A 'Moving' Tale Of A Local Snapper
Popular Chiswick resident Ian Wylie has moved from W4
From steam trains to carol singers, sunrise on the river Thames to snow in Bedford Park, photojournalist Ian Wylie has been capturing the essence of Chiswick for over thirty years.
Along with fellow 'snapper' Jon Perry, the two have, for the past four years selected their best Chiswick images for the charity Chiswick calendar, which is always a sell-out, raising money for causes ranging from the St Michael & All Angels Organ Appeal, to the St Alban's Church 'Back to Life' campaign.
But all good things come to an end and with a heavy heart, Ian has said goodbye to neighbours in friends in W4, as he and wife Di packed their belongings last week and headed north to a new home in Northumberland.
Ian describes himself as "an exiled Geordie" but he has been a Chiswick stalwart for nearly forty years. Until October 2009 he was London Editor & TV Editor of the Manchester Evening News/MEN media. A TV specialist, he has written about television for the last thirty years, interviewing hundreds of stars along the way(including the last interview with Jill Dando, a week before she was murdered).
But apart from being an excellent writer, he has captured hundreds of amazing images, many featuring in the national media as well as on chiswickw4.com. Who can forget images like this one which features on the October page of the charity Chiswick Calendar?
October: Chiswick House Dawn Flight. Ian: “The morning light falling on the trees at Chiswick House and Gardens was quite breathtaking. I waited for several minutes, hoping the birds would take off from the lake. And they finally obliged.”
It's likely Ian will be making frequent forays back to London, to carry on interviewing cast members on drama sets, as well as the obvious attractions of the Bedford Park Festival and keeping in touch with friends.
Some quotes from Ian, made when they launched the 2016 Calendar, demonstrate his love for Chiswick and his love of photography.
“I’ve lived in Chiswick for 35 years so am a relative newcomer myself. In that time I have seen many changes in the place we all love. The ‘invasion’ of thousands of parakeets being just one. Let alone the prospect of more flights of a different kind should a third runway be approved at Heathrow.
“Our High Road of today is very different in composition to the one I first walked along in 1980. And those who have lived here for much longer can testify to even wider contrasts.
“The London Transport Chiswick Works at Gunnersbury, home of the Blue Peter skid pan, is now the 21st century Chiswick Business Park with very little sign of its previous life. A visitor from 35 years ago would be amazed at both the view and how jobs in their many thousands have returned to this site.
“As we approach 2016, the pace of planned future Chiswick developments has increased. Not all of it photogenic. Many are concerned it is going too far and threatens the character of our special part of the world. Others welcome these proposed ‘newcomers’ and argue they are all part of living in a vibrant part of west London.
“Whatever your view, I hope our selection of images for the 2016 calendar illustrates both how Chiswick has changed...and how it stays the same.”
You can still see Ian's photographs on his Flickr page.
April 14, 2016