Forum Topic

St. Lawrence's Church - consultation from Ballymore

Has anyone had a look at Ballymore's proposals for the future of St. Lawrence's Church and churchyard. Any thoughts?

Jim Storrar ● 1927d28 Comments

Do apologise for my three posts concerning church overenthusiastic finger on the button ,one was enough

Jean Harrison ● 1906d

If you have rarely walked on the Dock then you are clearly not in a position to judge. Notices would not have been put up by the excellent management if there was not a problem.

Elizabeth Price ● 1913d

Well I have rarely walked on the Dock but when I have I have never seen hoards of people or people behaving in the way you describe. As Guy says, there are other 'private estates' where people pay for the upkeep but others are not prevented from walking around - Ferry Quays, The Island etc. Do Dock residents walk there?All I would like to know is the legality of the situation at The Dock. I emailed the management company nearly a week ago asking about this but haven't had a reply so forwarded the email to them again today.Anyway, I won't answer again as I acknowledge that this should be on a separate thread (sorry, Jim!). Maybe you would like to start one giving the legal i.e. enforceable position re access to Brentford Dock.

Anne England ● 1914d

It's not that brentford people don't care, Just that they were not aware as myself who had assumed after requesting to be kept informed after attending various meetings held by the developer and found out through this site,l agree with the idea of a museum we have such a rich history it deserves to be told here in brentford. Possibly when plansare submitted more people will be informed and given more notice.

Jean Harrison ● 1914d

Maybe the reason not a big response to consultation was lack of notification or length of time given plus people have other things to concern them like their health just the right time to have same from point of view of Ballymore and hounslow council planners, brentford people do care but like to be given some degree of time to consider same.A museum is ideal unfortunately not a money spinner but l wholeheartedly agree with Vanessa.

Jean Harrison ● 1914d

Maybe the reason not a big response to consultation was lack of notification or length of time given plus people have other things to concern them like their health just the right time to have same from point of view of Ballymore and hounslow council planners, brentford people do care but like to be given some degree of time to consider same.A museum is ideal unfortunately not a money spinner but l wholeheartedly agree with Vanessa.

Jean Harrison ● 1914d

The notices have been put there for a reason. During the hot weather people were bringing barbeques and having parties by the river and not socially distancing. Brentford Dock is a private estate and there is no public right of way on the waterfront. Residents pay for the upkeep of the grounds and do not take kindly to people behaving in an antisocial manner. As for being a prison ths Dock is nothing like that and is an extremely pleasant place to live and we want it to stay that way.

Elizabeth Price ● 1914d

Brentford was also one of the leading manufacturers of Parchment and specialised papers second only to Japan, which is about the only place that it is now made in the traditional way.

Raymond Havelock ● 1916d

Yes. The two illustrations - importantly the plan of Plot A - are entirely uncaptioned. Not a solitary letter on either of em. Makes it a *bit* difficult to figure out what is what. It seems to me that the 'view from the High Street' and the plan don't match.

Mike Paterson ● 1916d

Jim and Anne. Concerning Macleans if you search the internet there is a photo of the factory on the corner and outside there are two vans in the shape of toothpaste tubes. Also there is a model of one, I think it was Triang certainly not a dinky or corgi. They drove around but were generally not parked there.

Nicholas Beard ● 1918d

Where homebase is vp port and sherry. Coty. Pyrene fire extinguishers. Lucozade.

Nicholas Beard ● 1918d

Anne - you shouldn't encourage me on this sort of topic! Brentford produced a vast range of products including: Soap (Rowe's etc), jam (Beache's), gin (Booth's), bricks, vellum, pottery and clay pipes, fuel injection equipment (Wilson & Kyle), beer, and turpentine.Other industries included horticulture and nursery gardening (the Ronalds family), basket making, malting, flour milling, and tanning. Then there are the activities associated with the canal and river including boat building and repair, lighterage, and the operation of Brentford Dock and the canal itself.Along the Great West Road there were Brentford Nylons, Beechams (Lucozade etc.), Sperry (gyroscopes), Jantzen (swimming costumes), Packard (cars), MacFarlane Lang (biscuits), Trico (windscreen wipers), and McLeans (toothpaste).The list goes on and on. There is no shortage of things to celebrate from our rich industrial heritage!

Jim Storrar ● 1918d

Firestone Tyres, Tricos windscreen wiper blades, Gillette, razor blades.Where Tesco's at Gillette corner is now, it used to be a United Biscuits factory. I moved to London at age 18 and 2 and a half months and my first job down here was for an agency and I swept up outside the factory and washed the lorries down with a jet washer.Ate loads of Jamaica Ginger Cake.

Keith Iddon ● 1918d

I cannot remember the products now. I had been to an exhibition in Gunnersbury about the Golden Mile and in a separate room there was an exhibition called MADE IN BRENTFORD. It was a very big room and astounded from the point of view of diversity.

Nicholas Beard ● 1918d

Brompton Bicycles (may have moved now) Brentford Tea Pigs, Brentford Nylons(ha!).There must be more, Brentford was a real hive of activity and of commerce and industry up until it wasn't.

