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What’s Swedish for welcome? IKEA is coming to Hammersmith
A big warm W6 welcome to our Scandinavian friends
It’s a big warm welcome to our Scandinavian friends IKEA who are set to move into Hammersmith’s Kings Mall next Spring.
In fact, they’re not just moving in – they’ve bought the entire shopping centre! Courtesy of IKEA’s parent company, Ingka Group, we should get set for ‘Ingka Centres’ to be its new name.
The arrival of the Swedish home-store behemoth will surely bring greater footfall and the curious to King Street. If nothing else, it will thankfully save many of us the trip around the North Circular. The real question everyone wants to know is will the cafeteria be selling Swedish food? (Yes, is the answer.)
Over the years, I’ve seen my fair share of homes and I’m pretty sure the vast majority of West Londoners have at least one IKEA piece of furniture or decorations.
The new Kings Mall store will feature IKEA’s entire product range available to buy from the store for home delivery, with more than 2,000 home furnishing accessories available to take away on the same day. This will be the first time that IKEA’s home furnishing accessories will be available to buy on the UK high street. And for those who find a trip to IKEA isn’t complete without some meatballs, fear not.
Cllr Stephen Cowan, Leader of Hammersmith & Fulham Council, said: “We’re very pleased Hammersmith will benefit from having Britain’s first IKEA city store.
“The new [store] will help rejuvenate King Street and improve our neighbourhood for all our residents and local businesses. We’re delighted to benefit from this huge investment and look forward to working with Ingka Centres, our residents and the wider community to deliver something really special here.”
Ingka Centres will help continue to regenerate King Street, armed with approximately £170million to invest in the area. Combined with the new town hall Civic Campus planned for the western end of King Street, things are looking up for Hammersmith.
Välkommen!
New maths league really adds up after we help crowdfunding drive
Horton and Garton back new community maths league to foster young number crunchers
A project to help local youngsters become wizards with figures and develop into inventors and problem solvers is launching after a successful crowdfunding drive.
The new Hammersmith & Fulham Youth Maths League – backed by the Maths Team – achieved 30 individual pledges of money on Spacehive – with John Horton, founder of Horton & Garton estate agents in King Street, Hammersmith, one of the backers.
“It’s a great project,” John said. “There’s a talent gap in UK companies, with too few girls and children from less privileged backgrounds doing well. This project helps address that, and we’re proud to support it.”
Hammersmith & Fulham Council also added £2,100 to help it reach its £8,000 target.
Starts now
The new maths league starts this month, with Latymer Upper school in King Street, Hammersmith, as the ‘incubator’ school.
Teenagers from the school will help younger children learn that number-crunching can be fun. Then the aim is to roll the project out to other schools in the borough.
Carola Hoyos from Maths Teams explained: “We are building a community maths league to foster intellectual ambition, grit and teamwork in local schoolchildren. Teens coach primary pupils for 10 weeks in preparation for a three-week competition.
“We nurture children’s intellectual ambition through puzzles, logic, teamwork and a good dose of fun,” added Carola. “Our community leagues and young role models are building a pipeline of talent for a tech-led UK economy in which everyone has a chance to thrive.”
A love of maths
Led by teenagers, maths teams will help younger children practise and compete in logic puzzles, gaining a love of maths and academic achievement by representing their school in the same way as sports teams.
“Ultimately we want to make maths as cool as football at schools,” said Carola. “This local league is our first prototype. It's a real learning opportunity for us to expand across the borough – and eventually across the UK.”
Maths puzzles will be set by experts and delivered in 10 weekly one-hour chunks, culminating in a three-week competition. It’s a valuable volunteering opportunity for secondary school students, who will all be given training.
The maths tournament call for teams of girls and boys in equal number, with provision for students who identify as neither. Practices are designed to get the best out of everyone, but especially young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
For more details, visit: www.spacehive.com/profile/mathsteams
The Hogarth Club celebrate Christmas with another charity Santa Run
Ho-ho-horton and Garton contribute £500 to the Santa Run
It's now a hat trick of 'Santa Runs' for The Hogarth Club as loads of local Santas ran and walked the two bridge route around the Thames.
There were even a couple of dogs and the Club's youngest-ever competitor took part at just two months old. The Hogarth raised more than £1,000 for homeless charity Shelter.
