Kew and Brentford are not so much separated by the River Thames as connected through it. The existence from the earliest times of a ford here – the lowest point on the tidal stretch of the great river that could easily be crossed on foot – meant many travellers have passed through down the centuries.
Perhaps the most famous was Julius Caesar, who is believed to have crossed from what is now Kew to Brentford during his invasion of Britain in 54 BC, and did battle with the native Cassivellaunus here.
However, the two towns, connected by Kew Bridge, are very different from each other. Kew is a leafy middle-class suburb universally known for its Royal Botanic Gardens, often called, simply, Kew Gardens. Brentford has historically been a far grittier place, a mix of docks and factories. In the 1970s it briefly entered the national consciousness thanks to Brentford Nylons, a purveyor of static-charged sheets and polycotton nighties.
All that has changed in recent years. Since they joined the Premier League in 2021, Brentford is best known for its very successful football team. The area has also seen enormous rejuvenation, with riverside apartments steadily replacing the wharfs and warehouses.
With both Brentford and Kew, there is much more to be revealed, and many more stories to tell, about these two mis-matched towns.