Hanwell
Encyclopedia
Hanwell is a town situated in the London Borough of Ealing
in west London
, between Ealing
and Southall
. The motto of Hanwell Urban District Council was Nec Aspera Terrent (Not Deterred by Difficulties). Nec Aspera Terrent is also the motto of Drayton Manor High School.
) pawned his land for money to go on a pilgrimage
. The origin of the name is uncertain; various suggestions have been put forward.
Near to the old Rectory
and close to Hanwell spring is a
large stone of about a ton in weight. the Anglo-Saxon
s had the word Han to denote a boundary stone. This juxtaposition of these two natural features could have given rise to the name Han-well which dates back to before the Domesday Book
.
The original borders of the parish
stretched from the bend of the River Brent
at Greenford
and followed the river all the way down to the River Thames
, yet it is only just over 3,000 ft wide along the east-west line of the Uxbridge Road
. Its geography, before the draining of the marsh
es, formed a natural boundary between the different tribes of the south east of England. This gives some support to another suggestion that Han came from the Saxon han for cockerel. So perhaps Hanne – welle be derived from Han-créd -welle. The other sounds being dropped (see: Elision
) to make it easier to say and a touch more euphonic. Han-créd or rather the modern synonym
cock-crow was a term used until recently in both town and country to signify the border between night and day, and is neither one nor the other. In other word Hanwell may mean well upon the boundary. For more see: River Brent: Hydronymy.
Lastly it is worth noting that the only other Hanwell in Britain is also a small parish on the very edge of Oxfordshire
where forms the boundary with Warwickshire
.
(then known as the Oxford Road) was turnpiked
between Uxbridge
and Tyburn
in 1714. The revenue from tolls
enabled an all-weather metaled
road surface of compacted gravel to be laid down.
This constant movement of people along the road, brought about the establishment of coaching inns along the road as it crossed the River Brent
and passed through the parish
of Hanwell. In these inns, travellers could stable their horses, place their carts or goods in safe storage and secure board and lodgings for themselves overnight.
The first inn on crossing the River Brent
is The Viaduct which is on the north side. Named after the Wharncliffe Viaduct
, its original name was the Coach and Horses. At the back of the pub, some of the original stable
building can be seen, dating to about 1730. Early in the 20th century, The Viaduct received a new faïence
façade which Nikolaus Pevsner
succinctly described as "a jolly tiled Edwardian pub". Unfortunately, today the profusion of street furniture detracts somewhat from the original impact that these rich mid-browns and mid-cream glazed tiles gave the building.
Next was the Duke of Wellington, which lay approximately 400m closer to London
on the southern side of the road, roughly opposite the old Hanwell Police Station
. However, this had been demolished by the 1920s and was not rebuilt.
Further east still and back across on the north side of the Uxbridge Road
at the junction of Hanwell Broadway is the Duke of York. This became an important staging point for stagecoach
es on their way between Oxford
and London. Established in the 18th century, it has been subsequently rebuilt in the Tudorbethan style
.
The next pub occupies the site of what was probably the very first inn
to be established on the Oxford Road as it ran through Hanwell and is known today as the Kings Arms. It lies on the south side of the road. It was original called the Spencer Arms, after Edward Spencer, who was Lord of the Manor
of Boston during the Civil War
. In the 18th century, the Manor Courts hearings were transferred here from Greenford
, then later transferred to the Viaduct Inn. However, the present building dates back to 1930 when it was rebuilt by brewers Mann, Crossman & Paulin in the Arts & Crafts
style. Though unexciting on the outside, its interior is still today, a fine example of this type of architecture and CAMRA has even placed it in its National Inventory of Pub Interiors of Outstanding Historic Interest. The lower half of the exterior walls decorated with green faïence whose faces are brick sized. These tiles also extend to cover the stallriser of the shop to the immediate right. This is because originally, this shop was built to serve as the Off-licence premises.
Gradually, retail stores and shops started to fill the gaps between these inns to take advantage of the passing trade brought by this important route into and out of the city. During the Victorian period
, the village to the north of the Uxbridge Road
began to slowly expand to the south of the road. Toward the southern end of Green Lane (the old toll-free drover
s route into the city) is The Fox public house. The Fox has been named West Middlesex Pub of the Year in 2005, 2007, 2010 and 20011. Built in 1848 it is a largely unspoilt and original mid-Victorian
pub. It has received a 'local listing' from Ealing Council as a building of local interest. It is constructed out of local golden yellow brick with more expensive red bricks used for detailing on corners and chimneys. Rich brown glazed tiles are used for the ground floor exterior walls with coloured stained glass in the fan lights. The upper story has Mock Tudor detailing, including dentil
s on the two outward-facing gable
s. Most of the interior is also original, although the dividing walls between bars and off-licence sales have been taken out to create one large bar area. The present day eating area retains its original wooden wall panelling. On the east of the building itself is a very sheltered beer garden
, so food and drink can be enjoyed inside or out. The Fox was the meeting place for the local fox hunt until the 1920s
. The hunt would set off across Hanwell Heath, much of which still existed at that time. Today however, it is more usual to stand at the bar in the early evening and watch foxes strolling by quite unfazed by the punters supping their pints of real ale at the tables and benches out front.
and so actually in the precinct of Norwood Green
, the Middlesex County Lunatic Asylum was commonly referred to as the Hanwell Asylum
because it was closer to the centre of Hanwell than either Norwood or Southall. The asylum
was opened in 1831 to house pauper lunatics. In 1937 it was renamed St Bernard's Hospital by which it is still known today. Built on some of its former grounds to the east is Ealing Hospital. Most of the original asylum still remains, with over half having been turned into flats and the rest remaining as a psychiatric hospital
. The most interesting parts are the chapel
and an entrance arch, visible from the Uxbridge Road
. Within the grounds of Hanwell Asylum, on the west side of the main block, was a small isolation hospital.
The hospital
was remarkable as one of its physicians, John Conolly
, 1794–1866, was progressive in the treatment of patients and avoided the use of restraints. A memorial garden dedicated to him is at the junction of Station Road with Connolly Road. The hospital did have a museum housed in its chapel, but this collection has now been broken up and relocated. It included many items ranging from patient registers, reports and a large assortment of medical equipment, including a padded cell
, consisting of a wooden framework with padded door, walls and floor, but no ceiling.
Within the boundary of Hanwell proper, there were three more asylums. These were all private. The first one recorded, was Popes House, which admitted its first patient (it is thought) in 1804.
Later, Elm Grove House in Church Road was turned into an asylum by Susan Wood. Her husband was the brother of Mrs Ellis, the wife of William Ellis, the first superintendent of Hanwell Asylum. The East India Company
took over Elm Grove in 1870 and renamed it the Royal India Asylum. It closed in 1892.
Another local asylum was Lawn House, the home and privately-run asylum of Dr John Conolly, which he opened after retiring as superintendent of Hanwell Asylum. After his death in 1866, it was taken over by his son-in-law Henry Maudsley
who ran it until 1874.
Down Green Lane and on the west side was the old Hanwell Cottage Hospital, which was named The Queen Victoria and War Memorial Hospital. This was built in 1900 and paid for by public subscription and run on voluntary contributions until the creation of the NHS
in 1948. In 1979 it was replaced by Ealing District General Hospital, on the other side of the River Brent
. The southern Portland stone and brick pier of the cottage hospital's entrance, bearing the inscription HANWELL was preserved as a permanent reminder of Hanwell's first hospital. The two original Edwardian street lamps outside the entrance were also preserved, but then mysteriously disappeared, causing enquiries to be made.
is the original ancient parish church. The present church structure was built in 1841. As such, it stands as one of George Gilbert Scott
's very early churches, executed in the style of Gothic Revival, and consists of masoned white limestone
and gault brickwork, with flint-rubble and mortar panels. Scott himself later condemned his work of this period as "a mass of horrors". However, the famous painter William Frederick Yeames
, who at one time was its churchwarden, is thought to have done the wall paintings in the chancel
.
Perhaps the most famous rector
was Dr. George H. Glasse; he has a memorial place in his memory in St. Mary's Churchyard (Grade II). Still surviving is the home he had built for him nearby in 1809. It is executed in the style of cottage orné and named The Hermitage (Grade II). Nikolaus Pevsner
described it thus: "a peach of an early c19 Gothic
thatched cottage with two pointed windows, a quatrefoil
, and an ogee
arched door, all on a minute scale. Inside, an octagonal hall and reception room".
In latter years another well-known rector was Fred Secombe
(brother of Harry Secombe
). Since leaving and moving back to Wales
, he has become a prolific author.
No archaeological evidence has been found so far, to show that any church existed here earlier than shown in written records. However, due to its commanding topographical
position, which enables the distinctive broach spire
to be seen from many miles away, it has been suggested that this may have been a pagan
place of worship long before Christianity
reached this part of the world. There is however, no evidence to support this theory. An early supporter of this hypothesis
was Sir Montagu Sharpe KC DL, a local historian and a member of the Society of Antiquaries
. (In nearby Northolt
, the parish church, which is also on high ground, has had much evidence found around it of past occupation by the beaker people.)
was designed by architect
Edward Maufe
in preparation for his work on Guildford Cathedral
and includes a sculpture by Eric Gill
.
The church building is an imposing Gothic style building of the Edwardian period situated on a busy cross roads in the heart of Hanwell. It was designed by the office of Sir Arthur Blomfield
in 1909, built by Messrs J Dorey & Co of Brentford and consecrated by the Bishop of London, Rt Rev Arthur Winnington-Ingram
in March 1910. It is a landmark building with a distinctive gable end housing three recently restored bells.
The parish was formed in 1908 and lay between the railway and Elthorne Park, thus including St Mark's as a chapel of ease. While St Mark's would continue in this fashion as a subsidiary church for the parish, it was clear that a new, bigger parish church was needed and so Sir Arthur Blomfield
was commissioned to design it. With a capacity of 800 people it was designated St Mellitus
, the name probably derived from the legend, propagated by Sir Montagu Sharpe, the Middlesex historian, that Mellitus, Bishop of the East Saxons, was instrumental in the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons of Hanwell. Funds for the new church were raised from the sale of Holy Trinity in Gough Square
in the city of London.
In 1980, with the retirement of the then vicar of St Mark's, the two parishes were merged, now known as St Mellitus with St Mark's.