Club organiser Voijin Soskic said: "The mulled wine and minced pies were warmly received upon finishing and very well deserved. Thank you to everyone for their support. See you next year!"
Petros Singers perform a festive concert on Saturday December 7
A festive concert celebrating the rituals and traditions of Christmas is being staged by the Hammersmith-based Petros Singers – one of London’s finest amateur chamber choirs.
The concert takes place at St Peter’s Church in Black Lion Lane, Hammersmith, on Saturday 7 December, and features the voices of a choir which has now been together for 36 years.
It will mark all the ceremonies and rites of the season, from roasting chestnuts to decking the halls with holly and ivy.
For many years, Horton and Garton has offered financial support to the Petros Singers, who will be accompanied on the organ by Andrew Wells.
As well as the customary sing-a-long carols, the concert features music by Holst, Betty Roe and Bob Chilcott. Glasses of mulled wine and plates of mince pies will add to the festive mood.
The Petros Singers run a bursary scheme, with the financial backing of their sponsors, which is currently helping Sam, a Year 13 student at West London Free School, and Muireann, a young music teacher who moved from Ireland to London in the summer.
The concert starts at 7.30pm. Tickets are available in advance or on the door at £17 (£15 concs, £5 U18s and students) from the We Got Tickets website.
St Peter’s Church Christmas Tree appeal: The joy of giving
The Christmas present tree appeal at St Peter’s Church helps collect new gifts for local children in need. Please help
Can you help give a Christmas present for a local child in need? If so, it’s as simple as taking a tag (with gender/age of child) from the tree in the Hammersmith church. Then, return it to the church with a suitable wrapped present with the tag attached.
The deadline for returned presents is Sunday, December 8.
“Christmas is all about children,” said John Horton, founder of Horton and Garton. “So, I’m asking for your help. If you can give a gift to a child in need this holiday season, you will help make a young person’s Christmas day special.
“We’re long-time sponsors of St Peter’s and it’s a place that is very close to my heart. It’s my local church, I am also a parishioner and it’s where I had my two sons were christened.”
Here are some suggestions for presents:
0-3 years
Dolls, teddy bears, cot mobiles, baby clothes, bath toys, CDs of suitable music and nursery rhymes and puzzles.
3-5 years
Dolls and action figures, cars, lorries, DVDs and CDs (music and nursery rhymes), colouring sets, pencils, crayons, books and puzzles.
5-9 years
Educational games and toys, stationery (colouring sets, pencils, crayons, school sets), CDs and family friendly DVDs, books, puzzles, wordsearches and crosswords.
9-12 years
Games and toys, stationery, CDs, DVDs, books, t-shirts, hair accessories, gloves, scarves and hats.
13-16 years
CDs, DVDs, books, make-up and toiletries (try to ensure non-allergic ingredients), gloves, scarves, hats, t-shirts and hair accessories.
St Peter’s Church is located in Black Lion Lane, Hammersmith. For more details, call 020 8741 4848, email office@stpetersw6.org or visit www.stpetersw6.org/christmas-presents-appeal-2019
Town Hall to be transformed into new ‘civic campus’ for King Street
Wave goodbye to the ugly Hammersmith Town Hall Extension as demolition work is set to begin
Finally! Work has begun to demolish the ugly town hall extension and revitalise central Hammersmith.
We've got a ringside seat to watch the progress as the new Horton and Garton office is directly opposite the town hall site. So watch this space for all the updates on the exciting new project.
According to plans from Hammersmith & Fulham Council, the scheme will include a new four-screen cinema (to replace the old Cineworld – may it rest in peace!), new shops and cafes, new affordable homes and a ‘civic campus’ that includes homework space for children, start-up space for local entrepreneurs, a new public rooftop bar and facilities for weekend art exhibitions.
The demolition of the 1970s town hall extension should be under way by Christmas, the council reports. While the historic Grade II*-listed town hall building will begin to be transformed into an energy-efficient campus.
A new public square will sit at the centre of the new facilities.
You can view the architect’s images here.
Cllr Stephen Cowan, Leader of H&F Council, said: “Once built, the civic campus will play a key part in our mission to cut costs, modernise the council’s culture and improve services to residents and local businesses.
