162 Thames Landscape Strategy: The Local Landscapethames-landscape-strategy.org.uk/.../2013/...Kew.pdf · Steam Museum tower and Kew Bridge make a fine view looking out to the river,

162 Thames Landscape Strategy: The Local Landscape

163Thames Landscape Strategy: The Local Landscape

Landscape Character Reach No 12: BRENTFORD/KEW

LANDSCAPE CHARACTER

Along the Brentford/Kew Reach, between the mouth of the Grand UnionCanal and Kew Bridge, there is a marked difference between the two banks.The industrial Brentford river frontage, though much run-down, still retainssignificant elements of its dockland past. On the Surrey bank, by contrast,the history of royal ownership has safeguarded the green spaces of Kew Greenand the Botanic Gardens. The two banks are effectively separated by thethick tree-cover of Brentford and Lots Aits.

The main area of the Brentford docks and railhead has been replaced by anextensive public housing scheme, built around the old mooring basin. As amajor housing development, the scheme seems successful and, where largetrees have been allowed to grow up along the river bank, the buildings mergeinto the surrounding landscape. But the open stretch of mown grass oppositethe Botanic Gardens reveals a long 3-storey facade which is not hidden behinda wooded ait and intrudes into the leafy setting of the gardens of Syon and Kew.

The northern bank of the Grand Union Canal has retained a little more ofthe older industrial character of the area, though many of the buildings arenow derelict and dock sides are covered by car parking or maintenance yards.Modern industrial sheds and security walls of a dark red brick tile have alsoreduced some of the 19th-century charm of the river front. But the powerof the locks and canal walls and the effect of the dilapidated corrugated irondock shed at the mouth are still enough to evoke the identity and characterof the old canal. The gas works beyond have now been demolished, but theyellow brick tower of the Steam Museum still rises over the area as a reminderof the energy of the industrial past.

The surviving industrial character is best appreciated from the water or theKew towpath, as public access from the Brentford side is limited to shortstretches of walks or historic slipways, such as Ferry Lane. The main walk,beside Corporation Yard, has been planted as a meandering path of scentedshrubs. The walk has been vandalised and a more appropriate and robustdesign could fit the dockland context of granite, iron and brick.

At the foot of Ferry Lane, by Soaphouse Creek, a column marked thesupposed crossing point of Caesar and one of Offa’s councils. This made anintriguing reference to the long history of Brentford. At present the Lane isa cul-de-sac and the column has been relocated to Brentford High Street.As part of a new linked waterfront path, the column could be restored to thisremarkable spot.

The industrial waterfront now terminates in the Waterman’s Art Centre,a thriving complex of theatre, cinema and galleries. A couple of woodenbalconies have been extended out towards the river, but for the rest, thecomplex barely takes advantage of the view of the water and the wild, willow-covered islands. Window sills and walkway walls cut the view off too highand deprive the Centre of an exciting relationship with the river. The heavyred brick and dark expansion joints of the building also look clumsy againstthe few remnants of 19th-century dockland architecture.

Beyond the Art Centre, Waterman’s Park extends 380 metres along theriver towards Kew Bridge. The water’s edge of granite sets, board-walks andopen railings provides a good view of the activity on the river when the tide isin. At low tide, the channel drains to reveal an archaeology of boat andshopping trolley skeletons between the stately wooden dolphins. A few treesand the change in level help to protect the Park from the worst effects of thetraffic, while recent openings in the wall reveal glimpses of the river from theroad. There is scope for making more of the dockland context. The SteamMuseum tower, St George’s church and the Brentford tower blocks - all nowseen together in a rather confusing jostle of major landmarks - could beseparately framed as viewpoints from the Park.

