Barnes is one of those districts that confirm the idea that
London is not so much a city as an accumulation of villages that have run into
one another. This is helped enormously, in the case of Barnes, by the fact that
it is largely enclosed by an exaggerated loop of the River Thames that defines
the village’s borders on three sides. This is the loop that comprises the
“Surrey bend” of the annual Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race.
Barnes has developed as a somewhat genteel inner London
suburb of substantial houses with plenty of green spaces, including the
extensive Barnes Common. It is home to
the 100-acre London Wetland Centre that is an amazing refuge for wildlife in an
urban setting.
It is not surprising that Barnes has been attractive to
several notable writers, including:
Henry Fielding (1707-54), the novelist best known for “Tom
Jones”, who lived in a house overlooking Barnes Common for five years towards
the end of his life.
Matthew Lewis (1775-1818), who wrote the bestselling gothic
horror novel “The Monk” and lived in a cottage near Barnes church from 1798 to 1801.
William Cobbett (1763-1835) leased the home farm of Barn
Elms Estate from 1828 to 30, thus enabling him to combine his abiding interest
in rural affairs with political campaigning. While living here he continued to
edit his “Weekly Political Register” and also prepared his earlier “Rural
Rides” for publication.
A more recent resident of Barnes was the novelist Barbara
Pym (1913-80), who lived in Nassau Road from 1949 to 1961.
The travel writer Eric Newby (1919-2006), who was born in Barnes,
was a pupil of St Paul’s Boys School before it moved to its present location in
Barnes. This school was originally founded in the 16th century, and
its alumni have included John Milton, Samuel Pepys, G K Chesterton and Edward
Thomas. Among those educated at St Paul’s since its move to Barnes (in 1961)
have been Iain Gale, Patrick Marber and Patrick Neate.
© John Welford
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