The editor of the Hounslow and Brentford Times has confirmed the closure of the 115 year-old paper.
The title, an edition of the Richmond and Twickenham Times, published its last issue on Friday along with a second edition of the weekly paper, The Chiswick Times.
News of the paper’s likely closure emerged earlier this month, but was only confirmed by editor Helen Barnes on Friday who said owner Newsquest had “reluctantly” taken the decision to close the editions after a “lengthy review”.
In posting on the Hounslow and Brentford Times website, Barnes said to compensate the Richmond and Twickenham Times would start to distribute an extra 10,000 copies in its West London patch.
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Despite the print closure, the website hbtimes.co.uk will continue to publish news stories on the area.
Barnes stated: “We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our loyal readers and advertisers for their support over the years. For more than a century the Hounslow and Brentford Times has brought readers the news that matters.
“From its early days reporting events, including the death of King Edward VII and the national display of mourning to the recent elections, the paper has strived to serve its community.”
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The first edition of the paper – then known as The Chiswick Times – was published on March 29, 1895, priced one penny.
After several name changes through its history, the paper assumed its current title two years ago when, as one of the few remaining regional broadsheet newspapers, it became a tabloid.
It then also launched a separate Chiswick edition – referring to its origins by calling it The Chiswick Times.
According to figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulation, the Richmond and Twickenham Times recorded a total circulation of 51,000, a mixture of paid-for and free distribution, in the second half of last year. The Hounslow and Brentford Times edition contributed a circulation of 1,410 copies to the total.
The closure will leave the Trinity Mirror-owned Hounslow Chronicle as the main local paper in the patch.
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