have we taken with the truth this week?
Nicholas Kent, the Tricycle’s highly regarded Artistic Director, has announced he will step down after 27 years in the job, citing funding cuts as the main reason.
Camden’s chief executive Moira Gibb has also resigned.
In another bad week for First Capital Connect, its Twitter presence has improved and it’s eager to learn how it could do better.
Green-fingered thieves have targeted a West Hampstead pathway.
Kilburn-produced honey is just around the corner.
The Railway announced that two people have been arrested and charged following its recent break-ins
Café Bon is set to take over Caffé West in a couple of weeks, and the Mill Lane Bistro has been sold as a going concern.
Kingsgate School won an inclusion award.
The Winch has secured funding for a second full-time youthworker for three years from September!
Sunday was the Kilburn Festival. And, rarely, the Gaumont State building was open briefly.
Oh, and update your bookmarks – the blog has a new domain name: http://www.westhampsteadlife.com.
Whampzombie film of the week
You may recognise many of the locations in this short film.
Tweet of the Week
A double header of strange tweet and the proof of strange tweet via Abbey Road Studios!
What have I missed since June 26th?
While Wimbledon drew to an inevitable conclusion and people went on strike – but they weren’t French – what happened in West Hampstead?
It was actually a fairly quiet week. The Railway had a second break-in within a month – turned out to be the same guy both times.
One of The Wet Fish Cafe’s outisde plants was nicked – there’s a reward for its return.
There was a meeting on Saturday about the plans for 187-199 West End Lane. There’ll be a report back in the evening of July 13th.
On Wednesday, Camden convened a “place shaping” meeting as part of determining a vision for West Hampstead.
Here’s more on the Gondar Gardens plans that were rejected.
Camden Cycling Campaign investigated cycle provision around South Hampstead.
Movers & Shapers’ instructor Siobhan won gold and silver medals at a senior international Judo event.
Transition Town West Hampstead joined Twitter.
Want to live on the site of music history? The Railway’s owners have applied to create 14 flats upstairs.
The Jester Festival benefitted from good weather and was a great success.
Some good photos of last Sunday’s Secret BBQ were posted.
Photo of the Week
@MaloufTeabaggy snapped this lovely scene:
“Tesco donut anyone? Good to know someone is tasting them so they aren’t poisoned”
Place shaping meeting overview
Wednesday’s Place Shaping meeting was very hands-on, so I wasnt able to take copious notes. There’ll be a full report produced by the independent facilitators, which naturally I’ll let you all know about. [update 18/8/11: that can now be found here]
Perhaps the most revealing moment came when the various sub-groups we’d been assigned to came together to share their visual (read “simple”) vision for West Hampstead. Three of the four groups had identical visions. They comprised green spaces, transportation, a vibrant shopping / café culture, and a coherent community. Idealistic? Perhaps a little – and of course this masked nuances – but I was pleasantly surprised at the uniformity of our basic desires for the area.
One hopes that the council (three of the West Hampstead & Fortune Green councillors were present) take note even of just this simple exercise when it comes to approving development plans for spaces coming up. Perhaps pressuring the 187-199 West End Lane developers to give the existing retailers on that space not just first option on new retail units, but first option at a reasonable rent. Perhaps suggesting that when the Travis Perkins site is sold off (that’s all council-owned property), any retail frontage is split into smaller units that would encourage independent traders rather than kept as a large unit that only a chain shop could operate. Just perhaps.
Anyway, despite going to the meeting with a fair degree of cynicism, I left marginally more optimistic. I shall be interested to see whether the synthesis of the discussion reflects my own recollection of how the evening panned out. In the meantime, do please read my original blog on it and add your comments below – I shall try and ensure that they get fed back into the process at some stage.
187-199 West End Lane: what happens next
Some of you may be aware that the triangle of land west of West End Lane between the underground and overground lines is jointly owned by Network Rail and a company called Ballymore Group. This is where Mr Pink’s car wash, the motorbike shop and of course the parade of shops that includes Café Bon, Rock Men’s Salon, Peppercorns and Michael Leonard Estates is. This land has been earmarked for development – most likely for new homes but with some mixed use. John Thompson & Partners are the architects.
If you’re interested in finding out more and perhaps more importantly having some input into the plans then do go along to Emmanuel School on Saturday to find out more. There’ll be a follow-up meeting on July 13th in the evening to report back. Click the images below for larger versions.
Lend me your ears: Shaping West Hampstead’s future
Tonight I’m off to a Camden meeting about the future of West Hampstead no less. Heavens. Perhaps more alarming is that I’m supposed to be representing a different slice of the West Hampstead population from those people who normally get invited to meetings like this. Yep, I’m there on behalf of you lot – the clued-up, keyed-in, mobile-addicted, latte-sipping computer jockeys who make up a sizeable chunk (did someone say majority?) of the local area. Christ, if I was any more down wiv da kidz i’d still be in short trousers.*
We’re going to discuss what we’d like West Hampstead to be like – there’ll be a focus on the West End Lane strip and on the area around the stations (the “interchange” as it’s known) in particular. I’m after your ideas. I’m less interested in the old chestnuts of “I’d like a butcher” and “Why so many hairdressers?” and “If another estate agent moves in I’m going to go all Michael Douglas in Falling Down“.
Here’s the sort of stuff that’s in scope: “enhancing streets and open spaces, improving the shopping offer on our high streets, delivering better homes for people, investing in our community spaces or securing local jobs and training opportunities for local people.” So, yes, that includes the shopping, but remember the council can’t control directly who moves into individual units and, as I explained here, even the issue of change-of-use permission is a thorny one. Other topics are also welcome.
This is all in the context that West Hampstead is going to grow. The timescale for growth is far from clear, but aside from the students moving in when the Blackburn Road development is finished, we should expect 1,000 new homes over the next 10-15 years. So, managing sustainable growth is very important
Please have a think about the topics listed below. Then choose 1-3 of them and leave a comment below with one idea/thought/suggestion for each of your chosen three. Be creative by all means, but also vaguely realistic. Think about the sort of place you’d like West Hampstead to be.
- Mix of employment spaces
- New business
- Variety of shops
- Look and feel of town centre
- The interchange
- Wider links & integration with neighbouring areas
- Transportation
- Environmental sustainability
- Architecture & design
- Mixed-use development
- Coordinated development
- Council-owned sites
- Open spaces
- Education, play and young people
- Cultural services and facilities
- Voluntary and community sector
- Comunity safety
Thank you very much. I will of course report back on the meeting.
*You will never catch me wearing short trousers
Summer sun for Whampgrill
We managed to find the short sunny window of this fairly dismal summer for the Secret BBQ on Sunday. Just over 50 people turned up to a flat on the edges of West Hampstead on the hottest day of the year so far.
Chris very kindly opened up his house to a whole bunch of people he didn’t know but all of whom left as friends.
Some astute shopping and some industrial-scale grilling meant that no-one went hungry and definitely no-one was thirsty as the monster Pimms tureen was emptied as fast as it was filled. Same time next year?
Here are a few photos of the day taken by Michael. You can see the full slideshow here.
What have I missed since June 20th?
There’s been whimsical weather at Wimbledon, and whooping or whingeing over Olympic tickets. But what’s been happening in and around West Hampstead this week?
The plans to develop Gondar Gardens have been rejected.
As have the plans to convet The Luminaire on Kilburn High Rd into flats.
The Finchley Road branch of Habitat looks likely to be retained as the rest of the company is sold off.
There was a bad car accident on Finchley Road opposite Waitrose on Saturday morning.
Monday’s Area Action Group discussed development, retail, libraries and We Are Camden.
Kinsgate Community Centre launched its summer playscheme and has some job vacancies.
Ed Fordham guest blogged about the latest passenger user group meeting of London Overground.
There’ll be some more outdoor gym equipment at Swiss Cottage.
Walnut on West End Lane is up for rent.
The all-conquering West Hampstead men’s hockey team are nominated for Team of the Season.
The Kilburn Film Festival line-up was announced.
La Brocca, The Alice House and an account dedicated to local wildlife all launched on Twitter.
And finally, Morrisey mentioned West Hampstead when he introduced guitarist and local resident Boz Boorer during his Glastonbury set.
Coming up
This weekend is the Jester Festival.
Tweet of the week
A very late Sunday night entry
Jester Festival this weekend
On Saturday and Sunday, Fortune Green plays host to the annual Jester Festival – West Hampstead’s very own “village fete”. Here’s what’s on (click for full-size version):
West Hampstead / Fortune Green Area Action Group
The rain and perhaps Andy Murray on Centre Court meant a slightly below-par turnout for last Monday’s West Hampstead and Fortune Green Area Action Group meeting. On the plus side, when Cllr Keith Moffitt asked whether anyone was attending because they’d read about it on Twitter a few hands actually went up.
The evening kicked off with a presentation from Camden council’s Principal placeshaping officer, Kate Goodman. Kate talked about the Community Investment Programme, which is Camden’s scheme to turn physical assets into cash – i.e., to sell council-owned land and buildings. The focus is obviously on those facilities that are underused or with very high runningh costs. Sixty sites have been identified across the borough, but only two are in the West Hampstead and Fortune Green wards. 156 West End Lane is the large red brick building that includes the District Housing office and Travis Perkins. It has been identified as a possible site for disposal, with housing units the likely end use, although there will be a push to at least retain a ground floor retail presence. The second site is Liddell Road, the light industrial estate between Maygrove Rd and the trainline, which has been mooted as a possible site for the new primary school being discussed for this part of London. An initial report was submitted to the council in December 2010 and the second report will be in July this year.
During the Q&A the audience was reminded – although clearly some weren’t aware at all – that West Hampstead has been identified as an area for intensification in the London plan. The car park between Homebase and Sainsburys has been earmarked as an ideal site for more housing, including affordable housing. A couple of people accepted that even if there was not a lot we as residents could do about some of the development plans, it was important to be better informed about them. Obviously the council can’t track all potential private developments, but there was an agreement to provide a clearer map overview of public plans at least for the next session.
There was also some grumbling that the Thameslink station wasn’t delivering on its promises in terms of an attractive eco-friendly building. It’s true that for “cost reasons”, some of the specifications for the building were changed by Network Rail after the consultation. Cllr Keith Moffitt pointed out that although Network Rail had conducted a very good consultation “A good consultation doesn’t equal a great outcome”. With regard to some of the bigger projects, and the more general intensification, he also pointed out that these projects could take years to amount to anything, especially in today’s constrained funding environment.
West Hampstead is one of Camden’s nine “place shaping” areas, and thus has a Place Plan, which aims to get developers to fit in with the local area. I’m going to a meeting next week about this so will have more details about that then. In the meantime, you can read much more about this initiative here.
Retail
The next item on the agenda was the ever-popular topic of retail. Cllr Gillian Risso-Gill has been investing time on this issue, and ran through some of the changes on West End Lane since the last meeting, which blog readers will be familiar with and mostly boil down to more cafés/hairdressers/kebab shops.
She told us that Caffè Nero had to do battle with Costa for the Atlanta site that the blue coffee chain won. She suggested that delis were closing as a direct result of Tesco, although I find this hard to believe in all cases, as the stock is usually very different. More plausible to me is a relative fall in customers’ disposable income through inflation and economic uncertainty, so less willingness to buy high-end/high-price gourmet items, exacerbated perhaps by the convenience of supermarkets.
Gillian explained why cafés such as Nero no longer needed change-of-use permission to turn a shop into a café. Elsewhere in the country, it has been successfully argued in court that cafés where no food is cooked are essentially shops. You can argue the blatant nonsense of this all you want – it’s now been established in case law and is therefore difficult to overturn. In trying to spin a positive story, Gillian said that at least there was never an empty shop on West End Lane, which is more true since Ladudu tool over the long empty Glo site.
The conversation then turned to Mill Lane. While West End Lane homogenises, Mill Lane seems to be deteriorating as shops such as the Kitchen Stores close, and the general state of many other units is far from appealing.
Following the success of the Christmas market, Gillian is now thinking of setting up an Autumn market as well as repeating the Christmas edition, but needs helpers.
