Village London: Barnes

Jewel of the South-West

Of all of London’s ‘villages’ on the Thames, Barnes has to be one of the most compelling. A quick trip out of the centre of town and we were in the highly alluring bit of the stunning south-west. It’s a quick hop and a skip from Waterloo Station and well worth the train fare alone. On any given day you will witness rowers giving it their all on the nearby river. We stopped for lunch at the Sun Inn opposite the ‘chocolate box’ pond where we watched families feeding the ‘duckies’ and it was like we had just stepped out of a time machine. It’s a beautiful place and one of the most unheralded in London and it is right next to more green space than you could ‘shake a stick at’. From the adjacent Barnes Wetlands to Richmond Park and Wimbledon Common there is an incredible amount of ‘outdoor’ destinations to take the kids and dogs.

The annual Oxford-Cambridge boat race in April is an annual occurrence and the locals always put on something special. It is also the location of one of the biggest summer fetes in town as well as the host to a splendid annual bonfire night (November 5th)and a weekly farmers market. There’s also an antique fair on the first Saturday of the month and the Bulls Head on the Lonsdale Road puts on some form of jazz most nights. All this civic activity is matched by Barnes alluring setting and it is a highly desirable piece of London real estate and well worth it's billing as one of South West London’s ‘hidden gems’.

Some of the Barnes Alumni are well worth a mention too. In the river-facing Terrace, Gustav Holst (he of The Planets fame) and Dame Ninette de Valois (founder of the Royal Ballet) once lived and visitors can see their Blue Plaques, along with other places of interest on the 2km Barnes Trail. Just follow the metal markers in the pavement.

Louise Rochon

TripTide User