Out & About Magazine Chiswick, June - July 2019

FREE CHISWICK, ISLEWORTH, BRENTFORD & OSTERLEY

JUNE - JULY 2019

BEDFORD PARK

Festival

ARTISTS AT HOME

Open Studios

VAN GOGH

Letters from Isleworth SUMMER PROGRAMME

at Osterley Park and House

Strawberries & Cream at Hen Corner • Bedford Park Festival • Wildlife on the River Thames • Chiswick Proms • No Fault Divorce • Van Gogh and Britain • Watermans summer activities • Artists At Home • Artist Carrie Reichardt • Better Pictures photography • Cold War exhibition at the National Archives

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2019

JUNE - JULY 2019

Contents 6

INSIDE Regulars

Features

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Bedford Park Festival 6

Letter from the Editor & Editor’s Tips

10-11 Hen Corner Sara Ward offers tea & scones

Two weeks of culture in Chiswick

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Wildlife on the River Thames Les McCallum takes a boat trip

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GET IN TOUCH

Chiswick Proms Meet soprano Lesley Garrett

16-17 No Fault Divorce

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Gerry Devine gerry@fhwem.com Tel: 020 3940 1819 EDITOR Bridget Osborne bridget.osborne@googlemail.com PUBLISHER FHW Events & Marketing Ltd 7c West Street, Ewell, Surrey. KT17 1UZ www.fhwem.com Tel: 020 3940 1105

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A better way to part company

18-19 Van Gogh and Britain

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Exhibition at the Tate Britain

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Watermans Summer activities for young people

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Artists At Home Open Studios in West London Carrie Reichardt Public art Better Pictures Brentford photography group

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Cold War Exhibition at the National Archives

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Published by: FHW Events & Marketing | ©2019 FHW & out&about magazine.

While we endeavour to make sure that all published information is accurate, the publishers cannot be held responsible for mistakes or omissions or any loss resulting from non-publication of an advertisement. While all reasonable care is made to ensure accuracy of information, the publisher accepts no responsibility for the views or claims made by any of the contributors, advertising or editorial content included. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of ‘out&about’ or the editor. Terms and conditions apply. Please recycle your magazine.

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EDITOR'S LETTER

Welcome Welcome to the June-July issue of Out & About. Who can resist freshly made scones with home-made jam and thick clotted cream? Sara Ward is in her element at Hen Corner, baking and preserving. She’s discovered that she’s following in the footsteps of some famous jam makers, as Brentford has history with fruit. P 10–11

Isleworth and Chiswick get a mention in the Van Gogh and Britain exhibition at Tate Britain. The great artist lived in Isleworth for six months, working here as a teacher and teaching Sunday School at a church at Turnham Green.

Sam Pennington spotted a sketch of Chiswick in one of his letters home to his brother Theo. P 18-19 Van Gogh wrote about the beauty of the area, which still inspires local artists. I wonder what he’d have made of Artists At Home – 77 artists in 63 studios opening their doors for the public to wander round and view, 14th to 16th June. If his letters to his brother are anything to go by, I like to think he might have been encouraging and supportive. P 23 Artists At Home is part of the Bedford Park Festival - two weeks of cultural and community events kicked off by the Mother of all church fetes, Green Days on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th June. This year’s festival features actors Andy Nyman, fresh from the West End production of Fiddler on the Roof, and Kevin McNally, who when not cavorting around with Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean, has been recording lost episodes of Dad’s Army for TV. P6 Carrie Reichardt has her art on display to the public all the time, as it completely covers the exterior of her terraced

house, front and back. Lucinda MacPherson has been to meet her. P 24 Chiswick House & Gardens play host to a new event this year – Chiswick Proms, a weekend of comedy, musical theatre and live music. I had the pleasure of talking to soprano Lesley Garrett, who is headlining Last Night at the Chiswick Proms on the Sunday 9th June. P 14 Les McCallum takes to the water for a boat trip from Isleworth to Teddington. A bird watcher for more than 60 years, he says he still finds sights among the wildlife on the river which surprise him. P 8–9 He makes sketches of the wildlife he sees and also takes photographs – not least to prove that he wasn’t fibbing when he said he’d seen a five foot fish. If you also enjoy taking pictures, you may be interested in Brentford based photography group Better Pictures. P 28 Watermans has a festival-themed programme of activities for young people over the summer holidays. P 21 The National Archives at Kew is showing an exhibition about the Cold War until the beginning of November, based on the documents which have been kept by government departments. P 30 And Nicola Withycombe, Co-Founder of Kids Come First, explains why the recent change in the law introducing No Fault Divorce is so important. P 16–17 Enjoy the summer

Bridget

Editor Bridget Osborne

COVER IMAGE

EDITOR’S TIPS Opera at Syon House Wednesday 12th June at 6.30pm Diva Opera perform Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algeri Thursday 13th June at 6.30pm Diva Opera perform Puccini’s Madama Butterfly Both performances in the Great Conservatory, in aid of Children with Cancer UK childrenwithcancer.org.uk

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Osterley Park & House The Big Camp event and summer programme of outdoor theatre and summer of sport. P 13.

