Barnes

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For other uses, see Barnes (disambiguation).

Barnes

Coordinates: 51.4741° N 0.2352° W
OS grid reference	TQ225765
London borough	Richmond
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LONDON
Postcode district	SW13
Dial code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
UK Parliament	Richmond Park
London Assembly	South West
European Parliament	London
List of places: UK • England • London

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

Some of the oldest and most expensive housing in London can be found on The Terrace, a road which runs along the west bend of the river and current residents include lyricist Tim Rice.

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

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

1 Tourist Attractions
2 Sporting Associations
3 Other Information
4 Notable Restaurants
5 Notable Gastro-Pubs
6 Nearest places
7 Railway Stations
8 References
9 External links

[edit] Tourist Attractions

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

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

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

[edit] Sporting Associations

Barnes has a unique place in the history of football. Firstly, Headmaster of St Paul's School, Richard Mulcaster is credited with taking mob football and turning it into an organised, refereed team sport that was beneficial for schoolboys. St Paul's School is on Lonsdale Road.

Furthermore, Barnes was home to Ebenezer Cobb Morley who in 1862 was a founding member of the Football Association. In 1863, he wrote to Bell's Life newspaper proposing a governing body for football, and this led to the first meeting at the Freemason's Tavern where the FA was created. He was the FA's first secretary (1863-6) and at his home in Barnes he set out the first set of rules for modern soccer and these were adopted by the FA and subsequently spread throughout the world. As a player he took part in the first match played according to today's rules. Ebenezer Cobb Morley may be considered the father of Soccer for his key role in establishing modern Association Football.

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

[edit] Other Information

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

At the end of Lonsdale Road, The Bull's Head is a pub on the Thames known as the suburban Ronnie Scott's, where every night live jazz is performed, often by internationally renowned acts while on national tour. The pub is noted for the very poor service and a very rude bar manager.

Chris Patten, the last UK Governor of Hong Kong, who was present along with The Prince Of Wales at the handover to The People's Republic of China in 1997 is officially Baron Patten of Barnes, having chosen his place of residence as the basis for his title. He is currently the patron of the Tory Reform Group and Chancellor of Oxford University.

[edit] Notable Restaurants

Riva Restaurant, on Church Road where it has turned on to Castelnau.
Sonny's Restaurant, on Church Road. Popular.
Annie's on White Hart Lane.

[edit] Notable Gastro-Pubs

The Red Lion pub, at the junction of Castelnau and Church road. Recently rebuilt pseudo-traditional pub, with standard pub food.
The Sun Inn, opposite Barnes Green. A traditional pub, with a range of food made on the premises.
The Bridge, at the top of Castelnau, near Hammersmith bridge. Recently rebuilt.
The Castelnau, at the top of Castelnau (opposite The Bridge.) Bar / restaurant.
The Brown Dog, on Cross Road. Recently refurbished gastropub.
The Idle Hour on Railway side
The White Hart near the river at junction of the Terrace and White Hart Lane