Keith Iddon ● 1918d

Out of interest, what other products were produced in Brentford? I'm assuming soap (isn't there a Soap alley?) and maybe jam was made from the produce of the orchard that is now Griffin Park.

Anne England ● 1918d

Thanks Anne. It's in the nature of threads on the Forum that a topic often mutates into something completely different - a form of Chinese whispers. For what it's worth I have been told by two chums who live on Brentford Dock that they are not happy with the signs and the barriers and that they are in any case ineffective.Now, let's get back to the subject! Keep those ideas on the future of St. Lawrence's rolling in.Stay Alert!!!

Jim Storrar ● 1919d

Hi Guy - but does Brentford Dock have the right to call itself a Private Estate and not, therefore, expect outsiders to enter - in fact to bar them? As far as I can remember, those Private Estate signs have been up ever since I've lived in Brentford which is about 36 years! Anybody who has not seen the extra temporary signage I would advise to walk up Dock Road and to have a look. Cars can still enter the estate via ?Augustus Close? and having dared to walk down that road during lockdown I see that there are barriers against a walkway leading down to the river (not that I was going to) advising one that there is no public access to the river etc.Maybe in its time this barring of access to the river was permitted although I query this in part because it wasn't, from the beginning, a purely privately owned estate.Apart from the shop on the estate, there isn't much to keep going business-wise and many people wouldn't perhaps choose to walk around the Dock in any case. What I would like to know is, is the position taken by the Dock legal?Sorry to hijack Jim's thread in this way. Maybe a reply to this and get back to business?

Anne England ● 1919d

There has never been any of that nonsense in Ferry Quays, where I live. This is another private estate where residents pay for the upkeep but I love people wandering up and down Brent Creek and through our estate - brings a bit of life and will (I hope) help our restaurants Poppadums, Galata Pera and Ferry Lounge, our pub the Watermans Arms revive when they are allowed to. Also more passing trade for our neighbouring restaurant Caspari

Guy Lambert ● 1919d

I can't see how taping things off and putting up daft signs is enforceable, either practically or legally.Surely, the roads are a public right of way.

Keith Iddon ● 1919d

I like that idea.What I am glad about is that ?all? London developments next to the Thames now have to have public access. I'm not sure when this started or whether it is written in law. I don't like the fact that one is not supposed to wander around Brentford Dock which is a Private Estate, despite presumably some of the flats still being Council and others having been bought from the Council at knock-down rates or whether privately-owned from the start. I realise that at least private residents pay yearly fees for the up-keep of the grounds which are, admittedly, lovely.I sometimes wander up Dock Road and from about the third week of lockdown, there have been orange and white bollards across the road which prevent cars from entering (fair enough). Obviously residents can still walk through a gap in the bollards but large notices affixed to them make it very clear that it is a Private Estate and that nobody else is welcome.Perhaps I've just got a bee in my bonnet about this one. Re the estate itself, I quite like it but a German friend of mine says it's like the Plattenbau of East Germany or like a prison.

Anne England ● 1919d

The viability of converting the church for Watermans was seriously assessed, but it's a non-starter for a professional level theatre/cinema.Have people actually read the proposals? If not, do, and feed back.

Guy Lambert ● 1919d

Should have had the Royal Barge housed here and displayed when they had a chance but no, interferred with the big ideas of developers and the small minds of politicos.Could have been a real local attraction to support the sorts of cafes and retailers that will probably vanish for good here if the dull and sterile plans are carried on with.

Raymond Havelock ● 1919d

I suggested that they should move Watermans to this site.With a bit of rejigging and a tasteful extension they could fit it in,no doubt.But that idea is not a money spinner I suppose.

Keith Iddon ● 1919d

A waterways museum would be really good. Also combine it with a permanent display of products that were once produced here eg parchment!

Nicholas Beard ● 1920d

I despair - I honestly do - an open air swimming pool (for residents only naturally) - really? I know we are experiencing climate change but that is just ridiculous.No thought perhaps of a waterways museum/visitors centre celebrating the heritage of Brentford? But wait! Silly me that would mean actually letting the hoi polloi in wouldn't it? And that would never do.I suspect Brentford residents are so sick of being presented with these ongoing little twee ideas that they've possibly lost the will to live - never mind summon up the  energy to object yet again.Combined with those Lego looking flats proposed for the Royal Mail site, whose design defies description, you have to wonder who has 'got it in' for Brentford. Where is the housing for people who don't earn telephone number salaries? Brentford will just be another nice large earner for developers who care nothing for the local people and look of the town, they will eventually move on to blight some other poor souls.

Vanessa Smith ● 1920d

Yes, me. Thanks, Jim. Judging by the zero response, obviously Brentfordians/Brentonians are 100% satisfied with the Ballymore project in their midst. Or it could just be that everyone is so busy right now.

Mike Paterson ● 1920d

...... if you don't already have a copy of the consultation then please send me a personal message (click on my name in this thread) and I will send it to you by return.

Jim Storrar ● 1927d