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BrBrBrBrBrentforentforentforentforentford Dd Dd Dd Dd Dock in 1911ock in 1911ock in 1911ock in 1911ock in 1911

BrBrBrBrBrentforentforentforentforentford and Soaphouse Crd and Soaphouse Crd and Soaphouse Crd and Soaphouse Crd and Soaphouse Creek todayeek todayeek todayeek todayeek today


St George’s Church has been converted to the Musical Museum. TheBlomfield church now sits on the edge of the gas works development site butits river connections remain. It is aligned on a vista straight down the Kew/Syon Reach between Lots Ait and the Brentford Aits as well as across theThames to the Kew towpath, from where it can still be glimpsed, framedbetween the Brentford Aits. The 6 tower blocks which now dwarf the churchare visible from a great distance. They dominate many of the views from theRoyal Botanic Gardens and the river itself. Interestingly in 1986, when theThames-side Guidelines were drawn up, the gas cylinders were condemnedas intrusive. Today they would probably be identified as part of the industrialcharacter to be conserved. Perhaps the grouping of tower blocks may alsoone day be seen as an interesting part of the townscape.

Between Waterman’s Park and Kew Bridge the path is interrupted by a coupleof private yards before ducking down into a tunnel of willow and balsam,serving a series of colourful houseboats. From across the river, the frontageof houseboats and trees does much to reduce the impact of new officedevelopments. An effort has been made to vary the roofline of the newbuildings, to use a brick stock which complements the yellow London stockand to retain the trees which mask the base and bulk of the development. Alarge disused 6-storey factory still remains to be redeveloped. The yellowand red buildings group together with the strong stone arches of Kew Bridge,with the houseboats and trees, and with the Steam Museum tower beyond.The flat-roofed office block in bright blue and white on the Strand-on-the-Green side of the Bridge jars on the scene.

Across Kew Bridge to the Surrey bank, the character changes. One movesfrom the robust dockside of Brentford to the elegance of Kew Green, linedby trees and fine brick Georgian and Victorian houses around the cricketsquare and St Anne’s Church. At present the Kew waterfront does not reflectthe elegance of the Green. Arriving at the Port of London Authority pier,visitors are greeted by graffiti, chain-link fencing and stacks of rubbish. It isnot until the Herbarium that the urban asphalt path softens to the rural hogginof the towpath and the isolated municipal rose beds, benches and tennis courtsrevert to thick trees and native vegetation. Connections to the Green arepoorly signed back alleys. The houseboats, the willows of Brentford Ait, theSteam Museum tower and Kew Bridge make a fine view looking out to theriver, but the Kew waterfront itself is sadly neglected.

A road has been constructed behind high flood defences from Kew Green toa car park on Queen Elizabeth’s Lawn. Parking is a continuing problemfor the Royal Botanic Gardens and these spaces are badly needed, but theremay be better locations along the Kew-Richmond Road which do not drawtraffic through the Green. The impact of the cars on the river is partlyscreened by the raised flood defences, but the severe engineering of theembankments from the water and the view down into the car park from thetowpath do not contribute to the rural peace of the area. The Royal BotanicGardens have turned their back on the Thames. Queen Elizabeth’s Lawnwas the site of George III’s Castellated Palace, commemorated in Turner’sand Rowlandson’s paintings, and the promenade along the river was a majorfeature of both Bridgeman’s and Brown’s designs. Kew Palace is now cut offfrom the river and the separation from the water deprives the Gardens of oneof their big assets.

The BrThe BrThe BrThe BrThe Brentforentforentforentforentford tower blocksd tower blocksd tower blocksd tower blocksd tower blocks

Queen Elizabeth's lawn, now a car parkQueen Elizabeth's lawn, now a car parkQueen Elizabeth's lawn, now a car parkQueen Elizabeth's lawn, now a car parkQueen Elizabeth's lawn, now a car park

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The Aits which divide the river into two channels form a significant bufferbetween industrial Brentford and Kew Gardens. Lots Ait has a special wildcharacter of naturalised willows, rotting boats and gently rusting dock roofs.The Ait has become a haven for wildlife and the slow progress of industrialdecay into natural habitat has picturesque as well as a philosophical resonance.

