A week or so back, just before the recent cold spell kicked in down here in London (even though it’s now turned a bit warmer again) – my London Shoes legged it all the way down to the far reaches of the South West London part of the River Thames, for the specific purpose of having a meander across a particular bridge that crosses the River. 
But – as with a lot of Shoes’s blogs – having done a bit of exploring whilst there, the area visited became a bit of a ‘gift that kept on giving’ – in terms of blog material.
So – this week’s London Shoes publication is all about :-
“KEW BRIDGE” & “KEW GREEN” – in the London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames
Most people associate Kew with the renowned and very popular “Kew Gardens” a famous botanical attraction since 1840.
However – the ‘Gardens’ was not on the subject matter of my visit – as my Shoes were there to walk Kew Bridge and explore its surrounding landmarks.
‘Kew Bridge’ is just of 35 bridges that cross the Thames as it meanders through London – it crosses the River between Kew Green on its southern banks and Brentford on its northern banks – and in doing so it also joins the busy North Circular Road to the South Circular Road.
The bridge is:- 1,182ft long (360m) x 75ft wide (23m) x 29ft high (8.9m) from the water.
Records show that the first bridge at Kew was built in 1759 – and it was owned by ferry operators who used to ship folk back and forth across the River to the royal palace at Kew House.
A second bridge was erected in 1789 at a massive cost of £16,500. It was officially opened by King George III – and even though users had to pay a ‘toll’ of 1 x halfpenny per person and 6p per horse, the bridge still saw up to 3,000 crossings per day.
This second bridge lasted a century – but was eventually sold for £57,300 (£6.4m in today’s money). It was bought jointly by the City of London Corporation and the Metropolitan Board of Works – at which stage, the toll booths were done away with and demolished.
By the late 1800’s, with London’s ever increasing population – Kew Bridge just couldn’t cope with the volume of traffic it was experiencing every day, and the renowned architect/designer/builder of the time ‘Sir John Woolfe Barry’, was commissioned to design and construct a new Kew Bridge.
At that period in time, any new bridge crossing the Thames had to be agreed and sanctioned by Parliament, and in 1890 the ‘Kew Bridge Act’ was passed by Government, enabling a third bridge to be built, and to be paid for jointly by the Surrey and the Middlesex County Councils (at that Brentford was part of the county of Middlesex).
This new bridge cost £250,000 (£35m in today’s world) – and it was built of granite excavated from the Kemnay Quarry-Aberdeenshire-Scotland.
The new bridge eventually opened in 1903 and was initially known as ‘King Edward VII Bridge’.
It’s official opening was undertaken by King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra – and by all accounts the event was attended by thousands.
It is this version of Kew Bridge that is still in existence (and doing a great job) today – and bridge has had Grade II Listed protection since 1983.
From the middle of the bridge, looking east there is a lovely view of the Chiswick shorelines – and the first landmark that catches your eye is ‘Oliver Island’.
Oliver Island is a tiny tree covered (0.9-acre) ‘Ait’ (ie a ‘river island’) – stuck in the middle of the River Thames between Kew (on the southern banks) and Strand-on-the-Green on the northern banks of the River. This tiny island is owned by the Port of London Authority.
It gets its name as a result of a bit of local folklore – that claims ‘Oliver Cromwell’ once took refuge on there during the English Civil War. It is also said that a tunnel exists between the northern banks of the Thames and the Island……none of which has ever been proven.
In 1777 the City of London built a floating toll booth next to the Island, to collect fees from passing boats – to help fund the maintenance of the River Thames.
In the mid 1800’s a blacksmith operated from the Island. It also became a place where barges moored up to, for maintenance and repairs etc
In 1909 Oliver’s Island was taken over by the Port of London Authority – and the smithy’s building was used for storage. This little building on the Island was finally destroyed in the 1990’s.
Today – Oliver’s Island is home to Cormorants / Canadian Geese & Herons.
Similarly – from the centre of Kew Bridge, looking westward – you can see ‘Brentford Ait’.
The ‘Brentford Ait’ is a 4,572 acre uninhabited ‘river island’ (eg ‘Ait’) located just off of the northern banks of the River Thames in Brentford-London TW8.
Throughout the 1700’s there were people living on the Brentford Ait, as it used to be the site of a notorious pub called the ‘Swan’ or ‘Three Swans’. Today there are no buildings or inhabitants on the island – just many species of birds especially herons.
The southern side of Kew Bridge is surrounded by ‘Kew Green’ – a 30-acre triangular shaped plot of open grassland.
It is owned by The Crown Estates and leased to the London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames – and is a perfect example of an oasis of tranquility in a desert storm.