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CALLING RESIDENTS OF BRENTFORD! You're invited to take part in free community-led health and wellbeing sessions in Brentford Upcoming Sessions

Sewing with Mary Tuesdays, 6pm-8pm Food growing with Rosie 4th June and 11th July, 2pm-5pm Cooking with Sara 20th June and 16th July, 10am-1pm Bike maintenance at Brentford Market 1st Sunday of the month, 10am-1pm Subsequent sessions are available online

Whether you would like to try out a new skill, meet new people or just spend time outdoors, all are welcome!

Get in touch for details. Booking is encouraged

B2@lsx.org.uk 0207 2349 407 lsx.org.uk/BrentfordTogether

DAVID

FULLER

BRENTFORD TOGETHER

BEDFORD PARK FESTIVAL

THE BEDFORD PARK

Festival

Andy Nyman

Chiswick’s summer Arts & Community festival This year’s Bedford Park Festival is to be opened by Andy Nyman, currently starring as Tevye in the acclaimed West End production of Fiddler on the Roof. The actor, writer and director - who appeared as Winston Churchill in TV series Peaky Blinders - will declare the Festival open at Green Days on Saturday 8th June.

He’s one of several stars of stage, screen, poetry and music appearing at this year’s arts and community festival, which has been running in Chiswick for more than 50 years.

Pirates of the Caribbean star Kevin McNally will be interviewed by broadcaster Susannah Simons about his career. He’s played King Lear at the Globe theatre and Tony Hancock on radio and TV and is soon to be seen on TV as Captain Mainwaring in three lost episodes of Dad’s Army.

Poet Imtiaz Dharker will be the guest speaker at the annual poetry evening, hosted by Chiswick poets Anne-Marie Fyfe and Cahal Dallat. Dallat will also celebrate the life and work of the celebrated Irish poet WB Yeats, in Land of Heart’s Desire: the WB Yeats Walk around Bedford Park, where he lived.

Music highlights in St Michael & All Angels Church include the return - by popular demand - of the London Welsh Rugby Club choir and a special D-Day concert by the London City Orchestra commemorating the event’s 75th anniversary.

The packed festival programme also includes a lunchtime concert

by The Oxbridge Organ Duo, Benedict Lewis-Smith and Julian Collings, on St Michaels’ magnificent pipe organ.

Green Days 2017 Photograph by Jon Perry

Imtiaz Dharker

Kevin McNally

London Welsh Rugby Club Male Voice Choir

Tickets available on the Festival’s website: www.bedfordparkfestival.org

GREEN DAYS Green Days Fête and Craft Fair Saturday 8 June 2019, 11.00am-6.00pm, Sunday 9 June 2019, 11.30am-5.30pm Acton Green, opposite Turnham Green tube station Each year, thousands of people enjoy the traditional village Green Days Fête and Craft Fair. The weekend includes a bandstand with live music and entertainment, fairground rides and games, food & drink, a craft fair with 20 exhibitors offering a wide selection of

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high-quality craftworks, many different types of stalls, competitions; a Family Cycle Zone, which offers cycling advice; a five-a-side football tournament and a fancy dress competition (theme: Musicals), for children.

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WILDLIFE ON THE THAMES

A GLORIOUS

Afternoon ON THE RIVER

Les McCallum discovers the rich variety of wildlife on the Thames It’s a lovely sunny weekend and a friend has rung to say he has a new boat “Body and Soul”; it is cruising down to Richmond and would I like to join him at Isleworth?

Fifteen minutes later I am sitting in Norman’s pride and joy as we head off around the islands opposite the Richmond steps, right up close to the overhanging willow trees. I can see a Great crested grebe sitting on its nest, which has been thoughtfully tethered by rope to a post, on closer inspection, the nest is actually sitting on a worn car tyre.

An old name for this grebe was Crested arse-foot, in days of old, arse wasn’t considered a swear word, think of the Wheatear, a corruption of white arse Why arse-foot?

