Some things don't change in West End...

It's incredibly easy to miss Emmanuel Church if you walk down Fortune Green Road today...

Everyone knows it is there, lots of people as a result of the school have heard of it, but the mansions lfats next and around mean that the attractive Victorian build just melds into the local scenescape...

But this postcard, posted in 1906 (when the church is just 9 years old), shows the building off as being much more imposing as there are no surrounding buildings in the way there are today.

But, bar that overshadow of the buildings, little has changed outwardly today. The architect in 1897 was JA Thomas of Charing Cross and the foundations were laid on 19th June 1897 - I wonder if the poster of this postcard realised that they were at the anniversary of the foundation when they sent this card. In fact given it is posted in Highbury it is quite possible that this person attends this 'new' church as they are a donor/supporter and went to the foundation service in 1906.

In fact, the church authorities ran out of money during the work and in fact the work was not completed until 29th June 1903 so this card is almost certainly produced as a new card just after the building work was completed and sold for the next three or four or more years...

You might even notice that the noticeboard is even in the same place 104 years later...! In fact anyone standing at Chomley Garden on Fortune Green Road would see little different today.


Of course, the Rev'd Jonathan Kester will be delighted to read that the sender of this postcard liked the service (18th June 1906) - not much has changed in that respect I suspect!

The only other side issues from this card is that there was a post in Highbury at 9.15pm and you can be pretty confident that that was not the only post dispatch of the day.

But then again postcards are not much used for short day-today communications like this - I guess this is the 1906 equivalent of an email or facebook message.

Don't panic, don't panic...

Not the most obvious picture in the world and it requires quite a leap of imagination but I'm told that this is a air raid shelter from World War II.

It's in the communal gardens of Cholmley Gardens, West Hampstead, and I'm told that there are a whole series of air raid shelters there.

They show themselves as slightly odd barrow-esq shapes in the ground structure with a still visible concrete ridge down the middle.

http://474towin.blogspot.com/2009/05/no-books-here-since-1954.html

I can't say I know much more than that but as this week is the anniversary of the start of WWII for Britain I thought I'd try and reflect the theme.

For Cholmley Gardens http://www.cholmleygardens.co.uk/

No books here since 1954...

Most people who use and know the public Library in West Hampstead know it on the corner of Dennington Park Road.

But for a time (4-ish years!) after it was bombed out of Westbere Road it sought refuge in the corner of Mill Lane and Fortune Green Road.

The entrance is pictured here in Cholmley Gardens and has a small little plaque on the left hand side of the entrance.

I've touched on this topic briefly before
http://474towin.blogspot.com/2008/02/from-councillor-to-tower-block-and-mp.html

It's a small historical link but a nice little piece...

I've also touched on the wider library story in Camden here
http://474towin.blogspot.com/2008/10/has-public-philanthropy-currency-in-our.html

West End is here in NW6 - not theatreland

Back to the joys of West End - and more specifically the Green at West End on the junction of West End Lane, Fortune Green Road and Mill Lane.

It's one of the best spaces and increasingly complemented by coffee bars and outdoor seating to appreciate - all we need now is pedestrianisation (a pipe dream in this instance!).

The plaque reads:

Borough of Hampstead

This tree was planted by the Mayor

Mr Alderman G E Pritchard

20th December 1902

In commemoration of the Coronation of

His Majesty King Edward VII

On this patch of space it's also got the fountain, thousands of pidgeons and is overlooked by the slightly stately Alexandra Mansions.

So whose up for a refurb effort - it's in the sightline of the Friends of Fortune Green who are pushing forward on cleaning up and taking active ownership of their space...

Community activism - for me it's the best way forward and the only way of achieving long standing change and enhancement in a local area... there's one to ponder.

A day out in the graveyard...

It might sound a bit daft but a day out in a graveyard is one of the most interesting things you can do...

The achitectural styles, the faux gothix design, the inscriptions and stories that surround the individuals and the respective fame of some of those interned.

It all makes for a great insight into a community.

Hampstead Cemetery, West Hampstead, is no exception - it's on Fortune Green Road and is well worth the time in terms of having alook about and appreciating it's charm and depth.

If you click on these pictures they should opne up full size and you can enjoy the details - especially interesting for me are the range of designs - the gothic, the egyptian obelisk, the more traditional victoiran, the religious angel, the egyptian style tomb and the great piece of art deco green copper 1920's art.

Hampstead cemetery as a place to visit...

The tradition of taking a stroll around a graveyard has faded - it was a sunday norm for my grandparents and their parents, but it still remains a fascinating activity.


Hampstead cemetery is no exception. Located at the top of Fortune Green Road (West Hampstead) it is over 25 acres of land.



First purchased in 1875 it saw pretty fast development - the population of the area had grown significantly and demand was high. The lodge and chapel also date from this time and were built by Charles Bell.

This picture was taken at a time when it was slightly over-cast so perhaps doesn't draw out the architecture - well worth a visit.

The graves themselves are pretty impressive - whether it's for the famous and household names, the astonishing wealth of nature and wildlife that thrives here or the design and grandeur of many of the graves themselves.

There is a Friends of Hampstead Cemetery - details of which i'll add when I can locate them easily.

Back to the fountains and public water...

My post a while back about fountains and getting them reconnected has prompted a flurry of emails and I'm now getting one resident sending me occasional notes of where they have found fountains round and about (often outside the remit of this little blog!).

http://474towin.blogspot.com/2008/01/where-is-metropolitan-drinking-fountain.html

This one at Fortune Green (the Green rather than just the ward) - just off Fortune Green Road and the Greek streets - is small and pretty and lies slightly off-set to the main of the green - it has just had new paving around it and in fact is incredibly well-placed on the geographic perspective of the green itself.

I'm gradually cacthing up with where there are others and whether they are working or not...

A brief pause on West End Green confirmed what Cllr. Flick Rea had told me - that the West End fountain was indeed working - and great too the water tasted!

I realised after taking this picture (right) of this small fountain that I failed to make a note of the inscription - more to follow when I go pass next...

West End Green at Christmas

What is it about Christmas lights? They illuminate, they cheer, they sparkle and they just make an area look great.

And this year on West End Green is no exception. At the junction of West End Lane, Lyncroft Gardens, Mill Lane and Fortune Green Road this little green is really charming.

Well done to councillors Flick Rea, Keith Moffitt and Janet Grauberg who have made sure this sort of thing happens and is considered important - shame my camera (or use of it) isn't better able to capture the image - though I do think this captures the sparkle!

Ed