Kew Green sort of links Kew with Kew Gardens, the popular botanical venue – and records as far back as the mid 1600’s indicate that it was referred to as a ‘piece of common ground-lying within the township of Kew’.
Interestingly – records show that Kew Green was used as a cricket ground way back in the 1700’s – when a match between London XI v Middlesex XI was played there in 1732 – and right up to today, Kew Green is the home ground of Kew Cricket Club.
Kew Green is surrounded by some magnificent townhouses and other buildings – some dating back to the Georgian/Regency period of the 1700/1800’s.
St. Anne’s Church is situated on Kew Green and is the Parish Church of Kew.
The ‘Elizabeth Gate’ – one of the 2 entrances/exits to ‘Kew Gardens’, is situated at the southern end of Kew Green.
There are old cast iron style street lamps/lanterns scattered around Kew Green – and it even has its very own Victorian ‘stink-pipe’ (a topic which incidentally, has become London Shoes most popular blog publication – receiving over 12,000 ‘hits’ to date!!!).
There are a few old pubs dating back to the Victorian era, that are up on and around Kew Green – ‘The Cricketers’ and ‘The Greyhound’ are just a couple of them.
The Director of Kew Gardens has his own residence overlooking Kew Green – and there are many more prominent residencies that have a Kew Green address.
At the north-eastern corner of Kew Green is ‘Kew Pond’ – an old horse pond, that is now full of reeds and is now a popular local landmark and an ideal habitat for all different kinds of water birds. The water level of the Kew Pond is managed by a sluice gate that allows water from the Thames to fill the pond via an underground channel during high spring tide.
At the Kew end of Kew Bridge – on an external side wall of the 18th Century built Caxton House – there’s a new Banksy bit of street art. As with all Banksy’s stuff, it suddenly appeared overnight a couple of weeks back in August 24, and it depicts a mountain goat balancing precariously on a narrow ledge (part of the building structure).
London Shoes visit to Kew coincided with just the third day of the existence of this new Banksy piece – by which time the artwork had already been covered with protective perspex.
Having spent an enjoyable 3hrs or so wandering the streets of Kew and its surrounding areas – under a gloriously sunny London sky – it was most definitely time for a little liquid refreshment before heading off eastwards, back home.
So – me and my old mate Pete, who was accompanying me for the day – decided to cross Kew Bridge onto its northern banks and then stroll eastwards along a Thames footpath in search of a decent pub where we could rest up and sink a few pints – and after a few minutes’ walk we stumbled upon the “Bell & Crown” at Strand-on-the-Green–Chiswick London W4 – and what a great pub it is.
The Bell & Crown dates right back to 1751 when it was just called The Bell – its named changed to the Bell & Crown in 1787 is perfectly positioned as it overlooks the Thames – and was then taken over by the Fuller-Smith-Turner brewery in 1814.
The Bell & Crown is a popular gathering place for Brentford FC and away fans to congregate for a few pre-match beers on match days – apparently the banter can get quite lively.
It really is the most perfectly positioned pub to sit and sink a few pints while watch the world go by, on the River Thames – and the planes go by (hanging in the sky every 5 mins} on their way to nearby Heathrow Airport – all of which is even more enjoyable under a sunny London sky.
So – that’s all about Kew for you – a really enjoyable place to stroll around and explore – most definitely worth a visit.
Hope the accompanying photos helped bring Kew to life for you.
____________________________________
See below the entire gallery of photos taken to support this ‘KEW’ blog
For this blog publication, London Shoes legged it all the way down to the far reaches of the South West London part of the River Thames, for the specific purpose of having a meander across a particular bridge that crosses the River.
Kew Bridge – joins the South Circular road with the North Circular road
Records show that the first bridge at Kew was built in 1759 – and it was owned by ferry operators who used to ship folk back and forth across the River to the royal palace at Kew House
A second bridge was erected in 1789 at a massive cost of £16,500. It was officially opened by King George III – and even though users had to pay a ‘toll’ of 1 x halfpenny per person and 6p per horse, the bridge still saw up to 3,000 crossings per day.
‘Kew Bridge’ is just of 35 bridges that cross the Thames as it meanders through London – it crosses the River between Kew Green on its southern banks and Brentford on its northern banks
By the late 1800’s, with London’s ever increasing population – Kew Bridge just couldn’t cope with the volume of traffic it was experiencing every day, and the renowned architect/designer/builder of the time ‘Sir John Woolfe Barry’, was commissioned to design and construct a new Kew Bridge.