Carrying the Great Western Railway
across the River Brent
, the Wharncliffe Viaduct
was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel
by just over 53 feet (16.2 m) and has been designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument
by English Heritage
. At the top of the flight of locks towards Norwood Green
is the Three Bridges
designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel
. It is still often referred to locally as simply Windmill Bridge and is very close to the spot where the eponymous windmill once stood; attracting the attention of a local Brentford
artist named Joseph Mallard William Turner. These are actually within the boundary of Southall
but are named after the local village of Hanwell, which is much closer than either of the villages of Norwood or Southall
.
. By far its most famous resident was Charlie Chaplin
who lived at the school from June 1896 until January 1898.
The school was closed in 1933 but parts of it remain standing, and it is in use as the Hanwell Community Centre. The Community Centre was used as a location in the film Billy Elliot
. It has been declared a Grade II listed building by English Heritage
but its future is uncertain.
as a recreation ground in 1931 from Sir Montagu Sharpe (1856–1942), who had lived in Brent Lodge since 1884. The lodge itself, by then dilapidated, was demolished. The original stable block remains and is Grade II listed.
For many years the park served as a 9 hole golf course requiring no more than a small driver and a putt which could be hired together with a ball from a kiosk. Small boys would supplement their pocket money by retrieving lost balls from the river.
Another attraction was a large wired enclosure, within which unwanted pet rabbits (and tortoises, guinea pigs etc.,) were given a new home. This inevitably led to it getting the nickname 'Bunny Park', which is still how some locals refer to it today. Later, the animal collection became more exotic as it began to receive and house imported animals that remained unclaimed after their period of compulsory quarantine
had expired. Better enclosures were built and it has now become a small zoo and is a recognized member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA)
.
The park has a modern and well-equipped children's playground. Clearly visible on Google Earth
are the 2,000 yew trees which have been planted to create the Millennium
Maze. The entrance to the park is at the south-west side of St Mary's Church at the end of Church Road.
The park also has a coffee shop and a children's play area
down to Hanwell. In this river valley, there is also the Brent Valley Golf Club
clock tower
on Hanwell Broadway was unveiled on 7 May 1937 in celebration of the coronation of King George VI
. The mayor
at the time, Frederick Woodward, said "I consider Hanwell one of the finest gateways to the city of London
, and I cannot think of a more fitting place for the clock
".
stone which is displayed at the entrance.
For the local people today, the London Borough of Ealing offers interments in Hortus Cemetery, Southall
and Greenford Park Cemetery, Greenford
.
has given it a Grade II listing. Whilst it might have been grand in its day, today it could be easily overlooked and is in a poor state of disrepair.
It had become badly overgrown but recently much vegetation has been cut back to provide a quite place of peace and solitude.
Westminster City Cemetery, Hanwell is an extramural cemetery run by Westminster City Council
.
In 1987 Shirley Porter
's controlled Westminster City Council controversially sold to land developers for 15p. It possesses some fine mausoleums and family vaults.
is an extramural Victorian cemetery run by Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
. It is situated on the north side of the Uxbridge Road on the former common land of East Field. On the grounds stands a disused chapel. The chapel, gatehouse and entrance arch were designed by Thomas Allom
and executed in Kentish ragstone
. There are many Victorian
and Edwardian graves here.
, Yeading
and Harrow
are of the early Saxon period, even though there are no surviving records of their presence in the Brent valley and its tributaries at this time.
In 1886 whilst excavating gravel on Hanwell Common, seven Saxon graves were discovered. They were found approximately where the Oakland School stands today. Of these burials, it is thought that at lest three were men with iron spears. Gold-plated copper alloy brooches were also found. They have been dated to between the 5th and the mid 6th century and attest to the age of this Saxon settlement in Hanwell.
However, when they were first uncovered, it led some historians to suppose that these were warriors slain it battle. Especially since some 50 iron spears were found close by. In Victorian times they only had the written records to go on, and, as no mention of Saxon occupation in Middlesex appear for this period, it was a reasonable hypothesis to consider, even though there was no evidence for this fanciful idea that any had died in battle. Archaeological evidence has since shown that Saxons were already present in small numbers along the River Thames generations earlier. Yet the colourful tale of the Battle of Bloody Croft (given as circa AD 572) circulates locally unto to this day.
Bloody Croft alludes to a small former common field called Blood Croft. This used to lay between the present day golf links to the west, the Greenford Road to the east, and partly covered by the northern half of present day Grove Avenue, which itself is 1.5 km to the nor-nor west of the burial site. Since ancient times, pigs were let loose into the woods that once stood upon Cuckoo Hill, to feed upon the acorns and roots therein. This practice even gets recorded in the Domesday Book entry for Hanwell. Therefore, the name may just allude to the place, where they then got slaughtered during the Saxon lunar blood month, which falls around November. Blotmonað: blot blood or a sacrifice, monað month. The English Place-Name Society
found in its search of the Hanwell records, an earlier name for the field which was Blood Cut Meadow. Their only comment is "possibly 'land on which veterinary phlebotomy was practised.'"
, Elthorne Park High School
and Brentside High School
. In their February 2007 inspection, Ofsted
rated Hobbayne Primary School 'Outstanding', the highest possible rating, in all categories. Located on Greenford Avenue, the school educates around 470 pupils aged 3–11.
but was then resurrected in 1961 with the help of circus
showman Billy Smart, Jr
.
Now a popular annual event, it has grown to become the second-largest carnival in London after Notting Hill
. It starts with a procession of decorated floats which travel from Hanwell Community Centre to Elthorne Park, where a show arena hosts various events which often includes dance and demonstrations put on by local groups. Local charities and organisations have stalls and a real beer tent. For further entertainment, a stage hosts live musicians and bands. On the west side of the park are children's rides. Proving very popular also is the well-attended dog show. The craft fair offers an assortment of artisan-created items. For teenagers, there is a funfair
.
with them. This ancient ceremony is performed on the May Bank Holiday. As a bonus, it starts and finishes at a pub.
by H. G. Wells
(1898).
"And I remember that as I lifted my head to listen, my eye caught an omnibus on which was written "Hanwell."" ... "Believing utterly in one's self is a hysterical and superstitious belief like believing in Joanna Southcote: the man who has it has 'Hanwell' written on his face as plain as it is written on that omnibus." from Orthodoxy (book)
by G. K. Chesterton
(1908).
ary constituencies: Ealing North (which covers Hanwell north of the railway line to Paddington), represented since 1997 by Labour
MP
Stephen Pound, and Ealing Southall (south of the railway line), represented since 2007 by Labour
MP
Virendra Sharma
.
Hanwell is made up of two electoral wards for local council
election
s: Hobbayne and Elthorne
, which both elect councillors to Ealing Council
.
Hanwell is in the London Assembly
constituency of Ealing and Hillingdon which has one assembly member: Richard Barnes (Conservative), who was re-elected in May 2008. It is also part of the London
region for the European Parliament
elections. The London region elects eight MPs to the European Parliament.
, causing the population of the village to expand faster than with the arrival of the train
s half a century before. First however, the tram company had to strengthen Hanwell Bridge, as well as widen it on its north side. A balustrade, which survives to this day, lines each side. Another stipulation placed upon the company was that the standards to support the catenary
also had to be able to double as street lampposts. The cars cost £1,000 each yet the ordinary fare from Shepherd's Bush
to Uxbridge
was only 8d. As the trams system utilised a single live overhead conductor only for each direction, this meant the residents of Hanwell not only had to put up with the general whine and mechanical clatter of the trams themselves but also their cast-iron shoes scraping along the running rails to provide a current return path. Should a stone get trapped between shoe and rail (and they often did) it would cause an ear-penetrating screech thus creating more annoyance.
A route from Brentford
to Hanwell was introduced on 26 May 1906.
A tram depot (later converted into a trolleybus depot and then into a bus garage) was located on the Uxbridge Road
. It was closed down in 1993 and the land has been converted into a retail park.
Routemaster
buses were built at the AEC factory in Windmill Lane and much of the fuel injection equipment and electrical systems were manufactured by CAV Ltd who had a factory in Acton Vale
. The large Routemaster tyres were moulded and cured, just to the south on the Great West Road in Brentford
by the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company
whose factory was opened there in 1928.
Trolley buses were introduced in 1936 and ran until the early 1960s.
Plans to reintroduce trams again in the form of the West London Tram
scheme were suggested, but then abandoned by Transport for London
in 2007 in the face of local opposition.
Transport for London: Bus services to and from Hanwell. Accessed 2007-06-05
London Borough of Ealing
The London Borough of Ealing is a borough in west London.-Location:The London Borough of Ealing borders the London Borough of Hillingdon to the west, the London Borough of Harrow and the London Borough of Brent to the north, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham to the east and the London...
in west London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, between Ealing
Ealing
Ealing is a suburban area of west London, England and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Ealing. It is located west of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a rural village...
and Southall
Southall
Southall is a large suburban district of west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross. Neighbouring places include Yeading, Hayes, Hanwell, Heston, Hounslow, Greenford and Northolt...
. The motto of Hanwell Urban District Council was Nec Aspera Terrent (Not Deterred by Difficulties). Nec Aspera Terrent is also the motto of Drayton Manor High School.
Etymology
The earliest surviving reference is AD 959 when it is recorded as Hanewelle in pledge, when Alfwyn (a SaxonAnglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
) pawned his land for money to go on a pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
. The origin of the name is uncertain; various suggestions have been put forward.
Near to the old Rectory
Rectory
A rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
and close to Hanwell spring is a
large stone of about a ton in weight. the Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
s had the word Han to denote a boundary stone. This juxtaposition of these two natural features could have given rise to the name Han-well which dates back to before the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
.
The original borders of the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
stretched from the bend of the River Brent
River Brent
The Brent is a river within Greater London which is a tributary of the River Thames. It is 17.9 miles long, running north-east to south-west, and it joins the Thames on the Tideway at Brentford, Hounslow.- Hydronymy and etymology :...
at Greenford
Greenford
Greenford is a large suburb in the London Borough of Ealing in west London, UK. It was historically an ancient parish in the former county of Middlesex. The most prominent landmarks in the suburb are the A40, a major dual-carriageway; Horsenden Hill, above sea level; the small Parish Church of...
and followed the river all the way down to the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
, yet it is only just over 3,000 ft wide along the east-west line of the Uxbridge Road
Uxbridge Road
Uxbridge Road is the name of the A4020 road in London. It starts at Shepherd's Bush Green and goes west towards Uxbridge. It passes through Acton, Ealing Broadway and Hanwell....