Because the legs are so far back on the body, they appear

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to come out from its back side, unlike ducks or geese which have legs almost in the middle of the body and can waddle along quite easily, being so far back the grebe is unable to walk but slides onto its nest.

This bird is now very common, but over 100 years ago it was another story, brought to the edge of extinction by the fashion trade due to the stomach feathers being used as muffs in the Victorian era.

So densely were the feathers packed that they were known as grebe fur and were used for the beautiful chestnut ear tufts in the millinery trade to adorn fashionable hats. The RSPB was formed in1889 to stop this trade and the slaughter of birds just for their decorative feathers.

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WILDLIFE ON THE THAMES

ALIEN INVADERS Heading up to Teddington I am amazed at the number of Mandarin ducks on the river, far outnumbering our native Mallard. This bird is a newcomer which has increased enormously in the last few years.

Considered to be the world’s most beautiful duck, it nests in holes in trees but can be enticed to nest in specially designed boxes.

Ahead of us on a rusty buoy are a pair of Common tern and being on a boat they take little notice of us as we drift slowly to within ten feet. A sea bird sometimes called a Sea swallow because of its elegant swooping flight, it is becoming more and more common. Seals are also becoming a common sight along this stretch of water and yesterday my Captain saw one feeding on a large carp near Ham House.

Two male coots are violently fighting, their legs thrashing at each other in an attempt to submerge the opponent; a nearby female rushes in and stabs at the interloper with her bill, which sends it scurrying to the bankside defeated in claiming a partner.

To our surprise a huge dead fish floats by at least 5’6 ‘long, we couldn’t identify this species but were advised by the Natural History Museum that it was a Wel’s catfish. These have been released into the river and are now causing a problem by eating ducklings and small mammals.

on a post; seconds later it drops into the river with wings spread wide and grasps a fish. 60 years of birdwatching and I have never seen a Heron plunge dive, spread eagle into deep water- it is an exciting moment for me. With enormous effort the Heron manages to lift itself from the surface with a huge fish struggling in its bill, it is a salmon and surely, it’s far too big to be swallowed. For ten minutes I watched the fish being manoeuvred this way and that, by then I would have bet ten pounds that it was never going to swallow it.

Wrong! Twelve minutes have passed, and it has slipped down the Heron’s throat showing a rather large, uncomfortable looking bump, I would imagine that it needn’t feed again for several days after that meal.

The end of a short river trip and what excitement, it’s good to know that the river is in such good shape even with all the new and introduced species that are thriving along this wonderful stretch of the river. Just as I am about to get off the boat, the screech of another now familiar bird, the Ring necked parakeet, yet another introduced species and NO it didn’t escape from the Worton Road, Isleworth studios in 1951when they were filming the African Queen but that’s another story…...

Common Terns

Common Tern

Coots Fighting

Wel’s Catfish

Norman tells me he often sees large fish leap out of the water, spin like a Dolphin and drop back into the river, a Zander - a predatory fish that I have never heard of and yet another introduced species which, if caught, is illegal to be returned to the river.

Nearing Teddington studios (or what is left of it) I spot a Heron L@outandabout_mag

Photographs and sketches by Les McCallum

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HEN CORNER Pam Wade Photography

THERE’S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT

Strawberries Sara Ward invites you to a cream tea with fresh scones

Who can resist ripe red strawberries warmed by the sun? Or an afternoon tea indulgent with thick clotted cream? Whether it’s served by centre court at Wimbledon or popped into your Prosecco on a summer’s evening, there is something about strawberries.

His harvests were so remarkable that by 1867 he had expanded his business onto a new site that included what is now Griffin Park (Brentford Football Club), and built a jam factory to preserve the bounty that wouldn’t make the journey to market.

I discovered only recently that Brentford used to be famous for the fruit, prize winning berries were grown alongside the River Brent by Thomas William Beach ‘Father of the Jam Trade’ back in 1851. His fruit was outstanding with some berries weighing in at 100g each.

Utilising spare fruit grown by family and friends to create a premium product, they also made wine with blemished fruit not good enough for jam. Providing work for local people, he seems to have been a great employer as the factory site included both a billiard hall and

theatre especially installed to lure his workforce away from the many pubs in the area. Admission for a show was one old penny or two empty jam jars, leading the way with his commitment to recycling.

Maybe that’s why Brentford FC play their home games in a red striped kit, a nod to the strawberries previously grown on the ground.

