Week 481 · Barnes · Hammersmith · Thames · 1999–2002
I connected back through London and had a couple of hours to kill on a Friday night before my flight back to the USA and decided to go to Barnes where we lived from 1999–2002. It was like travelling back in time — not much had changed. My last trip through was in 2017.
First stop was the Hammersmith side of the river — not a better place on a sunny day. Common movie scene, most recently Bohemian Rhapsody and No Time to Die (the last James Bond). The bridge was under repair again and closed to traffic but I could walk across to Barnes on the south side.
Hammersmith Bridge, opened in 1887, is one of London's most photographed Victorian suspension bridges. It has been closed to motor traffic since 2019 due to structural concerns — a centuries-long pattern given it was rebuilt in 1887 after the original 1827 structure was deemed unsafe. Barnes is an affluent suburb on a Thames peninsula, making it one of London's most sought-after residential areas. Olympic Studios — formerly known as Olympia Sound Studios — at 117 Church Road was one of the most famous recording studios in the world: the Rolling Stones, Beatles, Led Zeppelin, U2, and many others recorded there. It was converted to a cinema in 2013. Barnes is also notable as the location of the Marc Bolan Memorial — the T-Rex frontman died in a crash on Queens Ride in 1977.
Once on the south side, I went to our local high street and townhouse — many stores had not changed.
This was Olympic Studios — Rolling Stones, Beatles, U2, and others recorded here. About 4 houses down from where we lived. Of course they recorded before we moved there.
Our rental townhouse has long needed renovation. Now about $3 million. We were just renters.
Then walked to another part of the Thames — Barnes is on a peninsula and surrounded by the river on three sides — to where we used to take the kids to a playground. The café "Loo Loo's" is still there. Craven Cottage, home of Fulham, has had a massive upgrade since we lived there.
Final stop — Terrace high street, Tanya's Fish Bar, Coach and Horses, and the Bulls Head.
"It was like travelling back in time — not much had changed. Four houses down from where we lived: Olympic Studios. The Rolling Stones, Beatles, and U2 recorded there."