Anne Naysmith (1937 – 2015, AKA “The Rag Lady of Chiswick”)
The Steeple Times
A former concert pianist who once played at the Wigmore Hall, Anne Naysmith began sleeping in her blue Ford Consul at the age of 39 after being evicted from her Chiswick flat and having been jilted by a lover. Somewhat akin to Alan Bennett’s Miss Shepherd from The Lady in the Van, the local council put a stop to that in 2002 and in the time since she lived in a shelter she built in a car park at Stamford Brook Station. That was pulled down in December 2014 and tragically she was then killed after being hit by a lorry in February 2015. She was well known for having refused all offers of charity and accommodation and will be missed by many.
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