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Hounslow

Coordinates:51°28′00″N0°22′30″W/ 51.4668°N 0.375°W/51.4668; -0.375
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This article is about the town in Greater London. For the borough whose administrative centre it is, seeLondon Borough of Hounslow.

Hounslow
High Street
Hounslow is located in Greater London
Hounslow
Hounslow
Location withinGreater London
Population103,337 (2011 Census)[1]
OS grid referenceTQ140760
•Charing Cross10.7 mi (17.2 km)ENE
London borough
Ceremonial countyGreater London
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townHOUNSLOW
Postcode districtTW3–TW6
Dialling code020
PoliceMetropolitan
FireLondon
AmbulanceLondon
UK Parliament
London Assembly
List of places
UK
England
London
51°28′00″N0°22′30″W/ 51.4668°N 0.375°W/51.4668; -0.375
Junction of Bell Road and High Street
Hounslow Heath Nature Reserve
ASDAstore with apartments at the Blenheim Centre
High Street
Hounslow railway station
Hounslow East tube station

Hounslow(/ˈhaʊnzloʊ/HOWNZ-loh) is a large suburban district of WestLondon,England,10+3⁄4miles (17.5 kilometres) west-southwest ofCharing Cross.It is the administrative centre of theLondon Borough of Hounslow,and is identified in theLondon Planas one of the 14 metropolitan centres inGreater London.

It is bounded byIsleworthto the east,Twickenhamto its south,Felthamto its west andSouthallto its north.

The Hounslowpost towncovers theTW3, TW4, TW5 and TW6postcodes. Most of the post town is in the London Borough of Hounslow, but parts fall within theLondon Borough of Richmond upon Thamesand theLondon Borough of Hillingdon,notably includingHeathrow Airport.

History[edit]

Etymology[edit]

In old records, Hounslow is spelt 'Hundeslow' which points to the Anglo-Saxon phrase 'Hundes hlāw', translating to 'the Hound's barrow' or more accurately 'the barrow of a man named or nicknamed Hound'.[citation needed]

Hounslow Town[edit]

Hounslow was centred around the Holy Trinity Priory founded in 1211.[2]The priory developed what had been a small village into a town with regular markets and other facilities for travellers heading to and from London. Although the priory was dissolved in 1539, the town remained an important staging post on the Bath Road.

The construction of theGreat Western Railwayline from London to Bristol from 1838 reduced long-distance travel along the Bath Road. By 1842, the local paper was reporting that the 'formerly flourishing village' (which used to stable 2000 horses) was suffering a 'general depreciation of property'.[3]The Hounslow Loop Line was constructed in 1850 - which prompted new development.Hounslow Hospitalopened in 1876 and closed in 1978.Hanworth Road drill hall(now the Treaty Lodge Hotel) was built for the 2nd Volunteer Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment.

The construction of the Great West Road (a by-pass for the Bath Road, around Brentford, Isleworth and Hounslow town centres) in the 1920s attracted the building of factories and headquarters of large companies and led to a great deal of housing development. After a decline in the 1970s, offices largely replaced factories and further expansion in hotel and housing stock started to take place.

Hounslow Heath[edit]

Hounslow Heathhas a continuous recorded history dating back to theNormanperiod, in which it lent its name to the hamlet ofHeathrow.It was infamously known for the numbers ofhighwaymenandfootpadsin the area,[4]who targeted wealthy individuals and noblemen.[5]

The Heath once had strategic importance as its routes acted as a throughway from London to the west and southwest of Britain. The present northern boundary of the Heath - Staines Road - was theRoman Roadlater known as theDevils Highway.There are several historic references to Roman camps surrounding the Heath. Both Oliver Cromwell and James II used the heath as a military encampment.

In 1784 the first accurate measurements were made on the heath to establish the base line for the Ordnance Survey trigonometrical survey of Great Britain. The event was attended byKing George IVandJoseph Banks,president of theRoyal Society.[6]

In 1793, theCavalry Barrackswere constructed and were extended with theBeavers Lane Camp.Between 1914 and 1920 the heath becameHounslow Heath Aerodrome.

Hounslow Heath Aerodromewas a grass airfield and was operational from 1910 to 1920. It was in the London borough of Hounslow, and in 1919 was where the first scheduled daily international commercial air services began.[7][8]

Emergency services[edit]

Theterritorial police forceis theMetropolitan Police.Hounslow Police Station is located on Montague Road, adjacent to the High Street.