. Its geography, before the draining of the marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
es, formed a natural boundary between the different tribes of the south east of England. This gives some support to another suggestion that Han came from the Saxon han for cockerel. So perhaps Hanne – welle be derived from Han-créd -welle. The other sounds being dropped (see: Elision
Elision
Elision is the omission of one or more sounds in a word or phrase, producing a result that is easier for the speaker to pronounce...
) to make it easier to say and a touch more euphonic. Han-créd or rather the modern synonym
Synonym
Synonyms are different words with almost identical or similar meanings. Words that are synonyms are said to be synonymous, and the state of being a synonym is called synonymy. The word comes from Ancient Greek syn and onoma . The words car and automobile are synonyms...
cock-crow was a term used until recently in both town and country to signify the border between night and day, and is neither one nor the other. In other word Hanwell may mean well upon the boundary. For more see: River Brent: Hydronymy.
Lastly it is worth noting that the only other Hanwell in Britain is also a small parish on the very edge of Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
where forms the boundary with Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
.
Short history of the inns and public houses
The Uxbridge RoadUxbridge Road
Uxbridge Road is the name of the A4020 road in London. It starts at Shepherd's Bush Green and goes west towards Uxbridge. It passes through Acton, Ealing Broadway and Hanwell....
(then known as the Oxford Road) was turnpiked
Turnpike trust
Turnpike trusts in the United Kingdom were bodies set up by individual Acts of Parliament, with powers to collect road tolls for maintaining the principal highways in Britain from the 17th but especially during the 18th and 19th centuries...
between Uxbridge
Uxbridge
Uxbridge is a large town located in north west London, England and is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. It forms part of the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is located west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres...
and Tyburn
Tyburn, London
Tyburn was a village in the county of Middlesex close to the current location of Marble Arch in present-day London. It took its name from the Tyburn or Teo Bourne 'boundary stream', a tributary of the River Thames which is now completely covered over between its source and its outfall into the...
in 1714. The revenue from tolls
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
enabled an all-weather metaled
Metal (pavement)
The term road metal refers to the crushed rock used for road beds, surfaces, 'all-weather' walkways and paths, foundations, and railway embankments, among other things. The use of road metal dates back to antiquity.-History:...
road surface of compacted gravel to be laid down.
This constant movement of people along the road, brought about the establishment of coaching inns along the road as it crossed the River Brent
River Brent
The Brent is a river within Greater London which is a tributary of the River Thames. It is 17.9 miles long, running north-east to south-west, and it joins the Thames on the Tideway at Brentford, Hounslow.- Hydronymy and etymology :...
and passed through the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Hanwell. In these inns, travellers could stable their horses, place their carts or goods in safe storage and secure board and lodgings for themselves overnight.
The first inn on crossing the River Brent
River Brent
The Brent is a river within Greater London which is a tributary of the River Thames. It is 17.9 miles long, running north-east to south-west, and it joins the Thames on the Tideway at Brentford, Hounslow.- Hydronymy and etymology :...
is The Viaduct which is on the north side. Named after the Wharncliffe Viaduct
Wharncliffe Viaduct
The Wharncliffe Viaduct is a brick-built viaduct that carries the Great Western Main Line railway across the Brent Valley, between Hanwell and Southall, Ealing, UK, at an elevation of . The viaduct, built in 1836-7, was constructed for the opening of the Great Western Railway...
, its original name was the Coach and Horses. At the back of the pub, some of the original stable
Stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals...
building can be seen, dating to about 1730. Early in the 20th century, The Viaduct received a new faïence
Glazed architectural terra-cotta
Glazed architectural terra-cotta is a ceramic masonry building material popular in the United States from the late 19th century until the 1930s, and still one of the most common building materials found in U.S. urban environments...
façade which Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
succinctly described as "a jolly tiled Edwardian pub". Unfortunately, today the profusion of street furniture detracts somewhat from the original impact that these rich mid-browns and mid-cream glazed tiles gave the building.
Next was the Duke of Wellington, which lay approximately 400m closer to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on the southern side of the road, roughly opposite the old Hanwell Police Station
Police Station
Police Station is a American TV series that aired in syndication in 1959. Stories were taken from actual files.- Cast :*Baynes Barron as Sergeant White*Larry Kerr as Detective Chuck Mitchell*Henry Beckman as Detective Stan Abramson...
. However, this had been demolished by the 1920s and was not rebuilt.
Further east still and back across on the north side of the Uxbridge Road
Uxbridge Road
Uxbridge Road is the name of the A4020 road in London. It starts at Shepherd's Bush Green and goes west towards Uxbridge. It passes through Acton, Ealing Broadway and Hanwell....
at the junction of Hanwell Broadway is the Duke of York. This became an important staging point for stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
es on their way between Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and London. Established in the 18th century, it has been subsequently rebuilt in the Tudorbethan style
Tudorbethan architecture
The Tudor Revival architecture of the 20th century , first manifested itself in domestic architecture beginning in the United Kingdom in the mid to late 19th century based on a revival of aspects of Tudor style. It later became an influence in some other countries, especially the British colonies...
.
The next pub occupies the site of what was probably the very first inn
INN
InterNetNews is a Usenet news server package, originally released by Rich Salz in 1991, and presented at the Summer 1992 USENIX conference in San Antonio, Texas...
to be established on the Oxford Road as it ran through Hanwell and is known today as the Kings Arms. It lies on the south side of the road. It was original called the Spencer Arms, after Edward Spencer, who was Lord of the Manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
of Boston during the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. In the 18th century, the Manor Courts hearings were transferred here from Greenford
Greenford
Greenford is a large suburb in the London Borough of Ealing in west London, UK. It was historically an ancient parish in the former county of Middlesex. The most prominent landmarks in the suburb are the A40, a major dual-carriageway; Horsenden Hill, above sea level; the small Parish Church of...
, then later transferred to the Viaduct Inn. However, the present building dates back to 1930 when it was rebuilt by brewers Mann, Crossman & Paulin in the Arts & Crafts
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
style. Though unexciting on the outside, its interior is still today, a fine example of this type of architecture and CAMRA has even placed it in its National Inventory of Pub Interiors of Outstanding Historic Interest. The lower half of the exterior walls decorated with green faïence whose faces are brick sized. These tiles also extend to cover the stallriser of the shop to the immediate right. This is because originally, this shop was built to serve as the Off-licence premises.
Gradually, retail stores and shops started to fill the gaps between these inns to take advantage of the passing trade brought by this important route into and out of the city. During the Victorian period
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
, the village to the north of the Uxbridge Road
Uxbridge Road
Uxbridge Road is the name of the A4020 road in London. It starts at Shepherd's Bush Green and goes west towards Uxbridge. It passes through Acton, Ealing Broadway and Hanwell....
began to slowly expand to the south of the road. Toward the southern end of Green Lane (the old toll-free drover
Droving
Droving is the practice of moving livestock over large distances by walking them "on the hoof".Droving stock to market, usually on foot and often with the aid of dogs, has a very long history in the old world...
s route into the city) is The Fox public house. The Fox has been named West Middlesex Pub of the Year in 2005, 2007, 2010 and 20011. Built in 1848 it is a largely unspoilt and original mid-Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
pub. It has received a 'local listing' from Ealing Council as a building of local interest. It is constructed out of local golden yellow brick with more expensive red bricks used for detailing on corners and chimneys. Rich brown glazed tiles are used for the ground floor exterior walls with coloured stained glass in the fan lights. The upper story has Mock Tudor detailing, including dentil
Dentil
In classical architecture a dentil is a small block used as a repeating ornament in the bedmould of a cornice.The Roman architect Vitruvius In classical architecture a dentil (from Lat. dens, a tooth) is a small block used as a repeating ornament in the bedmould of a cornice.The Roman architect...
s on the two outward-facing gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
s. Most of the interior is also original, although the dividing walls between bars and off-licence sales have been taken out to create one large bar area. The present day eating area retains its original wooden wall panelling. On the east of the building itself is a very sheltered beer garden
Beer garden
Beer garden is an open-air area where beer, other drinks and local food are served. The concept originates from and is most common in Southern Germany...
, so food and drink can be enjoyed inside or out. The Fox was the meeting place for the local fox hunt until the 1920s
1920s
File:1920s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Third Tipperary Brigade Flying Column No. 2 under Sean Hogan during the Irish Civil War; Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol in accordance to the 18th amendment, which made alcoholic beverages illegal throughout the entire decade; In...
. The hunt would set off across Hanwell Heath, much of which still existed at that time. Today however, it is more usual to stand at the bar in the early evening and watch foxes strolling by quite unfazed by the punters supping their pints of real ale at the tables and benches out front.
Healthcare
Lying to the west of the River BrentRiver Brent
The Brent is a river within Greater London which is a tributary of the River Thames. It is 17.9 miles long, running north-east to south-west, and it joins the Thames on the Tideway at Brentford, Hounslow.- Hydronymy and etymology :...
and so actually in the precinct of Norwood Green
Norwood Green
Norwood Green is a place in the London Borough of Ealing in London, England. It is a suburban development situated west of Charing Cross and northeast of Heathrow Airport...
, the Middlesex County Lunatic Asylum was commonly referred to as the Hanwell Asylum
Hanwell Asylum
The County Asylum at Hanwell, also known as Hanwell Insane Asylum, and Hanwell Pauper and Lunatic Asylum, was built for the pauper insane and is now the West London Mental Health Trust ...
because it was closer to the centre of Hanwell than either Norwood or Southall. The asylum
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
was opened in 1831 to house pauper lunatics. In 1937 it was renamed St Bernard's Hospital by which it is still known today. Built on some of its former grounds to the east is Ealing Hospital. Most of the original asylum still remains, with over half having been turned into flats and the rest remaining as a psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
. The most interesting parts are the chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
and an entrance arch, visible from the Uxbridge Road
Uxbridge Road
Uxbridge Road is the name of the A4020 road in London. It starts at Shepherd's Bush Green and goes west towards Uxbridge. It passes through Acton, Ealing Broadway and Hanwell....
. Within the grounds of Hanwell Asylum, on the west side of the main block, was a small isolation hospital.
The hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
was remarkable as one of its physicians, John Conolly
John Conolly
John Conolly , English psychiatrist, was born at Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, of an Irish family. He spent four years as a lieutenant in the Cambridgeshire Militia and lived for a year in France before embarking on a medical career.He graduated with an MD degree at University of Edinburgh in 1821...
