November 2025
CORNWALL GARDENS BULLETIN
Dear Cornwall Gardens Key Holder and/or Resident
REPORTS
Cornwall Gardens and Residents Association Management Committee - Minutes of Meeting of 8 October 2025
Please find here the Minutes of the Meeting of 8 October 2025 of the Management Sub Committee of the Gardens Committee and the Management Committee of the Residents Association. Also the Gardener’s Report to September 2025.
After 10 years’ invaluable service on the Management Committee, Ian Murdoch has stepped down. In that time, he has led the management, organisation and participation of Cornwall Gardens in the annual London Open Gardens Weekend and seen it grow from strength to strength. We wish Ian, Alison and their Family all the very best for the future.
With Carola Enrich moving away from Cornwall Gardens (whom we thank for all her work for the community, particularly on the reconstitution of the Mound) and Ian stepping down, the Management Committee is looking for volunteers, in any capacity, who have the time and the right skill sets to make an effective contribution to the Committee’s work. At present, the immediate need is for someone who can project-manage and help organise events such as the Open Gardens Weekend, otherwise we will struggle to participate in this event in 2026.
Whilst the current Management Committee will continue to discharge its core and essential obligations for the time being, it is important that we have key holders and residents ready and prepared to take on more of these responsibilities such as keys management, communications including intranet, general administration and finance and accounting, thereby helping to ensure good succession planning.
We are currently in discussion with several mothers of young children, who helped sort out the toys and mobiles in the Gardens earlier this year, to see if they can build on this success in this and other ways on the Management Committee, in particular, to encourage and promote Family Events for everyone to enjoy in the Gardens.
If you are interested, please contact the Chairman (John Varley) or Secretary (Alan Lester) to discuss further. Their contact details are at the front of this bulletin.
Report of the Second Event of the Queen’s Gate Freedom Pass Dining Club
The Second Event took place on Tuesday, 16 September 2025 at Jakobs, where guests enjoyed a delicious dinner of root vegetable soup, a choice of quiche, poached salmon or aubergine bake, followed by apple crumble, accompanied by a choice of wine and soft drinks. As can be seen from the photo, a good time was had by all, though with a plea from some that the attendance should include more men in the future!
For details of the Third Event fixed for 18 November 2025, please see under Community and Private Events below.
Report of Queen’s Gate Ward Police Panel, 28 October 2025
The Panel met in Cornwall Gardens on Tuesday, 28 October 2025 with four representative members of the public and eight police officers led by Sergeant Robin Lambert-Singer. The attached information was shared, including recent statistics on reported crime. These show significant falls in the year to September 2025. Although there was an increase in the month of September 2025, taking the year as whole, the trend was still down on the previous year. This is a good result and reflects the organisational changes in the Met and also Neighbourhood Policing leading to more police officers being deployed, as well as greater vigilance and security measures undertaken by residents. Our colleagues in the police stress that by far the most effective way of combatting local crime is via the observation and vigilance of streetwise and aware members of our community.
Freeholders, Building Managers and Flat Owners need to take great care not to get caught up in an assured shorthold tenancy scam whereby the Tenant pays only one month’s rent, defaults and then advertises the property on a holiday letting website, pocketing all the proceeds. This often results in complaints from neighbours about noise, rubbish collection, unruly behaviour and damage to the building and, in extreme cases, the Flat being used for illegal purposes and/or vandalised. Several buildings in our area are currently under investigation. Others have been raided, cleared and boarded up, followed by arrests and prosecutions. Howsoever charming or beguiling the prospective Tenant may be, great circumspection is required.
Residents need to beware of fake Big Issue sellers on Cromwell Road at the entrance to the Gloucester Arcade. They are supplied by a gang with used copies of the Big Issue (homeless) magazine, with nearly all the proceeds going to the gang.
Also look out for mobile phone and handbag thieves operating in and around the pavement cafes and bars near Gloucester Road tube station: they are using subterfuge and concealment whilst customers are distracted socialising.
UP AND COMING COMMUNITY AND PRIVATE EVENTS
Filming in Cornwall Gardens – Netflix/Sister Pictures Drama Series – Saturday, 8 November (all day) and Sunday, 9 November 2025 (morning)
Your building should have received a letter in the last week or so with details of the upcoming use of the western end on the south side of Cornwall Gardens for filming, and other parts of Cornwall Gardens for associated support vehicles and lighting; and the temporary storage in the West Garden of film related equipment. The letter is attached, in case you missed it, explaining the procedure to be followed by the production company and the steps being taken to mitigate any negative effects on residents. The West Garden will be closed for the periods shown. Some pavements, roads and parking bays will be subject to temporary restrictions for access and use, as described in the letter. Notice of the suspended bays has already been given to permit holders in the regular weekly emails from RBKC.
The Cornwall Gardens Residents Association and Cornwall Gardens Garden Committee have negotiated a £15k compensation payment from the production company, to be split 50/50 between the Garden Committee and the Residents Association, to defray future costs. The Management Committee wishes to thank residents and garden key holders for their forbearance and goodwill in showing interest and support. There will be some disruption in the gardens, as detailed in the letter, for a maximum period of 48 hours. We have gone to considerable lengths to ensure that this is minimised.
