New Rival to Banksy Appears on Windmill Road

Brentford West councillor Guy Lambert reports back

Brentford West councillor Guy Lambert

August 29, 2024

Well this has been a very idle week, partially because it’s the silly season but more topically because I had my annual serious cold. When I was younger we would have described this as flu. I’ve very rarely had real flu, I think, but I remember it being a different animal whatsoever to a cold, and this was the latter.

I did get out on Friday and made it up to Boston Manor Park, one of my favourite ways of starting a day, and did a bit of firkling around the ward.

The pictures on the bridge by the station had progressed and I talked again to the artists.

Personally Ithink they are rather wonderful and I understand the images are based on events from Brentford’s history, inspired by Green Dragon Primary School. The one I recognised was this one (acknowledgement to the History Society and author Neil Chippendale) and that is an interesting read. Apparently the King was lurking in Boston Manor but I doubt he was enjoying coffee in the Potting Shed. And if he was there on Friday he didn’t bother to say hello to the ward councillor.

A fellow can take a limited amount of pleasure so I continued my firkling along the A4 and came (again) on the sorry sight on the corner of the A4 and Windmill Road. I have raised this horror with planning but nothing has changed, apart from Hounslow Highways putting their artistic orange barriers up. I suppose this will stop people falling into the holes left by the developer on the pavement.

It also rather shades the eye from the other artistic gem which lurks beyond the barriers.

I think that’s a very artistic statement about the state of Britain after 14 years of Tory government. If I knew his email I would write to Banksy to warn him of the competition.

Behind this work of art there is what looks to be a commercial building, with flats above. There are definitely some people living there – I met a few of them – but I had thought the commercail bit was empty. Peering through a smoked window, well, it still seemed to be empty but I saw a sign over what looks like a reception desk which says London Private Hospital. More research needed.

On Saturday morning I woke up at 4 am with a nasty sore throat and found myself administering medicine in the form of Morrisons cheaper but cheerful imitation of LemSip and Morrison’s imitation of 30 year old single malt whisky in the form af blended whisky of undefined age but which is apparently suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Who would have thought it?

I was not too bad but partly to avoid doing other people in and partly because I was not at my best I mostly confined myself to barracks until Wednesday. This meant me missing the river trip which had been organised by the Chiswick Pier Trust and provided for our lovely volunteers at Hounslow Community Foodbox. They seem to have had a whale of a time.

In the meantime, as well as dealing with the fairly modest flow of emails from locals over the last week, I have been trying to work on the matter of potentially displaced retailers, who I have been trying to secure a place in the new council block on the High Street. Definitive responses have been very difficult to achieve but this is very urgent so I’m trying to up the energy, though inevitably a lot of officers are on holiday.

Meeting a retailer today, Thursday, and yesterday I met with Paul Keane who leads, with his wife, the Team Keane rowing activity which takes place from Ferry Quays. He is having great difficulty getting decisions and support, though in my opinion it is really important for Brentford to have a lively river industry, and Team Keane have been working really hard and having a lot of success getting local schools active on the river. That will be a focus for the next few days. I have alerted or reminded a number of councilllors and officers and I hope that leads to some speedy action.

Also today, I have a meeting with the people who are trying to get our application to be a Heritage Harbour progressed. I will know more tomorrow.

No more to add this week, but it will be a busy weekend. Creative Mile starts tomorrow evening and the Brentford Festival is on Sunday.

Two events not to be missed!

Councillor Guy Lambert