Barnes history

Barnes may seem like a very affluent and steady area, where all the 4×4s in London migrate daily to and from schools.  But Barnes has had its exciting moments. In the early 20th century a French master spy and his wife were murdered in Barnes by their valet, perhaps an early 007.

Barnes has famously kept its village green and duck pond, and it also has a common to the south of the village (containing 120 acres). Barnes was probably lucky in missing out on the first enthusiasm for cutting everything down and building on it.  Until well into the 19th century Barnes stayed a backwater because there was not easy way to reach it. But that changed when Hammersmith Bridge was constructed in 1824-7. (This bridge, which was London’s first suspension bridge, was replaced with a new bridge to Barnes by Joseph Bazalgette in 1883-7.) Castlenau was constructed in 1827 to give access from the bridge, and Lonsdale Road followed in 1846. Barnes was then quickly developed with houses. But the original village was preserved.

Before the houses went up, Barnes was a centre for the brewery industry, with a number of inns. ‘The Sun’ near the pond is the only surviving pub from the 18th century. Barnes Terrace has a number of 18th and 19th century houses along the river front. W. E. Henley and Gustav Holst lived there.