“I’m particularly grateful to the local volunteers who took part, along with all the local people who took the trouble to come to the many design exhibitions. The design took on board many of the suggestions which helped improve the look and function of the scheme.”
Click here for more details about the new civic campus.
Horton and Garton wear it pink on Friday
Our Hammersmith office will be stocked with cupcakes, games and prizes to raise funds for breast cancer awareness charity
We’re throwing a party on Friday to raise awareness of breast cancer. And you’re invited!
We'll be wearing pink in support of charity Breast Cancer Now. They aim to get as many people as possible involved in raising awareness and funds to help support life-saving research and life-changing support.
Stop by the office to enjoy some excellent homemade cupcakes, courtesy of staff member and expert baker Dominika Sielawa. We’ll also be playing our favourite board game – guess the price of the house – with bubbly prizes for the closest guesses!
“We meet a huge number of people in our business,” says Lettings Manager Ashley Clements, “who are moving home for a variety reasons. Usually, it’s a positive and happy story.
“But on occasion we meet people who are affected by personal health problems – and those experiences affect us all. It means a lot to help those clients in our role as the estate agent. So, we just wanted to do a little something extra and raise some money for this very important charity.”
The event takes place from 9am to 6pm on Friday. And you can make a small donation in our King Street office.
But did we mention the cupcakes? Dominika’s legendary baking needs no introduction to her fellow colleagues. Now it’s time for us to share with the world.
Baking is not just an occasional necessity. It’s a serious passion. “My mum and I bake as a hobby, everything from cakes to cupcakes to cookies,” Dominika (pictured above) says.
“It started with me sprinkling a few cupcakes at Christmas. And now we’re baking every weekend. We like to experiment with different flavours and decorations… and of course, we enjoy the tasting everything at the end!”
Some of Dominika’s creations are pictured here. Enough said! We hope to see you on Friday.
Rare historic home in St Peter’s Square hits the market
Fancy having the historic St Peter’s Square as your front garden?
If so, look no further than this four-bedroom period house in Hammersmith. It’s just hit the market with Horton and Garton – and it represents a very rare chance to let this home in the St Peter’s Conservation Area.
With four bedrooms, three bathrooms and views of the square, the house boasts more than 2,400sqft of living and entertaining space. With a private rear garden to boot.
It has a stucco front, loving maintained and sympathetically modernised over the years, and it retains many beautiful period features. A well-equipped kitchen leads directly on to a dining room for excellent entertaining space.
It’s a fantastic family home in a rarely available location.
If you’d like to learn more or have a look, please call lettings manager Ashley Clements on 020 8819 0511 or email: lettings@hortonandgarton.co.uk or click here
Home of Hammersmith Arts & Crafts legend to open for candlelit tours
One of Hammersmith’s most historic homes is opening its doors to candlelit evening tours - giving an atmospheric perspective to a charming time capsule of a house
Artist Emery Walker’s house at 7 Hammersmith Terrace (near the Black Lion pub) is staging the exclusive tours on Halloween and 1 November, when the home of the Arts & Crafts movement visionary who mentored William Morris will transport visitors back in time, using the minimal lighting of yesteryear.
One of the most revered authentic interiors of its age will be candlelit for the 7pm guided tours, preceded by drinks in the garden, weather permitting.
Emery Walker’s House has one of the largest in-situ collections of Morris & Co wallpapers in the world, while many of the objects and possessions in the building were created for Walker by his close friends and colleagues in the Arts & Crafts movement.
They include mirrors, books, paintings, emphemera, chandeliers, textiles, rugs, Chinese and Moroccan ceramics, and hangings.
Online bookings for the candlelit tours are restricted to eight per evening, click here for tickets
Open House London
The house is also taking part in the Open House programme on Sunday (September 22), 2-5pm; one of a host of buildings of interest open for free visits over that weekend.
