Barnes is surrounded by water from the Thames to parts of the East, North and West, with lots of open green spaces, pretty houses, atmospheric pubs, independent shops and ofcourse the duck pond in the centre of the village. Barnes sits on the southbank of the river Thames. Once it was a small rural village in the County of Surrey. Today they are a part of suburban London, lying to the west of the city, about six miles distant from Hyde Park Corner. The area is essentialy residential in character, with a high proportion of good quality, low-density housing, mostly owner-occupied. There is a generous acreage of common and open space within its borders. It is a pleasant place to live, and well paced for daily commuting to inner London. Barnes occupies around 902 acres. It is bounded on the west by Mortlake, and to the east and south by Putney; the land boundaries, unchanged for centuries, are White Heart Lane, Putney Lower Common and the north side of the Upper Richmond Road. The northern boundary is the Thames. From earliest time , the river was of vital importance to Barnes for transport, communication and fishing. the presence of a major route to and from London , literally on the doorstep, gave early opportunities for trading with the capital; and as London grew the opportunities increased. In the seventeenth century market gardening began in Barnes in response to the growing demands of the London market. At the same time the first of a number of small industries appeared on the riverside at Mortlake, sited as close as possible to the Thames - a natural highway for raw materials and finished goods. From: Barnes and Mortlake Past by Maisie Brown