Earlsfield on the brink of a facelift

Readers of the FT online might have caught this nostalgic piece on Earlsfield in the shadow of major changes to the stadium.

"Walking these acres, you catch glimpses of its older, subsumed selves everywhere you look. On Wandsworth Common you can stand beneath trees Thomas Hardy would have known in their youths when he lived around the corner (his house is now four flats, of course, a loft extension to go with the blue plaque, all replete with prices that make them irrelevant to a writer of my generation)."

More about Thomas Hardy's house in this Telegraph article. He lived on Trinity Road from 1878-1881, a fact I can't believe I never knew.

I presume the article's author, Barney Norris, is a local resident, from his fond mention of Turn The Pages and Garratt Green. According to his agent he is a "critically acclaimed playwright, poet and author", and his debut novel is out in April. Clearly there are hidden literary depths to SW18: Hardy, Louis de Bernières (briefly resident on Garratt Lane) and now Norris.

Read the full piece online.