Forum Topic

We love Brentford really..it's just difficult sometimes!!

Aren't we lucky to live in an area where there is an on-going puzzle in our minds to try to work out how best to improve the place!Now that we are supposedly moving into a new era..with a new members on the Local Area Committee..perhaps there's a chance to give some parts of dear Brentford and Isleworth a jolly good tidy up. I'm sure that would be noticeable and beneficial to us all.Nigel spearheads our enthusiasm to clean up the river embankment..can we also not sort out some of the landside horrors.  Some people should be empowered to tour the streets, clearing deposited rubbish and eyesores..and have the authority to have a word with the people responsible.  A matronly figure comes to mind!!After Matt and Alan and friends have spent time clearing up their local park at St Paul's..they should have the authority to roar at people who are seen to mess up the place again.  I believe that a very clear message should be sent out to all residents..and youngers to keep the place tidy..and let then know that big Brentford is watching and avoid the good work of many being spoiled by the damage by the few. It's time for action..I suggest.I've seen ugly sights in both Brentford and Northfields today..and I've been rattled! I spoke to several people today about throwing their litter from stationery cars..and they got the message. The litter mess outside the Bricklayers Arms added to the experience.Perhaps I should have go out of my car and gathered it all up.Employees of the local authority..or their outsourced partners...should be making sure that the place is spotless!! And that includes Sarah's pavements too. Too many people are getting away with too much. Rant over. Where shall we start the tidying up?  Civic Pride is the rallying call remember. We'll do our bit..but its those scalleywags we need to tackle.Are those teams of people on probation or  doing Community Service penalties available to help? Not the one's who turn up for Service and often help the aged etc....the absentees I mean.

Jim Lawes ● 6996d20 Comments

Nice to meet you Rashmi.  Have you been for a wander along the canal yet?

Sarah Felstead ● 6978d

Hello!I'm glad to have found a forum like this; my little flat in Brentford is my first home and I have to say that most of the time I can't help but think how lucky I am - it's a really green and lovely area. I suppose I'm still finding my feet, but it's nice to know that there are other people who're interested in the area and in what's happening to it. I think when I moved here, I may have had some notion of a fairly old fashioned community spirit which I could fit into, but I think I might have been rather too influenced by Sunday night telly on the BBC. Still, I've got as far as baking cakes for the lady who lives opposite and as I'm sure the greatest Chinese philosophers would have said under the circumstances, 'the longest journey starts with a single lemon sponge'...

Rashmi Chavda ● 6983d

""Under that modern bridge sits the early stone bridge. Just another usless historical fact""Neil,Haven't forgotten your message...so I endeavoured to crawl underneath for you! ot easy.  What massive heavy stones..and attractive too.  Granite? oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Jim Lawes ● 6983d

KevinJust to let you know that Matt and Ruth ..or one of them..raised this matter at tonight's Planning Meeting.An idea is to get it replaced...paid for by the developers of some nearby property site!!It's important that Matt can walk to one of his favourite cafes safely!!

Jim Lawes ● 6983d

Hi SarahNot sure what you would find. The Crane Bridge might yield intresting items.Many years ago the Duke of Northumberlands River was drained, thats the river nearest the Hospital, I went down into the mud by the bridge and found a massive hoard of old Victorian bottles etc. Still have some today.

Neil Chippendale ● 6983d

Managed to get this picture of the 5 towers yesterday..as I was being driven along the M4....lucky to catch the shot at 40mph!oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooAnd then we came to the Ealing Road junction on the Great West Road..and managed to snap TWO DISASTERS in one click!If you dumped rubbish eyesores along the road like this..surely you would be Court Marshalled!!

Jim Lawes ● 6984d

And all the old streets off Ealing Road.oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooSo: which Club played cricket on that ground?

Jim Lawes ● 6990d

Opps!  I left ut the picture of the old Drapery Shop at 129-132 Brentford High Street. (Now Autowise..was Motorwise)

Jim Lawes ● 6990d

Rashmi....yes welcome to the Brentford Forum...and we hope that you find it helpful and interesting.In addition to text messages..some of us have found ways of posting pictures on the Forum..so apologies if we overindulge sometimes. (Type picture posting in FORUM SEARCH on either the Ealing,Brentford or Chiswick Forum for instructions..if you decide one day to..have a go)Here are a few snaps to celebrate your arrival!ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooTonight's sunset was quite stunning..so I grabbed the cameraand took two shots:ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooAnd this is a picture taken along the Canal..from underneath that overhanging wharf structure..and shows a quiet backwater of dear Brentford Town!ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooBut it's not all looking at its best. This is No 129 to 132 High Street ,Brentford..that used to be a drapery stores (McIlroy's Ltd)...but its poorly curtained out or looked after these days.oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooI'll be back!!

