Sheen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sheen is a place in southwest London nearby to Barnes, Roehampton and Putney to the east and Richmond to the west. It is commonly split into three areas, East Sheen, Temple Sheen, and North Sheen.
[edit] East Sheen
East Sheen is an affluent residential area home to many British celebrities such as Trevor Macdonald, John 'JT' Thompson, Debbie Harry, Matthew Williams, Davina McCall, Tim Henman, Lawrence Dallaglio and Mike Tindall. Its main high street is the Upper Richmond Road, which contains many high street shops and facilities, as well as small designer boutiques. Central to the area is a small square with a war memorial, and an old mile stone. The proximity to Sheen Gate of the vast Richmond Park means that houses in 'parkside' East Sheen, leading off Sheen Lane, a winding throughway leading from the Upper Richmond Road, are much in demand, and thus very expensive (often several million pounds). The most exclusive roads in this area, and indeed South West London, are near the park gates, Fife Road and Clare Lawn Avenue are well known for their charm, country-like feel and the architectural interest of the houses. Sheen Lawn Tennis Club is located on Fife Road and is very popular with local residents. Other facilities include Palewell Common, which has a playground, playing fields, a polo field, tennis courts and a pitch and putt course, and East Sheen Common; a separate wooded area and cricket pitch adjoining the park. There are a number of local schools, the main ones being Shene School, Sheen Mount and Tower House preparatory school.
Public transport is mainly London buses, as the nearest train stations are Mortlake, Barnes and North Sheen to the north, and the nearest Tube stations are East Putney, Kew Gardens station and Richmond. Buses run to, amongst other destinations, Hammersmith, Richmond and Putney.
It is part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Indeed the neighbouring area of Richmond was originally called Shene, before being renamed by King Henry VII after Richmond in Yorkshire.
[edit] Sheen in culture
According to H. G. Wells' book The War of the Worlds, Sheen was destroyed when the fifth Martian invasion cylinder impacted in the midst of the town. It was in these ruins that the book's narrator described the activities of the Martians.
