Feeds:
Posts
Comments

On Saturday 30th January about 1,000 people gathered in Richmond Park to protest against the plan by the Royal Parks commission to introduce parking charges in the parks’ car parks. In our borough, Richmond and Bushey Parks would be affected.

A full slate of local politicians from all parties attended. All condemned the plans as likely to hit the elderly and the less well-off particularly.

There follows some photos of the event. If, like Riversniffers, you are against these plans you will find suggested actions at the end of this post.

Signing a petition against the parking charges

Susan Kramer, MP for Richmond Park spoke agains the plan, as did Vince Cable

Deborah Thomas, Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Twickenham, signs the petition

As does Zac Goldsmith, Conservative parliamentary candidate for Richmond Park

and local resident Sir Trevor Macdonald

The petition fills up...

United in opposition to the plan

It's not just Richmond Park that will be affected

A bike with a message

That about sums it up

If you disagree with the proposed charges, you can write to Margaret Hodge, the government minister dealing with the matter. Her address is: Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MBE, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA Or if you want to email her  a quick Google search will pull up the necessary contact details.

But our local MPs point out that the Royal Parks Commission is the most arrogant quango, and having discussed the matter with Ms Hodge, they are not optimistic that her mind can be changed either.

But introducing the charges will need an act of Parliament, which will not happen before a general election. Both Conservatives and LDs are opposed to the scheme, so it may be that if the government changes in May people may continue to use these priceless assets  freely, as they always have done.

Fingers crossed.

To those of you who saw the original post about Venturer Photography day, our apologies for the delay in reporting back. To recap, the idea was to run a days photography training aboard the Richmond Venturer sailing from Kingston to Richmond. For our first course the weather could not have been kinder as the Autumn sunshine helped to make a memorable day. Our two professional photographers : John Frye and Marcus Perkins spent the day teaching and giving practical assistance with the students snapping photos at a hectic pace.

The feedback from the day has been excellent including a great article from the husband of one of the attendees and of course the photographs are stunning.

In addition to providing a great day on the river and great photography training, our goal was also to help  provide funding for the charity the River Thames Boat Project and thanks to a fully booked course it was also a financial success. We have a second photography course scheduled for the 1st April (at the moment places are available but please be warned it sold out last time). We are also in the early planning stages of a video day for later in the summer with lots more training options being considered which make use of this amazing boat.

If you are interested in finding out more please visit the website www.venturerphotography.com or take a look at the great work the of the River Thames Boat Project .

Louise & Paul

Last year we took some still photos of ringing in the New Year at St Mary Magdalene, Richmond. This year we went one better and made a (six minute) video.

Ringing in 2010

Ringing in 2010

This movie requires Adobe Flash for playback.


Happy New Year to all our readers

The Duke – Richmond

We are creatures of habit (at least Mr and Mrs Riversniffers are). We never used to go in the Racing Page in Duke St when it was there, so when it changed to be The Duke a couple of years ago, we didn’t check it out.

However, a reader wrote in recommending it. So we went to explore.

It’s pitched rather upmarket (by the way – have you noticed that Richmond drink prices in general are clearly more than in the West End? – we must be in one of the most expensive places to live in the entire  country).

But it is very pleasant. Large, busy but civilised, friendly but very courteous service. Truly excellent Doom Bar bitter (£3.20) when we went, and a very good French Chardonnay by the glass (large glass £5.70).

It’s also a gastropub, and the menu looks very very interesting. We didn’t eat there on this occasion, but when we do get round to it you will hear about it here. The reader who pointed us to The Duke was very complimentary about the food.

So there it is. A real and refreshing change from the same old Richmond town centre pubs. We intend to go there again, and thanks to the reader who brought it to our attention. We’re just sorry it took us two years to see what was right under our noses.

THE DUKE PUBLIC HOUSE & DINING ROOM
2 DUKE STREET, RICHMOND TW9 1HP

0208 940 4067

http://www.thedukerichmond.co.uk/

Brocca Antica (2)

We came, we saw, we were conquered.

The fit-out must have been expensive. Rustic Italian, it has a relaxed, urban feel (if that’s not a contradiction in terms).

Starters were slow-cooked cannellini beans with Tuscan sausage (intense flavours) and prawn and crayfish cocktail (utterly refreshing).

Main courses were tagliolini with crabmeat, and calves liver, both perfect. We also had a bottle of white wine, Verdeca, Puglia 2008 (approx £16) which was modern, clean and intense, with a long finish.

The service was charming, professional but also relaxed.

All of this will be no surprise to those who’ve been to sister restaurants Osteria Pulcinella and Pincho, those very professional Church Street establishments.

But at Brocca, chef Pasquale Spaziano has raised standards to new levels. Despite the mid-market positioning Riversniffers has no hesitation in tagging Brocca under “fine dining”.

For a fine Italian meal, the lucky residents of St Margarets can now choose between Brocca at one end of the village, and the more formal A Cena at the other end, near Richmond Bridge.

