St Paul's rowers win Head of the Charles again
The Barnes school's first VIII took a fourth straight Youth Eights title in Boston, in a faster time than any youth crew has rowed the course.
Volunteers plant rare tower mustard on Barnes Common
More than 1,000 plants raised from seed at home have gone into the ground at four sites, Barnes Common among them. Before the project the plant was down to two sites in London.
Mortlake Station bus stop F closed until 15 November
Utility works at the Sheen Lane junction on Upper Richmond Road West have shut bus stop F at Mortlake Station until 15 November.
More news
All stories →Richmond asks for views on who gets social housing
Anyone in Barnes, Castelnau or Mortlake can respond to Richmond Council's proposed changes to housing priority until 18 January 2027.
Free Warm Home Packs at Castelnau Library from 9 November
Residents with a Richmond Council letter who miss the 6 November event in Twickenham can collect a free energy-saving pack at Castelnau Library from 9 November.
Barnes children's book festival shortlisted for national award
The London Children's Literature Festival is up for two UK Festival Awards, and the public vote counts towards the winner.
Heathrow expansion consultation open until 22 December
Heathrow's new consultation on its expansion application runs to 22 December, with papers to read at Castelnau Library.
Events & culture
Barnes Bonfire Night 2026: tickets, times and running order
Barnes Sports Club's bonfire and fireworks night returns to Lonsdale Road on Saturday 7 November, with child tickets at £6 and a Best Guy who gets to light the fire.
Events & culture
Barnes Common Autumn Fayre returns to Vine Road on Saturday
Entry is free at the charity's annual Autumn Fayre on 17 October, but some walks and activities carry a fee and may sell out.
Property
A lower mansion tax threshold would hit Barnes, not Mortlake
Richmond Council says 4,300 more homes across the borough would be caught if the Chancellor cuts the mansion tax threshold to £1.5m on 28 October. In Barnes the average semi-detached house already sells for more than £2m. In Mortlake, nothing like it.
Council & politics
Richmond's reserves could be gone by 2030, council warns
Ten months after Richmond Council called the government's funding settlement a significant improvement, it says the money it keeps in hand could be exhausted within four years. Reserves are not a budget, and the borough is now spending them like one.
Openings & closings
Parish Bakery on Barnes High Street gets top hygiene rating
The Parish Bakery at 13 Barnes High Street was rated 5, the top mark, on 9 October, about a month after it registered as a food business.
Planning & development
Watchdog finds no climate path for third runway
The government's climate advisers say a third runway at Heathrow has "no credible pathway" to net zero under current policies — a finding Richmond Council has seized on.
Getting around
Church Road, Barnes, shuts for the silence on 8 and 11 November
Church Road is listed as closed for ten minutes on Remembrance Sunday and again on Wednesday 11 November. If you cross the Green around 11am, plan round it.
Classified
Rate card →every three days at 08:00
The Morning Briefing
A short edition: a fourth Boston win for St Paul's, a rare plant going into Barnes Common, and a road closure on Church Road on Sunday morning.
Get it by email
The big story, the useful small ones, what’s opening and closing, planning that matters, how to get around, and what’s on. Free.
Council & politics
More →
Storm-split yew at St Mary's Barnes cleared for felling
Richmond Council has granted permission to fell a protected yew in the churchyard after Storm Austen split its trunk. A replacement yew will be planted.
Remembrance Sunday 2026 in Barnes and East Sheen: where and when
Barnes gathers at St Mary's Church at 10.50am on 8 November. East Sheen's service is at 11am, after a march from 10.30am. Pick one: the timings collide.
Richmond pauses old fridge and freezer disposal
Richmond Council has temporarily paused fridge and freezer collections and tip drop-offs, so anyone in Barnes, Castelnau or Mortlake replacing one needs another plan.
Barnes Remembrance service at St Mary's, 10.50am on 8 November
Barnes's Remembrance Sunday service is at St Mary's Church on Church Road, starting at 10.50am on 8 November.