Ravenscourt Park Tea House Wins Top Conservation Award
But Livat's sad planters given Hammersmith Society's Wooden Spoon
The new Tea House in Ravenscourt Park
October 21, 2024
Two beautifully restored local landmarks have shared the The Hammersmith Society’s top Conservation Award - Ravenscourt Park Tea House and the Leaning Lady Statue.
The Society, announcing the results of its annual Environment Awards during its Annual General Meeting, acknowledged there were fewer nominations for awards this year, which meant that there were no suitable candidates for its coveted overall Environment Award.
However, there were two worthy winners of the society’s Tom Ryland Award for Conservation.
The Grade 2 listed, 200 year old Tea House in Ravenscourt Park had been on the buildings at risk register for some time. However, it has now been sensitively restored by Hammersmith and Fulham Council and made weathertight, along with the adjacent toilet block.
The Tea House, now renamed The Paddenswick Tea Gardens is now open and the judges said: “ It is providing an agreeable stopping point should the weather not allow the new outside seating area to be used.”
The award, presented by H&F Deputy Mayor, Cllr Daryl Brown was received by Faye Davies of architects Burrell Foley Fischer.
Faye Davies (right) accepts the award for the Tea House from H&F Deputy Mayor, Cllr Daryl Brown
The second winner of the Conservation Award was The Leaning Lady, which was restored this summer after more than 60 years. Along with other artworks, the statue was a gift to the community from London County Council, partly as reparation for the damage caused by the building of the Great West Road through the middle of Hammersmith in the 1950’s.
The statue was created by Czech refugee Dr. Karel Vogel in an unusual concrete material that had eroded over time. The restoration project was driven by society affiliate St Peter’s Residents’ Association and the council, and managed by Heritage of London Trust ,who also part funded the project with many local people in a community-driven fundraiser.
The award was accepted by Heritage of London Trust’s Nichola Stacey.
Nichola Stacey (right) accepts the awad for 'The Leaning Lady'
The Nancye Goulden Award, given to smaller schemes which have improved our local environment in some way, was also shared by two winners, both further north in Shepherd’s Bush.
The first was the The Defector’s Weld pub in Uxbridge Road, praised for its newly restored facades, and the second was for landscaping associated with the White City area regeneration.
The judges said: “There are a number of excellent examples between and around the new buildings which significantly improve the streetscape. We particularly noted the space between the Ed City building and the new home of L’Oreal at Gateway Central – a popular lunchtime retreat.”
Each year, The Hammersmith Society also hands out its dreaded Wooden Spoon, given to an eyesore or a project that just got it all wrong.
Once again, this was shared by two Hammersmith landmarks. The first was for the council gating of Ravenscourt Park in unhelpful ways, particularly around the popular kids, paddling pool, which now also has to be booked online, in advance, taking the spontaneity out of a visit.
The judges said: “This has resulted in few users, often because the limited number of slots are prebooked with ‘no-shows’. A sad waste of a great popular family resource that needs reviewing before next year.”The second Wooden Spoon was jointly awarded to shopping Centre Livat and H&F council for allowing the planters in King Street to become dried up and offputting smoking benches.
The judges said this was surely the reverse of the original intent and added: " A maintenance regime is needed – or removal.”
The sad planters by the Livat Shopping Centre in Hammersmith
The Awards Ceremony took place during the 62 year old Hammersmith Society’s AGM, held on September 30, which also included a review of the past year and a talk by Guest Speaker Sally Prothero of the London Historic Parks & Gardens Trust.
You can read more about the AGM and the society’s activities here.
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