The ‘Kew Bridge Act’ passed by Government in 1890, enabled a third bridge to be built, and to be paid for jointly by the Surrey and the Middlesex County Councils (at that Brentford was part of the county of Middlesex). This new bridge cost £250,000 (£35m in today’s world)
The new bridge eventually opened in 1903 and was initially known as ‘King Edward VII Bridge’.
The official opening of the new Kew Bridge, was undertaken by King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra – and by all accounts the event was attended by thousands.
A close-up of an inscription on Kew Bridge
Me – with Kew Bridge in the background
Kew Bridge is 1,182ft long (360m) x 75ft wide (23m) x 29ft high (8.9m) from the water.
A distance view of Kew Bridge – from the Thames Pathway – on the Southern banks of the River.
Kew Bridge has been Grade II Listed protected since 1983.
‘Kew Bridge’ is just of 35 bridges that cross the Thames as it meanders through London – it crosses the River between Kew Green on its southern banks and Brentford on its northern banks – and in doing so it also joins the busy North Circular Road to the South Circular Road.
Crossing Kew Bridge – with a Heathrow bound flight above
Kew Bridge – viewed from the southern banks of the River Thames, at Kew
Me – on Kew Bridge – looking eastwards
A view of the River from Kew Bridge – looking westwards
Oliver Island is a tiny tree covered (0.9-acre) ‘Ait’ (ie a ‘river island’) – stuck in the middle of the River Thames between Kew (on the southern banks) and Strand-on-the-Green on the northern banks of The River.
In 1777 the City of London built a floating toll booth next to the Island, to collect fees from passing boats – to help fund the maintenance of the River Thames. In the mid 1800’s a blacksmith operated from the Island. It also became a place where barges moored up to, for maintenance and repairs etc
“Oliver’s Island” – gets its name as a result of local folklore – that claims ‘Oliver Cromwell’ once took refuge on there during the English Civil War.
Today – Oliver’s Island is home to Cormorants / Canadian Geese & Herons.
Another view of Kew Bridge – from the southern banks of the Thames – at Kew
Me – on Kew Bridge – looking westwards
From the centre of Kew Bridge, looking westward – you can see ‘Brentford Ait’.
The ‘Brentford Ait’ is a 4,572 acre uninhabited ‘river island’ (eg ‘Ait’) located just off of the northern banks of the River Thames in Brentford-London TW8.
Throughout the 1700’s there were people living on the Brentford Ait, as it used to be the site of a notorious pub called the ‘Swan’ or ‘Three Swans’.
Today ‘Brentford Ait is home to many species of birds especially herons.
Activity on the Thames, around Brentford Ait – as viewed from Kew Bridge
A rower passing under Kew Bridge
The southern side of Kew Bridge is surrounded by ‘Kew Green’ – a 30-acre triangular shaped plot of open grassland.
Kew Green is owned by The Crown Estates and leased to the London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames – and is a proper ‘oasis of tranquility in a desert storm’.
Every 5mins – in the skies above Kew Green – there’s a flight heading towards Heathrow airport
Kew Green was used as a cricket ground way back in the 1700’s – when a match between London XI v Middlesex XI was played there in 1732 – and right up to today, Kew Green is the home ground of Kew Cricket Club.
Kew Cricket Club’s ‘screens’ – on Kew Green
Me – on Kew Green
There are a number of old cast iron style street lamps/lanterns scattered around Kew Green
Another view of Kew Green – with yet another flight making its way to Heathrow
Kew Green even has its very own Victorian ‘stink-pipe’
Another view of Kew Green
There are a number of old cast iron style street lamps/lanterns scattered around Kew Green
Kew Green is surrounded by some magnificent townhouses and other buildings – some dating back to the Georgian/Regency period of the 1700’s.
St. Anne’s Church is situated on Kew Green and is the Parish Church of Kew.
The War Memorial – situated on Kew Green
St. Anne’s Church – on Kew Green
Me – on Kew Green
The ‘Elizabeth Gate’ – one of the 2 entrances/exits to ‘Kew Gardens’, is situated at the southern end of Kew Green.
The ‘Cricketers’ pub – situated on the northern side of Kew Green
The Greyhound pub is situated at the north eastern end of Kew Green
A front view of the Greyhound pub – Kew Green
Inside the Greyhound pub – looking out onto Kew Green
The view of Kew Green from inside The Greyhound pub
Me – knocking back a quick ‘cheeky one’ – in The Greyhound pub – Kew Green
The 18th Century built Cambridge Cottage – a period property with a Kew Green address
More examples of Kew Green’s houses – these 2 blue & white properties were built in the late 1700’s
Another view across Kew Green
Hanover House – 57 Kew Green
A view of just some of the magnificent properties with a Kew Green address
At the north-eastern corner of Kew Green is ‘Kew Pond’ – an old horse pond, that is a popular local landmark
These days Kew Pond is full of reeds and is an ideal habitat for all different kinds of water birds. The water level of the Kew Pond is managed by a sluice gate that allows water from the Thames to fill the pond via an underground channel during high spring tide.
