Fishing & Fighting

As you can see local residents, including me, continue to oppose the building of this tower, overlooking the Conservation Area in which we live. We are supported, indirectly, by a verse in St John’s Gospel.

“Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.“ (St John’s Gospel, Chapter 21, Verse 11)

I doubt many people would go fishing if they could catch so many fish so easily but the miracle has other aspects – a suitable topic for a sermon by my brother in the Diocese of Armagh. The number 153 was in John Colet’s mind when he founded St Paul’s School in 1509. His school had 153 children of the poor and though much bigger today and with less indigent pupils, still has 153 Foundation Scholars who have the privilege of wearing a silver fish on their uniform. The school was initially adjacent to St Paul’s Cathedral of which Colet was Dean, but moved to bosky Hammersmith in 1884. At the same time house numbering was being introduced on Hammersmith Road and happily the school was allocated 153. Sometimes post codes today are as apposite: MP Evans has 1HQ.

In the Second World War the school was evacuated to Berkshire and became HQ for Home Forces in the early years of the war, when Alan Brooke was in command. It was considered much safer from bombing than his quarters in central London so he moved into the High Master’s house until he became CIGS (Chief of the Imperial General Staff).  An interesting local connection for me.

In 1968 the school moved again – across the river to Barnes where it is today. All that remains of the old school are some of the railings, a robustly constructed shed for storing garden equipment and the High Master’s house.

No doubt the High Master needed somewhere roomy to entertain guests, like 19th century bishops. It has been converted into a hotel and retains all its architectural integrity externally and a bit internally. 153 Hammersmith Road should be a role model for what could be achieved on the site of the Magistrates’ Court on Talgarth Road.