After this ‘state of the union’ address, the questions flowed. There were complaints about rents with one man saying it was now £45,000 for a shop on West End Lane – equivalent to Brent Cross (he said). There were also comments about parking (better parking would encourage more shoppers), delivery vehicles (WHAT is apparently looking into this), lobbying central government for a separate coffee shop classification, and restricting rent rises for smaller shops. Cllr Flick Rea pointed out that central governments of all hues tended to see development as inherently a good thing, and that offering objectors the right to appeal decisions might help (although at a much bigger scale you could imagine this causing some projects to never get off the ground). She also pointed out that the restaurant category A3 had in fact been split into two sub-categories, but it hadn’t made any difference.
The main outcome of the wailing and gnashing of teeth seemed to be that if we could find a way to increase footfall in Mill Lane, then that would be a Good Thing. I’ve suggested separately that having some sort of banner on the railings outside Emmanuel School pointing people to the shops further down might help, as might a rebranding of the retail section of the street focusing on its quirky more artisan shops. Finally, if an organization such as Empty Shops could find ways to tackle the empty or underused shops, that might breathe some life into it. There was much excitement as before about the idea of a regular market, but finding space for it is proving tough – traders want a hard tarmac surface for starters.
Libraries
Then we moved on to the libraries – I think I’ve linked to enough stories about this that most of you should know what’s going on. In a nutshell, West Hampstead library won’t close but will see its hours cut – as will all other libraries. Camden will, however, cease provision of library services at Belsize, Hampstead and Chalk Farm libraries and their future remains uncertain.
Conversation
Finally, there was a brief presentation of Camden’s newest online venture We Are Camden. This externally funded online service is being billed as a way to carry on the sorts of conversations that residents have at these local meetings. It’s in its infancy and during the first phase the idea is that it’s a way for Camden to talk to residents. Phase 2, which sounds much more valuable, will enable groups such as residents associations to set up their own presence.
What’s new on the Overground?
Are you a regular Overground user? If so, then this guest post by Ed Fordham is for you. Ed sits on the London Overground Passenger Board – the user group that discusses issues relating to the Overground network and in particular the North London Line:
“Being a frequent user of one part of the line, I tend to confine myself to taking a close interest in the stations between Willesden Junction and Gospel Oak. There are other user groups for the other bits (Barking-Gospel Oak, West London etc), but the six rail stations between Willesden Junction and Gospel Oak can be a bit left out. So I thought I would report back on what had occurred at the last meeting on 15th June – which felt exceptionally positive.
Punctuality
Overall the Overground network achieved 95% punctuality over the past 12 months, making it one of the most punctual services in the UK. This is based on arrival time at the end destination, rather than at intermediate stations – and given some of the routes are so long and have so many stations, there are variations. The North London Line section of the network was only 92%, and steps are being taken to try and tighten up on that.
Olympics
It is expected that this service – going through residential areas will be heavily used during the Olympics, so there will be 70 additional staff and some additional services for parts of the line. An Olympic and Paralympic timetable will be out in the next week or so.
Phase 3 refurbishments
As you may have seen over the last 18 months, there havebeen a host of small scale station improvements ranging from new signs and a general paint job to the more comprehensive redecoration at Hampstead Heath station (this was part of the Art on the Overground project).
There is now a chance to have a more substantive conversation about issues and improvements in the medium and longer term and it would be good to hear your ideas and suggestions.
Issues that have been mentioned include:
- Better recycling facilities generally, especially for free early morning papers (on trains as well as platforms?)
- Additional shelters or canopies at Brondesbury station
- A lift at Hampstead Heath station – especially given access to the hospital
- Taking down the excessive anti-vandalism measures at Finchley Road and Frognal
- A cashpoint to be installed at Brondesbury Park station
Getting the community involved
One specific initiative has been to get the community working with London Overground to introduce flower boxes and flower beds at other stations and it strikes me that this would be very possible at Kensal Rise, West Hampstead and Hampstead Heath stations in particular. If any local residents, amenity groups or traders would like to get involved with this please do get in touch and I can help facilitate the conversation asap. Homerton Station has been very successful at this.”
Thanks Ed! Ed sends out an e-mail update every 2–3 months or so on these issues, so any local residents, users or traders on or near the Overground Line should contact him on ed.fordham@gmail.com. He tends to concentrate on the six stations between Kensal Rise and Hampstead Heath.
Useful links
LOROL – London Overground Rail Operations Ltd
TFL and Overground
Passenger Focus
Local meeting about the future of the NHS
On July 4th, WHAT (West Hampstead Amenities & Transport) will host a debate about the proposed NHS changes.
What have I missed since June 12th
More crap weather in the run up to Wimbledon and Glastonbury, but aside from dodging showers what else have we been up to in this part of London?
Crime is still big news. There was a well-attended meeting in Kilburn ward on Monday that focused on crime and safety. There were assurances about the local impact of cuts to Safer Neighbourhood Teams.
Meanwhile, police in Fortune Green have been taking an unusual approach to tackling burglaries in Operation Poppins.
Those sniffer dogs at Kilburn station find some cocaine – on a Police Community Support Officer.
Over in the South Hampstead conservation area, a currency scammer has struck twice.
Acol Childrens Centre has not been saved by a parents’ campaign but will apparently be “reborn” as a community nursery.
The libraries debate continues as some Camden Conservative councillors “call-in” Labour’s libraries proposals.
West Hampstead & Fortune Green wards have their next joint Area Forum this Monday (20th). Local shops are top of the agenda, so why not come along and have your say? Separately, the local ward councillors are changing their surgery arrangements.
Surprise, surprise, more problems are expected on the Jubilee Line.
In local restaurant news: Lena’s salad bar opened on Friday (where Gustoso used to be). The sudden popularity of Café Bon‘s coconut cake prompted it to join Twitter. Love Food has started a Tots & Toast morning on Mondays. And, finally, Yoo Moo (frozen yoghurt) has opened
at the O2 centre.
The paparazzi were at the Alice House on Tuesday morning as Imogen Thomas was there – allegedly on a house-hunting mission.
The Jester Festival – West Hampstead’s summer jamboree – has a website!
The Winchester Project is looking for a Chief Operating Officer.
The two West Hampstead 5-a-side teams that split from the original 6-a-side Wanderers squad are 1 and 2 in the league.
September 8th – Whampgather VII – Four Worlds Collide
Tweet of the Week
Tots and Toast at LoveFood
Alicia, a local mum, is organising a “Tots and Toast” social morning for local parents and carers with tots in tow at LoveFood on Monday mornings. The aim is to provide parents with a relaxed, grown-up but child friendly place to relax and have a proper coffee.
There’ll be an area for parents to sit and chat, and to make toast for themselves and their kids. The café is throwing in the toast and condiments for free and Alicia’s working on a monthly door prize and regular guest speakers.
For more information on the event, suggestions for speakers or topics, or if you want to volunteer as a speaker, then please contact Alicia at nw6tots@aol.co.uk.
The mornings will start on Monday 20th June and run from 9:30 to 11am. All parents and carers welcome.
Crime and Community Safety
Last night’s Area Forum for Camden’s Kilburn ward focused heavily on crime & safety. Here’s the “transcript” based on Mike and Jen’s tweets during the meeting.
What have I missed since June 5th?
What West Hampstead news have you missed while you were sheltering from the rubbish weather?
There was a triple bomb scare on Finchley Road, with the O2 centre, Waitrose, and Marks & Spencer all targeted.
A spectacularly local thunderstorm struck on Friday morning causing an electrical surge as everyone tweeted about it. It had more serious implications, knocking out the electrics at Sidney Boyd Ct and damaging Virgin’s local internet service.
Kilburn Boots had £1,000 worth of No.7 stock lifted on Saturday while the security guard took his lunch break.
There’s more detail on the Crime and Community Safety meeting on June 13th in Camden’s Kilburn ward.
Ladudu is getting closer to full service, and is offering a launch deal on June 20 & 21: two courses and a drink for £10 6:30pm-9:30pm.
West End Lane’s Maya has become Scampa and has applied for an alcohol licence.
Sri Lankan restaurant Elephant Walk is for sale.
The Gallery has joined Twitter (for the second time – but think it might stick around this time).
Gerrymandering or sensible redrawing of constituency boundaries? Hampstead & Kilburn could be split (p10).
West Hampstead Transition Town kicked off on Monday.
Coming up
On July 7th Michael Simkins discusses his latest light hearted travel-lit-cum-biographical work, The Last Flannelled Fool at West End Lane Books.
Tweet of Week
Do WHAT now?
If you’re interested in all things West Hampstead – and lets face it, if you’re not then you may be on the wrong blog – perhaps you should consider joining WHAT. What? Yes, WHAT. The jokes are almost endless*
WHAT stands for West Hampstead Amenities and Transport and has been going for more than 30 years as a non-political community group that cares about local issues and ensures residents have a voice in local affairs through lobbying, meetings etc. As far as I know, it’s the most prominent and wide-reaching of the various local community groups. Like all such organisations, it does of course need fresh blood – not least to ensure that it continues to reflect the local population’s thoughts and ideas.
So, if you want to get involved and join WHAT, then you can find a membership form right here.
*that’s the end of the jokes
West Hampstead Transition Town kicks off
On Monday evening, the Transition Town West Hampstead initiative kicked off. Sadly I couldn’t make, it but guest reporter Suzie was on hand to tell us more:
It was a good turn out for the inaugural West Hampstead TT meeting. Around 30 people gathered at St James’ Church to find out what the Transition Town movement was all about.
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| George Latham and nettle pesto canapés |
Having been welcomed with some homemade and locally foraged nettle pesto (quite yummy, as it happens!) and elderflower cordial, West Hamsptead resident David Abrahams kicked off proceedings. He had been impressed, he said, by what our neighbours at Transition Belsize and Transition Kensal 2 Kilburn had achieved over a short period of time, and wanted to replicate this in West Hampstead.
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| David Abrahams |
The evening started with A Farm for the Future, a film that tells the story of wildlife filmmaker, Rebecca Hoskin, who returned to Devon to run her family farm. She explains how heavily modern farming relies on oil – from the diesel needed to run the planting and harvesting machinery, to the oil-based fungicides, pesticides and insecticides used in growing the crops. As she puts it: “All food production is dripping in oil”.
The film went on to explain that with world oil reserves diminishing, energy prices on the rise, and a farming community in decline (there are only 150,000 farmers left whereas there used to be 10 times as many), the UK – a net importer of food – is in a precarious position to feed its own growing population.
So what’s the answer? The core concept of the Transition Town movement is building local resilience to a future world without oil, and finding “local solutions to global problems”. It aims to do this by sharing knowledge within local communities; by re-learning lost skills, such as foraging for food (apparently Hampstead Heath is a rich resource!) and sewing; and developing new ones, such as creating cycle groups and learning how to make your home more energy efficient.
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| Camden’s former ‘eco champion’ Alexis Rowell talking to the group |
It’s also about teaching and inspiring people, and helping them feel safe and happy by encouraging residents to get to know their neighbours and breaking down feelings of isolation. Did you know that 48% of Camden residents live alone?
George Latham, from the Kensal 2 Kilburn group, shared a few examples of what can be achieved. He told us how it had set up a community allotment on a Brent Partnership housing estate (which has since doubled in size), and created “abundance groups” – volunteers that collect fruit from local residents’ gardens that would otherwise have been wasted. In fact, last year a staggering two tonnes of fruit went to local schools! It also shared other skills such as crocheting, apple pressing, and jam, chutney and bread making. A big success was their local harvest festival, which drew 200 people and ended up with everyone sitting next to their neighbours and sharing a ‘festival stew’.
Transition West Hampstead can be anything we want it to be and it’s up to Transition members to follow their passion, whether it be energy, sustainable transport and food production, or wellbeing and the creative arts. Last night the enthusiasm was palpable and there was a sense of momentum, but the next step is ours. The key thing is that it’s enjoyable. Remember: “If it ain’t fun, it ain’t sustainable!”
If you’d like to find out more about Transition West Hampstead, or would like to get involved, please email: info@transitionwesthampstead.org.uk. Or read more about the wider transition network.
What have I missed since May 30th?
The world news this week has mostly been depressing, so is there anything a bit more light-hearted in West Hampstead to report?
Well, not really. If you’re concerned about crime in the South Hampstead / Mortimer Rd / Abbey Estate area, there’s a meeting on June 13 to put in your diary.
Most burglaries in the South hampstead conservation area occur between 8am-11am, and they’re on the rise.
Several crimes were reported on Twitter this week: a bag snatch on Crediton Hill, an assault on Canfield Gardens, a bike and wallet stolen, and a door kicked in on Mortimer Crescent.