, 1794–1866, was progressive in the treatment of patients and avoided the use of restraints. A memorial garden dedicated to him is at the junction of Station Road with Connolly Road. The hospital did have a museum housed in its chapel, but this collection has now been broken up and relocated. It included many items ranging from patient registers, reports and a large assortment of medical equipment, including a padded cell
Padded cell
A padded cell is a cell in a mental hospital with cushions lining the walls. The padding is an attempt to prevent a patient from hurting him/herself by hitting his/her head on the hard surface of the walls...
, consisting of a wooden framework with padded door, walls and floor, but no ceiling.
Within the boundary of Hanwell proper, there were three more asylums. These were all private. The first one recorded, was Popes House, which admitted its first patient (it is thought) in 1804.
Later, Elm Grove House in Church Road was turned into an asylum by Susan Wood. Her husband was the brother of Mrs Ellis, the wife of William Ellis, the first superintendent of Hanwell Asylum. The East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
took over Elm Grove in 1870 and renamed it the Royal India Asylum. It closed in 1892.
Another local asylum was Lawn House, the home and privately-run asylum of Dr John Conolly, which he opened after retiring as superintendent of Hanwell Asylum. After his death in 1866, it was taken over by his son-in-law Henry Maudsley
Henry Maudsley
Henry Maudsley was a pioneering British psychiatrist.-Biographical sketch:Henry Maudsley was born on an isolated farm near Giggleswick in the North Riding of Yorkshire and educated at University College London. He was an outstandingly brilliant medical student, collecting ten Gold Medals and...
who ran it until 1874.
Down Green Lane and on the west side was the old Hanwell Cottage Hospital, which was named The Queen Victoria and War Memorial Hospital. This was built in 1900 and paid for by public subscription and run on voluntary contributions until the creation of the NHS
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
in 1948. In 1979 it was replaced by Ealing District General Hospital, on the other side of the River Brent
River Brent
The Brent is a river within Greater London which is a tributary of the River Thames. It is 17.9 miles long, running north-east to south-west, and it joins the Thames on the Tideway at Brentford, Hounslow.- Hydronymy and etymology :...
. The southern Portland stone and brick pier of the cottage hospital's entrance, bearing the inscription HANWELL was preserved as a permanent reminder of Hanwell's first hospital. The two original Edwardian street lamps outside the entrance were also preserved, but then mysteriously disappeared, causing enquiries to be made.
The local parish church
St. Mary's ChurchSt. Mary's Church, Hanwell
St Mary's Parish Church is a Church of England church. Situated at the western end of Church Road in Hanwell, London W7 3BJ. Dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, it is still in active use today.-History:...
is the original ancient parish church. The present church structure was built in 1841. As such, it stands as one of George Gilbert Scott
George Gilbert Scott
Sir George Gilbert Scott was an English architect of the Victorian Age, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches, cathedrals and workhouses...
's very early churches, executed in the style of Gothic Revival, and consists of masoned white limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
and gault brickwork, with flint-rubble and mortar panels. Scott himself later condemned his work of this period as "a mass of horrors". However, the famous painter William Frederick Yeames
William Frederick Yeames
William Frederick Yeames was a British painter best known for his oil-on-canvas problem picture And When Did You Last See Your Father?, which depicts the son of a Royalist being questioned by Parliamentarians during the English Civil War.-Biography:Yeames was born in Taganrog, Russia, the son of a...
, who at one time was its churchwarden, is thought to have done the wall paintings in the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
.
Perhaps the most famous rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
was Dr. George H. Glasse; he has a memorial place in his memory in St. Mary's Churchyard (Grade II). Still surviving is the home he had built for him nearby in 1809. It is executed in the style of cottage orné and named The Hermitage (Grade II). Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
described it thus: "a peach of an early c19 Gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
thatched cottage with two pointed windows, a quatrefoil
Quatrefoil
The word quatrefoil etymologically means "four leaves", and applies to general four-lobed shapes in various contexts.-In heraldry:In heraldic terminology, a quatrefoil is a representation of a flower with four petals, or a leaf with four leaflets . It is sometimes shown "slipped", i.e. with an...
, and an ogee
Ogee
An ogee is a curve , shaped somewhat like an S, consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite senses, so that the ends are parallel....
arched door, all on a minute scale. Inside, an octagonal hall and reception room".
In latter years another well-known rector was Fred Secombe
Fred Secombe
Rev. Frederick Thomas Secombe, born 31st December 1918 in Swansea, Wales, UK. Older brother of Sir Harry Donald Secombe. Ordained deacon and priest in The Church in Wales, serving his first assistant curacy in South Wales, later as Vicar. Moved to St. Mary's Church, Hanwell, as Rector, in West...
(brother of Harry Secombe
Harry Secombe
Sir Harry Donald Secombe CBE was a Welsh entertainer with a talent for comedy and a noted fine tenor singing voice. He is best known for playing Neddie Seagoon, the central character in the BBC radio comedy series The Goon Show...
). Since leaving and moving back to Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, he has become a prolific author.
No archaeological evidence has been found so far, to show that any church existed here earlier than shown in written records. However, due to its commanding topographical
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
position, which enables the distinctive broach spire
Broach spire
A broach spire is a type of spire, a tall pyramidal or conical structure usually on the top of a tower or a turret. A broach spire starts on a square base and is carried up to a tapering octagonal spire by means of triangular faces....
to be seen from many miles away, it has been suggested that this may have been a pagan
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
place of worship long before Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
reached this part of the world. There is however, no evidence to support this theory. An early supporter of this hypothesis
Hypothesis
A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. The term derives from the Greek, ὑποτιθέναι – hypotithenai meaning "to put under" or "to suppose". For a hypothesis to be put forward as a scientific hypothesis, the scientific method requires that one can test it...
was Sir Montagu Sharpe KC DL, a local historian and a member of the Society of Antiquaries
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
. (In nearby Northolt
Northolt
Northolt is a town in the London Borough of Ealing, England. The town has London Underground and Network Rail stations and is on the A40 road...
, the parish church, which is also on high ground, has had much evidence found around it of past occupation by the beaker people.)
St Thomas The Apostle
St Thomas the ApostleSt Thomas the Apostle, Hanwell
St Thomas the Apostle is a Church of England church, which is situated along Boston Road in Hanwell, in the London Borough of Ealing. It forms part of the Diocese of London. It was designed to hold 428 people...
was designed by architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Edward Maufe
Edward Maufe
Sir Edward Brantwood Maufe KBE, R.A, F.R.I.B.A. was an English architect and designer, noted chiefly for his work on places of worship and remembrance memorials. He was a skilled interior designer and designed many pieces of furniture...
in preparation for his work on Guildford Cathedral
Guildford Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Spirit, Guildford is the Anglican cathedral at Guildford, Surrey, England.-Construction:Guildford was made a diocese in its own right in 1927, and work on its new cathedral, designed by Sir Edward Maufe, began nine years later, with the foundation stone being laid...
and includes a sculpture by Eric Gill
Eric Gill
Arthur Eric Rowton Gill was a British sculptor, typeface designer, stonecutter and printmaker, who was associated with the Arts and Crafts movement...
.
St Mellitus Church
Until the early years of the 20th century all of Hanwell had been one parish, St Mary's. The inadequacy of one church to serve a growing population is indicated by the rebuilding of St Mary's church in 1842 to cater for the increased number of church goers and then by the building in 1877 of St Mark's as an additional church serving the south of the parish. By the turn of the century this was no longer sufficient and it was decided to create an additional parish, St Mellitus, the first in the Anglican Communion to bear that name.The church building is an imposing Gothic style building of the Edwardian period situated on a busy cross roads in the heart of Hanwell. It was designed by the office of Sir Arthur Blomfield
Arthur Blomfield
Sir Arthur William Blomfield was an English architect.-Background:The fourth son of Charles James Blomfield, an Anglican Bishop of London helpfully began a programme of new church construction in the capital. Born in Fulham Palace, Arthur Blomfield was educated at Rugby and Trinity College,...
in 1909, built by Messrs J Dorey & Co of Brentford and consecrated by the Bishop of London, Rt Rev Arthur Winnington-Ingram
Arthur Winnington-Ingram
Arthur Foley Winnington-Ingram KCVO PC was Bishop of London from 1901 to 1939.-Early life and career:He was born in Worcestershire, the fourth son of the Revd Edward Winnington-Ingram and of Louisa...
in March 1910. It is a landmark building with a distinctive gable end housing three recently restored bells.
The parish was formed in 1908 and lay between the railway and Elthorne Park, thus including St Mark's as a chapel of ease. While St Mark's would continue in this fashion as a subsidiary church for the parish, it was clear that a new, bigger parish church was needed and so Sir Arthur Blomfield
Arthur Blomfield
Sir Arthur William Blomfield was an English architect.-Background:The fourth son of Charles James Blomfield, an Anglican Bishop of London helpfully began a programme of new church construction in the capital. Born in Fulham Palace, Arthur Blomfield was educated at Rugby and Trinity College,...
was commissioned to design it. With a capacity of 800 people it was designated St Mellitus
Mellitus
Mellitus was the first Bishop of London in the Saxon period, the third Archbishop of Canterbury, and a member of the Gregorian mission sent to England to convert the Anglo-Saxons from their native paganism to Christianity. He arrived in 601 AD with a group of clergymen sent to augment the mission,...
, the name probably derived from the legend, propagated by Sir Montagu Sharpe, the Middlesex historian, that Mellitus, Bishop of the East Saxons, was instrumental in the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons of Hanwell. Funds for the new church were raised from the sale of Holy Trinity in Gough Square
Holy Trinity Gough Square
Holy Trinity Gough Square was a Victorian parish church in the City of London.-History:Trinity Church was built in the parish of St Bride's in the City of London, on the initiative of the vicar, the Reverend Thomas Dale, who felt that the parish church was inadequate for the size of the population...
in the city of London.
In 1980, with the retirement of the then vicar of St Mark's, the two parishes were merged, now known as St Mellitus with St Mark's.
The Wharncliffe Viaduct
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
across the River Brent
River Brent
The Brent is a river within Greater London which is a tributary of the River Thames. It is 17.9 miles long, running north-east to south-west, and it joins the Thames on the Tideway at Brentford, Hounslow.- Hydronymy and etymology :...