Jim Lawes ● 6990d

Welcome to Brentford Rashmi, i look forward to reading your views.

Alan Sheerins ● 6991d

Hello hello!This is my first post on the forum - I moved to Brentford a few months ago. I know what you mean about the rubbish; it seems that just when the front of the flats look neat and really very pleasant (just off London Road), I'll come home from work to find an old telly and packing boxes have mysteriously appeared. At the moment, there are two sofas, a TV unit, an ironing board and a fridge freezer sitting by the gates looking hopeful that someone might come and take them away. In addition to this, there's rubbish floating about from split bin liners; I don't think people realise that there are foxes slinking about and that putting bin bags out two days before collection day is just asking for trouble! OK, Rant over. Pleased to (virtually) meet you all!

Rashmi Chavda ● 6991d

Hey, Neil - what do you think to the digging up of the Duke of Northumberland river bridge on St Johns Road? Will there be a historical excavation as the bits under the road must go back for centuries!

Sarah Felstead ● 6993d

Under that modern bridge sits the early stone bridge. Just another usless historical fact.

Neil Chippendale ● 6993d

Great pictures Jim. Fat Boys - is that about across the High Street from the old clinic?

Audrey Walton ● 6993d

Jim,As always lovely photographs.  Sadly, I recognise none of the places shown;  just proves how much the face of Brentford has changed in 30 years.

Ann S. Allridge ● 6993d

Kevin:Yes an update about that footbridge would be helpful. It only needs a couple of bucketfuls of Paint.ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooBut we like Brentford...you can watch the canalboats..even in the rain!ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooYou can go for a walk along the canal...and hope that the thugs are having a day off.ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooYou can go to Fat Boy's for a Thai Meal..and enjoy the Victorian splendor of the building:oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooYou can go along to the newly opened O'Briens...formerly the Northumberland Arms:oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooor you can dream of window shopping along the short Georgian(??) parade that faces the Gateway to Brentford's newest Penthouses.oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooOn Saturday, I watched somebody attend to the outside of the building with a ladder. I thought goodo..are thay going to clean the windows or the doorways..which haven't seen a duster for yonks. No ..he was rigging up a Car Wash Banner...to promote one of the best current enterprises for earning quick dosh...I'll say no more!!Come on Brentford!!

Jim Lawes ● 6993d

JimThere was a previous posting by myself on this site pointing out the state of this bridge & the lack of lighting etc which made it quite scary to use especially in the evenings. Matt Harmer & Ruth Cadbury replied that they would try to speak to Railtrack/Southwest Trains to see if there was anything that could be done to improve this.Maybe we could have an update from them?

Kevin Farnan ● 6996d

Well said Jim, and thanks for photos.The land on the high st. that is owned by the mysterious Singaporeans( next to the wheel/tyre shop that extends all the way back to Brent Way bridge )could do with a serious sort out.Perhaps the council could contact these people through their solicitor and tell them we are sick of the eyesore of their neglected and rubbish strewn land.There are a few other areas of Brent Way that would benefit from a good once over too.

Keith Iddon ● 6996d

How depressing it must to have to use this railway bridge at all...even if you are on your way to the cafe in Brooke Road North.Cannot the locals band together as a small volunteer group..to brush that brown paint over the graffiti?..for starters.oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooWhere back in THE HAM..historic Brentford..the School established in 1815. This is the plaque:ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooAnd what do Brentfordians allow and tolerate..leaving this eyesore for years and years!! Please get off your asses!!oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooThe Isleworth and Brentford needs to elect a Rubbish Tsar..to sort Brentford out. Its disgraceful!!ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooThat's enough for tonight!

Jim Lawes ● 6996d

You come out of your neat Victorian home in a friendly street in Brentford..and then you look up.  Something is not quite right!oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooYou walk along the your road towards Brentford Station..and you have to pass this sight every morning:ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooIt's a blight..its anti-social is it not?You know what's coming!!... You wait for your train at the Station:ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooOn the way home ..latter on you have a look at one of the Council's Notice Boards:ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooand you decide not to go to the Waterman's Art Centre because you know there's an unpleasant sight there that nobody has bothered to clear up!oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooWhat else needs sorting out?

Jim Lawes ● 6996d