Golborne Life – review of 2013
Golborne Life would like to wish all our readers a happy and prosperous 2014, and we'd thought we'd take this opportunity to review what happened on Golborne Road and around during 2013.January/February
The first part of 2013 got off to a somewhat inauspicious start for Golborne Forum. A cutback in its council grant meant that the Golborne Road Festival, usually held in the summer, had to be cancelled.
On a more positive note, the council rejected a planning application to turn the Earl Derby pub into flats, an application Golborne Forum had opposed.
Golborne Life featured a selection of the best places to eat lunch in the area, noting that "The sheer variety and quality of food available in Golborne's cafés and restaurants never ceases to amaze."
March/April
We bade farewell to the White Knight Laundry on Kensal Road in Kensal New Town, bringing to an end a local industry which dated back to the mid-19th century when the area was first developed. White Knight Laundry had operated in Kensal New Town since 1933, and its closure saw the loss of 75 jobs.
We also reported on the progress of refurbishment of the Golborne Road railway bridge which was now half-finished, and on a new website called Bomb Sight, which maps the bombing of London during the World War II Blitz in 1940 and 1941. Golborne Ward suffered eight high explosive bomb hits during that period.
May/June
An open-air exhibition, 'Aspects of Carnival' by local artist Fiona Hawthorne, opened on Portobello Road between Oxford Gardens and Golborne Road.
We ran a piece on a new shop on Golborne Road, Hutch, selling a diverse range of furniture, homewares and gifts. Owner Georgia Hendey said, "I was delighted to get this shop on Golborne Road because I've lived in the area on and off for the last 12 years and it's a neighbourhood close to my heart."
Another article chronicled the decrease in the number of pubs from nine in the 1980s to four today.
July/August
We discovered that Golborne Ward has an astonishing 167 listed buildings, although the astonishment was somewhat tempered by the fact that 157 of those are tombs and buildings in Kensal Green Cemetery. Nevertheless, we did a whistlestop tour of the remaining 10.
We noted that the New York Times had discovered Golborne Road, publishing a glowing piece about the street's attractions.
September/October
We visited an innovative new charity set at the bottom of Trellick Tower, Goldfinger Factory. The project restores mid-century furniture, sells it, and reinvests the money in the charity which offers free workshops in furniture upcycling, DIY and interior design.
We met David Benson, the head of Kensington Aldridge Academy, the new school due to open in September 2014 on the site of the former Kensington Leisure Centre. There was also a review of London Villages by Zena Alkayat, a book exploring 37 London Villages, including Golborne.
November/December
We ran a story on another new interiors shop on Golborne Road, Maison Française, run by stylist and designer Susan Osbourne.
Galicia, the Spanish restaurant on Portobello Road celebrated its 25th year in 2013, and we ran a piece on this landmark anniversary of one of Golborne's favourite restaurants.