There was a mystery high-pitched sound around South Hampstead that lasted several days. Turned out to be an alarm in the pump room at the Abbey Estate.
Most of us will be moving to once-a-week rubbish collections as of next week.
Update on Camden’s plans for open space on Broadhurst Gardens.
Caffè Nero opened on West End Lane on Monday to mixed reactions – and apparently the WiFi will be free very soon. Peacocks opened on Finchley Road to very little reaction.
Kingsgate Community Centre has a new IT facility offering free courses and workshops.
Transition Town Kilburn planted the flower beds at Kilburn tube station (help water them if you’re there – there’s a watering can & tap on the platform). You can get involved in the Transition Town idea as it’s coming to West Hampstead with a meeting on Monday.
Ever wondered about the giant mural by Kilburn tube?
Read about the inspiration behind the RIBA winning Kilburn Grange Park adventure playground.:
Plans are coming together for the Kilburn Festival. There’s a kick-off event also on Monday at 5.30pm at the North London Tavern – head over if you’re interested.
The line-up has been announced for the Kilburn Film Festival (which runs for a few days up to the main festival).
The next West Hampstead/Fortune Green area forum is on June 20. There’s a session on West End Lane retail – so why not come along and have your say (and lower the average age a bit).
Tweet of the Week
The opening day of Caffè Nero prompted this pithy review from local stand-up star Simon
What have I missed since May 23rd?
It’s been a funny old week. President Obama came for a visit, Cheryl Cole came home, and Lionel Messi came to show us how to play football. But what about the comings and goings in West Hampstead?
Much of this week’s local news has revolved around the neighbourhood shops. Gustoso is turning into Lena’s restaurant and café. The shop half of the Kitchen Table & Stores is closing. Caffé Nero is opening. Estate agent Brian Lack & Co. (West Hampstead’s original agent) is closing but Goldschmidt & Howland is taking its place.
Cllr Keith Moffitt pointed out that people missing Atlanta (now Caffe Nero) can visit its mini-branch on Finchley Road,
Camden released its report on libraries. There are three proposals under consideration, the most extreme of which would see West Hampstead library close, but the most likely option would see library provision at Belsize, Heath and Chalk Farm move to an alternative provider.
Following a community meeting, the Swiss Cottage/Kilburn dispersal zone has been extended for 6 months.
There was a crash on Thursday involving a C11 and two cars at the junction of West End Lane and Broadhurst Gardens.
A West End Lane man has been living in his car to avoid clamping.
Whampstyle was a big hit on Thursday.
There was a sizeable police presence on the Kilburn High Road before Saturday’s Champions League Final.
A new mapping project shows West Hampstead in the 1880s.
West End Lane Books has launched a book group.
The Swiss Cottage Odeon is going to have an IMAX screen AND a fancy bar when it reopens.
Interested in a more sustainable future? Head to St James’ Church on June 6 for a West Hampstead Transition Town kick-off meeting.
Tweet of the Week
Finishing where we began with the presidential visit:
Private Space holds private style party for locals
On Thursday evening, 30 West Hampstead fashionistas descended on The Private Space on Mill Lane for Whampstyle – an evening of fashion, food and free wine!
After the all-important mingling and sampling of some delicious food provided by West End Lane’s newest restaurant Ladudu, we gathered round to hear stylist Zahide Ozkardesler discuss this season’s trends (clashing colours seemed to feature), accessorising (it’s all about belts), and understanding your colours (I confess I got a bit lost here).
Then Christian Croce, owner of The Private Space, gave some top simple hair tips for accentuating your look and a couple of brave volunteers were draped in clothes from the rack and quickly recoiffed before our very eyes.
There was a bit more mingling and we all polished off Bake-a-boo‘s colour-coordinated cupcakes before everyone melted off into the night. It was great to see some familiar faces and plenty of new arrivals both to the area and to whampevents. Big thanks also to The Social Metre
The next major event is the Secret BBQ on June 26th. It’s been filling up steadily so don’t leave it too late to put your name down.
What have I missed since May 15th?
Things happened this week, but I can’t tell you what they were or to whom they happened. I can tell you that the consequence is that everyone’s very bored about footballers’ affairs. No superinjunctions preventing full disclosure of this week’s West Hampstead news though.
Another weekend of Jubilee closures caught a few people out, although it was announced a couple of weeks ago. This press release from London Assembly member Caroline Pidgeon has links to lots more background information.
There was a large-scale police drugs raid in South Kilburn on Wednesday morning.
Former Hampstead & Kilburn candidate Tamsin Omond admitted to criminal damage of HM Treasury during the protests back in March.
A new Cricklewood medical centre won’t take Fortune Green residents on its books, but will accept walk-ins.
There’s a community meeting at lunchtime on May 24th regarding the re-invoked dispersal zone.
The large-scale National Grid works on Finchley Road will kick off very soon
We went to the new Burrito joint on the Kilburn High Road last Monday. Fast food it wasn’t.
Locals can get a 50% discount off their first order at Red Apple.
West Hampstead was in the media this week: it featured on a BBC London news item about property prices, The Winch’s recent trip to Harlem was also featured on BBC London, and even the FT mentioned the area in a piece on listed buildings.
Coming up
Whampstyle is on Thursday – it’s sold out, but look out for the report next weekend.
Secret BBQ sign-ups have been brisk, but still plenty of places left. You do need to put your name down for this though.
West End Lane books is hosting an Oliver Harris event on Thursday.
On June 11th, Queen’s Park book festival promises a great line up, including local twitterati Robert Webb, Edwyn Collins, Anthony McGowan and Hugh Pym.
Tweet of the Week
Discount fruit & veg via Red Apple
If you like fresh ingredients, but find it hard to pop to the shops every couple of days, then a new delivery service could be for you. Red Apple will bring a wide variety of seasonal fresh food to your door and has just added NW6 to its distribution area.
Very kindly, it sent me a “test” delivery yesterday – and my kitchen is now groaning under the weight of jumbo asparagus from Suffolk, some delicious large tomatoes, courgettes, beans, satsumas, kiwi fruit, potatoes, lemons, carrots, satsumas, a red pepper, a cucumber and a butternut squash.
Even more kindly, Red Apple is offering whampers a great deal: half price off your first order if you follow them on Twitter and quote “WHAMPWIN” when you place your order. Can’t be bad.
The company delivers to West Hampstead on Saturday, and you need to order by Thursday 9pm.
I’m off to have the rest of my five-a-day.
Burritos Juan or Burritos When
Last night a group of whampers decided to combine a night of comedy at The Good Ship with a test of the new burrito joint that’s opened directly opposite, Burritos Juan.
It’s only been open a couple of weeks and was empty when we arrived. From the front it looks a bit unprepossessing, but inside is perfectly pleasant with a few tables and chairs leading to the counter at the back. There’s camouflage netting on the ceiling and fake brickwork wallpaper, but the overall effect is perfectly decent.
It would be fair to say that they weren’t geared up to the sudden arrival of eight people, but we were warmly welcomed by an Argentinian girl replete with enormous comedy sombrero. She took our orders, which were all pretty simple. The menu is basic: they have tortillas, they have fillings. We ordered. We sat. We waited.
I sent a couple of tweets.
We waited some more.
There were three of them behind the counter working away, perhaps not at the breakneck speed one might expect from a fast food establishment. Then something happened. I don’t know what. But it was clearly very funny as they were suddenly in hysterics. We assumed they’d dropped something, but they didn’t tell us what was quite so funny. It was hard not to laugh along anyway, although our growling stomachs and the impending kick-off of the comedy were tempering our good humour.
The guy working there dashed out the front door, returning a minute later with a large pack of Doritos, which we were given as a peace offering. We’d now been waiting more than 20 minutes.
Then he dashed off again. What had they run out of? Tortillas. Fairly key ingredient.
Finally, our burritos were ready. They had somehow taken almost 45 minutes despite all the ingredients sitting in containers right under the counter. We were all starving and wolfed them down. They weren’t very big, but they did taste ok. I’ve had better but I’ve also definitely had worse, and to be fair, we probably hadn’t seen the place at its best. We went to pay (£3.50 for a burrito, 50p for a soft drink – cheaper than most shops) and they commented that we’d eaten them very quickly. I expect we were supposed to savour every mouthful but hunger and time were against us and 45 minutes of work disappeared in about 4.5 minutes of eating.
I would definitely give Burritos Juan a second chance, but not with a large group of people unless I called ahead. This might be tricky though as the business cards have an address but no phone number. There’s a lot of competition on the High Road for fast food, and these guys will need to be slicker if they want to become a fixture – they have a big advantage in being the only Mexican place around, I really hope they make the most of it.
What have I missed since May 8th?
While Jedward and Blue slugged it out in Düsseldorf and Stoke and Manchester City slugged it out at Wembley what was happening in West Hampstead?
Fortune Green councillor Flick Rea celebrated 25 years in office.
Councillor Abdul Quadir has taken over from Jonathan Simpson as Mayor of Camden.
Here’s an architect drawing of the plans for Cambridge Avenue in Kilburn.
The details of Kilburn’s History Festival were announced.
There was literally a daylight robbery at St Johns Wood Barclays.
The dispersal zone in South Hampstead/Swiss Cottage has been reinstated for 28 days following the fatal stabbing.
A local man unearthed a nuclear bunker while doing some gardening.
West Hampstead neo-natal charity Best Beginnings has received £170,000 from the Department of Health.
Our very own Bake-a-boo popped up on the radio (from 13’30”).
The Kilburn Times wrote about the local Womens Institute who meet in the NLT.
We went to Afghan restaurant Ariana II in Kilburn.
In the West Hampstead 5-a-side derby, the Wanderers aka Soliders of Fortune (Green) just pipped WHamp Athletic 5-4.
Interested in the Secret BBQ?
Coming Up
Next Sunday, celebrate 30 years of the Tricycle Theatre.
Tweet of the Week
Put a Shhhh… rimp on the barbie
The eagle-eyed among you will have spotted the Secret BBQ on the calendar. What gives?
A very generous whamper – Chris – has volunteered to host a barbecue after being converted to the delights of the whamp community at a whampreview a while back. So, between the two of us, we’re bringing you #whampgrill!
And the secret? We’ll reveal the exact location the day before to those of you who sign up (Chris isn’t a big fan of posting his address all over the internet and I don’t blame him). Rest assured, it’s within a 10 minute walk of West Hampstead tube station.
The date: from 2pm on June 26th.
The exciting bit: you don’t have to bring your own food – we’ll provide all the food – including non-meat things for the non-meat eaters. All you need to bring is something to drink. We’d also really like it if you brought a donation to help us cover our costs. Any extra money we make will go to The Winch, so do feel free to make generous donations.
Sounds good, right? A chance to make some new local friends, catch up with those you’ve already made, and enjoy some lovely grilled food in the rain (it won’t rain).
Now what? Given that it’s a party in his flat and his flat isn’t infinitely large, we are going to ask you to sign up for it so we can keep track of numbers – we can be a bit flexible but we’re expecting at least 40. If it looks like getting full, we’ll let you know so hopefully no-one misses out. Mail or tweet me if you’d like to come (with the number of any additional guests), with dietary requirements (coeliacs may need to bring their own bread rolls) and a mobile number so we can text you the location the day before.
Please say you’ll come if you actually plan to turn up, rather than just thinking “I’ll go unless a better offer comes along.” Sorry to get all pernickety, but just imagine poor Chris sitting there that evening surrounded by bridge rolls and uneaten burgers! Exactly. If you sign up and DO get a better offer/can’t come then please let us know asap. WHampers are invariably a well-brought up bunch, so doubt this will be a problem.
Oh, and if it rains, Chris assures me that he has enough room inside to cope and it will go ahead as planned. But it won’t rain. Definitely not.
See you there!
Ariana II – review of Kilburn’s Afghan restaurant
The welcome from Wali at Ariana II is extremely warm. It’s quite hard not to think of all the clichés of the famed generosity of Afghan hospitality at this relative newcomer to the Kilburn High Road. Ever since Time Out gave it a glowing review, it has piqued the interest of NW6ers so it was time for whampreviewers to give their verdict.
