Forum Topic

Cherry Blossom

As a person who was born in a house owned by Chiswick Products Ltd and the son of an employee of the same company who  was employed by the company for about 44 years, I am disappointed that in all the articles that I have seen, there is no mention of the fact that the original cherry blossom trees were planted by the company in connection with their most famous product - Cherry Blossom shoe polish.

Ronald Mark Penn ● 2051d34 Comments

Interesting to hear this Ronald as I never knew this was the case. I stupidly always assumed the company was named after the trees that had already been there.

Colin Wren ● 2051d

Hello RonLots of original families have moved away from the area, although I had an interesting video conversation with a lady who lives in Chiswick Lane before Christmas.Most of all her family had jobs at Chiswick Products, in those days you left school and headed to Chiswick Products for a job. but someone like her is a rarity in Chiswick.I can remember the Gardener Jack Murray planted the eight cherry trees at the beginning of the the new company’s flats, in Staveley Gardens. Two had to be cut down and the local paper took a photo of him sitting on the tree stump of one trees he planted.I often wonder if the people that look after the trees in Staveley Road even know of there heritage, be interested to find out.Nice to hear from you

Bernard Allen ● 2051d

I know one of the people instrumental in organising the Blossom Festival so I’ll let her know about this thread.

Lucy Chambers ● 2051d

Apparently some of the Staveley Road CB trees were damaged by the V2 Bomb in September 1944 and had to be replaced. The "younger" of the current trees are identifiable.

Jim Lawes ● 2050d

It looks to me as if there is only one of the original cherry trees left from the size of its trunk. It is at the Burlington Lane end on the left hand side looking towards Sutton Court Road.

Susan Jennifer Thackray ● 2050d

I grew up in a village in the North in which the main employer manufacturered  bricks and breeze blocks. It was called OuchBloodyHell.

Simon Temple ● 2050d

Cherry tree lifespan is quite short so would be surprised if there were any surviving old timers from the 1940's.

Jonathan Simpson ● 2050d

Thank you, I never knew about that. I found a site that has a history of the Chiswick Polish Company but not as far as I could see any mention of the Staveley Road trees. https://www.blancoandbull.com/boot-cleaning/the-cherry-blossom-story/

Allan Cousens ● 2050d

We still have four Cherry Trees that were planted by Jack Murray the company’s gardener in the early sixties, so they are filthy to sixty years old.The trees are at the entrance to the company’s retirement flats in Staveley Gardens, which would have been near to the entrance to the Cherry Blossom factory.Have a look at this website for more info on the company http://Chiswickpolish.homestead.com

Bernard Allen ● 2050d

As a member of the Blossom Day Steering group I know that we have discussed the Cherry blossom link on two or three occasions. If anyone has any definitive information about this we would be pleased to hear from you.Many local residents know that Dan Mason, the entrepreneur and public philanthropist behind the Cherry Blossom business, built 50 semi-detached homes for his workforce in Staveley Gardens. However, there seems to be no evidence of a similar connection with Staveley Road. We would be more than happy to be proved wrong. Where is Alice Roberts when you need her?

Cllr Sam Hearn ● 2050d

The original cherry trees were planted in Staveley Gardens which was the group of houses that were built to house some of the Chiswick Products (Cherry Blossom Shoe Polish) employees.

Ronald Mark Penn ● 2050d

I can only presume that someone liked the look of the cherry trees at Staveley Gardens and started to plant some down Staveley Road. I have a collection of the Chiswick Products magazines. When I get a chance, I will look through them to see if I can find information about the cherry trees

Ronald Mark Penn ● 2050d

The Cherry trees were planted at the entrance to the company’s retirement flats built in 1960 in Staveley Gardens, and four are still standing today.http://chiswickpolish.homestead.com/anewhome.html

Bernard Allen ● 2050d

But according to the story, Queen Mary used to divert down Staveley Road  to see the Cherry blossom on her way back to Windsor. That would have been in the 1930s, not the 40s.

Susan Jennifer Thackray ● 2050d

Here's one I never knew until 5 minutes ago..Dandy Nichols – Alf Garnett's brilliant “silly old moo” in Till Death Us Do Part, started out as a secretary at Chiswick's Cherry Blossom factory - only leaving to risk treading the boards in 1936 when she was nearly thirty years old...

Stuart Kerr ● 2050d

Queen Mary passed away aged 88 in 1953 and so may well have visited Staveley Road in the late 40s and early 50s. But I don't really know even though I lived near there in those times.The Queen Mother was certainly in the area during those years.I recall her waving at me as she was stuck in a traffic jam on CHR.

Jim Lawes ● 2050d

And now Hounslow council have have manage to make what was once photographers delight into a eyesore with traffic diversion cones.down the middle of Staveley Road.

Sean Crawford ● 2050d

There are many stories about various female royal personages visiting Staveley Road to see the cherry trees in bloom. These stories may be true but we have been unable to identify any reliable source for them.  We have even contacted the Royal Household and, not surprisingly, they have politely refused to confirm or deny the story.However I think we can all agree that our cherry blossoms are fit for a Queen (or Queen Mother).