Full details at: HenCorner.com 10

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HEN CORNER

RECIPE FOR SCONES These always taste the best still warm from the oven and, as they are so quick to make, can be a welcome treat anytime of the year. The most difficult part is deciding whether to serve cream then jam or jam topped off with cream!

Ingredients: 225g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting ½ tspbaking powder pinch of salt

40g cold butter, cubed 25g caster sugar 110ml milk

Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 200C 2. In a bowl, rub together the flour, salt, baking powder and butter until well combined, stir through the caster sugar.

3. Pour in the milk and combine the mixture gently with a fork, bringing it together as a dough.

4. Turn out onto a floured surface and push together lightly.

If you’d like to try your hand at making scones and jam at Hen Corner, we have courses Wednesday 26th June & Thursday 25th July.

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5. Roll out to 3cm thick and using round cutters cut individual scones without twisting the cutter.

6. Place on a baking sheet, rerolling the trimmings for extra scones.

7. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes, cool on a wire rack, enjoy!

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HEAD GARDENER’S NOTES ‘’Here at Osterley Park we grow various different tomatoes every summer for use in our Café, these are organically grown and although we use a polytunnel (which would otherwise be empty over the summer) they are very easy to grow outside on a terrace or patio.

The two stalwart varieties that we usually grow, as they are reliable croppers and with good flavour, are ‘Moneymaker’ an old large fruited variety and ‘Gardener’s Delight’ a cherry tomato type.

plants with good water retention and also good release of the organic fertiliser with which we feed them.

This product is available from Dale Farm and we look forward to supporting such schemes that are so very good for the environment and thus the planet.’’

These can both be successfully grown at home outside in the garden and both will provide a good, flavoursome crop to harvest right through the summer.

We are trialling a new organic, peat free compost this year which is made from recycled materials; these are wool (as the price of fleeces is very low at the moment) and bracken that has been harvested from fell sides in the Lake district. These are both bye products from farming and thus it makes good sense to use them in this way, rather than destroying our very important peat reserves which are being rapidly depleted and also can raise the amount of methane given off.

So far these products look and feel very good and we think that we will get good results from them for our potted

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Big Camp Sat 8 - Sun 9 June 2019 3pm - 10am Join Big Camp at Osterley to re-connect with nature and sleep under the stars. Whether you're an experience camper or an enthusiastic novice, this is a camping experience like no other. nationaltrust.org.uk/osterley

Š National Trust 2019 . Registered charity, No. 205846. Š National Trust Images \Megan Taylor.

Escape the city lights

BRIDGET OSBORNE MEETS LESLEY GARRETT

THE MOST UN-DIVA LIKE

Opera Star Bridget Osborne meets Lesley Garrett

I had the pleasure of interviewing Lesley Garrett recently. She really is the most un-diva like of opera stars - really down to earth, friendly and chatty. I saw her recently in a production of Messiah at Richmond theatre - not the Messiah, as in Handel, which you might expect, but a piece of glorious nonsense with Hugh Dennis and John Marquez (the policeman in Doc Martin) about a theatre troupe staging a production about the birth of Jesus. They were just larking about really, while she ostensibly tried to sing serious arias.

It was her first play and she thoroughly enjoyed herself. “it was like being in a comedy class with Hugh and John. She will be performing in Chiswick Proms, in the I felt I should be paying them to be there”. gardens of Chiswick House on Sunday 9th June. It will She’s done a lot of ‘firsts’. She achieved fame and success be “a wonderful eclectic mix with something to suit everyone” she says, with a 55 piece orchestra recreating the as an opera singer in her twenties, with the English National Opera, but has branched out in all directions, atmosphere of the Albert Hall in the gardens of Chiswick House with tried and tested favourites including Elgar’s into management, sitting on the board of the ENO, Pomp and Circumstance and Jerusalem, “and lots of and in TV, as a participant in the BBC’s Strictly Come flag waving”.

Dancing, Celebrity Masterchef and genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are? Channel 4’s Countdown and latterly on Loose Women. “Up until 1990 I was just an opera singer” she says (using ‘just’ as if being the ENO’s principal soprano were no big deal).

“I was beginning to get parts in Europe but then I met my husband” (North London GP Dr Peter Christian) “who just turned up in my dressing room one night. We got married and had our two children quite quickly and I found I didn’t want to travel. I didn’t want to be one of those artists who was always travelling and away from their children a lot”.

The Chiswick Proms weekend also includes an evening of comedy, with Jason Manford and Shappi Khorsandi on Friday 7th June, a production of Peter and the Wolf for families and an evening of musical theatre with Ruthie Henshall on Saturday 8th June.