Let’s hope we don’t get spoilt by too much choice. Who’d of thought it would ever happen to St Mags?

Oh, almost forgot – the bill? Including a couple of coffees  and a generous tip, £65 for two.

You owe it to yourself to go. But book early – the word is spreading.

Brocca Antika

139 St Margarets Road

Twickenham

TW1 1RG

Tel: 020 8891 2644

Brocca Antica

This St Margarets Italian from the same stable as Twickenham Church St’s rock-solid duo of Pincho and Osteria Pulcinella has been open about ten days now. The first signs are that this is a major asset for St Margarets.

Riversniffers bumped into two seasoned restaurant goers who ate at Brocca on the first Saturday. Their verdict? The best meal they’d had anywhere in 2009 – at any price – absolutely fabulous.

She had bruschetta followed by a calzone. He had aubergine and mozarella bake, followed by crab tagliatelli. They had a good bottle of Italian white. The bill? £46 including a tip.

The next day the couple went to the Wolseley. They said that the meal, although really enjoyable, was “nowhere near as imaginative as Brocca on the Saturday”.

Riversniffers can’t wait to try it out and is booked in there in the next week. There will be a full write-up here shortly afterwards.

Looks like they’ll be beating the customers off with sticks.

Book early for Christmas!

Brocca Antica

139 St Margarets Road

Twickenham

TW1 1RG

Tel: 020 8891 2644

_3CH5385

St Mary’s church in the centre of Richmond, Sunday evening 1st November 2009.

_3CH5419_PC

The church was full to overflowing for choral evensong, marking the retirement of Canon Julian Reindorp, who has been Rector of Richmond Team ministry since January 1992.

_3CH5392

A fanfare started the service.

_2CH9707

Long standing Richmond resident Lord (Alan) Watson attended, as did Richmond’s MP, Susan Kramer.

_3CH5384

Julian was ordained deacon by the Rt Rev Trevor Huddlestone, Bishop of Stepney at All Saints, Poplar in December 1969.

Over the ensuing years he served as a parish priest in Poplar, Chatham and Milton Keynes before coming to Richmond in 1992.

_3CH5430

For all those who have met him, Julian radiates energy, humanity, concern for others, openness and, yes, humility.

One of the most approachable people, and one who never stops working for others.

_3CH5445

_3CH5448

After the service came some brief speeches and a presentation of retirement gifts.

_3CH5455

Lord Watson gave some words of thanks and appreciation for Julian’s work in Richmond.

_2CH9711

As did Parish Warden Charles Stiller.

_3CH5459

Julian always travels around his parish on a scooter, and one of his presents was a new crash helmet (which he proceeded to try on!)

_2CH9702

Julian thanks his congregation.

And so concluded a beautiful ceremony, marking the retirement of a very well loved parish priest.

But he’s not going far – from mid-December Julian will be living in Teddington.

And we think it is certain we have not heard the last from one of the kindest, most public-spirited and hardest-working men that Riversniffers has ever met.

We wish him all the very best in his retirement.

_3CH5358
Well no it isn’t, actually. But before a contract is signed for the River Centre and enabling housing the people of Twickenham will get the chance to make their wishes known at the ballot box.
_3CH5360
At the end of a meeting of the full council on 20th October, LibDem Council Leader Serge Lourie made an announcement that stunned his audience. Because the Council’s chosen developer, Countryside Properties had filed delayed accounts for 2008/9, and those accounts showed a substantial loss for that year, it has been decided that it would be imprudent to proceed with this particular contractor without seeing their accounts for 2009/10. These accounts will not appear until the summer of 2010.
_3CH5374
Before that, in May 2010, there is a local election. The Conservative opposition has declared it will not proceed with the Countryside scheme, but will instead consult with local amenity groups to arrive at a largely open-space scheme which will preserve the use of the majority of the Riverside land for the public.
_3CH5368
This is yet another chapter in the 30-year saga of this site. But opponents of the Countryside scheme point out that a 9-12 month delay is still preferable to losing public amenity land for 999 years.
_3CH5382B
The May 2010 local election will have a special relevance for the residents of Twickenham.

Our friends at the Richmond Venturer are having a photography day on the Thames on October 15th. The poster below explains all. The river-based viewpoint should give some new perspectives on our local views.  If you like the sound of it, there are more details here.

VENTURER PHOTOGRAPHY DAY

Great River Race 2009

The 2009 race took place on Saturday, 5th September. Nearly 300 boats took part this year, most raising money for charity. Some teams are very serious, some more lighthearted. Please find below a selection of photographs taken as the boats passed through Richmond on their way to the finish line near Ham House. There’s no text to this post, just the pictures. Click on a photo in the gallery to see it full size.

If you want to know more about the race, the link is here

Thanks to the good folk of the Richmond Venturer for providing a superb photography platform, moored as she was just upstream of Richmond Bridge

Older Posts »