History of this Victorian cottage in West London
Terraced houses on this street were built by the nearby breweries for their
workers and families after the completion of the huge church St Paul's (1906) at the end of this road, around
1908. That's is probably why residents are not allowed to brew their own beer still! The interiors
and exteriors all looked the same back then, with coal sheds and outhouses in
the back, and a tin bucket on the wall for Friday afternoon baths.
This
particular house was let by the company that owned all these houses to a man named Jack who owned and rented out several
other properties nearby. Jack worked at the quality butchers Richardsons on Northfields
Avenue his entire life, until his wife became so ill that he had to look after
her. It is not certain whether he left or died in 1990. He lived into his nineties.
The company sold the house to a lady by the name of Elizabeth
Jane Lippitt Yuill. According to neighbours, she had quit her job
as a secretary to become a gourmet chef. She and her boyfriend spent five years
renovating the house, adding the Victorian paneling on the downstairs walls
which became a characteristic feature of this house. After adding a bathroom
upstairs, the relationship between her and her boyfriend deteriorated --- possibly
from spending too much time changing the house.
The next owners, a newly married English-Italian couple, fitted
a new kitchen, renovated the garden, and laid the antique mahogany parquet floor.
After their daughter was born, they decided to move to Milan. It was then that Anne Ku, having just returned from Rome, visited
this property for the first time.
Being the 12th property she saw that day, and the last one
in the fifth month of her search to find a home suitable for herself and her grand piano, Anne did not know this part of Ealing at all. At the end of July 1998, she moved in --- with her grand piano and a
month later, her ginger kitten who was born around the time that she discovered
this house. She hired tradesmen to repaint the
house, remove the gas meter and cabinet beneath the stairs, replace the sash
windows with modern double-glazed windows, fit eight large mirrors to the walls,
improve the garden, convert the loft into a useful space with two roof windows, and add two roof windows to the kitchen. Her ginger
tomcat became the undisputed king of the neighbourhood for 3.5 years, shortly before he
was given to a loving couple in Hanwell.
The Residents Association of Ridley Avenue (RARA) was founded in 2002 initially as a neighbourhood watch. At regular meetings, members hear about latest crime statistics and prevention measures. At such meetings, they can also voice their concerns or complaints such as parking, noisy neighbours, etc. Everyone living on Ridley Avenue can be a member. Home insurance is generally lowered for members of neighbourhood watch.
Ridley Avenue is in the catchment area of the sought-after Fielding Primary School. The house falls under Ealing Council Tax Band E. Single inhabitants get 25% discount. Exemptions are allowed for full-time students and other categories.
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