Choir of the 21st Century - Requiem by Durufle, Organ Concerto by Poulenc and the Salisbury Cantata by Patrick Gowers on 15 November 2025 in St Stephen’s Church, Gloucester Road, London SW7 4RL
A reminder and message below from Philippa Dodds John of the Choir of the 21st Century. Francophones and French nationals may be particularly interested. If so, do please feel free to reach out to members of local French institutions you may have links with, and warmly invite them to come along!
“The new concert season is upon us. For the season of Remembrance. Duruflé’s Requiem is the lead work for our major orchestral event on 15 November together with Poulenc’s Organ Concerto and Patrick Gowers’ Salisbury Cantata, of whom more below.
Richard Gowers, our music director, writes:-
"This autumn we are putting on a special concert, a programme that is more ambitious in scale and cost than any in the last few seasons. Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem is the main part of the concert, a piece that is both exquisitely crafted and passionate, mixing a late French impressionist style with the modality of Gregorian chant. It will be performed in the version for choir, organ, strings and timpani. Matching that instrumentation, the Salisbury Cantata by Patrick Gowers will be sung in the first half of the concert. Patrick Gowers (my grandfather) was a BAFTA-winning composer who wrote the entire soundtrack for the 1980s adaptation of Sherlock Holmes that starred Jeremy Brett. He wrote an extensive output of church music, and the Salisbury Cantata was written for the Southern Choirs Festival in 1991. It follows a structure not dissimilar to that of a Bach cantata, based around a hymn tune (in this case an original one written by the composer) and sets both Psalm 139 and several 16th century metrical versions of that Psalm. The beginning of the concert features Poulenc’s Organ Concerto, again using strings, timpani and organ, which will offer a flamboyant opening number!”
We hope you can join us for this very special occasion. Booking via Eventbrite can be done via the QR code & link on the attached digital flyer, or directly using the link below:-
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/durufle-requiem-tickets-1811220121139
Also, Save the Dates! Diarise the following dates for later in the season - lovely programmes all at St Stephen’s.
7 February 2026: Rachmaninoff’s All Night Vigil, Op 37 (Vespers)
9 May 2026: The Merrie Month of May - Close Harmony & Folk songs
4 July 2026: An American programme, including Berstein’s Chichester Psalms
Looking forward to seeing you on 15 November
Best wishes
Philippa Dodds John
Email: philippa.john@rllj.com
www.cc21.org.uk”
The Queen’s Gate Ward Freedom Pass Dining Club – Autumn Supper on Tuesday, 18 November 2025 at 6 pm in Jakobs Restaurant, Gloucester Road, SW7 4RB
If you live in Queen’s Gate Ward and qualify or nearly qualify for a Freedom Pass, you are cordially invited to the Third Event of the Freedom Pass Dining Club (along with your companion or carer, if required) on Tuesday, 18 November 2025 at 6 pm for Dinner in Jakobs Restaurant, 20 Gloucester Road, SW7 4RB.
This Third Event is being hosted by Jakobs, and will comprise a three course supper with drinks and entertainment – see below for details.
The event is free of charge, courtesy of RBKC’s Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy Fund, and supported by the Cornwall Gardens Residents Association.
Tania and her team look forward to welcoming you to Jakobs for this Third Event of the Freedom Pass Dining Club.
In order to assist with numbers to be catered for, please, if at all possible, confirm your wish to attend beforehand by emailing alanlester1@btinternet.com or phoning him on 020 7937 5513.
Cornwall Gardens Building Representatives Forum, Thursday 27 November 2025 at 7 pm
The next meeting of the Forum will take place on Thursday 27 November 2026 at 7 pm in Flat 1, 74 Cornwall Gardens, SW7 4BA
The Agenda will be circulated to Building Representatives in due course.
The RBKC Mayor's Charity Christmas Carol Service and Reception, St Mary Abbot's Church, Kensington Church Street, W8 4LA on Wednesday, 10 December 2025 at 6.30 pm
Please see the invitation below with details of how to book your place.
The Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea,
Councillor Tom Bennett,
invites you to
The Mayor’s Charity Christmas Carol Service and Reception
on Wednesday 10th December 2025
in aid of London’s Air Ambulance Charity
Join us for an evening of Christmas carols and readings, including a special reading by Oscar-winning actor Jeremy Irons. Guests are warmly invited to stay afterwards for mince pies and mulled wine, kindly provided to round off the celebrations
Doors open at 6 p.m. to be seated by 6.20 p.m.
Service 6.30 - 7.30 p.m.
Festive Reception 7.30 - 8.30 p.m.
at St Mary Abbots Church, Kensington Church Street, London W8 4LA
Book your tickets via this website - Click Here
Please do extend this invitation to your friends and family
Thank you for supporting London’s Air Ambulance Charity
Shakespeare in the Squares – “Love’s Labour’s Lost”, Wednesday 24 June 2026
We look forward to welcoming back to Cornwall Gardens Shakespeare in the Squares for their 2026 production of Love’s Labour’s Lost. More details to follow in future bulletins and on our website.
John Varley
Chairman
Cornwall Gardens Committee & Residents Association
07775 552050
Alan Lester
Secretary
Cornwall Gardens Committee & Residents Association
07816 324335