Meeting her husband coincided with her first album and her first TV deal. Now her children are 25 and 26 and she has a fabulously varied career under her belt, including 14 solo albums to her name.

Lesley in Celebrity Masterchef

www.chiswickproms.co.uk

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30 JULY – 1 5 AU G U ST

GOOD VIBRATIONS SUMMER ACTIVITIES INGS FOR FULL LIST ITE VISIT OUR WEBS

Music, visual arts, animation and more in a festival-themed summer of activities for ages 3-16

NO FAULT DIVORCE

NO FAULT DIVORCE

is finally HERE

Nicola Withycombe, Co-Founder of Kids Come First, explains why the recent change in the law is so important Few take the decision to divorce lightly - especially parents. The Government’s long-awaited decision to update our archaic 50-year old laws and to implement ‘no-fault’ divorce legislation was announced recently, and for families, it cannot come soon enough!

Under current UK law there is one legal ground for divorce: “irretrievable break-down” of a marriage. There are three main reasons you can give to show a marriage has irretrievably broken down: adultery; unreasonable behaviour or separation.

Current system damaging to children The move by the Ministry of Justice follows a public consultation, which showed overwhelmingly widespread support for the new initiative, as well as a lengthy period of conscientious campaigning for reform by resolute family justice professionals and organisations. Responses revealed that the current system can work against any prospect of reconciliation, and can be damaging to children by undermining the relationship between parents after divorce.

With 40% of marriages currently ending in divorce, many trusted institutions have delivered extensive research, assessments and reports illustrating how the parental ‘blame-game’ and the associated conflict has a profoundly damaging emotional impact on the lives of children. Many family professionals feel the current law

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Given that the first two of these reasons are all about attributing or apportioning blame, it’s clear these criteria have a profoundly negative and adversarial effect on how many couples approach and embark on the legal process. It should come as no surprise then that levels of animosity, hostility and conflict often escalate to the point where many end up in protracted family courtroom battles, spending unnecessary, and often excessive amounts of time, money and emotional energy.

has been failing to meet the welfare needs of families for decades.

So it’s good news that once the new ‘no-fault’ law is implemented, couples will no longer have to blame each other for the breakdown of their marriage by proving fault. Spouses will also no longer have to be in agreement to end their relationship which prevents anyone from refusing a divorce if their spouse wants one. Separating couples will also no longer have to wait years to formalise the process which will allow ‘transitioning’ families to begin to function efficiently again more quickly once co-parenting plans are in place.

The new laws will include a minimum timeframe of six months from the petition stage to a marriage being ended, allowing couples to reflect on their decision and providing them an opportunity to turn back.

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NO FAULT DIVORCE Training for separating parents Many more parents who are experiencing their divorce or separation are now recognising the importance of adopting a more mindful, strategic approach to the process from the earliest stages. In seeking to enhance their understanding of family breakdown, they gain valuable insights, not only into their own thoughts, feelings, responses and behaviours, but those of their precious children.

This enables them to minimise the conflict, gain new perspectives and constructively navigate the com-plex and varied co-parenting issues that arise. Ultimately this approach aims to provide more positive support for the whole family.

Kids Come FirstÂŽ is a Community Interest Company dedicated to delivering unique, customised, child-focused support and training suitable for all separating parents. Founded in 2015 by two family therapy and mediation professionals we provide specialist advice and expert guidance on successful co-parenting strategies.

If you would like to enquire about our workshops and how to explore the most cost-effective, family-friendly, collaborative options for divorce and separation, visit www.kidscomefirstuk.co.uk or email kidscomefirstuk@mail.com. Call Nicola on 0778 9497275 to arrange an appointment now.

Kate Peacock If you are reading this, so are your potential customers!

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VAN GOGH AND BRITAIN Vincent van Gogh - Starry Night 1888

Vincent van Gogh - Self-portrait 1887

Van Gogh AND BRITAIN

Sam Pennington went to see the Tate Gallery exhibition which includes the artist’s letters to his family from his lodgings in Isleworth During a recent visit to The EY Exhibition: Van Gogh and Britain at Tate Britain, I came across a small sketch of a church by Vincent Van Gogh, which I found to my surprise was on Turnham Green in Chiswick. In a glass cabinet about halfway through the exhibition sits a letter which the famous artist wrote to his brother Theo in November of 1876. In it Van Gogh wrote: ‘In the morning it was so beautiful on the way to Turnham Green, the chestnut trees and clear blue sky and the morning sun were reflected in the water of the Thames, the grass was gloriously green and everywhere all around the sound of church bells’.

