EastSheenMatters

Fine gardening at the junction of Sheen Lane and Sheen Gate Gardens

An appropriate model for the celebration with the FiSH Choir behind.

Deputy Mayor Matthew Wherry addresses the gathering.

Tim Catchpole, Chairman of the Mortlake With East Sheen Society, presenting Stationmaster Daniel Opoku, with a rare celebratory MESS mug

Daniel responding to the award and with Railway Chaplain Christopher Henley

Definitively! And you can now buy model cars! Opposite Mortlake Station.

Or before!

The Times reports today that a Nextbase (a dashcam company) research study found that more than half e-bike riders failed to stop at red lights. East Sheen and Mortlake residents might think that is a conservative estimate by local standards.

Perhaps the most worrying aspect of the research is that numbers have increased from 45 % to 54 % since a similar study last year. But that is not surprising. Accustomisation to law-breaking and lack of enforcement of the law create a culture where it becomes acceptable.

City of London Police figures for April 2025 to March 2026 show that they issued 1315 fixed penalty notices for cyclists going through red lights, compared to 643 in the same period the previous financial year.  Locally the police have persistently said that they cannot enforce the law. See for example the Police Liaison Group minutes published on 15 March 2026. https://childlawobserver10.com/2026/03/15/east-sheen-police-liaison-group-summary-minutes/

Which is worse – running the red light or cycling on the pavement? Both illegal of course.

At least if you as a pedestrian are crossing when you are advised it is safe to do so, you will be aware that you are on a road where there is traffic.

How much worse is it when you are walking along the pavement where you believe yourself to be entirely safe, only to find you are faced with a cyclist coming straight at you or suddenly arriving close behind you.

Research on pavement cycling: that would be interesting.

The EastSheenMatters post about the celebration on Monday of 180 years since Mortlake Station was opened referred to Cllr Clare Vollum as Deputy Mayor.

 This was incorrect. The new Deputy Mayor is Cllr Matthew Wherry, elected member for Fulwell and Hampton Hill in May 2026.

Apologies to both.

On 22 April 2026 EastSheenMatters reported as follows:

“……….. there is no reason why the planning permission in respect of residential units should not be acted upon. But a year on the public has not been made aware of any progress. All that we have been told is that Reselton Properties would like to sell the site or at least obtain co-funders. But rumours seeping out of Malaysia suggest that backers may not be happy even with co-funding. It is hardly surprising given that a substantial part of the evidence at the Inquiry related to the economic difficulties created by having bought at a high price with development costs having rocketed since then.”

Prescient that. And so accurate.

It is now reported that the property has been taken off the market. Richmond Council will blame those who opposed their plans. Any reasonable analysis of the facts demonstrates that it is the developers’ overspending and the Council’s hubris and greed which are responsible for the disastrous mothballing which is now likely to follow.

More to follow………………..

On 27 July 1846 the Richmond to Waterloo Railway Line was opened. A celebration will take place at Mortlake Station on Monday 27 July 2026 at 1.00pm.

A welcome party will be arriving at Mortlake Station from Barnes Station led by the Deputy Mayor, Cllr Clare Vollum.

They will walk to the car showroom where the Deputy Mayor will make a speech. Tea and cakes will be served. This was originally Queen Victoria’s waiting room, built for her and Prince Albert as they frequented White Lodge in Richmond Park.

The first stationmaster at Mortlake was Mr Henry White. He figured prominently in the place for nearly 40 years and was universally liked not only by the inhabitants but by visitors and others with whom he came into contact. He was the same to all, civil, polite and obliging. [Rambles of Old Wagram, John Eustace Anderson, (1909).] His tombstone is in the graveyard of the nearby church at Mortlake.

On reading that you will no doubt have thought about the similar traits of the present incumbent, Daniel Opoku, who started work at the Station on 7 June 1998. Having heard of his predecessor’s longevity, Daniel plans to beat his record. He is pictured holding the Olympic Flame, which he carried in London in 2012. The Mortlake with East Sheen Society will present Daniel (pictured below) with a celebratory mug in recognition of his long service.

For station photos from 1904 see EastSheenMatters on 6 February 2026.