The Brentford Aits are similarly covered by willows and alder, creating asignificant heronry as well as an important line of wild green in the riverlandscape. Vegetation hangs over the vertical cam-shedding, reducing itssevere lines, and the bird sanctuaries can be enjoyed by the public from theriver banks without actual physical access. The Aits, reflected in the darkwater, form the major element in the views from Brentford, Kew and Kew Bridge,disguising and revealing vistas to make the river seem larger and more mysterious.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Samuel Leigh’s drawing of c 1830 illustrates the vitality and contrast of thisreach of the Thames. Old Kew Palace stands opposite a manufactory andthere is a brewery across the river from Kew Gardens. The two islands, Lot’sAit and Brentford Ait, previously osier beds, had just been planted with treesto hide the view of Brentford Gas Works from Kew Palace. Osier beds can,however, be seen along the river, the willows binding the bank and supplyingthe basket manufactory. The Elizabethan traveller Hentzner had commentedon the numbers of barges on the river laden with wicker baskets piled highwith vegetables and fruit for London. For several centuries the area wasimportant for fruit-growing and a wholesale market was established atBrentford where London traders could meet local suppliers. Even when theGreat West Road was cut through Brentford in 1925 it ran through miles ofapple and cherry orchards. Suburban development soon took over and thereis little scope for fruit growing today.

SSSSSamuel Leigh'amuel Leigh'amuel Leigh'amuel Leigh'amuel Leigh's view of Brs view of Brs view of Brs view of Brs view of Brentforentforentforentforentford and Kew c1830d and Kew c1830d and Kew c1830d and Kew c1830d and Kew c1830


The area at the delta of the Brent, which became Brentford Dock and nowbuilt over, has traditionally been known as ‘old England’ owing to itsimmemorial associations. It was a Roman settlement in AD 1 and in 1929 apile dwelling of AD 200 was excavated. It is an area of great archaeologicalimportance. Excavations in the area bordering the Syon estate have yieldedStone Age tools belonging to passing hunters. The Thames, curving from anortherly to an eastern direction at Brentford, cut into the edge of a gravelterrace to expose a layer of workable fertile brickearth. The sub-soil,recognisable by its vegetation, would have indicated an attractive place ofsettlement for the early farmers. A bronze sickle found in the area, now inthe Museum of London, is a reminder of their activities. A large oak andbronze tankard, with a capacity of about four pints, found in the Thames,suggests that life before the Roman occupation of Brentford was not all workbut there was time for communal drinking feasts amongst the CelticCatuvellauni tribe and their chief, Cassivellaunus.

Brentford is one of several places that claim Caesar’s crossing of the Thamesin 54 BC . Bede noted the remains of the palisade of stakes, cased with leadabove and beneath the water, put up by the early Britons to guard a shallowstretch of the river. One such stake is on show in Syon House. Caesarmentioned both ford and stakes at the crossing in a statement in his De BelloGallico, the first recorded piece of British history: ‘I led the army to the riverThames and the territory of Cassivellaunus. There is only one place where theriver can be forded, and even there with difficulty. When we reached it, I noticedlarge enemy forces drawn up on the opposite bank. The bank had been fortifiedwith sharp stakes along it, and, as I discovered from prisoners and deserters, similarstakes had been driven into the riverbed and were concealed beneath the water’.

Whether or not Brentford can ever prove the claim to Caesar’s crossingrecorded on the memorial stone erected in 1909, the strategic importance ofthe ford is unquestionable and is demonstrated by the Battle of Brentfordbetween Edmund Ironside and Canute in 1016. The ancient ford over theThames at the confluence of the River Brent, which had given the town itsSaxon name, was replaced in mediaeval times by a ferry. Brentford becamea river port of some significance at the end of the 18th century when the GrandUnion Canal was built linking it with the Midlands and, via the Regent Canal,to London. The area was architecturally enriched when the Kew BridgeWaterworks, built in 1867, erected its triumphantly elegant industrial standpipe giving Brentford and Kew an eye-catching Venetian campanile. Thetower is now part of the Steam Museum.