, the Wharncliffe Viaduct
Wharncliffe Viaduct
The Wharncliffe Viaduct is a brick-built viaduct that carries the Great Western Main Line railway across the Brent Valley, between Hanwell and Southall, Ealing, UK, at an elevation of . The viaduct, built in 1836-7, was constructed for the opening of the Great Western Railway...
was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
Hanwell Flight of Locks
The Hanwell flight of six locks raises the Grand Union CanalGrand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks...
by just over 53 feet (16.2 m) and has been designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a 'nationally important' archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change. The various pieces of legislation used for legally protecting heritage assets from damage and destruction are grouped under the term...
by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
. At the top of the flight of locks towards Norwood Green
Norwood Green
Norwood Green is a place in the London Borough of Ealing in London, England. It is a suburban development situated west of Charing Cross and northeast of Heathrow Airport...
is the Three Bridges
Three Bridges (disambiguation)
Three Bridges may refer to:*Three Bridges, a neighbourhood within the town of Crawley in West Sussex, England**Three Bridges F.C. - the neighbourhood's football team*Three Bridges, Lincolnshire, England*Three Bridges, Victoria, Australia...
designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
. It is still often referred to locally as simply Windmill Bridge and is very close to the spot where the eponymous windmill once stood; attracting the attention of a local Brentford
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located at the confluence of the River Thames and the River Brent, west-southwest of Charing Cross. Its former ceremonial county was Middlesex.-Toponymy:...
artist named Joseph Mallard William Turner. These are actually within the boundary of Southall
Southall
Southall is a large suburban district of west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross. Neighbouring places include Yeading, Hayes, Hanwell, Heston, Hounslow, Greenford and Northolt...
but are named after the local village of Hanwell, which is much closer than either of the villages of Norwood or Southall
Southall
Southall is a large suburban district of west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross. Neighbouring places include Yeading, Hayes, Hanwell, Heston, Hounslow, Greenford and Northolt...
.
The Central London District School/Hanwell Community Centre
The Central London District School was built in 1856 to house and educate the poor of LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. By far its most famous resident was Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
who lived at the school from June 1896 until January 1898.
The school was closed in 1933 but parts of it remain standing, and it is in use as the Hanwell Community Centre. The Community Centre was used as a location in the film Billy Elliot
Billy Elliot
Billy Elliot is a 2000 British drama film written by Lee Hall and directed by Stephen Daldry. Set in the fictional town of "Everington" in the real County Durham, UK, it stars Jamie Bell as 11-year-old Billy, an aspiring dancer, Gary Lewis as his coal miner father, Jamie Draven as Billy's older...
. It has been declared a Grade II listed building by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
but its future is uncertain.
Brent Lodge Park and Animal Centre
This park was acquired by Ealing Borough CouncilMunicipal Borough of Ealing
Ealing was a local government district from 1863 to 1965 around the town of Ealing.A local board of health was formed for the southern part of the parish of Ealing, Middlesex, in 1863. In 1873 the board's area was extended to the rest of the parish....
as a recreation ground in 1931 from Sir Montagu Sharpe (1856–1942), who had lived in Brent Lodge since 1884. The lodge itself, by then dilapidated, was demolished. The original stable block remains and is Grade II listed.
For many years the park served as a 9 hole golf course requiring no more than a small driver and a putt which could be hired together with a ball from a kiosk. Small boys would supplement their pocket money by retrieving lost balls from the river.
Another attraction was a large wired enclosure, within which unwanted pet rabbits (and tortoises, guinea pigs etc.,) were given a new home. This inevitably led to it getting the nickname 'Bunny Park', which is still how some locals refer to it today. Later, the animal collection became more exotic as it began to receive and house imported animals that remained unclaimed after their period of compulsory quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
had expired. Better enclosures were built and it has now become a small zoo and is a recognized member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA)
British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums
The British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums is a conservation, education and scientific wildlife charity. Founded in 1966 within the zoo and aquarium community to see the principles and practices of animal management adopted in the British Isles...
.
The park has a modern and well-equipped children's playground. Clearly visible on Google Earth
Google Earth
Google Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a Central Intelligence Agency funded company acquired by Google in 2004 . It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite...
are the 2,000 yew trees which have been planted to create the Millennium
Millennium
A millennium is a period of time equal to one thousand years —from the Latin phrase , thousand, and , year—often but not necessarily related numerically to a particular dating system....
Maze. The entrance to the park is at the south-west side of St Mary's Church at the end of Church Road.
The park also has a coffee shop and a children's play area
Brent River Park and Brent Valley Golf Club
The Lodge Park is part of the larger Brent River Park which follows the river from PerivalePerivale
Perivale is a small suburb in the London Borough of Ealing, west of Charing Cross, central London. Landmarks in the suburb include the A40, a large road that connects Central London with the M40 motorway, and the large Art Deco Hoover Building, as well as St Mary's Church , the River Brent and...
down to Hanwell. In this river valley, there is also the Brent Valley Golf Club
Brent Valley Golf Club
Brent Valley Golf Club is located in Hanwell, near Ealing, London. The club is a member of the English Golf Union and is based on the Brent Valley Golf course, which is owned by Ealing Council. The club also belongs to the National Association of Public Golf Clubs and Courses...
Hanwell Clock Tower
The art decoArt Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
clock tower
Clock tower
A clock tower is a tower specifically built with one or more clock faces. Clock towers can be either freestanding or part of a church or municipal building such as a town hall. Some clock towers are not true clock towers having had their clock faces added to an already existing building...
on Hanwell Broadway was unveiled on 7 May 1937 in celebration of the coronation of King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
. The mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
at the time, Frederick Woodward, said "I consider Hanwell one of the finest gateways to the city of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and I cannot think of a more fitting place for the clock
Clock
A clock is an instrument used to indicate, keep, and co-ordinate time. The word clock is derived ultimately from the Celtic words clagan and clocca meaning "bell". A silent instrument missing such a mechanism has traditionally been known as a timepiece...
".
Elthorne Park
Elthorne Park is one of the larger parks in the area, of fairly level ground, which includes a children's playground, a bandstand and a SarsenSarsen
Sarsen stones are sandstone blocks found in quantity in the United Kingdom on Salisbury Plain, the Marlborough Downs, in Kent, and in smaller quantities in Berkshire, Essex, Oxfordshire, Dorset and Hampshire...
stone which is displayed at the entrance.
Cemeteries
There are three burial grounds in Hanwell. The one at the parish church of St Mary is full. The remaining two are for the deceased residents of other boroughs.For the local people today, the London Borough of Ealing offers interments in Hortus Cemetery, Southall
Southall
Southall is a large suburban district of west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross. Neighbouring places include Yeading, Hayes, Hanwell, Heston, Hounslow, Greenford and Northolt...
and Greenford Park Cemetery, Greenford
Greenford
Greenford is a large suburb in the London Borough of Ealing in west London, UK. It was historically an ancient parish in the former county of Middlesex. The most prominent landmarks in the suburb are the A40, a major dual-carriageway; Horsenden Hill, above sea level; the small Parish Church of...
.
St. Mary's church graveyard
The graveyard of St. Mary's is the oldest burial ground. To the east side of the church yard is a large square stone monument to the Glasses family which English HeritageEnglish Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
has given it a Grade II listing. Whilst it might have been grand in its day, today it could be easily overlooked and is in a poor state of disrepair.
It had become badly overgrown but recently much vegetation has been cut back to provide a quite place of peace and solitude.
Westminster City Council Cemetery, Hanwell
Built on the former common land of South FieldWestminster City Cemetery, Hanwell is an extramural cemetery run by Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council and is entitled to be known as a city council, which is a rare distinction in the United Kingdom. The city is divided into 20 wards, each electing three councillors...
.
In 1987 Shirley Porter
Shirley Porter
Dame Shirley Porter, Lady Porter, DBE, is a former Conservative leader of Westminster City Council in London and a prominent philanthropist in Israel and the UK. She is the daughter and heir of Sir Jack Cohen, the founder of Tesco supermarkets...
's controlled Westminster City Council controversially sold to land developers for 15p. It possesses some fine mausoleums and family vaults.
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Cemetery, Hanwell
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Cemetery, HanwellRoyal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Cemetery, Hanwell
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Cemetery, Hanwell is located on the north side of the Uxbridge Road in Hanwell, London, England.-History:...
is an extramural Victorian cemetery run by Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is a central London borough of Royal borough status. After the City of Westminster, it is the wealthiest borough in England....
. It is situated on the north side of the Uxbridge Road on the former common land of East Field. On the grounds stands a disused chapel. The chapel, gatehouse and entrance arch were designed by Thomas Allom
Thomas Allom
Thomas Allom was an English architect, artist, and topographical illustrator. He was a founding member of what became the Royal Institute of British Architects . He designed many buildings in London, including the Church of St Peter's and parts of the elegant Ladbroke Estate in Notting Hill...
and executed in Kentish ragstone
Rag-stone
Rag-stone is a name given by some architectural writers to work done with stones which are quarried in thin pieces, such as the Horsham sandstone, Yorkshire stone, the slate stones, but this is more properly flag or slab work. By rag-stone, near London, is meant an excellent material from the...
. There are many Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
and Edwardian graves here.
Ancient Saxon burials
Middlesex as a whole, has a dearth of early Saxon archaeology. However, the nearby place names of EalingEaling
Ealing is a suburban area of west London, England and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Ealing. It is located west of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a rural village...
, Yeading
Yeading
Yeading is an area of West London, and part of Hayes. It is located on the boundary of the London Borough of Ealing and the London Borough of Hillingdon.-Etymology:...
and Harrow
London Borough of Harrow
The London Borough of Harrow is a London borough of north-west London. It borders Hertfordshire to the north and other London boroughs: Hillingdon to the west, Ealing to the south, Brent to the south-east and Barnet to the east.-History:...
are of the early Saxon period, even though there are no surviving records of their presence in the Brent valley and its tributaries at this time.
In 1886 whilst excavating gravel on Hanwell Common, seven Saxon graves were discovered. They were found approximately where the Oakland School stands today. Of these burials, it is thought that at lest three were men with iron spears. Gold-plated copper alloy brooches were also found. They have been dated to between the 5th and the mid 6th century and attest to the age of this Saxon settlement in Hanwell.