The poetic reference piqued my interest, so I looked more into the connection between the artist and our part of west London. The Tate’s exhibition records that as a young man Vincent spent three years in England, spending the last six months living and teaching at a boys school in Isleworth. After doing some digging I found

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that originally, Van Gogh arrived in England in 1873 at the age of 20, after being sent by his employers, the art dealers Goupil, to work in their London branch.

In 1876 Goupil then transferred Vincent to their Paris branch but he was dismissed, which prompted the artist to return to London where he decided to earn his living as a teacher. At the time of his arrival in England, Vincent was going through a period of intense religious fervour. Both his father and grandfather were ministers of the Dutch Reformed Church.

Luckily for Van Gogh his desire to teach and his passion for religion were combined when he was offered a teaching job in a school run by Reverend Thomas SladeJones in his house at 158 Twickenham Road, Isleworth, to which he was invited to move in on 3 July 1876.

Realising, through their time spent together, the level of Vincent’s evangelical commitment, the reverend invited Vincent to help out at his Sunday School in Turnham

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VAN GOGH AND BRITAIN Green. Van Gogh was excited to become part of the religious community of Chiswick and in a letter to his brother on October 7, Vincent wrote: ‘I shall not have to teach so much in the future, but may work more in the parish, visiting the people, talking with them.’

He talks of long walks in to London, to Hyde Park and the picture galleries around the Strand, on business for his employer to Lewisham, Whitechapel and Clapham, and of the day to day business of teaching at the boys school and teaching Sunday School at Turnham Green.

We know quite a lot about his time living in Isleworth from Vincent’s letters to his mother and father and to his brother Theo. In a letter to Theo in October 1876 he wrote:

Carol Jacobi, curator of the Van Gogh and Britain exhibition, told me:

‘The suburbs of London have a peculiar charm, between the little houses and gardens are open spots covered with grass and generally with a church or school or workhouse in the middle between the trees and shrubs, and it can be so beautiful there, when the sun is setting red in the thin evening mist’.

“The Van Gogh we know was being born in London and this phase of interest in religion prompted his development into the artist he later became”. She believes that “the change that turned him into an artist really did start here”, describing how “he was very taken by the beauty of the area”.

Photography Credits: The EY exhibition – Van Gogh and Britain

Van Gogh - Avenue of Poplars in Autumn, 1884, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)

The EY Exhibition: Van Gogh and Britain at Tate Britain which runs until 11 August.

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WATERMANS

Mind-bendingly

GOOD EVENTS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE Erica Weston invites you to book on to Watermans summer festival of fun Have you got your tickets to Glastonbury? Bestival?

Womad? No need! Stay in West London and come to a music and arts festival on your doorstep in Brentford!

There’ll be good vibrations all summer in Watermans’ festival-themed programme of activities. Music, making and having fun are the name of the game in a range of activities from free drop-ins to half-day workshops for children and young people: from brass bands to Southbank Sinfonia, there will be something to press every creative button.

Highlights include Concertini with the Brass Funkeys, a brass band extravaganza including the opportunity to try out the instruments, a family barn dance with Cut-a-Shine, animation workshops with an Aardman aficionado, and wearable technology workshops so your kid can have the coolest T-shirt going in the mosh pit.

Full details will be on Watermans website from early June or join their email mailing list or follow them on social media to be first in the know.

Summer Activities run Tuesday 30 July -Thursday 15 August, Tuesday - Thursday.

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ARTISTS AT HOME

Artists AT HOME

Open Studios in Chiswick, Hammersmith & Shepherd’s Bush For the past few months, 77 artists have been beavering away in west London preparing for a unique event. On kitchen tables, in their garden studios, at their kilns and elsewhere, they’ve been creating unique work to share with the public from 14th to 16th June.

Artists at Home is London’s original Open Studios event – founded by artists Julian Trevelyan and Mary Fedden and initially incorporating only a handful of studios.

It has now grown to occupy a three-mile radius of Chiswick, Hammersmith and Shepherds Bush and has become a well-loved institution – providing the public with both an opportunity to view and purchase original art and a chance to see where the artist works and lives.

A World of Art in One Weekend “This year, we welcome a particularly large number of new artists to Artists at Home, which is very exciting. Many of them have visited Artists at Home for a number of years before applying to join and the array and quality of work on offer this year is simply incredible,” says Steph Curtis-Raleigh, who manages applications.

