Well done to Lisa and her crew at the Hare and Hounds. They really brought the crowds out this morning with a competition tour round East Sheen. Four hundred tickets sold. A great community activity. Watch out for more upcoming events.

Richmond Council announced last night that they have taken steps to get together a streaming provision for the hearing of the Public Inquiry on the Stag Brewery developmenr which commences at York House on 5 November 2024.

Roger Parker noted the item on local residents In East Sheen in or about 1871 posted yesterday, which included a description of Christ Church. Built in two years from 1862 it was consecrated in 1864 as a memorial to the then late Edward Penrhyn – viz Penrhyn Crescent.

Roger writes: Christ Church is open each day and with new state of the art lighting recently installed, visitors can see not only the stained glass window mentioned in the item but also the fine chancel wall paintings and artwork on the wooden chancel ceiling, excellent examples of Victorian church art.

See also post on 24 September at https://childlawobserver10.com/2024/09/24/the-parish-of-st-marys-mortlake-with-christ-church-all-saints-east-sheen-2/

One discussion point at the Barnes Home Guard Club at 11am today

76a Richmond Park Road

On 24 January 2024 it was reported here that contractors had placed notices relating to the installation of electric vehicle charging points between 199-207 Upper Richmond Road West. It was the first that most of all the business owners and residents in the nearby flats had heard about the works to be carried out on behalf of TFL and London Borough of Richmond, athough planning permission had already been granted.

The effect of that decision was the loss of all the parking spaces in front of the businesses just to the left of Gilpin Avenue to the dismay of their proprietors. Since January they have been blocked with just a few loading bays adjacent. Attempts to persuade the Council to negotiate with TfL to change the loading bays to parking spaces have produced nothing.

There has been one recent change. Cones have been placed to ensure that no-one actually uses the empty spaces. Next step: actually bringing charging points into use after nine months.

Discuss more about Sheen at the Barnes Home Guard Club this Thursday, 24 October 2024 at 11am. Free entry.

In 1914 Admiral Sir Hedworth Lambton Meux (pronounced Mews, 1856 – 1929) sold land at Sheen House to Arthur Cecil Hovenden, a local doctor. We know this from an abstract of title in the possession of the Barnes Home Guard Club referring to conveyances at that time. The local reference books record that Sheen House was demolished in 1907. At some point 175 Sheen Lane was built and Hovenden lived there until 1946. The precise details of the sale of land to the Club in or about 1944 remain to be investigated but they now have a registered title at premises known as 76A Richmond Park Road.

Lambton had an illustrious and noteworthy naval career. He was commander of the Naval Brigade at Ladysmith in 1899 and helped in its relief. After hearing the story of the naval guns at Ladysmith, Lady Meux had ordered six 12-pounder cannon on travelling carriages to be made and sent out to Southern Africa. 

At that time Valerie Susan Meux, the beautiful socialite widow of Sir Henry Brent Meux (of Meux Brewery, later Friary Meux), who had died in 1900, owned the property at Sheen House. She lived at the family seat at Theobalds House near Cheshunt. An eccentric, she built a roller skating rink there and drove around in her phaeton drawn by zebras. Sheen House had a purpose built cycle track, the home of the Sheen House Cycling Club from 1896. Did they move straight to Richmond Park?

When Lambton returned to England, he called on Lady Meux to thank her for her gift of the guns. He described to her his naval experiences and praised the patriotic spirit of her gift. 

Lady Meux was “touched by this tribute” and, having no heirs herself, she wrote a will making Lambton the heir to the large fortune left by her husband on his death in 1900, including her house at Theobalds Park in Hertfordshire and Sheen House. The only condition was that Lambton should change his name to Meux. 

When she died on 20 December 1910, he willingly changed his name by Royal Warrant, and inherited the Meux Hertfordshire estate, a substantial interest in the Meux Brewery and Sheen House. 

Lambton became a naval aide-de-camp to Queen Victoria in 1901, attended her funeral on 2 February 1901 and then subsequently became naval aide-de-camp to King Edward VII. He was MP for Portsmouth from 1914 to 1918.

In 1910, Lambton married Mildred Cecilia Harriet, daughter of Henry Sturt, 1st Baron Alington and widow of Henry Cadogan, Viscount Chelsea; they had no children, though he acquired five step-children, who inherited the bulk of his estate. 

In 1914 he sold land at Sheen House to Arthur Cecil Hovenden.  He died in 1929 and is buried in Cheshunt Cemetery. His portrait is in the National Portrait Gallery.

So they’re off! There’s a hole but no-one is in it!

East Sheen Avenue will be closed at its junction with 215 Upper Richmond Road for electricity cable installation works commencing on 21/10/2024 to 13/11/2024. Contact: Envevo 07392058740.

Twenty four hour closure? Three weeks? Which works will be next? Can they be coordinated?

River levels are expected to be high as a result of spring tides. The forecast high tide at Richmond is 4.90 m at 18:00 on 21/10/24.

Flooding of low-lying roads and footpaths is expected, which may exist for one to two hours either side of high tide. This makes flooding at Thames Bank at Mortlake (and the White Hart on the River in Richmond) likely though flooding of properties is not expected. You can go boating down Ship Lane.

Just what are the implications of this level of flooding for the Stag Brewery development at Mortlake?

1700 today.