Two Local Men who went with Captain Cook
James Cook (1728-79) led three great voyages into the Pacific Ocean from 1768 until his death in the Hawaiian Islands in 1779. Some of the crew, scientific gentlemen and their assistants and servants, who accompanied him had associations with what is now West London. The author introduces two more famous local figures for context – James Douglas, Lord Morton and Joseph Banks – before describing two less well-known men, Perry and Billings, from the first and third voyages. The author was Senior Curator at the Captain Cook Birthplace 2002-17
Phil Philo
William Forsell Kirby & Family: Chiswick Authors
William Forsell Kirby (1844-1912) was already a successful author when he and his German wife arrived in Chiswick in 1884. They were soon joined by his wife’s brother, August Kappel, who would co-author two books with their only son, William Egmont Kirby. Pacifists, father and son, avoided conflict but World War I would destroy their family. Kathleen, Kirby’s youngest grandchild and the mother of the author, was sent to neutral Ireland to live in the care of their faithful Irish housekeeper, who passed on tales of her Kirby ancestry. The author recently completed Kirby’s biography
Dr Ursula Dommett
St James’s Parochial Juvenile Establishment
The author has traced the origins of a home for poor children housed in premises in Windmill Lane, Brentford. It was run by the Parish of St James’s in Westminster between about 1840 and 1852. Using parish records and the Census he has written an account of its operations. Further research has helped identify the property in which it was housed. Jim Storrar has lived in Brentford for over 45 years and is a retired town planner. He has a strong interest in Brentford history and has also published four books on the history of his home town in Scotland.
Jim Storrar
A Year in Local Studies
From January 2022 Sophie Bailey worked in Hounslow’s Local Studies & Archives Department as assistant to Adam Grounds. They manage the borough’s historic collections, with search rooms and stores at Chiswick and Feltham Libraries. We asked Sophie to select and describe some of the Brentford and Chiswick history enquiries from amongst the hundreds received during her first year in the post from historians, academics, architects, schools and arts organisations. She explains the practical process of dealing with enquiries and some of the sources in the collection, hoping to inspire further research
Sophie Bailey
Warwick Draper and His Struggles to Save Chiswick and Hammersmith
The centenary of Warwick Draper’s Chiswick, published in 1923, the year he turned 50, was marked by this article. The book was a
family affair, dedicated to his wife and illustrated by his younger son, Christopher, then aged only 18. However, it was Warwick’s last work. In May 1926 he stepped out on to a flat roof at his home at Bedford House on Chiswick Mall to inspect a chimney fire, and fell to his death. The author is Professor Emerita at the University of Bristol and a former Chair of the William Morris Society.
Prof Ruth Levitas
About Warwick Draper’s Chiswick
This piece provides a short bibliographical account of the book itself to accompany Ruth Levitas’ article. The author is a curato and historian and edits this Journal
Val Bott