The menu is long, and grilled meats and aubergine feature prominently. We eagerly accepted the suggestion of sharing a variety of starters and very soon the table was full with bread, houmous, a Russian salad that tasted a lot better than it looked, an uneventful Afghan salad, some rather nice Ashak (vegetable-filled steamed dumplings) and – of course – some fried aubergine. A small dish of fiery sauce came too. “Does this go with anything in particular?” asked Hazel? “Everything – it goes with everything” beamed our host. And indeed it did, being hot enough to more or less kill any more subtle flavour.
Main courses arrived and there was much kerfuffle as starter plates and main courses fought for space on an increasingly cramped table. Service throughout was very friendly – our waitress in particular endeared herself to the table – but a slightly slicker system might result in less plate juggling by customers. It feels like a culture clash between the Afghan dastarkhan spread of food and the modern European desire to eat separate courses – as well as the physical constraints of a restaurant in Kilburn (one with very clean toilets as Jennifer pointed out).
The grilled meat main courses mostly came with rice either plain or served as a pilau (brown rice offered as an option) and a salad. My own dish was from the Afghan specials list. Muntu is another steamed dumpling dish, this time filled with a very spicy lamb mixture. It was really delicious – the spiced meat cutting through the mild sauce and yoghurt dressing – another dish where taste far exceeded presentation.
Verdicts on the various plates of grilled meat were generally positive although there was a sense of disappointment that the flavour of these dishes didn’t really stand out from what you might get at a decent kebab place even if the cooking was certainly better and more consistent: one chicken dish described as “surprisingly succulent”.
Matt reckoned that if they “sorted the salad out” his lamb shank dish would have been a really good meal, referring to the rather unexciting tomato lettuce and cucumber on his plate.
We didn’t order vegetable sides, but I think I would if going again – I would have liked something green with my dish certainly. None of us were vegetarians, but actually there is a reasonable selection of vegetarian food even if most are billed as side dishes.
We again took a selection of desserts – including a ras malai made by our waitress’s aunt and that Jayanti declared “exceptional” (having already said it was one of her favourites), some baklava and another yoghurt-based dessert. All were good.
Cardamon coffee was described as “really good” and there was much appreciaton for the tiny persian rug coasters for the mint tea teapots. It was time for the bill. It’s worth pointing out here that Ariana II is a bring-your-own-bottle restaurant. There is a decent wine shop two doors away though, so this is no great hardship but did have a big effect on the bill compared to previous reviews. So, including service but excluding wine we paid £18 each. There was still and sparkling bottled water on the table, which we drank but realised later we hadn’t been charged for – whether deliberately or not, I don’t know.
Overall, it was an enjoyable experience. I’m not sure Whether Ariana II has quite enough to lure West Hampsteadites down to the High Road just for the food. But, if you find yourself hungry in Kilburn, want something a bit different and like friendly service then this restaurant should definitely be on your shortlist.
Thanks to reviewers Jennifer, Hazel, Susan, Jayanti, Peter, Alex, Jon, and Matt
Ratings
Food 7.0
Service 8.2
Value 7.4
Overall 7.4
Good for: aubergine
Bad for: clutterphobes
214 Kilburn High Road
Kilburn
NW6 7JN
T: 020 3490 6709
Soldiers of Fortune (Green) vs. Athletic – the West Hampstead 5-a-side derby
After a decidedly unsuccessful first season, finishing dead last in the Fortune Green 5-a-side league, West Hampstead Wanderers FC disbanded, splitting into two separate teams for the start of the new season. Dan reports on their first encounter.
Despite the new teams – West Hampstead Athletic and Soldiers of Fortune (Green) – maintaining a core of the old Wanderers players, both sides recorded victories in their respective opening games. But this positive start was bound to end for one of the teams as match day 2 saw the former team-mates go head-to-head for the first time in what must now be the ultimate North London derby.
This rivalry brought out the best in both teams, and what resulted was an incredibly tight, hard-fought match. The energy levels were high, the quality of the football higher.
The Soldiers opened the scoring, but Athletic soon drew level. Goals were harder to come by than in previous matches, thanks mainly to sterling displays in goal by the two keepers, and some brilliant defending.
With about a minute left to play, and the scores level at 4 goals apiece, everyone on the pitch turned their dials up to 11. In the end, a late goal from Thom Hoffman handed the win to the Soldiers of Fortune (Green). But never have cliches such as “it could have gone either way” and “both teams deserved to get something out of the match” been more applicable.
It was a fantastic game to be involved in, and I can’t wait for the return fixture.
Final Score: Soldiers of Fortune (Green) 5 – 4 West Hampstead Athletic.
What have I missed since May 1st?
As superinjunctions rained down, and Scottish Salmond rejoiced, what was happening in good ol’ West Hampstead?
Camden was one of just 10 places in the UK to buck the trend and vote Yes to AV.
Across the Kilburn High Road some historic licence was taken with polling cards.
Talking of history, Ed and Dick dug up a tale of a Kilburn watchseller.
Was it really a great surprise that we are in fact going to see more weekend Jubilee Line closures?
Not that last month’s steam train fared much better.
West End News and Karahi Master are the latest two casualties on West End Lane.
The Lower Ground Bar is revamping its website.
Gastronomia La Delizia, a new restaurant on Fairfax Rd was granted a drinks licence but with shorter hours than requested. Its change-of-use application is still to be decided.
Camden’s borough commander referred to the Abbey estate stabbings in an interview with the Kilburn Times.
And NW6’s favourite race horse Kilburn won by a huge margin in his first race over hurdles at Plumpton.
Coming up
Parking suspensions this week in Compayne Gdns and Broadhurst Gdns for drains and lighting work.
Tweet of the Week
WHAT survey
Some of you will and some of you won’t have heard of WHAT. WHAT stands for West Hampstead Amenities & Transport. It’s a campaign group that’s been around a long time and has been very active in issues such as the West Hampstead interchange project that was a credible proposal some years ago.
Anyhoo…, it’s carrying out a short survey but doesn’t have such good access to the younger population in the area. Which is where I come in.
It’s looking for people who are 25–40 and who live (this bit’s important) in either the West Hampstead or Fortune Green wards. Here’s a map if you’re not sure which ward you live in.
It’s a survey about local community facilities – doesn’t matter whether you use them or not, they’re interested in everyone’s views, and also what you might use if it was available. It will take about 10–15 minutes to fill in. There’s a Word doc. and an Excel sheet to complete, which I can mail you.
If you’d like to participate, please drop me a mail (link is top right) or DM me on Twitter with your e-mail address. WHAT is ideally looking for a mix of longer-standing and recently arrived residents, so let me know how long you’ve lived here too, please. I’ll mail out the questionnaires over the next day or two.
Thank you very much
What have I missed since April 24th?
Really very hard to think of anything at all that happened this week – either domestically or abroad. No. I got nothing. Luckily, there’s plenty of local news to keep everyone occupied.
Local resident and travel writer Peter Moss was killed in the Marrakesh café bomb. Many tributes were paid to him.
A 16-year-old appeared in court in connection with last week’s fatal knife attack last week on the Abbey estate.
At an extraordinary council meeting, it seemed that none of Camden’s libraries might have to close.
On the same night, Camden’s only hustings on the AV referendum took place at St Mary’s Church.
Two West Hampstead police horses took part in the royal wedding.
There were several street parties, including this one in Glenbrook Road.
Ladudu finally opened, albeit in soft launch mode until the gas gets connected.
West End Lane Oddbins will remain a wine shop.
Fancy working in the West Hampstead signal box and raising money for charity?
Author Marina Lewycka (A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian) will visit West End Lane Books on Wednesday at 7.30.
You can sign up now for Whampstyle – a free night of fashion, wine and local mingling on May 26th.
Tweet of the Week
Stiff competition this week, but this harking back for a simpler time takes the prize:
Sign up now for Whampstyle on May 26th
Early spring sunshine has already got locals busting out their summer fashions. But are you up to date with this season’s trends, and do you know how to tailor your look to best suit your personal style? The right clothes need the right hair – perhaps you’re looking for some top tips of how to style your hair at home so you can change your image quickly for those summer parties.
Well, it’s a good thing that I’ve teamed up with The Private Space on Mill Lane to offer an evening that’s going to help you with all this. Due to the size constraints, places are limited for this free event, so we’re asking you to sign up for it rather than just drop by.
The evening on Thursday May 26th will kick off at 7.30pm with wine and canapés (free of course). Then Zahide Ozkardesler, London College of Fashion graduate, professional stylist and image consultant, will talk about the hottest summer looks and how to accessorize. Christian Croce, owner of The Private Space, will then offer some top hair tips to match the styles on show. There’ll be plenty more time to mingle with fellow West Hampstead fashionistas, pick up some more tips from the professionals, have another drink, and take advantage of discounts on The Private Space’s products and services.
There are strictly limited places for this event, so please sign up asap (this is a first come-first served event, unlike #whampreview for example where names are drawn from a hat). Please either tweet or e-mail me or mail The Private Space directly at privatespacenw6@gmail.com to secure your place – and of course you can bring your friends along, just let us know how many are going to turn up.
Look forward to seeing you all there!
UPDATE: This event is now full. I’m also delighted to say that the food will be provided by Bake-a-Boo and West End Lane’s newest restaurant Ladudu.
AV hustings in West Hampstead provoke fiery debate
On Wednesday this week, Father Andrew Cain at St Mary’s church hosted Camden’s only hustings debate on the upcoming referendum on the Alternative Vote (AV) system.
In favour of AV were local councillor Andrew Marshall – going against his Conservative party line – and Times journalist David Aaronovitch. On the No side sat former Hampstead & Kilburn Conservative PPC Chris Philp and Labour MP for Mitcham and Morden Siobhain McDonagh.
Around 100 people filled the pews at St Mary’s and it was gratifying to see a healthy number of younger people participating. The Ham & High’s editor Geoff Martin presided over proceedings.
David Aaronovitch kicked the debate off explaining that he initially hadn’t felt that strongly about what he described as “a mild reform” until he’d seen the arguments rolled out by the No campaign. He reeled off some figures that ostensibly made the point that while First Past The Post (FTPT) had worked well when there were only two main parties and turnouts were high, it was less suited to today’s lower turnout/multi-party world.
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| Aaronovitch: “mild reform” |
Chris stood up to deliver his speech – still unable to shed that slight hectoring tone that some found offputting during his election campaign. Apart from attempting a very dodgy Yorkshire accent at one stage – the less said about that the better – he set out to suggest that people simply weren’t interested in voting reform and that the whole issue had come about purely as a condition of the coalition agreement. He trotted out the argument that AV would make hung parliaments more likely and argued that this would remove the public’s right to select the government and hand it to the Lib Dems. He made lots of references to the BNP, although didn’t articulate clearly [at least to me] how AV would benefit them – he seemed more concerned to say that he didn’t have any interest in receiving the second vote of a BNP voter and didn’t believe it was right that such voters had more influence over the result.
 |
| Philp: “I don’t want the second vote of a BNP voter” |
Andrew opened his Yes speech suggesting that in an age of enormous amounts of data, it was ironic that we asked so little about people’s opinions every 4–5 years. “FPTP assumes people are very indifferent to the merits of other candidates.” Although he agreed that people on the doorstep hadn’t talked actively about voting reform, plenty had asked him how they should vote tactically. He also argued that if there were more hung parliaments, that was up to the electorate and if parties wanted to avoid that then they had to do more to get the necessary votes. He also reminded the audience that AV is already used in other elections in the UK – for example in Welsh and Scottish elections and – as has been mentioned a lot – in the leadership elections for both the main parties. Countering Chris’s arguments about FPTP being used in the US, he quipped that Al Gore knew all too well that FPTP didn’t always work.
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| Marshall: Parties must work harder to get votes |
Siobhain McDonagh arrived late and thus hadn’t heard much of what either Yes campaigner had said. She began with a dubious joke about coming from south London before launching into a clearly well-rehearsed speech. She argued that FPTP was simple and traditional with a story about seeing people in her constituency who’d fled persecution “and in their eyes I see a respect for our system.” She also argued that AV would mean giving up the right to influence parties’ manifesto for the “direction of travel” they would follow. I didn’t really follow the logic of this to be honest. She then launched into a savage attack on the Lib Dems over, for example, tuition fees, saying that they “deserve a kicking.”. This did not go down well with the audience who started heckling loudly with cries of “stick to the topic”.