Cllr Sam Hearn ● 2049d

Certainly in the 50s and 60s the Queen Mother supposedly visited Staveley Road every year to see the trees in blossom. She also visited 5 gardens in West London put forward by the Royal Horticultural Society and one year (1959 I think) she came to ours in Church Street.  Huge hooha with her equeries, ladies-in-waiting, the Mayor, loads of police, crowds of people...very exciting for a child kept off school for the day.

Viv Griffiths ● 2049d

The name "Cherry Blossom" was chosen by the Masonbrothers supposedly as a result of the cherry blossom, for which the nearby Chiswick House was famed.Edward VII as Prince of Wales leased Chiswick House, and George V as a boy played there and tended a small garden plot. Queen Mary his wife was a frequent visitor to Chiswick House and presumably will have enjoyed the cherry blossom.*Whether she would have made a detour to see a few more cherry trees in nearby Staveley Road is maybedebatable.* Apparently she was most enthusiastic about Chiswick House's famed  camelias.  (So it could have been "Camelia Polish" instead) However *if* cherry blossom came into the equation then it was most likely that it was the cherry blossom at Chiswick House which will have been the main attraction, michael adams...

Michael Adams ● 2049d

Gillian Clegg (RIP) the renowned local historian and author mentions that the Cherry Blossom brand was launched in 1906 just 4 years before Edward VII died. I presume that at that time Staveley Road didn't exist...being part of Grove Park Farm.During his stay at Chiswick the Prince of Wales probably nipped down to watch the cricket at the Chiswick Park Sports Ground ( on the current St Thomas's Estate. He had an eye for the ladies an no doubt preferred to watch the Ladies Tennis there.Yes: it's the Chiswick House blossoms that were famed first perhaps.

Jim Lawes ● 2049d

Two small Paragraphs from The Memoirs of a Masonian by A.T. Brooks  In those days the Tinshop and Printing Departments were adjoining each other, underneath what is now the Nugget Department, and at present used as a Tin Store.  A comparison with the Printing Department at the Great Chertsey Road Factory shows that rapid strides have been made.  "Cherry Blossom" had not arrived at that time.  Floral names played a prominent part in those days in this line of business.  We had "Red Poppy" and "Primrose" soft-soaps, "Forget-me-not" furniture polish, "Buttercup" metal polish and finally "Cherry Blossom Boot Polish". Early in 1905 the first factory experiments in the manufacture of boot polish were started and frequently my painting work was interrupted to assist in these experiments.  These were stirring times with myself as the chief stirrer!  "Cherry Blacking" failed to get registered by that name but "Cherry Blossom Boot Polish" was sanctioned.Rest of Memoirs on this linkhttp://chiswickpolish.homestead.com/tmoam1.html

Bernard Allen ● 2049d

A.T.Brooks, the man who wrote "Memoirs of a Masonian" was a chemist in the Chiswick Products laboratory when I was a laboratory assistant after leaving school and before I joined the Royal Navy.On another subject, I can remember as a six years old boy, watching from our home in the old Georgian house "Hawthorns" at 5 Burlington Lane, to see the Prince of Wales pass by with a mounted escort of the Horse Guards on his way to open the new Chiswick Bridge.

Ronald Mark Penn ● 2045d

What a lovely memory to have Ronald. Thank's for sharing it.I wonder which monarch will be on the throne to reopen  Hammersmith Bridge, probably  King William  at the rate they are going.

Adrian Irving ● 2045d

You are optimistic possibly King George VII

Chris Dakers ● 2045d

President Johnson

Jonathan Simpson ● 2045d

Chris, that will be the second reopening when they discover the first repairs, which cost hundreds of millions of tax payers money was actually done on the cheap!

Adrian Irving ● 2045d

The perfect blossom is a rare thing. You could spend your life looking for one, and it would not be a wasted life.

Craig David Mcdowell ● 2044d

Followers of this thread by be interested in this linkhttp://blossomdayw4.org.uk/history/There is reference to an article in a 1971 edition of the Chiswick and Brentford Times where it was stated"the trees were planted to commemorate the Borough of Brentford and Chiswick being granted its charter by a Mr. Collier, the foreman at Chiswick House Grounds."Another C&BT article from 1992 records that "local residents raised £1,220 to purchase and plant 17 young flowering cherry trees."Daniel Goldsmith has put a lot of work into this.

Cllr Sam Hearn ● 2039d

Anyone know when these Chiswick cherry trees will be in full bloom?  Or have we missed it?  A few were out in Kew Gardens yesterday - but most not yet..Ta  x

Stuart Kerr ● 2036d

Antrobus Road is looking very blossomy  this week  - cherry blossom and a couple of spectacular magnolia trees too.

Stewart Jones ● 2036d

Ta muchly Stewart..I strolled over this arvo as advised...  (an area I know well and full of friends)...Blossoms good..  similar to Rothschild..  Speldhurst looking great too.  Still wanna check Grove Park..Gardener's wisdom holds that glorious magnolia and camelia shrub/trees are perfect/ideal....  especially for next-door neighbours...

Stuart Kerr ● 2036d

Forsythia too. Lovely for a brief moment then (IMO)  a let down for the rest of the year. Camélias seem to do very well. Two lovely specimens in our garden.

Stewart Jones ● 2036d

Stuart, this evening's passeggiata on Staveley revealed the first signs of the blossoming of the cherries. Worth a trip soon I think.

Paul Campbell ● 2033d