New artists include Eve Pettitt, based on Wendell Road, W12, who paints directly from life and was featured on the Sky Portrait Artist of the Year 2019. Jill Spearman of Balfern Grove W4, is also a new artist to the event and found her passion for landscape painting in Washington DC, where she painted and exhibited with artists from the Yellow Barn Studio and Gallery. Saskia Daniel from

Hadyn Park Road, W12 throws contemporary pottery for everyday use, using white stoneware clay inspired by the colours of the sky, sea and land. Meanwhile, Sophie Aylward from Carthew Villas W6, explores multi-media art in her work and explores the use of gold leaf, charcoal and acrylic.

The 77 artists taking part in this year’s Artists at Home are spread over 63 studios and visitors can find details of them all in the studio guides, which will be posted through letterboxes, available in local businesses and handed out at the Green Days/Bedford Park Festival the week before the event.

Otherwise, all the details are on the Artists at Home website which features an interactive map for planning a route and individual artists’ pages.

Eve Pettitt

Saskia Daniel

Jill Spearman www.artistsathome.co.uk L@outandabout_mag

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ARTIST CARRIE REICHARDT

“I’m an artist

YOUR RULES DON’T APPLY” Lucinda MacPherson talks to artist Carrie Reichardt

Carrie Reichardt Carrie Reichardt’s mosaic covered home of art and craftivism stands loud and proud in Fairlawn Grove, an otherwise quiet and unassuming suburban street on the fringes of Bedford Park. A visual provocation of colour, wit and subversive slogans, the incongruity of it gives Carrie’s political messages extra clout.

A London cab outside the house raises awareness of Kenny “Zulu” Whitmore who was held in solitary confinement in Louisiana State Penitentiary, Angola, US for nearly thirty years. “When I was a student my art was very personal about being female. Then I got involved with other activism, and campaigned to release political prisoners. Now I have come full circle and just done a project about witchcraft and suffragettes in Aberdeen. There is not much work that celebrates women in public art. Now my public art is about everybody’s history but my personal art is about mine.”

Carrie has done a lot of community work, such as the South Acton Tree

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of Life, which involved digging out stories and making them permanently visible in what she calls “a ceramic tapestry” interweaving the lives of the people of South Acton.

Inside the house is littered with vignettes of anarchic customised ceramics, fetish objects, dolls’ faces, ceramic aerosol cans, embroidery, transformer robots, skulls, kitsch and piles of innocent looking tiles and vintage tea cups just waiting to be subverted into one of Carrie’s irreverent creations.

“I like playing around with old china, it’s got so many connotations.

I reinvent and refire it. I love icons that are deeply symbolic such as skulls and babies’ heads. There is something a bit creepy about them. I am a classic hoarder so have collected thousands of these old porcelain dolls. I like the idea of loads of little ladies making these, a whole cottage industry using their little moulds and made them into dolls.

I’m hoping to cut them in half and make the mosaics a lot more three dimensional.”

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She is currently juggling multiple projects including a large public artwork in Finsbury, a book and two exhibitions at the Saatchi Gallery this summer – Alchemy 23rd July to 18th Aug and Cash is King 2 from 21st August – 8th September. carriereichardt.com

Photographs by Lucinda Macpherson www.fhwem.com/publishing

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Calendar THE CHISWICK

The Chiswick Calendar is a local website which tells you what’s going on in our area on a day to day basis. Beautiful photographs by local photographers - Page per day listings of what’s on, constantly updated - Interesting videos - Our own events.

Subscribe to the weekly newsletter and get a free club card, giving you access to deals and discounts from quality local businesses.

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Spring ART FAIR

18 & 19 MAY 2019 10am - 5pm

Admission £4, Concessions £3, U16s & LAC Members FREE Ferry Road, Teddington, TW11 9NN www.landmarkartscentre.org 020 8977 7558 Sponsored by

LandmarkArts

landmarkartfairs Image: Nadia Day Registered Charity No: 1047080

BETTER PICTURES

WANT TO TAKE

BetterPictures?

Join the Brentford based photography group Better Pictures

Do you like to take photographs but sometimes wonder why they didn’t come out quite how you’d envisioned?

Would you like to know how to use your camera at night or just how to use it at all really, day or night?!

Better Pictures is a photographic group based in West London. The original group were students together in a Hounslow Adult Education class who found they all wanted to find a better way of learning for themselves: less classroom and more hands-on and practical photography to improve their photographic skills.

More photographers have joined them, local residents of a variety of ages and backgrounds, who enjoy improving their photographic ability in an informal and friendly way. Many of the Better Pictures photographers have had their pictures presented in public exhibitions and some have even won awards for their work.