The Surrey bank of the river has a totally different appearance fromindustrial Brentford. Today there is the same contrast between commercialdevelopment and landscaped pleasure grounds seen in Leigh’s panorama. Kewfirst appears in documents as a tiny hamlet in the early 14th century and onlybegan to be known when members of the royal family or courtiers went tolive there to be near Richmond. Among the first were Henry VII’s daughterMary, James I’s daughter Elizabeth and Queen Elizabeth’s favourite, the Earlof Leicester. Kew first became a viable community at the beginning of the18th century, when more houses were built and a small chapel, much enlargedlater, was built on the Green. Hitherto the residents had gone to church atRichmond or by ferry to Brentford. Kew bridge was not built until 1758. KewGreen itself has changed little in spite of extensive surrounding developmentin the area between the two World Wars.

Kew Palace was originally known as the Dutch House and was built in 1631by a merchant from Flanders. Its first royal association was with QueenCaroline who rented it in 1728 for the accommodation of her children. Shewas then living at Richmond Lodge. In 1730 Frederick Prince of Wales setup a rival court at Kew House, which had belonged to the Capel family.William Kent was employed to improve the house, which became known asthe White House to distinguish it from the red-brick Dutch House. AfterPrince Frederick’s death in 1751, the Princess Augusta continued to live in theWhite House until her own death in 1772, when it was taken over by GeorgeIII. The Kew Palace garden was restored in the 1970s and a mount raised toview the river.

The Victorian column marking Caesar'The Victorian column marking Caesar'The Victorian column marking Caesar'The Victorian column marking Caesar'The Victorian column marking Caesar'ssssscrossing at Brcrossing at Brcrossing at Brcrossing at Brcrossing at Brentforentforentforentforentforddddd


The White House was demolished at the end of the century when theshell of a new castellated palace was built by the river, only to be demolishedin its turn by George IV in 1828. George III became increasingly confined toWindsor and Queen Charlotte only visited Kew occasionally, but as she spentthe last five months of her life in 1818 in the Dutch House, it became knownas Kew Palace thereafter. It is now managed by Historic Royal Palaces withinthe Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew. The Gardens, evolved from thecontiguous estates of Kew and Richmond, were opened to the public byQueen Victoria early in her reign.

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The Castellated PThe Castellated PThe Castellated PThe Castellated PThe Castellated Palace at Kewalace at Kewalace at Kewalace at Kewalace at Kew

NATURE CONSERVATION

Lot’s Ait is a small island narrowly separated from the much larger BrentfordAit at high tide. Together the islands provide shelter to the backwater andcontinuity of habitat for woodland birds and wildfowl. Apart from the derelictbuildings, Lot’s Ait is dominated by a ruderal and scrub community which hasdeveloped from the osier bed which once covered the island. Brentford Ait,or Aits as it is actually two islands connected at low tide, is covered by tallwoodland, mostly of crack willow. Again this woodland was probably onceosier, but a variety of trees were planted on the island in the 1920s specificallyto screen the former gasworks. Many of the island’s trees were felled andreplaced by further planting between 1962 and 1964 because they wereconsidered to be in poor condition. Today, kingfishers regularly fish from thewillows which overhang the water on Brentford Ait. The banks of the islandsare constructed of vertical metal campsheeting and would be improved by amore gently graded, vegetation-holding surface. Lot’s Ait provides anexcellent opportunity for a variety of natural history studies.

Despite the presence of derelict buildings, Lot’s Ait and the surrounding inter-tidal mudflats are of considerable importance for nature conservation. Thenatural character should be retained and it would be inappropriate for anynew development to be allowed on the island or mudflats.

The largest area of intertidal mud habitat in the upper Thames is exposedat low tide around the islands. The muds have a rich invertebrate faunaincluding flatworms, freshwater shrimps and six species of leech. Twentyspecies of gastropod (mostly snails) have also been recorded and two of these,the ear snail and the trumpet ramshorn snail, have very restricted distributions.The muds are therefore a rich feeding ground for birds. Teal and wigeon visitthe muds during the winter months, while other birds feed year round andnest on the islands.

