We live in ‘secret’ village in the heart of a city – we shun Tesco & Sainsbury’s for local shops instead & we love it
PEOPLE living in a “secret” village in the heart of a major city say they love shunning supermarket chains such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s for local shops instead.
Homeowners have been praising the charms of Barnes, tucked away in the south-west of otherwise-bustling UK capital London.
They enjoy buying not from major retail giants but instead independent stores such as a butcher’s, a fishmonger’s and a bakery.
The area known and marketed by estate agents as Barnes Village is a conservation area featuring homes from the 18th and 19th centuries.
It has been hailed for providing a “proper village community” spirit.
Among the local stores is Parish Bakery, in Barnes since 1950.
Two of the people working there, 54-year-old Elaine and Daniela, 30, were full of warmth for their surroundings.
Elaine told MyLondon: “It’s a nice place with nice people around – it’s like a little village for families.”
Barnes Village’s 300m-long high street offers other independent traders including barbers, estate agents, jewellers, restaurants and a wine shop.
Another long-lasting store is Barnes Fish Shop, which has been operating for the past three decades.
Alan Marshall, 27, who works there, described the area as “just beautiful – everyone likes it”.
His colleague Chelsea Smith, 28, told of a “renaissance” since the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown – with more people now spurning major chains and wanting “to buy local and to buy fresh”.
Valentina Keen, who runs 45-year-old business The Real Cheese Shop, spoke of the village’s “nice, understated community”.
The village also has a substantial Swedish population, and also offers a specialist Swedish shop and The Swedish School which moved to Barnes from central London in the 1970s.
Headteacher Jenny Abrahamsson hailed the area’s “lovely high street” as well as other virtues such as being “quiet”, “leafy” and “a safe area”.
She said: “You have the benefit of being in a large city but at the same time have the kind of village feeling.”
A study previously found Barnes had the largest proportion of independent shops of any area across the UK.
The area also boasts Olympic Studios, now back to its original use as a cinema but with a recording studio used by some of the world’s biggest music acts.
The Beatles worked on their 1967 single “All You Need Is Love” there.
Others who have recorded at Olympic include frequent visitors the Rolling Stones as well as David Bowie, Madonna and Adele.
Locals told earlier this year of their delight mingling with celebs visiting Barnes when shooting shows such as comedy series Taskmaster at a house on nearby Chiswick Bridge.
There has also been filming for Disney+ dramas, with actors such as Ashley Walters and Stephen Graham spotted.
Another south-west London village where independent traders prove popular – including with tennis stars such as Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal – is Wimbledon.
In northern England, Tarporley in Cheshire has been acclaimed by locals as one of the country’s best villages and “a shopper’s paradise”.
Meanwhile, picturesque Suffolk countryside village Lavenham was recently rated Britain’s most stylish place to live.
A survey of 5,000 people put Morpeth in Northumberland second, followed by Selborne in Hampshire.