At the Kew end of Kew Bridge – on an external side wall of the 18th Century built Caxton House – a new Banksy piece of street art suddenly mysteriously appeared one night in Aug 2024
Kew’s new Banksy art work depicts a mountain goat balancing precariously on a narrow ledge (part of the building structure). My London Shoes visit was only 3 days following the appearance of the Banksy piece – by which time the artwork had already been covered with protective Perspex.
Me – on the southern end of Kew Bridge – with Banksy’s new art work in the background
Having spent an enjoyable 3hrs or so wandering the streets of Kew and its surrounding areas – my London Shoes decided to cross Kew Bridge onto its northern banks and then stroll eastwards along a Thames Path in search of a decent pub where we could rest up and sink a few pints
The Thames Path is a dedicated route to help people navigate the banks of the River
View of Kew Bridge in the distance – from the Thames Path
View of the northern Thames shoreline – and its Thames Path
Me & my mate Pete (my accomplice for the day) – navigating our way along the Thames Path at Kew – in search of a pub and some liquid refreshment
The “BELL & CROWN” at Strand-on-the-Green-Chiswick London W4
The Thames Road entrance to the Bell & Crown, The pub dates right back to 1751 when it was just called The Bell – its named changed to the Bell & Crown in 1787
The Bell & Crown is perfectly positioned along the northern banks of the River Thames.
Inside the Bell & Crown pub
Inside the Bell & Crown pub – it is a popular gathering place for Brentford FC and away fans to congregate for a few pre-match beers on match days.
Inside the Bell & Crown pub – Chiswick
The Bell & Crown is the most perfectly positioned pub to sit and sink a few pints while watch the world go by, on the River Thames
View of “Oliver’s Island” in the distance – from the Bell & Crown pub
We were joined by another drinker – enjoying the weather outside the Bell & Crown pub – Chiswick
Me – enjoying a refreshing ‘cheeky’ alongside the Thames – at the Bell & Crown pub – Chiswick
Enjoying the sun on the northern banks of the Thames – at the Bell & Crown pub – Chiswick – with yet another Heathrow bound plane above
A refreshing beer – just waiting to be consumed – on the banks of the River Thames – at the Bell & Crown pub
Me & my mate Pete – following an enjoyable time exploring Kew – enjoying a couple of refreshing beers – on the northern bans of the River – outside the Bell & Crown pub – Strand-on-the-Green – Chiswick
Another great day out and many fantastic shots and info.
Glad you found another Victorian Stink-Pipe, this time with a fancy top.
Thank you Janice – glad you enjoyed it – and remember, keep those stink pipes coming :-))
Take care
GEOFF (www.londonshoes.blog)
Very interesting as usual,my son says how well you look
Cheers Del – glad you enjoyed it mate
Excellent stuff….
I don’t think you could have picked a more perfect day for your visit, and the whole area looks like the perfect place to live, (if you can afford it). I think your words describing the bridge/s, the Aits, the pubs and the whole place, together with the lovely photos make for an enjoyable read, and maybe one day I’ll be paying a visit to.
I recently took a group from Kew bridge past the two museums & along the Thames to Brentford lock & the gauging lock on the grand Union canal. Great pub there & very interesting history
Excellent article Geoff , a beautiful area with great architecture , parks and history . One I could really relate to as I sailed under the bridge , did a sharp left in to the grand Union canal and sank a few bevvies in Brentford nigh street watching an Amy Winehouse tribute lady .
On the stretch from Teddington lock to there you are only allowed to travel in convoy of narrow boats due to strength of tidal race and access times in to the canal lock .
You also have to upgrade your boat tackle to include ‘sea ‘ kit e. g an anchor as no longer a canal and tidal
Somethings you never forget .
Alan
Fantastic article Geoff. Keep ‘em coming
Sadly the view from the bridge towards Brentford has been radically changed and huge tower blocks now ruin the view.
“Such a fantastic blog about Kew Bridge and Kew Green! Loved learning about the charm and history of TW8 – truly a delightful read!”
Hi Kelvin – I just wanted to thank you personally for your very kind comments – its feedback such as yours that make all the effort I put into my little hobby…..all worthwhile.
I hope that you continue to follow my London Shoes work – as I always try to publish a new blog topic every week.
Kind regards
GEOFF (www.londonshoes.blog)