The steep concrete revetments on the Surrey side of the river at Kew supportno vegetation and cannot be used by animals.


PUBLIC ACCESS AND RECREATION

Once the interruptions in the Brentford Waterfront and Grand Union Canalpaths are linked up, the public will have a unique walk through the full rangeof the Thames history. Starting at the PLA pier, visitors can cross Kew Bridgeto the Waterman’s Park and Art Centre, the Steam Museum and the MusicalMuseum. From there the path will follow the old industrial BrentfordWaterfront to Caesar’s supposed ford at Soaphouse Creek and then up theGrand Union Canal towards Syon and Osterley.

If a connection is made through Syon, visitors will then be able to walk throughthe Lancelot Brown Park to old Isleworth. Were the ferry to be re-instated,it would then be possible to cross back to Kew and enter the Royal BotanicGardens through the Isleworth gate. In the space of 4.5 kilometre walk, onecould experience the 17th- and 18th-century landscape of Syon, the 19th- and20th-century plant collection of Kew, the industrial docklands of Brentfordand the wild landscape of the Aits and the Kew towpath.

The unvThe unvThe unvThe unvThe unveiling of the Breiling of the Breiling of the Breiling of the Breiling of the Brentforentforentforentforentford monument in 1909d monument in 1909d monument in 1909d monument in 1909d monument in 1909

The PLA Pier at KewThe PLA Pier at KewThe PLA Pier at KewThe PLA Pier at KewThe PLA Pier at Kew


Boatyards: G rand U nion C anal

W ater recreation: PLA Kew Pier

Land recreation: M usical M useum Grade II British Piano M useum

Steam M useum Grade II Kew Bridge Engine’sTrust

T ham es PathW aterm an’s A rt C entre LBH

W aterm an’s Park LBH

Refreshm ent: KleftikoO ’Riordan’s TavernRose and C row nT he Brew ery TapT he PloughT he Six BellsW agon and H orsesW aterm an’s A rm sW aterm an’s restaurant

Landm arks: Kew Bridge Grade II LBRuT/LBH

Lot’s A itPum ping Station tow er Grade II Kew Bridge Engine’s

TrustRoyal Botan ic G arden G ates Grade II Royal Botanic Gardens

St A nne’s C hurch, Kew G reen Grade II C hurch Comm issioners

St G eorge’s C hurch, Brentford Grade II British Piano M useum

LOCAL INTEREST GROUPS:Amenity and Local History:Brentford and Chiswick Local History SocietyBrentford SocietyFriends of Waterman’s CentreKew SocietyRichmond Local History SocietyRiver Thames Society (Upper Tidal)

Nature Conservation:London Wildlife Trust

PRINCIPAL LAND USES

Though much of the Brentford waterfront is in decay, the principal uses remainindustrial and commercial. Parks and museums have been introduced into historicbuildings and spaces and new office developments have established at points alongthe river frontage.

On the Kew side the principal use is for the Royal Botanic Gardens, though somehousing has been built by Kew Bridge. The towpath and car parking dominatethe waterfront itself. There are houseboats on both sides of the river by KewBridge.

SIGNIFICANT SITES UNDER PRESSURE FOR RE-DEVELOPMENT:

Sites Main landscape factors for considerationBrentford Waterfront andGas Works Site

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views into site from Kew, Royal Botanic Gardens and riverlong history of settlement, industry and docklandspotential for great tourist interestneed to link path from Kew Bridge along Waterfront andup Grand Union Canal to Syon and Osterleyexisting vocabulary of dockland materials of granite,London brick, cast iron and board walklandmarks of St George’s Church & Steam Museum towertraffic pressure on Brentford High Streetrelationship to Waterman’s Parknature conservation and scenic value of Lots and BrentfordAits


The following proposals have been identified as part of the survey and analysis of the Thames Landscape Strategy. The policy proposals amplifythe issues raised in Chapter 2 to be included in Supplementary Planning Guidance. The project and management proposals are recommended forincorporation into national agency and local government work programmes, co-ordinated by a Project Officer and Officers’ Steering Committee(see Chapter 5). All proposals would require full consultation before implementation:

Policy ProposalsPolicy Reference

Pol 12.1 Conserve the industrial character and scale of the Grand Union Canal andBrentford Waterfront, contrasting with the thick trees of the aits and the RoyalBotanic Gardens.