However, when they were first uncovered, it led some historians to suppose that these were warriors slain it battle. Especially since some 50 iron spears were found close by. In Victorian times they only had the written records to go on, and, as no mention of Saxon occupation in Middlesex appear for this period, it was a reasonable hypothesis to consider, even though there was no evidence for this fanciful idea that any had died in battle. Archaeological evidence has since shown that Saxons were already present in small numbers along the River Thames generations earlier. Yet the colourful tale of the Battle of Bloody Croft (given as circa AD 572) circulates locally unto to this day.
Bloody Croft alludes to a small former common field called Blood Croft. This used to lay between the present day golf links to the west, the Greenford Road to the east, and partly covered by the northern half of present day Grove Avenue, which itself is 1.5 km to the nor-nor west of the burial site. Since ancient times, pigs were let loose into the woods that once stood upon Cuckoo Hill, to feed upon the acorns and roots therein. This practice even gets recorded in the Domesday Book entry for Hanwell. Therefore, the name may just allude to the place, where they then got slaughtered during the Saxon lunar blood month, which falls around November. Blotmonað: blot blood or a sacrifice, monað month. The English Place-Name Society
English Place-Name Society
The English Place-Name Society is a learned society concerned with toponomastics and the toponymy of England, in other words, the study of place-names ....
found in its search of the Hanwell records, an earlier name for the field which was Blood Cut Meadow. Their only comment is "possibly 'land on which veterinary phlebotomy was practised.'"
Schools
Schools in Hanwell include St Marks Primary School, Hobbayne Primary School, Mayfield Primary School, Drayton Manor High SchoolDrayton Manor High School
Drayton Manor High School, formerly Drayton Manor Grammar School, is a comprehensive school located in Hanwell, Ealing, England. The current headteacher is Sir Pritpal Singh. The school is a specialist Humanities College. Its emblem is a phoenix rising from a crown with the legend 'Nec Aspera...
, Elthorne Park High School
Elthorne Park High School
Elthorne Park High School is a secondary school located just off Boston Road in Hanwell, a town in the London Borough of Ealing. It provides education for pupils aged from 11 , until 18...
and Brentside High School
Brentside High School
Brentside High School is a co-educational Specialist Arts College for pupils aged 11–19. The current school building which opened in September 2004, was purpose built and designed by architects Seymour Harris.-Location:...
. In their February 2007 inspection, Ofsted
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
rated Hobbayne Primary School 'Outstanding', the highest possible rating, in all categories. Located on Greenford Avenue, the school educates around 470 pupils aged 3–11.
The Hanwell Carnival
The Hanwell Carnival was established in 1898. Held on the third Saturday of each June, it was founded to raise funds for the Cottage Hospital (now Ealing Hospital). It foundered during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
but was then resurrected in 1961 with the help of circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
showman Billy Smart, Jr
Billy Smart, Jr
Billy Smart, Jr was widely known in Britain as a circus performer and impresario.Smart, whose real name was Stanley, was the tenth child and third son of Billy Smart, Sr. His father was a showman and fairground proprietor, who bought a circus in 1946. The first appearance of the Billy Smart circus...
.
Now a popular annual event, it has grown to become the second-largest carnival in London after Notting Hill
Notting Hill Carnival
The Notting Hill Carnival is an annual event which since 1964 has taken place on the streets of Notting Hill, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea , London, UK each August, over two days...
. It starts with a procession of decorated floats which travel from Hanwell Community Centre to Elthorne Park, where a show arena hosts various events which often includes dance and demonstrations put on by local groups. Local charities and organisations have stalls and a real beer tent. For further entertainment, a stage hosts live musicians and bands. On the west side of the park are children's rides. Proving very popular also is the well-attended dog show. The craft fair offers an assortment of artisan-created items. For teenagers, there is a funfair
Funfair
A funfair or simply "fair" is a small to medium sized travelling show primarily composed of stalls and other amusements. Larger fairs such as the permanent fairs of cities and seaside resorts might be called a fairground, although technically this should refer to the land where a fair is...
.
Beating the bounds
Also, to remind all those who do dwell in these parts, where the Parish of Hanwell's boundaries lay, they invite all-comers to go beating the boundsBeating the bounds
Beating the bounds is an ancient custom still observed in some English and Welsh parishes. A group of old and young members of the community would walk the boundaries of the parish, usually led by the parish priest and church officials, to share the knowledge of where they lay, and to pray for...
with them. This ancient ceremony is performed on the May Bank Holiday. As a bonus, it starts and finishes at a pub.
Annual Easter beer festival
A small beer festival is held each Easter weekend down at the far end of Green Lane at The Fox Pub which features about two-dozen cask beers from chosen around the country.Notable Hanwell residents past and present
- Anna Brownell JamesonAnna Brownell JamesonAnna Brownell Jameson was a British writer.-Biography:Jameson was born in Dublin.Her father, Denis Brownell Murphy , was a miniature and enamel painter...
writer and feminist. - Al BowllyAl BowllyAlbert Allick Bowlly was a Southern-African singer, songwriter, composer and band leader, who became a popular Jazz crooner during the 1930s in the United Kingdom and later, in the United States of America. He recorded more than 1,000 records between 1927 and 1941...
, singer, is buried in Westminster Cemetery. - Brian WhelanBrian WhelanBrian Whelan is a noted London-Irish painter, author and occasional film maker.-Family life:Brian Francis Whelan was born 3 May 1957 in Ealing, London, of Irish Catholic parents. His father came from Dublin and his mother from Kilkenny...
, painter, author and film maker lived in two locations in Hanwell while growing up.
- Charlie ChaplinCharlie ChaplinSir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
, actor (attended Hanwell Central School but never resided in Hanwell), - Daniel Hack TukeDaniel Hack TukeDaniel Hack Tuke was an English physician and expert on mental illness.-Family:Tuke came from a long line of Quakers from York who were interested in mental illness and concerned with those afflicted...
: Distinguished mental doctor and related to the line of Tuke's which founded the York RetreatThe RetreatThe Retreat, commonly known as the York Retreat, is a place in England for the treatment of people with mental health needs. Located in Lamel Hill in York, it operates as a not for profit charitable organisation....
. - Deep PurpleDeep PurpleDeep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
rock band, rehearsed for their 1970 album In Rock in the Hanwell Community Centre. Promotional photographs for the album were taken in the grounds. - Derwent ColeridgeDerwent ColeridgeDerwent Coleridge , third child of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, was a distinguished English scholar and author.-Early life:Derwent Coleridge was born at Keswick, Cumberland, 14 Sept. 1800 . He was sent with his brother Hartley to be educated at a small school near Ambleside...
distinguished scholar, author was rector at Hanwell. - Edward Augustus BondEdward Augustus BondSir Edward Augustus Bond KCB was an English librarian.-Biography:Bond was born at Hanwell, the son of a schoolmaster. He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood, and in 1832 obtained a post in the Public Record Office...
(1815–1898) was born in Hanwell. He was a LibrarianLibrarianA librarian is an information professional trained in library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs...
and Palaeographer who co-founded the Palaeographical Society. - John ConollyJohn ConollyJohn Conolly , English psychiatrist, was born at Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, of an Irish family. He spent four years as a lieutenant in the Cambridgeshire Militia and lived for a year in France before embarking on a medical career.He graduated with an MD degree at University of Edinburgh in 1821...
, superintendent at the Hanwell Asylum 1839-1844. He then ran a private asylum at Lawn House, Hanwell. - Freddie FrintonFreddie FrintonFreddie Frinton, born Frederick Bittiner Coo was an English comedian who remains a household name in Germany and Scandinavia because of his performance in Dinner for One....
, comedianComedianA comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, is buried in Westminster Cemetery. - Fred Secombe (born 1918) One-time VicarVicarIn the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
of St. Marys church, Hanwell. Born in SwanseaSwanseaSwansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, he is the elder brother of the late Sir Harry SecombeHarry SecombeSir Harry Donald Secombe CBE was a Welsh entertainer with a talent for comedy and a noted fine tenor singing voice. He is best known for playing Neddie Seagoon, the central character in the BBC radio comedy series The Goon Show...
. Since retiring he has become an author of seven books, in a style which has had him referred to as 'the ecclesiastical James Herriott.' - Jay KayJason KayJason "Jay Kay" Luís Cheetham , is a Grammy Award-winning English musician, best known as the lead singer of the band Jamiroquai...
of pop band JamiroquaiJamiroquaiJamiroquai is a British jazz funk and acid jazz band formed in 1992. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Brand New Heavies. Other Acid Jazz artists such as...
is also a former resident. He attended Drayton Manor School. - Jimi HendrixJimi HendrixJames Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
owned a house in Hanwell, but never lived in it. - Jim MarshallJim Marshall (businessman)James Charles "Jim" Marshall, OBE , known as The Father Of Loud, is a pioneer of guitar amplification. His company, Marshall Amplification continues to produce amplifiers with an iconic status.-Early Years:...
had a small shop in Hanwell where he started manufacturing and selling his world-famous amplifiersMarshall AmplificationMarshall Amplification is a British company, founded by drummer Jim Marshall, that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, brands personal headphones/earphones , and, after acquiring Natal Drums, drums and bongos. Marshall amplifiers, and specifically their guitar amplifiers, are among the most...
. In an interview for Musicians Hotline, Jim Marshall said "So many players came to my Hanwell shop, it was almost like a rock and roll labor exchange because a lot of groups were formed there". - Jonas HanwayJonas HanwayJonas Hanway , English traveller and philanthropist, was born at Portsmouth, on the south coast of England.-Life:...
, writer, philanthropist and the first man to carry an umbrellaUmbrellaAn umbrella or parasol is a canopy designed to protect against rain or sunlight. The term parasol usually refers to an item designed to protect from the sun; umbrella refers to a device more suited to protect from rain...
in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
is buried in the crypt of St Mary's Church. - Henry CorbyHenry CorbyHenry Corby was an Ontario businessman and political figure. He represented Hastings East in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Conservative from 1867 to 1874....
, businessman and politicianPoliticianA politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, born in 1806 at Hanwell, died 25 October 1881 at Belleville, OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. - Henry MaudsleyHenry MaudsleyHenry Maudsley was a pioneering British psychiatrist.-Biographical sketch:Henry Maudsley was born on an isolated farm near Giggleswick in the North Riding of Yorkshire and educated at University College London. He was an outstandingly brilliant medical student, collecting ten Gold Medals and...