They meet regularly to practice and improve their skills with photographic outings in Chiswick, Richmond and further afield. Sharing and appraisal of work and, of course, socialising over food and drink, are key to the Better Pictures ethos.

If this sounds like something that you could be interested in then please contact them through the form on their website. You don’t need any existing photographic experience; there are people of all skill levels in the current group.

The unique way that Better Pictures works means that you can find exactly the level of help and support you need. The group also welcomes people joining them for a sample session to get a feel for who they are and what they do.

Pictures by Mando Mendolicchio

You can find out more about Better Pictures, and view some more of their photographs, on their website. betterpicturesblog.wordpress.com

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Driver CPC Training Driver’s Hours & Safe Urban Driving 1 day course / 7 hours Driver CPC Entitlement 5 day course / 35 hours

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You must complete this training by 9 September 2019 to continue driving.

You will be fined if you do not complete the course on time. Courses are capped at 20 people per session and will be in high demand. Apply early to get your place.

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Early bird discount: £60 per day, per driver.

Apply early to get a place.

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COLD WAR

The Curious Link

BETWEEN UFOS AND THE COLD WAR Sam Pennington visits the Cold War exhibition at the National Archives at Kew National Archives at Kew

The National Archives have put together an exhibition exploring the impact of the Cold War on all aspects of British life. It’s a fascinating exhibition which explores the 46-year stand-off between the world’s communist and capitalist superpowers, focusing on the impact of war on the British public, as well as detailing the secret goings-on of hidden government bunkers.

There had been reports of Unidentified Flying Objects since before the First World War, but with the advent of the Cold War, they took on a new significance. In July 1952 the first official report of a UFO came from Washington DC. Suddenly there was a flood of reports of unidentified flying objects from all across the world, prompting British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to look into these mysterious sightings.

At first it was believed that such objects were enemy aircraft but despite detailed descriptions by reliable sources such as RAF airmen, the Ministry of Defence decided that most were merely optical illusions or deliberate hoaxes. But the issue didn’t go away. The space race, which saw the Soviet Union and the United States battle for dominance in spaceflight capability between 1955-1975 only intensified people’s interest.

The moon-landing of 1959 brought space travel into everyone’s front rooms, inspiring a mass of sci-fi television dramas and films, including the nation’s favourite, Doctor Who. The media prompted the public to look to the sky, and increased public interest brought an increase in recorded UFO sightings. Reports of UFO sightings tripled from fewer than 100 per year to 360 reports in 1967.

Although the MOD publicly put this increase down to extended periods of fine weather resulting in more extensive flying, the decision was made to begin tracking the reports. After reviewing the increase in UFO sightings, in 1968 the MOD deemed it necessary to keep UFO files, as a matter of national security.

The question mark over UFOs has never been satisfactorily explained, allowing plenty of room for belief in extra-terrestrial involvement. You can judge for yourself by visiting The National Archives and exploring their collection of UFO records. The National Archives is running a series of talks for the Cold War season, which ends on Saturday 9 November.

Find out more about the programme of events at the National Archives in Kew, including Time Travel Club for children and tours of the building, on their website. www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

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ASHTON HOUSE SCHOOL

ASHTON HOUSE SCHOOL

50/52 Eversley Crescent Isleworth Middlesex TW7 4LW

50/52 Eversley Crescent Isleworth Middlesex TW7 4LW

Want to give your child a child? first class education?

Choosing a school your Choosing a school for yourfor child?

Ashton House School has for the past

Ashton House School has for the past a happy, 80 years beenfrom offering highpurposeful quality primary education with to children environment high academic standards and an primary education the surrounding areas; enriched by to children from enriching broad-based curriculum which aims at a purposefulthe environment with high surrounding areas; by ‘adding inordinate value’ to each enriched child’s learning.

80Ashton years been offering high quality House School offers

academic standards and an inspiring,

a purposeful environment with high We have anand excellent exam and scholarship academic standards and an inspiring, excellent exam scholarship record and our assessment data makes us a highly record with the vast majority of broad curriculum. We have an achieving independent school. children moving on to the school excellent exam and scholarship of their choice. Our academic record with the vast majority of Contact us for the latest results on our latest record certainly makes us one of Benchmarking (IBT).

They theInternational highest achieving independent children moving onTests to the school schools Weststudents London. at Ashton House School are showinthat of their choice. Our academic achieving at a very high level and are competitive record certainly makes us one of Be inspired: with children anywhere around the world. the highest Find out how we can help your child today.achieving independent schools in West London.

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