LBRuT: RIV 12,LBH: ENV 6.1

Pol 12.2 Protect the visual links between:Kew Palace and the Grand Union Canal entranceKew towpath and St George’s ChurchKew towpath and the Steam Museum towerKew /Syon Reach and St George’s Church

LBRuT: RIV 1,ENV 2 13.32(11)LBH: ENV 1.6a

Pol 12.3 Prevent any further flat-roofed , high-rise buildings from intruding into theBrentford Waterfront massing. When the Kew Bridge office block comes up forre-development it should be replaced with a lower building of a form, massing andmaterials which complement the surrounding townscape.

LBH: ENV 1.5

Pol 12.4 Conserve the wild character of Lots Ait, controlling public access and preventingany causeway connection, No new built development should be allowed on theisland or mudflats.

LBH: ENV 5.1, 6.7

Pol 12.5 Conserve and enhance the nature conservation interest of the river and itscorridor, with particular attention to Lots Ait and the surrounding intertidalmudflats.

LBH: ENV 5.1, 6.7

Project ProposalsProject Initiative

Proj 12.1 Plant groups of trees along the Brentford Housing Estate to soften the impact ofthe building on the Royal Botanic Gardens.

LBH: ENV 1.8

Proj 12.2 Connect access along the Canal and river edge, designing the frontage to fit thedockland character.

LBH: ENV 1.8LBH:: Waterside Strategy

Proj 12.3 Return the memorial column to the end of Ferry Lane, once the waterfront path iscompleted.


Proj 12.4 Remodel the Waterman’s Art Centre river frontage to take more advantage of thewater. Modify windows and walkways so that visitors can see the river and createmore board-walk platforms and balconies for sitting out.


Proj 12.5 Continue the re-instatement of Waterman’s Park to enhance its riverside setting. LBH: ENV 1.8LBH: Waterside Strategy

Proj 12.6 Complete the footpath connections between Waterman’s Park and Kew Bridge. LBH: ENV 6.2LBH:: Waterside Strategy

Proj 12.7 Enhance the PLA Pier and the approach to Kew Green from the river. LBRuT: 13.32 (12)Cons area study No 2

Proj 12.8 Re-surface Kew waterfront path with fine grade hoggin. LBRuT: 13.32 (12)Cons area study No 2

Proj 12.9 Review the need for the huge flood protection revetments at Kew now that theThames Barrier has been built. When the flood protections eventually need to berepaired, consider more sympathetic alternatives.

PLA, NRA, LBRuT

Proj 12.10 Review the need for a road and car park on Queen Elizabeth’s Lawn. Explore thealternative sites for parking and works yards, opening the possibility of restoringthe relationship between the Royal Botanic Gardens and the river along the lines ofriver promenades designed by Bridgeman and Brown in the 18th century.

LBRuT: 13.32 (12)Cons area study No 2

Proj 12.11 Explore ways of facing the vertical campshedding on the Aits to encourage thegrowth of vegetation and reduce the impact at low tide.

LBRuT: RIV 12, 13.32 (16)

Proj 12.12 Eliminate car parking along the edges of the Grand Union Canal. LBH: Waterside Strategy

Management ProposalsManagement Initiative

Mng 12.1 Manage Brentford and Lots Aits for nature conservation, maintaining thewoodland cover.

LBH, LBRuT; LEU,LWT, Eng Nat


Documents

162 Thames Landscape Strategy: The Local Landscapethames-landscape-strategy.org.uk/.../2013/...Kew.pdf · Steam Museum tower and Kew Bridge make a fine view looking out to the river,