(1835–1918) was a pioneering English psychiatristPsychiatristA psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
. From 1866-1874 he ran John ConollyJohn ConollyJohn Conolly , English psychiatrist, was born at Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, of an Irish family. He spent four years as a lieutenant in the Cambridgeshire Militia and lived for a year in France before embarking on a medical career.He graduated with an MD degree at University of Edinburgh in 1821...
's private asylum at Lawn House, Hanwell. - Henry Scott TukeHenry Scott TukeHenry Scott Tuke, RA RWS , was a British visual artist; primarily a painter, but also a photographer. His most notable work was in the Impressionist style, and he is probably best known for his paintings of nude boys and young men....
RARoyal AcademyThe Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
: Son of Daniel, he became a famous painterPaintingPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
. They both lived at Golden Manor. - Peter CrouchPeter CrouchPeter James Crouch is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Stoke City and the England national team.Crouch started his career as a trainee with Tottenham Hotspur...
, footballer, is a former pupil of Drayton Manor High School. - Steve McQueenSteve McQueen (artist)Steve Rodney McQueen CBE is a British artist and filmmaker. He is a winner of the Golden Camera at the Cannes Film Festival, a Turner Prize and BAFTA.-Early years:...
, artist and film director, is a former pupil of Drayton Manor High School. - Sally Rose, Engineer
- Philip JacksonPhilip Jackson (actor)Philip Jackson is an English actor, known for his many television and film roles, most notably as Chief Inspector Japp in the television series Poirot and as Abbot Hugo, one of the recurring adversaries in the cult 1980s series Robin of Sherwood. Jackson was born in Retford, Nottinghamshire...
, actor. - Rick WakemanRick WakemanRichard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
, keyboardist for the band, YesYes (band)Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
. Although Wakeman never lived in Hanwell, he attended Drayton Manor Grammar SchoolDrayton Manor High SchoolDrayton Manor High School, formerly Drayton Manor Grammar School, is a comprehensive school located in Hanwell, Ealing, England. The current headteacher is Sir Pritpal Singh. The school is a specialist Humanities College. Its emblem is a phoenix rising from a crown with the legend 'Nec Aspera...
, on Drayton Bridge Road, leaving in 1966. - Sir Montagu Sharpe: Lived at Brent Lodge. An historian and one time president of the London and Middlesex Archaeological Society. On local history he wrote the books: Bygone Hanwell; The Great Ford of the lower Thames; Middlesex in Roman and Saxon Times and Middlesex in the Domesday Book.
- Steve BenbowSteve BenbowStephen George "Steve" Benbow , was a British folk guitar player, singer and music director, who was influential in the English folk music revival of the 1960s. His obituary in The Times described him as "a seminal influence on a whole generation of guitarists".He was born in Tooting, Surrey and...
(29 November 1931 – 17 November 2006) was a British folkFolk musicFolk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
player, singer and music director. - The Magic NumbersThe Magic NumbersThe Magic Numbers are an English pop rock band comprising two pairs of brothers and sisters from Greenford. The group was formed in 2002, releasing their critically acclaimed debut album titled The Magic Numbers on 13 June 2005...
, indie-pop band.
- The WhoThe WhoThe Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
rock band rehearsed in Hanwell Community Centre prior to their 1969 US Tour. - William Frederick YeamesWilliam Frederick YeamesWilliam Frederick Yeames was a British painter best known for his oil-on-canvas problem picture And When Did You Last See Your Father?, which depicts the son of a Royalist being questioned by Parliamentarians during the English Civil War.-Biography:Yeames was born in Taganrog, Russia, the son of a...
RARoyal AcademyThe Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
: Famous for having painted And When Did You Last See Your Father? the artist lived in Campbell Road (there is a Blue PlaqueBlue plaqueA blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker....
on his house to commemorate this). He was also a one time churchwarden of St Mary's church. - Ulmus × viminalisUlmus × viminalisUlmus × viminalis Lodd. is an elm hybrid derived from the crossing U. minor subsp. minor Richens × U. minor var. plotii Druce . W. J. Bean says that the cultivar, which he calls U. 'Viminalis', is one form of a natural hybrid, U. × viminalis, that occurs from Essex to Oxfordshire...
, a variety of elmElmElms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
tree, was first described from a specimen growing in Hanwell (in 1677).
In popular culture
Hanwell has been the filming location for a number of films and television programmes:- There for Me, British feature film: From 7th-14 July 2007 the Hanwell's First Choice Cafe on the corner of Hanwell Broadway was converted into the Broadway Café for this film. It stars Paul BettanyPaul BettanyPaul Bettany is an English actor. He has appeared in a wide variety of films, including A Knight's Tale, A Beautiful Mind, and The Da Vinci Code...
(born nearby, in HarlesdenHarlesdenHarlesden is an area in the London Borough of Brent, northwest London, UK. Its main focal point is the Jubilee Clock which commemorates Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee....
) and was written by his close friend Dan Fredenburgh, together with Doraly Rosen; Dan and Doraly play the lead roles. Other cast members are Olivia WilliamsOlivia WilliamsOlivia Haigh Williams is an English film, stage and television actress who has appeared in British and American films and television series.-Early life:Williams was born in Camden Town, London, England...
and Rita TushinghamRita Tushingham-Career:Born in Liverpool, Tushingham began her career as a stage actress at the Liverpool Playhouse. Her screen debut was in A Taste of Honey...
. It is about two people who find they have to make tough and emotionally difficult choices about their lives.
- Bridget Jones's Diary (film)Bridget Jones's Diary (film)Bridget Jones's Diary is a 2001 British romantic comedy film based on Helen Fielding's novel of the same name. The adaptation stars Renée Zellweger as Bridget, Hugh Grant as the caddish Daniel Cleaver, and Colin Firth as Bridget's "true love", Mark Darcy...
(2001): Used Hanwell CemeteryHanwell CemeteryHanwell Cemetery is a cemetery located in Hanwell, Ealing, west London. Originally called City of Westminster Cemetery it is owned and managed by the City of Westminster's Parks Service.-History:...
as one of its many London locations.
- Staggered (1994): Starred Martin ClunesMartin ClunesAlexander Martin Clunes is an English actor and comedian. Clunes is perhaps best known for his roles as Gary Strang in Men Behaving Badly, Doctor Martin Ellingham in Doc Martin and the title character in Reggie Perrin....
as a man late for his own weddingWeddingA wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
. St Mary's was used for most of the church shots.
- Shine on Harvey MoonShine on Harvey MoonShine on Harvey Moon is a British television series made by Central Television for ITV from 8 January 1982 to 23 August 1985 and briefly revived in 1995 by Meridian....
(1993) for ITV television: This was a period drama series set in the 1940s1940sFile:1940s decade montage.png|Above title bar: events which happened during World War II : From left to right: Troops in an LCVP landing craft approaching "Omaha" Beach on "D-Day"; Adolf Hitler visits Paris, soon after the Battle of France; The Holocaust occurred during the war as Nazi Germany...
. The funeral sequences were also filmed at St Mary's.
- Peep ShowPeep Show (TV series)Peep Show is a British sitcom starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb. The television programme is written by Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain, with additional material by Mitchell and Webb themselves, amongst others. It has been broadcast on Channel 4 since 2003. The show's seventh series makes it...
: The Dolphin pub (series three, episode four) and the exterior and interior of St Mary's church for Sophie and Mark's wedding (series four, episode six).
- Carry On ConstableCarry On ConstableCarry On Constable is the fourth Carry On film. It was released in 1960. Of the regular team, it featured Kenneth Connor, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims and Hattie Jacques. Sid James makes his debut in the series here, while early regulars Leslie Phillips, Eric Barker and Shirley...
(1960): Used many locations around EalingEalingEaling is a suburban area of west London, England and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Ealing. It is located west of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a rural village...
, with Hanwell Library serving for the exterior shots of their Police Station. St. Mary's was also used for exterior shots.
- Carry On TeacherCarry On TeacherCarry On Teacher is the third Carry On film, released in 1959. It features Ted Ray in his only Carry On role, alongside series regulars; Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey, Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jacques. Leslie Phillips and Joan Sims make their second appearances in the series here, having made...
(1959): The Maudlin Street School exterior scenes were shot at Drayton School, Drayton Grove, West Ealing.
In literature
"So, setting about it as methodically as men might smoke out a wasps' nest, the Martians spread this strange stifling vapour over the Londonward country. The horns of the crescent slowly moved apart, until at last they formed a line from Hanwell to Coombe and Malden." from The War of the WorldsThe War of the Worlds
The War of the Worlds is an 1898 science fiction novel written by H. G. Wells.The War of the Worlds may also refer to:- Radio broadcasts :* The War of the Worlds , the 1938 radio broadcast by Orson Welles...
by H. G. Wells
H. G. Wells
Herbert George Wells was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books and rules for war games...
(1898).
"And I remember that as I lifted my head to listen, my eye caught an omnibus on which was written "Hanwell."" ... "Believing utterly in one's self is a hysterical and superstitious belief like believing in Joanna Southcote: the man who has it has 'Hanwell' written on his face as plain as it is written on that omnibus." from Orthodoxy (book)
Orthodoxy (book)
Orthodoxy is a book by G. K. Chesterton that has become a classic of Christian apologetics. Chesterton considered this book a companion to his other work, Heretics...
by G. K. Chesterton
G. K. Chesterton
Gilbert Keith Chesterton, KC*SG was an English writer. His prolific and diverse output included philosophy, ontology, poetry, plays, journalism, public lectures and debates, literary and art criticism, biography, Christian apologetics, and fiction, including fantasy and detective fiction....
(1908).
Political representation
Hanwell is divided between two parliamentParliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
ary constituencies: Ealing North (which covers Hanwell north of the railway line to Paddington), represented since 1997 by Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Stephen Pound, and Ealing Southall (south of the railway line), represented since 2007 by Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Virendra Sharma
Virendra Sharma
Virendra Kumar Sharma is a British Labour Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Ealing Southall since 2007.-Parliamentary career:...
.
Hanwell is made up of two electoral wards for local council
Local government in the United Kingdom
The pattern of local government in England is complex, with the distribution of functions varying according to the local arrangements. Legislation concerning local government in England is decided by the Parliament and Government of the United Kingdom, because England does not have a devolved...
election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
s: Hobbayne and Elthorne
Elthorne (ward)
The Elthorne electoral ward for local council elections elects councillors to Ealing Council. Representing Elthorne ward, are two Conservative councillors and one Labour councillor...
