The Kew Society

We have just discovered that Transport for London is conducting a consultation on the District Line timetable. This proposes extra trains for Wimbledon and an extra train for Ealing Broadway. No changes are being proposed for the Richmond branch of the line, which passes through Kew Gardens station. The consultation closes on 15 July. Find details at the Transport for London website here.

Several gardens in Kew are being opened as part of the National Gardens Scheme (NGS). Under this scheme gardens are opened for a small fee which goes to charity. Most gardens which open for the NGS are privately owned and open just a few times each year. Some gardens open as part of a group with the whole community involved.

This year there are three to visit in Kew:

We have been contacted by Elinor Ridgeway from Richmond Council, who is keen to inform residents about a series of "All in One" meetings which are to be held around the borough in the coming weeks. These meetings follow the borough wide survey which happened last year. The meetings present the results and allow you to make suggestions about how our borough can be improved. The Kew meeting is on 11 June, as we have already noted in our "Events in Kew" calendar.

Elinor writes:

A licencing hearing took place on 6 April which representatives of the Kew Society Committee attended. The outcome of the meeting can be found in the Planning News section, here.

We are holding a picture quiz again this year, the idea being the same as usual. We have twenty four images of Kew for you to identify, and the first four correct answers will win a prize. You can see the images and prize details by following this link. The entry fee is £1, which you should either hand in at the Twelfth Night Party or send to Kew Society, c/o 181 Sandycombe Road, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 2EN along with your answers.

The Westerly Ware Association and Kew Society worked closely together to have the Kew pier restored. Once the work was complete a celebratory boat trip was organised for members of both groups to try out the renovated pier and enjoy an evening of convivial company. The trip took place on 24 September, and was a great success, as all the tickets were sold. The weather was kind and members enjoyed seeing the Thames and the architecture on its banks from a less conventional angle.

Thanks to generous sponsorship from 12 local businesses and groups towards the floral collars on lamp posts round the station area, Richmond Borough in Bloom (RIB) have awarded a Silver Medal to Kew this summer. Full results are here, Kew winning its award in Category 8, Commercial Centre.

As we reported earlier, we have been keeping an eye on tyhe repair works to the Kew towpath. Just to keep readers up to date, the towpath is now open again as the revetment works are almost complete.

We have organised a special guided tour of Chiswick House for members of the society with local historian John Moses. This will be held on Sunday 16th May, 2010 at 11.30am. The attached flyer gives more information and tells you how to apply for tickets. This should be a really interesting exploration of our local heritage.

As the general election 2010 approaches, there are a number of local issues that are important to the community which can sometimes seem to be forgotten in the bigger picture of a general election.
We have organised for Kew Ward candidates to attend a Hustings where you can put your questions directly to the people standing.

This will be held on Thursday 22nd April 2010, 8 - 10pm The Barn Church. The attached flyer gives more information and explains how you can send in your questions in advance.