Sword Wielding Celebrities and the Hitman Next Door
The most read stories on ChiswickW4.com during 2018
Will Smith in Le Vacherin Picture: Instagram
It was a sword wielding Hollywood star rather than a knife wielding robber that was the subject of this site's most popular story of 2018.
Will Smith joining his pal Idris Elba in Chiswick's Le Vacherin restaurant to try out Sabrage attracted the highest number of readers but there was an eclectic range of other articles in our top twenty stories of the year.
While crime related pieces feature quite heavily, more upbeat stories were also popular with an update on the cinema on the High Road the third most read. In 2017 one of the articles we published on the cinema topped the list. The merest glimpse of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle travelling along Chiswick High Road on their way to their wedding was enough to get our readers excited.
The strange tale of how Andrew Newton, the alleged 'hitman' in the events that led to the downfall of Liberal Party leader, Jeremy Thorpe, was living openly in Chiswick, saw a high level of interest.
As ever items on local restaurants opening and closing brought high readership numbers. Our story about the plan to call the new restaurant on the Carvosso's site the Harlot was the most popular one on this subject just as last year's article on the closure had been. The owners of the restaurant have since decided to call the new establishment The Crown.
A number of transport related stories also feature although, perhaps surprisingly, no item on Cycle Superhighway 9 is in the top twenty.
Property items are also less prevalent in the list than they have been in previous years when on occasions they were the most read stories.
It was another banner year for ChiswickW4.com with over 2 million visits to the site and 15 million pages viewed during 2018.
CGI of the 'Chiswick Lane' Picturehouse plan
| Rank | Story |
| 1 | Will Smith Wields Sword at Chiswick Restaurant |
| 2 | Teen Stabbed Inside Chiswick Park Tube Station Owner of local business helped injured victim after he was attacked |
| 3 | Work To Start On Chiswick Cinema 'Within Weeks' The cinema will set up a Founder Members' scheme shortly |
| 4 | Man Stabbed After Fight Breaks Out On Chiswick High Road Dispute involving group of males started outside Luna Café |
| 5 | Chiswick School Headteacher Resigns Shock departure of Philip Masterson after less than a year in the job |
| 6 | Woman Seriously Injured on Turnham Green Terrace Road closed after collision on zebra crossing near tube station |
| 7 | Meghan and Harry Travel Through Chiswick on Way to Wedding Royal couple's convoy spotted on the High Road |
| 8 | Jeep Driver Smashes His Way Along Chiswick Street Man arrested after 'carnage' in Grove Park damages seven cars |
| 9 | Man Found Critically Injured On Chiswick High Road Road closed as police investigate what happened to him |
| 10 | Major Reorganisation of Local Tube Services Planned District line to be switched for Piccadilly on Ealing Broadway branch |
| 11 | Fury As Entire Road Gets Parking Tickets Parking wardens swoop during confusion over street cleansing |
| 12 | The Harlot On The High Road Henry Harris speaks exclusively to us about the new restaurant on the Carvosso's site |
| 13 | Yet More Bad News for Chiswick Bus Users Route 94 to be shortened and frequencies to be decreased on E3 and 391 |
| 14 | Woman Sexually Assaulted in Chiswick Alleyway Attack took place in the passage between Barnes Bridge and Chiswick station |
| 15 | Jeremy Thorpe Case 'Hitman' Lived Openly in Chiswick for Years Police reopen investigation after discovering Andrew Newton was still alive |
| 16 | Double Digit Fall In Chiswick Property Prices Latest sales show big decrease in number of W4 'property millionaires' |
| 17 | Regeneration of 'Shabby' Part of High Road Looks Set To Start Gym and health food cafe plans opening under Empire House site |
| 18 | Clean-Up Begins After Serious Flooding Near Ravenscourt Park Firefighters rescue stranded residents and diners in dinghies |
| 19 | Smokehouse Is Now The Queen's Head |
| 20 | Moped Thieves Target Shoppers In Sainsbury's Car Park Smashing car windows and escaping under the barriers during the evenings |
December 30, 2018