Westerley Ware is a small garden and recreation ground in
Kew
Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...
in the
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London ...
. It is at the foot of
Kew Bridge
Kew Bridge is a wide-span bridge over the Tideway (upper estuary of the Thames) linking the London Boroughs of Richmond upon Thames and Hounslow. The present bridge, which was opened in 1903 as King Edward VII Bridge by King Edward VII and Quee ...
, between Waterloo Place (a row of houses and flats off Kew Green)
and the
Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...
riverbank. Historically
common land
Common land is land owned by a person or collectively by a number of persons, over which other persons have certain common rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect Wood fuel, wood, or to cut turf for fuel.
A person ...
, it has a memorial garden – bordered by hedges – to the fallen in the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, a grass area, three hard
tennis courts
A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the centre. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles matches. A variety of surfaces can be u ...
and a children's
playground
A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people ...
. Since 1939 it has been managed by the local authority, which is now
Richmond upon Thames Council
Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London, the United Kingdom capital. Richmond upon Thames is ...
.
History and etymology
![Kew War Memorial Garden, Westerly Ware](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Kew_War_Memorial_Garden%2C_Westerly_Ware.jpg)
Until the 18th century, Westerley Ware was much larger and was almost certainly used by fishermen as a place to
beach
A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...
their boats and to dry and mend their nets.
Its name refers to the use of
netting weirs or "wares" to catch fish.
Westerley Ware Association
In 1997 local residents in Kew formed the Westerley Ware Association which has raised funds for projects to improve the park and to employ a part-time gardener. In 2007 it successfully raised funds from the Council’s Initiative Fund to install new entrance gates. These were designed and
forge
A forge is a type of hearth used for heating metals, or the workplace (smithy) where such a hearth is located. The forge is used by the smith to heat a piece of metal to a temperature at which it becomes easier to shape by forging, or to th ...
d by a local
blacksmith
A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...
, Shelley Thomas.
See also
*
Kew Mortuary
The Kew Mortuary or Dead-House is a small, shed-like building, approximately and high, attached to the back of Caxton House, 110 Kew Green (TW9 3AR), just to the east of Kew Bridge on Greyhound Lane facing Westerley Ware. This Victorian mort ...
References
External links
Official websiteWesterley Ware Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Westerley Ware
Common land in London
Kew, London
Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
Military memorials in London
World War I memorials in England