Not the former England footballer but the former department store next to Finchley Road tube. John Barnes was a rambling, old fashioned store with a wonderful food hall in the basement. It was the hub of the Viennese Jewish community who’d fled the Nazis and settled around West Hampstead and Swiss Cottage. As a child, I was fascinated by these gentle, cultured but often sorrowful people. Some lived in the elegant 1930s apartment block above the store which, as you approached on the top of the No.13 bus, looked just like an ocean liner. Jewish musicians would then clamber on with their cellos and trombones to go and play at Wigmore Hall and it all seemed terribly exotic. The ground floor of John Barnes is now a Waitrose and those old residents have died off. But still, whenever I go there, this tune will start playing in my head.
I’ve always loved John Barnes.

- Yesterday was...28th Jan 2015
- Go and see Wh...27th Jan 2015
- A Greek trage...26th Jan 2015
- Burns Night.25th Jan 2015
- Oh, the roman...24th Jan 2015
- How rock'n'Ro...23rd Jan 2015
- Hooray! It's ...22nd Jan 2015
- So no more Pa...21st Jan 2015
- Gudbuy T'Deir...20th Jan 2015
- Boom boom boo...18th Jan 2015
- Happy birthda...17th Jan 2015
- I've suddenly...16th Jan 2015
- And talking o...15th Jan 2015
- Romeo & Julie...14th Jan 2015
- Happy Birthda...13th Jan 2015 prev next