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| McDonagh: “Lib Dems deserve a kicking” |
The floor was now open to questions, of which there were many. There was a lot of arguing between Chris and David over the interpretation of statistics, for example on the number of hung parliaments. Lib Dem PPC Ed Fordham popped up from behind a flower display to ask about the use of AV in other UK elections and allowed Chris to get in a neatly worked jibe about Ed Miliband being the “least offensive” candidate for the Labour leadership.
David claimed that saying that people voting for smaller parties had an “extra vote” was ludicrous, using the French presidential election as his example (the French system is very similar to AV but there is a time gap between making your first choice and second choice as the lowest scoring candidates are knocked out). He undermined Siobhain’s point that FPTP was a British tradition by pointing out the use of AV in Wales and Scotland. One might also argue that plenty of other voting “traditions” have been altered as times change.
The atmosphere in the church was getting more and more fractious, especially as one guy started shouting almost everytime any of the panel spoke. It got to the stage where David was treating him as a stand-up would an annoying heckler and frankly he should have been thrown out.
An unsuccessful Labour PPC from Yorkshire asked how the FPTP campaign would answer voters who thought there was “no point” turning out in very safe seats. He argued that voter apathy was in many cases “realistic apathy” rather than a lack of interest in politics. Chris pointed out that the very safe seats were won by 50% majorities anyway and therefore AV wouldn’t make a difference.
Inevitably someone in the audience opened with “I promise this will be a short question,” before launching into a long statement. Then David took real issue with what he described as a “pious” attitude from Chris who had been saying that all he wanted was for people to vote for the person they wanted to win. Echoing the thoughts, I suspect, of almost everyone in this constituency who lived through the vociferous arguments of all the three parties that only two of them could possibly win. The result: the closest three-way vote in the country.
There was much talk of the fact that Australia uses the AV system – with people reading both positive and negative outcomes from the country’s lengthy experience with it. An erudite Australian stood up and gave his verdict on it – which was wholeheartedly positive and ended up getting the biggest cheer of the night.
The whole audience was getting more lively – my favourite heckle coming as one man stood up and gave a long speech saying he feared AV would put us on the “slippery slope to PR”. “Oh dear,” said an older woman a few rows back – her voice dripping with amused sarcasm. Andrew responded that given the slow pace of electoral reform it must be a very shallow slope. Siobhain, who had let Chris handle most of the answers to the audience, finally chipped in with a comment about the very low turnout she expected for this referendum and Chris finally scored an emphatic point against David who had accused the No campaign of “whipping up apathy”, citing the three months he had dedicated to this.
One audience member challenged Siobhain’s point about simplicity, suggesting that it was odd to champion simplicity for something as important as electing the government, and wondered whether AV would ignite young people’s interest in politics. Chris argued that more dynamic politicians would do that.
The session finally wrapped up – there was no attempt to take a vote and no-one was prepared to admit that the hustings had changed their mind, but it was good to see a healthy turnout and a distinct lack of apathy among these voters.
It will be interesting to see how the Hampstead & Kilburn vote on May 5th compares to the London and national vote given the constituency’s unusual position as a genuinely tight 3-way, where AV might have ended up in any of the three main candidates taking the seat.
Will Ladudu do do it?
Vietnamese café/restaurant Ladudu opened today on West End Lane. I popped in at lunchtime to see what was on offer and was given a very friendly greeting. As some readers might know, it has a problem with gas for cooking – namely there wasn’t any being piped in. Previous occupant Glo clearly wasn’t that fussed about using hobs.
Anyway, it’s going to be mid-late May before chef Teresa is cooking on gas according to her front-of-house partner Tristan. Until then, Ladudu is serving from its appetisers menu – 10 “tasty nibbles” including spring rolls, salads and betel beef rolls. I tried a couple of things, both were good although I think it’s probably fair to give a place a few days to settle in before really judging the food! Mains, once they come online after the gas is installed, are all under £8. Starters all under £5.50.
The decor is attractive with thick wooden tables and some comfy chairs in a lounge area. There are some larger sharing tables too, but overall it has a clean modern yet warm feel.
For the moment, Ladudu is open 7am to 6pm weekdays and 10am to 6pm weekends. It will close at 11pm once it’s fully operational. I understand from Tristan that they fancy their chances against Starbucks and Costa for the commuter coffee business. That may be a tall (skinny) order, given how wedded people can get to their coffee, but why not give it a try and support a local business run by people who actually live here.
No doubt we’ll be hearing more about it over the coming weeks, but for now, Good Luck.
What have I missed since April 17th?
As people gorged themselves on chocolate and temperatures and referendum rhetoric soared, what was happening in West Hampstead?
Kilburn features prominently in this short film promoting the Yes to AV campaign.
It also features in this film that launches the South Kilburn Studios.
On Wednesday night two young men were stabbed on the West Hampstead/Kilburn borders, one fatally. Police have arrested a 17 year-old.
A Kilburn High Road shop that’s had a few run-ins with the police has applied for a 24hr alcohol licence.
West Hampstead’s churches got some good pre-Easter press coverage – including mentions of their use of Twitter.
Remember the NW5 signpost cock-up? Well, it’s been rectified!
After a bad week on the Jubilee Line, this Easter’s closures should (*cough) be the last
of the planned engineering works.
West End Lane take-away the Bombay Bicycle Club has shut up shop and moved to Maida Vale. Pizza Hut is allegedly interested in the site. The Green Room in Broadhurst Gardens also appears to have closed (unless the owners are just on holiday). STOP PRESS: The Green Room has closed – it will become an Italian restaurant.
Sport
The two 5-a-side teams started the season with wins: 11-5 for the @WHampWanderers and 9-7 for @WhampAthletic.
West Hampstead’s men’s hockey team remain on course for the double after they won the
cup last weekend.
Coming up this week
The Glo sign was finally replaced by the Ladudu sign as the Vietnamese restaurant prepares for its soft launch this week.
Next Saturday, the Priory Tavern hosts a jazz and soul “Music in the Raw” event, starting at 7pm.
Tweet of the week
Tough one this week – three great contenders, but the winner was Kate with this heavily re-tweeted scatological offering:
What have I missed since April 10th?
As the country began to go a little bit Royal Wedding crazy, what was happening in West Hampstead this week?
We found out that US daytime TV programme The Rachael Ray Show will be filming at Bake-a-boo next week. About the Royal Wedding.
Lymington Road residents association is holding a street party. Indoors. For the Royal Wedding.
Talking of parties – the sixth edition of #whampgather was another great success and we raised over £130 for The Winch.
The CNJ reported on the impending arrival of Caffé Nero.
Armed robbers struck in Belsize Park.
Kingsgate Community Centre announced its spring/summer term programme.
There was confirmation of Peacocks moving into the Finchley Road Woolworths site.
The engineering works on the Jubilee Line were supposed to move us from 24 to 33 trains an hour. That’s been revised down to just 27. Just three trains more for all that work?
Perhaps steam is the way forward? This train pulled into West Hampstead on Wednesday. But never made it back after breaking down on its return journey.
New on Twitter: @kilburn_ward for Brent Kilburn ward news
Camden’s only AV referendum hustings will be held in St Mary’s Church on April 27th. Andrew Marshall and David Aaronovitch will be arguing for Yes, and Chris Philp + a.n.other for No.
The West Hampstead Wanderers salvaged some pride in the last match of the season.
Hampstead Cricket Club kicked off its season with a home draw against Cambridge.
Tweet of the Week
For once not a cheeky dig at the eccentrics of Kilburn but something more positive about our own neighbourhood:
Whampgather VI – it just keeps on getting better
The first whampgather was unequivocally a tweet-up. That was back in October 2009. A year and a half later and whampgather is a broader – and much bigger – event attracting blog readers, Facebookers, and of course tweeters (and their friends). This was the sixth one and took place again in The Lion on West End Lane.
I stopped trying to count the number of people who turned up – but it was around 60 in total over the course of the evening. I’m really sorry I didn’t get the chance to talk to everyone but I’m going to let a few people tell the story of the evening.
Big thanks to Brad, who took photos – a small selection of which I’m showing here:
Positive end to the season for Wanderers
The team was already consigned to the bottom of the table, but was able to salvage some pride in a 5-a-side match that suggests next season’s league (revised to 5-a-side from 6 this season) could be much more competitive. Tim reports:
Matchday 12. Monday April 4. KO 7.20
West Hampstead Wanderers 11 – 9 The Gym Utd.
Gym Utd arrived at Fortune Green fresh from their title decider the previous week. Maybe it was the taste of defeat in that match, or having one eye already on next season; but either way, a match between the league runners up and the dead last team coudl have been expected to be a walkover to an outsider.
The Wanderers struggled to field a full line-up for the final match, so it seemed the writing was on the wall. However, The Gym Utd kindly agreed to field a 5-a-side team, which allowed more space in the previously cramped court. Some of the early football played by the Wanderers was reminiscent of the tiki-taka approach taken by some larger, foreign teams.
Wanderers were very quickly two goals to the good, following some simple pass and move with calm finishing from @timcheese and @matthewmargot. The gents from the Gym fought back, and the game was close as half-time approached. In the blur of competition, the writer considers that the scores were around 4 a-piece. Most surprising at the interval was that @timcheese already had a hat-trick under his belt, as he hadn’t scored all season whilst playing in defence. With 10 players on the court, far greater space was afforded with counterattacking suiting the bolder, quicker team.
Following the changeover, Utd looked shell-shocked early into the second half as the plucky Wanderers continued as they had started, with a couple of quick goals from a rejuvenated @samwong1. There was real belief that an upset beckoned. @MartinTse was kept busy in goal, with some quite optimistic defending, and tired legs betraying Wanderers’ ambitions. During the mid-point of the second half, Wanderers started to slow and dictate play, with @thomhoffman picking up two of his three goal tally; one of which involved a sublimely understated use of his eyes to direct the keeper away from his exquisitely placed shot. With that, The Gym Utd were almost broken, and after the addition of a fourth by @timcheese following a dubious handball claim denied, all that was left was to see out the final onslaught. Utd’s goliath effort was finished, David like, by @matthewmargot with the simplest of tap-ins before the final whistle blew.
The match had no effect on the standings, but dead rubber or not, the boys from West Hampstead showed their neighbouring cousins with their 11-9 victory that the battle for next season is just beginning.
League standings:
Kilburn Wizards P12 W8 D2 L2 GD +27
The Gym Utd. P12 W6 D2 L4 GD +17
Abacus Athletic P12 W4 D2 L6 GD -4
West Hampstead Wanderers P12 W2 D2 L8 GD -40
The Gym Utd. P12 W6 D2 L4 GD +17
Abacus Athletic P12 W4 D2 L6 GD -4
West Hampstead Wanderers P12 W2 D2 L8 GD -40
What have I missed since April 3rd?
It’s been a relatively quiet week in NW6 but, as always, here’s some of the local news you might have missed.
It’s been a bad week for the Cock Tavern Theatre: right after it received some great publicity from the BBC, it was forced to close down.
Mark Riley gave @WHampstead a shout out on his BBC6 programme (sadly getting my name wrong) (from 1h 7′ 14″)
Last year’s Hampstead & Kilburn PPC Tamsin Omond had a magistrate’s hearing adjourned.
West Hampstead Conservation Area is looking for a secretary (unpaid).
The ever-popular Spicy Basil on the High Road has closed for a refurb, but customers are eager for its reopening.
Talking of Basil (segue of the week), here’s a website devoted to Basil Spence who designed Swiss Cottage Library.
There’s some positive news about improvements to the western West Hampstead borders (aka Cricklewood).
Kilburn author Robert Hudson came across a Kilburn tragedy.
Coming up
The sixth local get-together aka #whampgather, takes place at The Lion on West End Lane from 8pm on Thursday.
On Wednesday, a steam train will pass through West Hampstead in the morning and again in the evening.
Tweet of the Week
Tough competition this week but the winner goes to this myth-busting missive.
Cock Theatre closes for good
Earlier this week, the popular and very highly regarded Cock Tavern Theatre in Kilburn was forced to close temporarily when it was discovered that the pub above which it operates didn’t have a licence for “upstairs entertainment”.
It was hoped that this could be resolved quickly using a series of Temporary Event Licences while a permanent licence was sorted out. But Adam Spreadbury-Maher, the artistic director, announced today that the theatre would have to look for new premises after discovering that complying with Brent Council’s Health & Safety requirements regarding the fire exits would be prohibitively expensive. Quite whether the risk was really that great is no doubt moot. At my recent visit, I can’t say that I noticed the stairs were especially steep or narrow. UPDATE: The Independent has more detail on this story.
