Category Archives: local history

Introducing Our Heritage Officer, Gaverne Bennett

Posted on March 28, 2022 by LBHF Libraries

I work as the Heritage and Black History officer sitting under the Library team with the determination to continue the great work I could already see be seen being done in Hammersmith and Fulham borough. Attending a meeting with leading … Continue reading →

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Jessy Emma Scott’s Journal

Posted on March 8, 2022 by LBHF Libraries

In 1964 I came across an old journal in Thorps second hand bookshop at the top of Guildford High Street. I found it in a pile of books in the corridor waiting to be sorted out. It cost me 7/6d.  … Continue reading →

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The Swinging Sixties

Posted on October 20, 2021 by LBHF Libraries

I dedicate this blog to my friend Colin Levy who passed away on 12 October after a short battle with cancer. May he rest in peace. On 12 April 1961 Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space and for … Continue reading →

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The School Year (1950s and 1960s): On little or no money

Posted on January 13, 2021 by LBHF Libraries

The post war and baby boomer years were pretty tough for many Shepherds Bush families. Money was tight and younger children would often wear hand-me-down clothes. Sometimes both parents worked, or the father would have to do extra work. Neighbours … Continue reading →

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Free Access to Ancestry Online

Posted on May 11, 2020 by LBHF Libraries

LBHF Library staff member, Karen Blackwell, explains how easy it is to use this free online resource This is really something to get excited about! Ancestry (library edition), usually only available in our library buildings, is now accessible from home … Continue reading →

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School Memories (from the 1960s)

Posted on November 14, 2019 by LBHF Libraries

Christopher Wren Secondary Modern School Years 4 to 6 Having left behind the Victorian built Ellerslie Road School my early years at Christopher Wren School were spent in the modern 1950s building. However, we did have a few lessons in … Continue reading →

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The Riverside Studios

Posted on April 25, 2019 by LBHF Libraries

The Riverside Studios in Crisp Road are due to reopen in August this year following the closure of the old studios in 2014. The former Studios and the neighbouring Queen’s Wharf have been replaced by a new state of the … Continue reading →

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Shopping in the 1950s

Posted on April 11, 2019 by LBHF Libraries

I recently watched an old Steptoe and Son Christmas special in which Albert says he would go down to Shepherds Bush Market on Christmas Eve and pick up a cheap turkey at the auction.  I remember my parents telling me … Continue reading →

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The Fulham Women’s Prison

Posted on January 17, 2019 by LBHF Libraries

Did you know there was a Women’s Prison in Fulham?  It flourished from 1856 to 1888, on a six-acre corner site bounded by Burlington Road (originally Back Lane then Burlington Lane) and the New Kings Road. From 1716 to 1853 … Continue reading →

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The Thames Path through Hammersmith

Posted on October 4, 2018 by LBHF Libraries

The Thames Path is a National Trail following the River Thames from its source near Kemble in Gloucestershire to the Thames Barrier at Charlton, south east London. It is about 184 miles (296 km) long and passes through peaceful water meadows, unspoilt rural villages, historical towns and cities, and finally through the … Continue reading →

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