Others in Hammersmith & Fulham open on both Saturday and Sunday (September 21-22) are:
- ArtWest Studios in Hythe Road, Old Oak, NW10 – a series of artists’ dens in a former Edwardian factory
- Bridget Joyce Square, Australia Road, W12; a public park built by Hammersmith & Fulham Council to manage rainwater and reduce flood risk
- The Bush Theatre, the former Victorian library at 7 Uxbridge Road, W12, with some backstage access
- The former governor’s house at Wormwood Scrubs prison, in Du Cane Road, W12, now Koestler Arts, the prison arts charity
- POSK, the brutalist Polish cultural centre at 238 King Street, W6
- The Roca Gallery at Station Court, Townmead Road, SW6
- St Augustine’s church, 55 Fulham Palace Road, W6
- Kelmscott House, 26 Upper Mall, W6. The former home of fellow Arts & Crafts legend William Morris
Open on Saturday (September 21) only:
- Colet House, the artists’ studio building at 151 Talgarth Road, W14
- Jonathan Tuckey design studio, 58 Milson Road, W14
- Kenneth Armitage Foundation, 22a Avonmore Road, W14; house of Arts & Crafts pioneer James MacLaren
- Lamda, the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art, 155 Talgarth Road, W14
- Studio McLeod, 32 Oaklands Grove, W12, a quirky family home built round an interlocking oak structure
- St Paul’s Girls’ School, Brook Green, W6
- Hurlingham Club, Ranelagh Gardens, SW6
- The Round House, 188 Blythe Road, W14; a stylish modern-design home
- Westworks, 195 Wood Lane, W12; the former BBC admin HQ
- Tin House, Smugglers Yard, Devonport Road, W12; an unusual urban home
- West Ken and Gibbs Green; meet on Mund Street Green, W14, for a resident-led guided tour of the estate
- Chapel of St Francis, Wormwood Scrubs prison, Du Cane Road, W12; the finest prison chapel in England
Open on Sunday (September 22) only:
- Fulham Palace, Bishop’s Avenue, SW6, the former residence of the Bishop of London
- Greenside Primary School, 51 Westville Road, W12, designed by Erno Goldfinger
Click here for more details on Open House London.
Even estate agents move home occasionally!
I’m coming home. Back to where I started decades ago – 172 King Street in Hammersmith
Roll back the years (or shhh, even the decades…) to my first day working at the Hammersmith office of a corporate estate agent. I was wearing my best blue blazer and grey trousers. But it didn’t take long until my manager gave me the fashion yellow card. He accompanied me to Moss Bros where I invested in my first pin stripe suit. He said to me: “You have to look the part now you’re working in Hammersmith.”
Wind the clock forward to 2019 and the previously ‘fashionably unmodernised’ office is still under a major refurbishment with a view that’s slightly changed – no more cinema. But with four years of building work starting to build a new Town Hall campus, things are finally changing for the better. The new branch of Horton and Garton opens later this year – watch this space for the invite!
New office, same values
We have built a robust business over the past 11 years and we’ve now outgrown our current premises. Likewise, our team has significantly grown and we’re making the big move two doors away.
I can genuinely and proudly state that Horton and Garton is the market-leading sales and lettings agency in W6 and W12. We have worked exceptionally hard to achieve this status and continue to extend our record in 2019 by working with the very best properties and clients.
Our 11 years of constant growth and expansion, breaking the mold and building relationships has resulted in our need for a new start. We’ve succeeded with our positive approach instead of resorting to the hard-sell tactics that appear so common in the industry these days.
We’ve studied every pocket of Hammersmith, Shepherds Bush, Chiswick, Brook Green and West Kensington to get to know the community and support many local groups and charities which form the fabric of West London.
Our goal is to provide a professional, dedicated and knowledgeable property service. What distinguishes us from other estate agencies is our ability to provide a bespoke level of customer and client service, plus our honest and ethical business ethic for the local community. And it’s this approach that has allowed us to continue to expand – we now employee 20 people at Horton and Garton.
Our wealth of experience, in-depth understanding of the property market and rock-solid work ethic makes us a force to be reckoned with when it comes to securing the best results for clients. We pride ourselves on our consistently outstanding service, while our integrity and client focus is part of everything we do. This ensures our clients receive a level of personal service not found at the corporate chains.
We’re returning home to an office that was previously an estate agent for 50+ years. So, if you’re considering selling or renting in West London, please continue to make Horton and Garton the first call and join our winning team.
And there’s Chiswick too…
Meanwhile, our Chiswick office is going from strength to strength in its third year. In Turnham Green Terrace, Paul Cooney and his team are officially the second highest selling agent in W4 this year. Onwards and upwards!