All performances have thus been cancelled and the theatre is in the process of trying to reimburse people while it moves to new premises.
It does seem hard to believe some sort of compromise could not have been reached, and instead Kilburn loses another high-quality arts venue.
Whampgather VI
Hard to believe this will be the sixth local get-together, but ’tis true. On Thursday April 14th, come along to The Lion on West End Lane from 8pm for a great night of catching up with old friends and making lots of new ones.
There are always plenty of new people at each event, so don’t be shy – just turn up and you’ll be surprised how quickly you get chatting to fellow locals. By all means bring your flatmates/partners/accountants for moral support or just to introduce them to the gang.
Am hoping to sort out a raffle with good local prizes, raising money for The Winch as well.
If you’re not sure whether a #whampgather is your thing, read up about previous ones – but trust me, it’s a diverse bunch of people and we don’t all sit around comparing iPhone apps. I don’t even have an iPhone.
Get local and join in.
What have I missed since March 27th?
While protests gathered momentum in Yemen and India beat first Pakistan and then Sri Lanka to clinch the Cricket World Cup, what was happening closer to home?
The PC who tackled last summer’s knife wielding man in West Hampstead received a bravery award. Sadly, due an off-duty stabbing, he was unable to attend the ceremony.
BBC London reported on the attempts to save Charteris Sports Centre, but by the end of the week, Brent announced it would close
In better news, the West Hampstead Alzheimers care centre has been saved.
Kilburn’s Queen of the Supper Club @MsMarmitelover published her first cookbook.
Arts Council England funding was announced. The Tricycle had funding cut by 11%, while Camden Arts Centre had funding raised by 15.6%
If you’re 18-25, living in Brent and have a creative streak this trainee programme might be for you.
Between 2007 and 2010, Camden overall became less deprived, but Kilburn still has a child poverty problem.
Ninety years ago, last Monday, the magnificently named Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven van den Bogaerde was born in Hemstal Road. He’s better known as Dirk Bogarde.
Oddbins went into administration this week. There was a lot of speculation on Twitter as to what might take the place of the West End Lane branch should it close.
I went to the Cock Theatre for the first time.
On April 1st there were a couple of bits of breaking news.
The West Hampstead Wanderers couldn’t play their penultimate match of the season due to
failed floodlights.
Tweet of the Week
Breaking News
Here’s the breaking news of the day – just before midday
First time at The Cock
Kilburn’s Cock Theatre – fresh from its victory at the Olivier Awards – is currently staging back-to-back Tennessee Williams plays as part of the centenary celebrations of his birth. As a bit of a fan of TW (due in no small part to the smouldering tension between Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof – one of the more inspiring A-Level English texts we did), I thought this was the perfect opportunity to visit this pub theatre for the first time to see I Never Get Dressed ’til After Dark on Sundays.
The play came to a close a couple of nights later, so I’m not planning to review it here (although if I was, I’d be saying it was a good production of one of Tennessee’s weaker works (it was unpublished in his lifetime)). I’m more just saying that it’s a great small theatre and its reputation is already so strong that you need to grab tickets fast when they come out. It seats only about 50 people (although some turned out to be cast members).
What at first amused me, and then slightly depressed me, was that as people arrived – many clearly not regulars in Kilburn – they rather huddled by the door looking a bit terrified of the locals rather than just heading over to the bar (which gives discounts once you wave your programme around) and saying hello. Perhaps the locals don’t look that welcoming, but within… ooh… five seconds of ordering, my neighbour Seán had introduced himself, shaken my hand at least twice, and told me not to mind him, he was just a drunk Irishman. Which he was. But a very friendly and harmless one.
So if you do head down to the Cock Theatre, please try and spend some money in the Cock Tavern as well and don’t create a rather frosty divide between “theatregoers” and “pub dwellers”. From my experience of living in Dublin for a bit, some of the most unlikely looking people in pubs are far more fluent in Beckett and Joyce, than many so-called fans of the theatre are in Shakespeare or Pinter.
Imaginations run riot as Oddbins falls into administration
After alerting twitter followers to the possible demise of West End Lane’s Oddbins, as the company faced receivership, the air was filled with “helpful” suggestions. They evolved something like this:
What have I missed since March 20th?
While people marched in London and we bombed Libya, what was happening in leafy NW6?
New arrivals on West End Lane included Rock Men’s Salon and the almost-open West End Charcoal Grill.
New arrivals on Twitter included The Alexandra & Ainsworth Estate, Nail Suite and (after advertising it for months) LoveFood.
On April 13th, a steam train will chug into West Hampstead on a public service. Timetable here.
More info on the Fortune Green work.
Ricky Gervais spoke out about the planned closure of Netherwood Alzheimers Centre.
Sunday was the Friends of West Hampstead Library relaunch / “use your library” day.
Meanwhile there was a nice photo posted of John, who sells books by Thameslink.
In South Kilburn, some allotments were rediscovered, and details on the new masterplan published.
We reviewed Gung-Ho on West End Lane.
The Wanderers lost, sadly confirming their place at the foot of the table.
Photo of the Week
A bit early still, but this photo by Chris captures the most attractive shop window on West End Lane at the moment – Gustoso.
How Gung-Ho were we about long-standing local Chinese?
For the first #whampreview of 2011 we decided to check out West Hampstead’s Gung-Ho. Despite having been in the area as long as most locals can remember, a surprising number of people had never heard of it.
Tucked up the forgotten bit of West End Lane, just before it joins the Finchley Road, Gung-Ho claims to serve Szechuan food although to the untrained eye, it’s a reasonably standard menu. There is also a “fusion” section, which mercifully means other south-east Asian dishes and not some awful attempt to marry completely different cuisines.
We were shown through to a table at the back replete with the obligatory lazy Susan. I rather like Gung-Ho’s decor. It’s nicely lit, clean and although quite a large place, there are enough partitions that you never feel like you’re in a large place.
The challenge of reviewing places with extensive menus is that you can only ever review a small selection of what’s on offer. We ordered a wide range of starters having not done much damage to the two small bowls of pickled cabbage that we got as soon as we arrived. Har gau and beef dumplings were hits, Nicky said the tempura was light, while Chris surprised himself, “I consider myself a carnivore, but that tofu was good”. We also had squid two ways and pretty quickly demolished the lot .
Main courses came promptly – portions are not overwhelming but the manager recommended we only needed four portions of rice between the eight of us. The Malaysian rendang (from the fusion menu) was tasty but Hazel and I agreed it lacked the depth of flavour of the best rendangs. Mark and Debbie said they were “big fans” of the prawn curry, while Nicky heaped praise on the seabass. SJ liked her sea-salt chicken. There was consistent support for the lamb in honey, which never seemed to move far from Simon‘s reach. Perhaps the only disappointing dish was the “uninspiring” mixed vegetables.
Amid some scepticism, we ordered three of the sweet bean paste pancakes, which I really like (but have had before there, so it wasn’t quite such a shot in the dark). Together with three bottles of white wine, the bill came to £25 each including service. Talking of service, I rather like the waiters at Gung-Ho. They are very friendly and not too pushy. We were a bit tucked out of the way, so if we actually wanted something we were reliant on them coming to check, but I think our service mark is on the low side compared to other reviews.
So, overall, Gung-Ho probably won’t blow your mind or your palate, but for reliable friendly Chinese food in a nice setting it’s the best local offering. It also does take-out.
Ratings
Food 6.9
Service 7.1
Value 8.1
Overall 7.6
Good for: tofu sceptics
Bad for: i’ve got nothing
328-332 West End Lane
West Hampstead
NW6 1LN
T: 020 7794 1444
W: www.stir-fry.co.uk
Last minute goal thriller consigns Wanderers to last place
With three weeks left until the end of the season, the Wanderers needed a win and other results to go their way if they were not to be destined to finish bottom of the league. Thom reports
Match day 10. Monday 21st March. KO 6.30
West Hampstead Wanderers 9 – 10 Abacus Athletic
A solid start saw the Wanderers take the lead after pressure high up the pitch led to a penalty, which was stuck away by Thom. Abacus scored two in return before another penalty made it 2-2. The hard work at the start of the half began to take its toll and some clinical finishing by the opposition meant that the Wanderers went into the break 5-2 down.
Heads didn’t drop though and the pressure was ramped right back up in the second half.
Some slick finishing and another penalty brought the score to 5-4 but the Wanderers’ carefree attacking play led to them being caught on the break and although they scored several, they were conceding as well. With a minute to go before the final whistle, Abacus was leading 9-8 when they gave away yet another penalty. Thom stepped up to stick it away and the Wanderers were on the verge of drawing the match. Amazingly, all the hard work was undone with seconds to go as Abacus’s Yemi released a belter from the halfway line, that even the lovechild of Jesus and Peter Schmeichel wouldn’t have been able to stop. Final score 10-9 to Abacus.
It was a good fun game with some great performances, and with no subs to bring on the shape and movement of the team was a lot more controlled, which bodes well for next season.
Goals: @ThomHoffman x6, @SamWong1 x1, @MatthewMargot x1, @Talalb01 x1
League standings:
Kilburn Wizards P10 W7 D1 L2 GD +25
The Gym Utd. P10 W5 D2 L3 GD +17
Abacus Athletic P10 W4 D2 L4 GD 0
West Hampstead Wanderers P10 W1 D1 L8 GD -42
The Gym Utd. P10 W5 D2 L3 GD +17
Abacus Athletic P10 W4 D2 L4 GD 0
West Hampstead Wanderers P10 W1 D1 L8 GD -42
At the end of this season, the league becomes 5-a-side and the Wanderers will split into two separate teams so more people get a chance to play.
What have I missed since March 13th?
Obviously a lot of very major international news this week, but I was in the US all week where the media seemed concerned largely with the potential radiation fallout in the Tri-State area. And St Patrick’s Day. So what was happening closer to home?
After all the hullabaloo over Sainsbury’s opening, you turned out to be disappointed with the range on offer and the bad stock levels. Meanwhile, Costcutter by the tube station has closed for a 2-week refit.
A consultation process began for cuts to childrens’ centres, including Acol, while, the Netherwood Alzheimers centre received some heavyweight backing.
Caffé Nero confirmed it was looking to open in West Hampstead by May, and Cllr Keith Moffitt said that it would not need permission for a change-of-use to take over Atlanta Food & Wine.
A new graffiti fox popped up by Thameslink , while Mona Lisa appeared by Oddbins.
The troublesome Legacy nightclub on Finchley Road was given permission to open until midnight on Mondays but not on Sundays.
On Monday 21st, there’s a meeting about the Kilburn Festival at 7.30pm in the Kingsgate Community Centre. If you’re interested then go along.
At the Olivier Awards, La Bohème at the Cock Tavern was the surprise winner of best new opera production.
The air ambulance was called to a car accident late Sunday afternoon on Finchley Road.
People struggled to get good photos of the supermoon, but the next day saw a classic sunset and yours truly snapped this pic.
It was another disappointing result for the Wanderers after a really strong performance.
No Tweet of the Week this week, instead it’s time to “spot the mistake” on this photo of Mill Lane taken by Andrea.
Wanderers get caught on the break
The season is starting to draw to a close and, as in the Premiership as in the Hampstead 6-a-side league, teams beginning with W are struggling. Tal reports on the Wanderers’ latest outing:
Match day 9. Monday 14th March. KO 7.20
West Hampstead Wanderers 3 – 10 The Gym Utd.
After a few disappointing defeats the Wanderers were looking for a win against a side they have had close and well fought battles with in the past. Unfortunately, we were missing our goalkeeper, but @Martin_Tse stepped up to the plate and took the gloves after others shied away from the responsibility. Martin put in an excellent performance early in the game and was helped massively by the energy and desire shown by the outfield players. The team seems to have addressed its problems of closing down early and the team defended as a single unit.
The Wanderers peppered the opposition’s goal with shots throughout the first half and had the best chances throughout. The team did a great job of regaining lost posession and shooting when the opportunity arose. Lady Luck, however, wasn’t on the Wanderers’ side and many of the shots were very close or were saved – on another day they’d have been in the back of the net.
The Gym Utd. got stronger as the game wore on and stole a few goals on the break giving them a healthy lead, The Wanderers pushed further upfield in search of goals, @ThomHoffman nabbed a brace through hard work and continual pressure, and @MatthewMargot used his strength and power on the ball to score another long range shot.
