"It's so ugly, I can't bear it."
So opined an elderly lady beneath Turnham Green railway bridge. The besmirched tiles were seemingly uncleaned since Turnham Green station opened in 1869.
That overheard remark sparked an idea. Now, one of London's filthiest walls is covered in cartography.
The Chiswick Timeline shows this Thames-side area of west London in a series of maps, from 1593 to the present day. Each map is presented on a glossy panel about 3 metres tall. You'll find them just outside Turnham Green tube station, on the District and Piccadilly lines.
It's a joy to pause and study the maps. The series shows how Chiswick has grown from an isolated village on the Thames (with origins as a cheese farm, whence the name), to the bustling suburb it has become today.
The maps are also available as a fold-out book. As you can see from the photo, this concertinas out to quite a size. The book is also crammed with historic notes about the area, and more detail about how this new landmark for Chiswick came about.
The Chiswick Timeline was conceived and designed by Sarah Cruz and Karen Liebreich of Abundance London (@AbundanceLondon). You can buy the commemorative book online, or from Foster's bookshop on Chiswick High Road.
