Chiswick Wakes Up To Winter Wonderland

Overnight snow blankets W4 shutting schools and tube lines

Strand on the Green this morning. Picture: Alastair Hilton @London_W4

A blanket of snow covered the streets of Chiswick from Wednesday morning (28 February) giving delight to anyone who didn't need to travel to work and a huge headache to those that did.

The Met Office issued an amber warning which suggests there is a risk to life and property but amongst the show showers there was fine weather and in general shops and businesses stayed open despite the disruption. Some schools closed while others remained open throughout.

Signal failures on London Underground in the west of London brought chaos to local services on the first morning of snow. There were failures on the District Line at West Kensington and the Piccadilly Line at Acton Town. By Friday, the entire Hounslow Loop had been shut down.TfL set up a news alert on London Snow Twitter feed while news of travel disruption was carried on TfL travel alert

The borough's libraries remained open. Bins were collected in the Hounslow borough part of Chiswick although some residents in the Ealing Council part reported delays. The post continued and there was praise on our forum for those who carried on throughout the terrible weather.

There were no major problems on the roads other than would be expected given the conditions. Hounslow Highways said it had six gritters ready for action to prevent ice forming.

Serious snowfall events happen rarely, but when they come they cause widespread disruptiion. One of the worst was in 1947 when, from January 22nd to March 17th, snow fell every day somewhere in the UK! The winter of January 1963 was another cold one, with temperatures more than 5c below average over most of Wales, the Midlands and Southern England, and in some places, an amazing 7c below average.

We received lots of photos of snow scenes and will publish as many as we can. Please send them through to editor@chiswickw4.com.

A fox looks on in confusion near St. Nick's. Picture: James Rodgers

Looking east along Strand on the Green. Picture: Alastair Hilton @London_W4

RNLI volunteers keep everything shipshape despite the snow. Picture: Chiswick Pier Trust

Sunrise in Wolseley Gardens with Falcons Prep School in centre. Picture: Ben Schlesinger

A red ball of sun over Acton Common. Picture: Mike Abbott

Strand on the Green. Picture: Alan McBride

A beautifully frozen scene at Chiswick House - Jon Perry

Gunnersbury Triangle, Jon Perry - you can also see his photos on our forum

Whiteout. Picture: Anna Kunst

Intrepid Walkers in their red jackets in Chiswick House. Anna Kunst

March 4, 2018