Of course, as the Wanderers pressed forward, The Gym Utd attacked on the break and pulled further ahead leaving the final score 10-3 to The Gym. This score doesn’t tell the tale of the game though. There were some positive signs from the Wanderers: a good defensive attitude, a willingness to shoot and slowly developing a knowledge of each other’s movement. This can only lead to good results in a league which has proven to be very competitive in the Wanderers’ debut season. As always, the next game will be a win!
Team: @nickhudgell, @NWSixDan, @ThomHoffman (x2) @Talalb01, @Martin_Tse, @SamWong1, @MatthewMargot (x1), @TimCheese
League standings:
Kilburn Wizards P9 W7 D0 L2 GD +25
The Gym Utd. P9 W5 D1 L3 GD +17
Abacus Athletic P9 W3 D2 L4 GD -1
West Hampstead Wanderers P9 W1 D1 L7 GD -41
The Gym Utd. P9 W5 D1 L3 GD +17
Abacus Athletic P9 W3 D2 L4 GD -1
West Hampstead Wanderers P9 W1 D1 L7 GD -41
What have I missed since March 6th?
Although most of the world’s attention was focused overseas this week, here in NW London Arsenal were losers and Spurs were winners. But what happened in West Hampstead?
There are still only fairly limited details being released about last weekend’s sword attack (which came exactly a year after a man was arrested with swords on Finchley Road)
The Sainsbury’s Local finally opened. You all had lots to say about it on Twitter.
Atlanta Food & Wine is closing however, with a strong rumour that Caffé Nero will take its place. How much pressure will that put on Sirous’s daytime trade and Moment?
Lite (formerly known as Le Petit Coin) has closed its doors.
I blogged about library closures.
The Iverson Road pavement by the new Thameslink station is going to be really wide.
There’s a new West Hamsptead Gardens residents association covering Hemstal, Hilltop, Kylemore, Gladys, Sherriff, Lowfield and bits of West End Lane.
The Swiss Cottage Odeon is closing for a refit on March 17th and reopening in the summer. Should you go to the New End Theatre to see 74 Georgia Avenue instead?
Kingsgate Communirty Centre is offering ballet classes over Easter and is definitely not closing.
Explore Learning has opened a new tuition centre in West Hampstead.
West Hampstead women’s centre needs a manager.
And the Wanderers lost to the Wizards.
Tweet of the Week
There can be only one contender in what was, frankly, a slow week. Up your game people!
Sainsbury’s Local gets West Hampstead over excited
As everyone knows, because the sign is so brightly lit that aircraft are now using it as a navigation device, a new Sainsbury’s Local opened on West End Lane on Friday where Best One used to be.
It’s fair to say that this caused a fair amount of Twitter traffic. The story unfolds below
Congratulations to Richard, who took the first photo from inside the store
[let me know if you like this format of showing tweets/telling stories]
Library cuts – is West Hampstead immune?
So what exactly is going on with local libraries? Amid accusations that closures have been pre-determined, a consulation process that has triggered some fierce criticism, and the very raison d’être of libraries evolving, I thought it was time to try and make sense of it all.
First the facts. Camden, like every other council in the country, is facing a shortfall in the funding it receives from central government of £80-£100 million over the next four years. The final number is unclear because the budget gap for the fourth year of these restrictions has yet to be calculcated. Council tax accounts for less than 10% of Camden’s spending, so even substantive rises there would make little difference overall.
Like every borough, there are services that Camden has to provide (statutory requirements) such as transport for adults to social care services, schooling etc. Everything else is discretionary and therefore could be cut. Discussion rages about where the balance should fall between cuts to frontline services and further efficiency savings at Town Hall.
Camden’s contentious budget meeting last week set the level of cuts for each department. It has been decided that £2 million of the £8m library budget needs to be cut. (The Culture department’s total budget is £14 million). At 25%, libraries are one of the more heavily affected services although almost no frontline discretionary services remain unaffected as we have seen with the proposed closure of children’s centres such as the one on Acol Road and the Netherwood centre for Alzheimer’s patients.
One criticism, levelled by West Hampstead Lib Dem councillor Keith Moffitt among others, is that the £2m figure seems to be set in stone already even before deciding how it might be cut.
Some savings have already been made. Camden’s cabinet member for Culture, Cllr Tulip Siddiq explained to me that she has already saved £400,000 in back-office efficiencies, but that still leaves a £1.6m shortfall over the four years. However, and much to her displeasure, it is front-loaded, so that £1.2m has to be found next year (2012/13).
Rumours circulated early on that Camden’s officers (the term used for what is effectively the borough’s civil service) had a plan in their back pocket to slash the library provision in one fell swoop, reducing the service from 13 libraries to just four “super-libraries”. Cllr Siddiq told me she rejected this out of hand, although it is hard to see how it would ever have gone through anyway given the level of outcry it would have triggered. Although some level of library provision is statutory, the definition is open to enormous interpretation.
 |
| Cllr Siddiq hopes we don’t have to close libraries |
Are closures inevitable? And how safe is West Hampstead library? The consultation document – especially the online version – was roundly criticised for forcing people to agree with some form of closures or major reductions in service before other options were discussed. Of course, where library passions run high this hasn’t stopped community groups getting together to discuss taking over the running of a couple of libraries. Cllr Siddiq wouldn’t say which libraries, but it’s fair to assume that such an initiative would be feasible only with the smaller libraries.
Taking over libraries – or a “community asset transfer” to use the big society parlance – could work in a number of ways. A group could be granted a long lease, say in excess of 20 years, to run the library and would take responsbility for all aspects of it. Or a shorter lease could be considered whereby Camden would retain a little more control, perhaps even providing one librarian to work alongside the volunteers, but the major running costs would come off the balance sheet without it being considered a closure.
West Hampstead, having recieved investment relatively recently would be an unlikley candidate for closure and is large enough to be daunting for a community takeover. However, it is probably wise to take nothing for granted – West Hampstead is the most expensive library in the borough in terms of cost-per-user.
The consultation process, which 3,000 people have so far engaged with, has thrown up all sorts of other ideas both for cutting costs and generating income across the board and Camden is also working on its own ideas. Some, such as charging for WiFi access, seem to go both against the grain of why libraries are there in the first place as well as surely offering a mere drop in the ocean in terms of extra revenue. Higher library fines may be marginally more popular, but for serious money-spinning ideas then ideas such as licencing coffee shops within libraries, or perhaps a post office would have a greater impact. There’s even talk of turning some of the Swiss Cottage library space into an art gallery – with at least one artist offering to pay handsomely (and rather philanthropically) for the privelige of hanging work there.
Cutting hours at individual libraries is one option. The more costly the library is to run the bigger the absolute savings this generates. There is always a risk that reducing hours becomes a downward spiral as fewer and fewer people use the service, but at some of the mid-sized libraries it’s hard to imagine that shaving some of the quietest hours off would make much difference to users.
This really leads to the bigger question of what exactly libraries are for today. Are they book lending services, are they places for quiet(ish) study, are they a depot for information about local services, or do they offer a place for people otherwise stuck at home – young parents, the less mobile – to have some access to the outside world? The answer of course is that they are all of these things – but different libraries serve different needs.
In thinking about issues such as opening hours, Camden has to make some judgement calls on priorities. Swiss Cottage library, for example, seems to be heavily used by schoolkids and ensuring it’s open for them after school hours might be deemed more important than it being open early for young parents. These are tough choices and will almost certainly vary across the library network, but some smart thinking here could help get close to the savings required while keeping the negative impact as low as possible.
The notion of libraries as community spaces rather than just book depositories could also be taken a step further. This might mean making the library a shared services space. Imagine, for example, if West Hampstead library hosted a drop-in housing clinic at certain times of the week – especially now the housing office on West End Lane is closing. Such cross-departmental coordination is needed during these difficult times, and one hopes that council officers and cabinet members are not too caught up in their own departmental problems to peer over the fence to see what benefits could come from collaboration.
Consultation officially closes on April 4th. The findings should be made public in May and decisions ratified at the council meeting in June.
74 Georgia Avenue at New End Theatre
Academy-award nominated Murray Schisgal’s play is something of an oddity. For a start it’s only 40 minutes long. Daniel Dresner is Marty, a man returning to the home of his Brooklyn youth. Nathan Clough is Joseph, the current tenant of 74 Georgia Avenue and the son of the janitor of the neighbourhood’s old synagogue that Marty’s family used to attend. Over the course of one evening the two men find some common ground through Joseph’s mysterious transformations.
The underlying idea of the play was interesting but the execution and its brevity made it hard to connect with the characters. Dresner, slightly overdoing the De Niro-esque hand wringing, was never entirely convincing until a lengthy speech towards the end. Clough was more believable but as he morphed into ghostly figures from Marty’s past it was hard to suspend disbelief entirely. Some strange lighting changes didn’t help the cause.
While the storyline may appeal to the Jewish community, it proved a little inaccessible for me and the narrative wasn’t given time to evolve and compel me to care about the characters. It would probably work better as a short story but would always be a challenging play to stage.
74 Georgia Avenue is on at the New End Theatre until March 19th
*Disclaimer: I received a free ticket courtesy of the theatre
Wanderers fall under Wizards’ spell once more
The third outing of the NW6 derby game saw league leaders Kilburn Wizards notch up another win although as in the previous encounters, the Wanderers weren’t so far off the pace despite being without player/manager Nick. Matt reports:
Match day 8. Monday 7th March. KO 7.20
West Hampstead Wanderers 4 – 8 Kilburn Wizards
The Wanderers got off to a cracking start applying pressure all over the field. The Wizards struggled to keep the ball and gave away an early penalty which @thomhoffman casually put away, giving the Wanderers an early lead.
The Wanderers were missing some regular defenders and the Wizards were able to carve out a couple of chances against the patched up defence. Had it not been for the exploits of @domchristie in goal we would have gone in to half time with a larger deficit than 2-1.
The second half saw three amazing Wanderers goals. The first was the culmination of an excellent passage of play and a superb finish from @thomhoffman after a wonderpass for his second of the night. The second was a long hit into the bottom corner from @MatthewMargot as was the third by @Talalb01.
Unfortunately in the second half the Wizards scored 5. Very disappointing for the Wanderers, and due to a few lapses in concentration, superior opposition fitness and some dodgy refereeing decisions (including a disallowed Wanderers goal).
Team @DJVectra, @DomChristie, @NWSixDan, @SamWong1, @ThomHoffman (x2), @MatthewMargot (x1), @Talalb01 (x1)
Thom tops the Wanderers’ goal scoring so far this season with 12 goals, followed by Matt on 10
League standings:
Kilburn Wizards P8 W6 D0 L2 GD +19
The Gym Utd. P8 W4 D1 L3 GD +10
Abacus Athletic P8 W3 D2 L3 GD +5
West Hampstead Wanderers P8 W1 D1 L6 GD -34
The Gym Utd. P8 W4 D1 L3 GD +10
Abacus Athletic P8 W3 D2 L3 GD +5
West Hampstead Wanderers P8 W1 D1 L6 GD -34
Iverson Road pavement works
You’ll have noticed that Network Rail’s works on Iverson Road are progressing well. What you may not have yet realised is quite how big an impact the pavement widening is going to have.
I’d seen the plans and noticed the extra space, but if you walk a few yards along and peer over the fence you can see just how wide it will be. Everything right up to the far wall will be pavement. It’s going to be 3-4 times as wide again as the existing pavement. This picture taken from up against the current fence line doesn’t really do it justice.
This whole space – which will be owned by Network Rail – will (at least outside of rush hour) become a rather pleasant open area, almost like a mini town square. It should vastly improve the whole environment at the junction (good news for Ladudu opening across the road on West End Lane).
It is also now possible to see just how big the new cut corner is going to be – again hard to capture on camera, but worth noticing next time you walk past from the tube direction. All the space you see will be pavement. This section is owned by Camden, but hopefully the whole unified area can be used for hosting small events (Christmas market, carol singing, community stalls), and preferably not as a hangout for chuggers.
This should be a very positive change to West Hampstead’s streetscape as well as improving the pedestrian flows between the stations. Hurrah.
Read more on the various roadworks on West End Lane.
What have I missed since February 27th?
While Charlie Sheen was “winning” and everyone gave books away (a bit like a library), what were the good folk of West Hampstead up to?