, which both elect councillors to Ealing Council
London Borough of Ealing
The London Borough of Ealing is a borough in west London.-Location:The London Borough of Ealing borders the London Borough of Hillingdon to the west, the London Borough of Harrow and the London Borough of Brent to the north, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham to the east and the London...
.
Hanwell is in the London Assembly
London Assembly
The London Assembly is an elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds majority, to amend the mayor's annual budget. The assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at City Hall on the south...
constituency of Ealing and Hillingdon which has one assembly member: Richard Barnes (Conservative), who was re-elected in May 2008. It is also part of the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
region for the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
elections. The London region elects eight MPs to the European Parliament.
Trams, trolleybuses and motor buses
In 1901 the first electric trams began to run along the Uxbridge RoadUxbridge Road
Uxbridge Road is the name of the A4020 road in London. It starts at Shepherd's Bush Green and goes west towards Uxbridge. It passes through Acton, Ealing Broadway and Hanwell....
, causing the population of the village to expand faster than with the arrival of the train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
s half a century before. First however, the tram company had to strengthen Hanwell Bridge, as well as widen it on its north side. A balustrade, which survives to this day, lines each side. Another stipulation placed upon the company was that the standards to support the catenary
Catenary
In physics and geometry, the catenary is the curve that an idealised hanging chain or cable assumes when supported at its ends and acted on only by its own weight. The curve is the graph of the hyperbolic cosine function, and has a U-like shape, superficially similar in appearance to a parabola...
also had to be able to double as street lampposts. The cars cost £1,000 each yet the ordinary fare from Shepherd's Bush
Shepherd's Bush
-Commerce:Commercial activity in Shepherd's Bush is now focused on the Westfield shopping centre next to Shepherd's Bush Central line station and on the many small shops which run along the northern side of the Green....
to Uxbridge
Uxbridge
Uxbridge is a large town located in north west London, England and is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. It forms part of the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is located west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres...
was only 8d. As the trams system utilised a single live overhead conductor only for each direction, this meant the residents of Hanwell not only had to put up with the general whine and mechanical clatter of the trams themselves but also their cast-iron shoes scraping along the running rails to provide a current return path. Should a stone get trapped between shoe and rail (and they often did) it would cause an ear-penetrating screech thus creating more annoyance.
A route from Brentford
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located at the confluence of the River Thames and the River Brent, west-southwest of Charing Cross. Its former ceremonial county was Middlesex.-Toponymy:...
to Hanwell was introduced on 26 May 1906.
A tram depot (later converted into a trolleybus depot and then into a bus garage) was located on the Uxbridge Road
Uxbridge Road
Uxbridge Road is the name of the A4020 road in London. It starts at Shepherd's Bush Green and goes west towards Uxbridge. It passes through Acton, Ealing Broadway and Hanwell....
. It was closed down in 1993 and the land has been converted into a retail park.
Routemaster
Routemaster
The AEC Routemaster is a model of double-decker bus that was built by Associated Equipment Company in 1954 and produced until 1968. Primarily front-engined, rear open-platform buses, a small number of variants were produced with doors and/or front entrances...
buses were built at the AEC factory in Windmill Lane and much of the fuel injection equipment and electrical systems were manufactured by CAV Ltd who had a factory in Acton Vale
Acton Vale, London
Acton Vale is a district in London, England. It lies between Acton to the west, and Shepherd's Bush to the east....
. The large Routemaster tyres were moulded and cured, just to the south on the Great West Road in Brentford
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located at the confluence of the River Thames and the River Brent, west-southwest of Charing Cross. Its former ceremonial county was Middlesex.-Toponymy:...
by the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company
Firestone Tire and Rubber Company
The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company is an American tire company founded by Harvey Firestone in 1900 to supply pneumatic tires for wagons, buggies, and other forms of wheeled transportation common in the era. Firestone soon saw the huge potential for marketing tires for automobiles. The company...
whose factory was opened there in 1928.
Trolley buses were introduced in 1936 and ran until the early 1960s.
Plans to reintroduce trams again in the form of the West London Tram
West London Tram
The West London Tram was a proposed on-street light rail line which was to run along the Uxbridge Road corridor in west London, England. The scheme was promoted by Transport for London but opposed by the councils of all three London Boroughs through which it would run...
scheme were suggested, but then abandoned by Transport for London
Transport for London
Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...
in 2007 in the face of local opposition.
Transport for London: Bus services to and from Hanwell. Accessed 2007-06-05
Nearest tube stations
- Boston Manor tube stationBoston Manor tube stationBoston Manor is a London Underground station serving the Boston Manor area between Brentford and Hanwell in west London. The station is on the Heathrow branch of the Underground's Piccadilly Line, between Osterley and Northfields stations...
(Piccadilly linePiccadilly LineThe Piccadilly line is a line of the London Underground, coloured dark blue on the Tube map. It is the fifth busiest line on the Underground network judged by the number of passengers transported per year. It is mainly a deep-level line, running from the north to the west of London via Zone 1, with...
) - Ealing Broadway tube station (Central lineCentral LineThe Central line is a London Underground line, coloured red on the tube map. It is a deep-level "tube" line, running east-west across London, and, at , has the greatest total length of track of any line on the Underground. Of the 49 stations served, 20 are below ground...
) - Perivale tube stationPerivale tube station-History:The Great Western Railway opened "Perivale Halt" on 2 May 1904. The current London Underground station was opened on 30 June 1947. In July 2011 the station was one of 16 London Underground stations made a Grade II listed building,-The station today:...
(Central lineCentral LineThe Central line is a London Underground line, coloured red on the tube map. It is a deep-level "tube" line, running east-west across London, and, at , has the greatest total length of track of any line on the Underground. Of the 49 stations served, 20 are below ground...
)
Nearest railway stations
- Hanwell railway stationHanwell railway stationHanwell railway station is a railway station in Hanwell in the London Borough of Ealing. The station is managed by First Great Western but served by local services operated by Heathrow Connect from London to Heathrow Airport.-History:...
, built circa 1875-77, has been declared a Grade II listed building by English HeritageEnglish HeritageEnglish Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
, but the buildings are now in "a dilapidated condition". It is served by the twice-hourly Heathrow ConnectHeathrow ConnectHeathrow Connect is a train operating company in London provided jointly by Heathrow Express and First Great Western, connecting Heathrow Airport with station. The service follows the same route as the Heathrow Express service but serves intermediate stations en route, thus connecting several...
Paddington to HeathrowLondon Heathrow AirportLondon Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
service from Monday-Saturday. - The CrossrailCrossrailCrossrail is a project to build a major new railway link under central London. The name refers to the first of two routes which are the responsibility of Crossrail Ltd. It is based on an entirely new east-west tunnel with a central section from to Liverpool Street station...
train scheme is planned to include a stop at Hanwell railway station, with twice-hourly trains. - Castle Bar ParkCastle Bar Park railway stationCastle Bar Park station is in the London Borough of Ealing in west London, England and is in Travelcard Zone 4. The station is 12 km north west of London Paddington on the Greenford Branch Line. The station and all trains serving it are operated by First Great Western...
and Drayton GreenDrayton Green railway stationDrayton Green railway station is in the London Borough of Ealing in west London, and is in Travelcard Zone 4. The station and all trains serving it are operated by First Great Western...
railway stations also serve the town with twice-hourly trains from Monday-Saturday.
Nearest places
External links
- Official Hanwell Carnival Website
- Hanwell: Introduction, A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3: SheppertonSheppertonShepperton is a town in the borough of Spelthorne, Surrey, England. To the south it is bounded by the river Thames at Desborough Island and is bisected by the M3 motorway...
, StainesStainesStaines is a Thames-side town in the Spelthorne borough of Surrey and Greater London Urban Area, as well as the London Commuter Belt of South East England. It is a suburban development within the western bounds of the M25 motorway and located 17 miles west south-west of Charing Cross in...
, StanwellStanwellStanwell is a suburban village in the Surrey borough of Spelthorne. It is located 15.7 miles west south-west of Charing Cross and half a mile from the southern boundary of London Heathrow Airport and the London Borough of Hillingdon...
, SunburySunbury-on-ThamesSunbury-on-Thames, also known as Sunbury, is a town in the Surrey borough of Spelthorne, England, and part of the London commuter belt. It is located 16 miles southwest of central London and bordered by Feltham and Hampton, flanked on the south by the River Thames.-History:The earliest evidence of...
, TeddingtonTeddingtonTeddington is a suburban area in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in south west London, on the north bank of the River Thames, between Hampton Wick and Twickenham. It stretches inland from the River Thames to Bushy Park...
, HestonHestonHeston is a place in the London Borough of Hounslow, west London. It is a suburban development area, based on a former farming village west south-west of Charing Cross.-History:...
and IsleworthIsleworthIsleworth is a small town of Saxon origin sited within the London Borough of Hounslow in west London, England. It lies immediately east of the town of Hounslow and west of the River Thames and its tributary the River Crane. Isleworth's original area of settlement, alongside the Thames, is known as...
, TwickenhamTwickenhamTwickenham is a large suburban town southwest of central London. It is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and one of the locally important district centres identified in the London Plan...
, CowleyCowley, LondonCowley is a place in the London Borough of Hillingdon. It is a suburban development situated 15.4 miles west of Charing Cross. Cowley is home to , which was mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book....
, CranfordCranford, LondonCranford is a place in the London Borough of Hounslow. It is a suburban development located 12.4 miles west of Charing Cross and on the eastern perimeter of London Heathrow Airport....
, West DraytonWest DraytonWest Drayton is a suburban area in the London Borough of Hillingdon in the far west of London, England. Formerly part of the Yiewsley and West Drayton Urban District of Middlesex, the district became part of Greater London in 1965....
, GreenfordGreenfordGreenford is a large suburb in the London Borough of Ealing in west London, UK. It was historically an ancient parish in the former county of Middlesex. The most prominent landmarks in the suburb are the A40, a major dual-carriageway; Horsenden Hill, above sea level; the small Parish Church of...
, Hanwell, HarefieldHarefieldHarefield is a village in the London Borough of Hillingdon in northwest London, England. It is situated on top of a hill, northwest of Charing Cross, near the Greater London boundary with Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the north...
and HarlingtonHarlington, LondonHarlington is a suburban area in the London Borough of Hillingdon, on the northern perimeter of London Heathrow Airport. It is situated west of Charing Cross.-Etymology:...
(1962), pp. 220–24. Date accessed: 24 June 2006.