Charlotte Louis De Canonville was made Camden’s PCSO of the year for her work in transforming West Hampstead’s neighbourhood watch.
The West Hampstead safer neighbourhoods base is the most expensive in the borough.
There was high drama on Saturday night with armed police and the area around Sumatra Road/West End Lane closed to pedestrians. Still no confirmation as to the cause, but one report talks of a man on the loose with two swords.
There was good news and bad news for local services:
A West Hampstead nursery had its hopes for reprieval dashed.
The campaign to save Netherwood Alzheimers care centre got celebrity backing and even made it on to ITV’s coverage of Camden’s budget protests.
The Acol children’s centre still looks set to close despite protests.
We’ve got two years (yes, years) of roadworks on Finchley Rd to look forward to.
TfL had updated its network upgrade webpages. Here’s the Jubilee page and calendar of closures.
Karahi Master could be yours for £50,000.
Hampstead Food Mart has had a 24hr alcohol licence application refused.
Sainsbury’s on West End Lane (with its insanely bright sign) opens at 7am on Friday.
Some 139 bus love with a time-lapse video and a blog.
The West Hampstead Wanderers struggled to get off the bottom of the table with another defeat.
Final reminder for #whampreview at Gung Ho on March 23rd. Names drawn from all those who want their name in the hat at midday on Monday 7th.
And advance notice that the next #whampgather (the big local get-together held every 3-4 months) will be on April 14th. Venue to be decided.
Tweet of the Week
Wanderers continue to prop up the table
Another week, another match. The Wanderers were facing Abacus Athletic once again in the league. Would the team be able to restore some pride after last week’s drubbing. Dan reports.
Match day 7. Monday 28th February. KO 6.30
West Hampstead Wanderers 5 – 11 Abacus Athletic
After last week’s resounding defeat at the hands – and feet – of Gym United, the Wanderers were determined to get a positive result against Abacus Athletic. A positive opening period saw the Wanderers take the lead, with an early goal from @MatthewMargot.
For 10 whole minutes, the West Hampstead side looked genuinely good. The passing was slick, despite a wet and skiddy surface, the defense was strong and physical, and @Martin_Tse pulled off some spectacular diving saves in goal.
But then it all went down hill. Abacus scored an equaliser, and then took the lead. The Wanderers players’ heads went down, and three more Abacus goals followed. At half time, the Wanderers were 5-1 behind.
At this stage a comeback was still on the cards. The Wanderers were playing some good attacking football, and working hard off the ball. But for large periods, Abacus simply outplayed them.
Second half goals came from @ThomHoffman and @NWSixDan, and @MatthewMargot deservedly completed a hat trick, but it wasn’t enough to close the gap. Final score: West Hampstead 5, Abacus 11.
It was a fair result on the night – Abacus were definitely the better side – but there were plenty of positives to draw from the Wanderers’ performance. Next week, West Hampstead take on the table-topping Kilburn Wizards in what will be another tough game. But in this crazy old league, anything can happen.
League standings:
Kilburn Wizards P7 W5 D0 L2 GD +15
The Gym Utd. P7 W4 D0 L3 GD +10
Abacus Athletic P7 W3 D1 L3 GD +5
West Hampstead Wanderers P7 W1 D1 L5 GD -30
The Gym Utd. P7 W4 D0 L3 GD +10
Abacus Athletic P7 W3 D1 L3 GD +5
West Hampstead Wanderers P7 W1 D1 L5 GD -30
Dan also interviewed Wanderers’ player/manager @NickHudgell who dissects the team’s performance and prospects for the rest of the season.
What have I missed since February 20th?
While the Irish kicked their government and the Libyan ‘government’ kicked its people, what was happening in the leafy lanes of NW6?
There was shop news aplenty. Atlanta Food & Wine on West End Lane is for sale.
TKMaxx is coming to Kilburn.
And Peacocks may be moving in to the old Woolworths’ site on Finchley Road.
A man was charged over the previous week’s nasty assault in Kilburn.
There were vocal campaigns to save Kilburn’s Charteris sports centre in Brent and play centres in Camden.
There are still problems with building site traffic on Priory Road.
I went to see Still Life at Pentameters Theatre.
As Oscar fever built, our own statuette winner went for a pescatorial pedicure.
The Brondes Age and Elephant Walk opened new Twitter accounts.
The Wanderers suffered their worst defeat of the season. Nothing to say but “ouch”.
Tweet of the week
Still Life at Pentameters Theatre: review
Pentameters Theatre (the little one above The Horseshoe pub in Hampstead) has a Noël Coward double-bill on at the moment. In 1935, Coward penned a series of short plays in a series called “Tonight at 8.30” and two of them – Red Peppers and the more famous Still Life – are directed by Aline Lewis in the intimate theatre.
Red Peppers, the first and shorter of the two, combines music hall revue tunes with backstage carping as the married couple who are the Red Peppers bicker with each other, the musical director and the theatre manager in an entertaining half hour of banter. It’s a very light piece, but enjoyably funny – if perhaps a bit shouty in this production, especially given the proximity of the audience.
After a short interval (aka pop back to the pub), we are treated to Still Life. This one-act play is better known these days as Brief Encounter – David Lean’s film for which Coward wrote the screenplay, extending this original work. The story is simple enough – we see the growing complicated romantic affair between housewife Laura and local married doctor Alec, which is contrasted with the straightforward flirting between Albert and Myrtle who both work at the train station where all the action is set.
The play works well on this small stage. The two lead actresses, Fiona Graham (Laura) and Déirdra Whelan (Myrtle), are especially good. The play suffers from Alec’s dialogue becoming a little stilted as the play progresses and this felt even more awkward in the hands of Elliot James. He simply looks too young for the role and, while Fiona Graham’s portrayal of Laura exuded the mix of guilt and passion it needed, the chemistry between her and James was lacking – his performance never quite finding the balance between repressed emotion nor unadulterated lust. He is, fittingly, at his best in the poignant final scene, which captures the transient nature of the whole affair rather well. The play would also benefit from more sense of how time moves on from one scene to the next, which would also help reinforce the depth of feeling the two protagonists have for each other.
After my last negative review of a Pentameters’ production, I’m delighted to say that this was an evening well spent. It’s not challenging or demanding theatre – it’s Noël Coward after all – but a very enjoyable local night out that will have you tucked up well before bedtime dreaming of bath buns, milky tea, and the vagaries of love.
Red Peppers & Still Life runs until March 13th at Pentameters Theatre.
Ring the box office on 020 7435 3648
*Disclaimer: I received a free ticket courtesy of the theatre
Charitable thoughts
Cancer Research UK is looking to form a fundraising group in this area but needs your help. As a Fundraising Group, you would decide to organise what fundraising events you want, how often you want them and you will be supported by Cancer Research UK every step of the way. It might be a gala ball, a dog walk, an abseil, a quiz night, a bike ride event, a golf day or a lunch party – whatever it is, it can be a great way to have some fun while raising money to fight cancer.
If you would like to get involved, or find out more details please contact Sophie at sophie.wilson@cancer.org.uk or visit the website.
Black Monday for Wanderers
It was another outing against The Gym Utd for West Hampstead Wanderers last night. A couple of tweets after the match suggested things hadn’t gone the Wanderers’ way. Nick reports:
Match day 6. Monday 21st February. KO 7.20
West Hampstead Wanderers 2 – 17 The Gym Utd
With previous outings against the Gym Utd being close battles that had gone both ways, the expectation for last night’s game was high.
As the saying goes, “great expectation can bring great failure”* and it did. For whatever reason the Wanderers failed to string anything together that would even resemble football – in attack, midfield and defense, the football was lacking.
Despite goals either side of half time by @MatthewMargot and @NWSixDan, which spared some blushes, the Wanderers could not stop the goals from leaking in, and failed to get anything back for themselves.
As a result, and to sum up: last night we got beat. Bad.
We’re half way through the league, and there is time to pick up more points. So we’ll scratch last night as a bad night at the office – and move onwards (and upwards?).
* quite possibly not a ‘saying’.
[Ed: notable that the table-topping Kilburn Wizards also lost yesterday, so was clearly a strange night]
League standings:
Kilburn Wizards P6 W5 D0 L1 GD +18
The Gym Utd. P6 W3 D0 L3 GD +7
Abacus Athletic P6 W2 D1 L3 GD -1
West Hampstead Wanderers P6 W1 D1 L4 GD -24
The Gym Utd. P6 W3 D0 L3 GD +7
Abacus Athletic P6 W2 D1 L3 GD -1
West Hampstead Wanderers P6 W1 D1 L4 GD -24
What have I missed since February 13th?
While you were all receiving a dozen red roses and gambolling in the still public forests, what did West Hampstead have to say for itself?
Local actress Jessica Hynes joined the campaign to save Charteris Sports Centre.
There’s a Kilburn Book Club launching: first meeting is March 3rd at the Black Lion.
Initial reports of a body found by the Brondesbury Medical Centre on the Kilburn High Road turned out to be a serious assault.
The north-west London graffiti fox story makes the Ham & High.
Admin and gas installation problems will delay the opening of Ladudu, the new Vietnamese restaurant on West End Lane.Now looking at April or May. Sainsbury’s Local meanwhile looks like it’s less than a week away from opening. The sign is very bright.
West Hampstead gets one of its fire engines back.
Camden published its budget and council tax report. [pdf]
Cllr Mike Katz argues that Camden is wrong to propose closure of Acol’s children’s centre:
In Sport, Hampstead Cricket Club’s indoor team have made the South East England Regional final, beating Merrow from Surrey by 93 runs.
West Hampstead Wanderers lost to the impressive Kilburn Wizards.
Coming up this week:
Friends of West Hampstead Library has been reinvigorated in light of the threat to local libraries. There’s a meeting for restarting FOWHL on February 22nd at 7.30 at the library of course.
Swiss Cottage Safer Neighbourhoods public meeting on February 22nd 7-8.30pm at Crossfield Centre, Fairhazel Gardens.
Swiss Cottage Safer Neighbourhoods drop-in surgery on February 23rd 11am-1pm at the Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre.
West Hampstead Safer Neighbourhoods street briefing on February 27th 2-4pm outside O2 Sainsburys.
Tweet of the Week
Tough choice this week, we had some classics, but the winner is this public service announcement from Moya
V for Valentine’s not Victory in the NW6 derby
Derby day again in the 6-a-side league as the Wanderers took on top of the table Kilburn Wizards on a cold February 14th evening. David reports:
Match day 5. Monday 14th February. KO 7.20
West Hampstead Wanderers 3 – 8 Kilburn Wizards
This didn’t turn out to be the Valentine’s Day massacre that many feared – just a solid, if unspectacular defeat. It featured a brave performance from a Wanderers’ team shorn of a few key players by the commercial nonsense lovely occasion that is Feb 14th. @Martin_Tse made a welcome return to the backline to marshal the defence, but the Wizards were on good form, moving the ball quickly and effectively and lived up to their billing as league leaders. @NickHudgell ’s energy was rewarded with a cheeky goal in the first half and @Talalb01 used his cannon of a right foot to score a couple of nicely taken goals. The Wizards were only 5-2 up at half time but, by scoring first in the second half, they took control of the game and never let the Wanderers have a sniff of victory.
The post-game debate centred on appropriate fines for @NW6Dan and @ThomHoffman for being “missing in love”… all suggestions welcome. Fines will also be introduced for every time @TimCheese incorrectly rolls the ball back into play – it is becoming a weekly ritual, as predictable as a Paul Scholes booking. Man of the match for the Wanderers was once again @DJVectra, who finds new parts of his body to make flying saves with every week, and continues to showcase his wide range of replica shirts.
The Wanderers are a much better team than when we first played together – more cohesive, skilful and committed – and continue to enjoy the Monday night local league.
Team: @NickHudgell (1 x goal), @Talalb01 (2 x goals), @TimCheese, @DomChristie, @SamWong1, @DJVectra, @Martin_Tse, @oneDavidLewy
League standings:
Kilburn Wizards P5 W5 D0 L0 GD +19
The Gym Utd. P5 W2 D0 L3 GD -8
Abacus Athletic P5 W1 D1 L3 GD -2
West Hampstead Wanderers P5 W1 D1 L3 GD -9
The Gym Utd. P5 W2 D0 L3 GD -8
Abacus Athletic P5 W1 D1 L3 GD -2
West Hampstead Wanderers P5 W1 D1 L3 GD -9