Thestatutoryfire and rescue servicein Hounslow is theLondon Fire Brigade(LFB), with the nearest fire station inIsleworthon London Road.

The nearest accident and emergency hospital isWest Middlesex University Hospital,in Isleworth, which is part of theChelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trustand a teaching hospital of theImperial College School of Medicine.London Ambulance Serviceprovides emergency ambulance services.

Governance[edit]

Hounslow forms part of the London Borough of Hounslow, governed byHounslow Councilbased atHounslow Houseat 7 Bath Road. As part of Greater London it is also covered by theLondon AssemblyandMayor of Londonfor certain strategic functions.

The original settlement of Hounslow grew up on the boundary between theancient parishesofHestonandIsleworth,both in theIsleworth HundredofMiddlesex.Hounslow was made its ownecclesiastical parishin 1835, whilst continuing to straddle Heston and Isleworth forcivil purposes.[9]

In 1875 alocal government districtwas created covering the whole of the two civil parishes, governed by an elected local board. The district was initially divided into threeelectoral wards:Heston, Hounslow and Isleworth.[10]Such local government districts were converted intourban districtsunder theLocal Government Act 1894.[11]

A referendum of local electors was held in 1927 on whether to change the urban district's name from Heston and Isleworth to Hounslow. A significant majority of those who voted supported the change of name (6,778 in favour, 3,775 against), but it was vetoed byMiddlesex County Council.[12][13]The urban district was incorporated to become theMunicipal Borough of Heston and Isleworthin 1932.[14][15][16]

The borough of Heston and Isleworth was abolished in 1965. Its area was transferred from Middlesex to Greater London and merged with the abolishedMunicipal Borough of Brentford and ChiswickandFeltham Urban Districtto become the London Borough of Hounslow.

Geography[edit]

Hounslow is separated from Twickenham by Hanworth Road (A314) Nelson Road, Hounslow Road (B361) and Whitton Dene/ Murray Park.

Hall Road, Bridge Road, the Hounslow Loop Line, Thornbury Park, Worton Way, the Piccadilly Line, Stucley Road and Osterley Park separate Hounslow and Isleworth.

The Norwood Green estate and Industrial area in North Hyde, separate Hounslow and Southall whilst the River Crane and Cranford Park form a natural boundary between Hounslow and Hayes

Historically, Hounslow's traditional western boundary followed the River Crane; however, it now extends to the Bath Road (A4), Duke of Northumberlands River and Great South-West Road (A30) and back to the river (to include Heathrow Airport).

Demography[edit]

The suburban district of Hounslow, including its localitiesCranford,Heston,Hounslow WestandLampton,was 103,337 in the2011 census,whereas the wider borough had a population of 254,000.[17]

2011 Census Homes
Ward Detached Semi-detached Terraced Flats and apartments Caravans/temporary/mobile homes Shared between households[18]
Hounslow Central 257 1,455 930 2,687 3 52
Hounslow Heath 285 1,522 1,128 1,886 7 87
Hounslow South 223 2,155 967 588 0 11
Hounslow West 248 1,526 799 1,344 5 23
2011 Census Households
Ward Population Households % Owned outright % Owned with a loan hectares[18]
Hounslow Central 15,169 5,384 19 19 174
Hounslow Heath 14,727 4,915 17 27 279
Hounslow South 11,408 3,944 33 42 179
Hounslow West 12,658 3,945 23 24 162

Hounslow has a high proportion of people who identify themselves asBAME(Black, Asian and minority Ethnic), and it is the borough's most diverse town. In seven of Hounslow's eightelectoral wards,the BAME proportion is above 70%.[19]The town has a largeBritish Asiancommunity.[20]

Economy[edit]

Hounslow is an economic hub within the west of the capital city, with it having a large shopping centre which adjoins itshigh streetand many restaurants, cafés and small businesses,[21]many of which are associated with product assembly, marketing, telecommunications andHeathrow Airport,which has many businesses and public sector jobs in and around it to which the local population commute. The settlement is also partially employed in theCommuter Beltwith access between 45 and 60 minutes from most ofCentral London.

DHL Air UKhas its head office in the Orbital Park in Hounslow.[22]

Hounslow Town Centre is a busy predominantly retail centre, with a small number of commercial offices and civic buildings. There is a large shopping centre called theTreaty Centrewhich opened in 1987,[23]containing JD, Next, H&M and many large branches ofchain storesfound in British high streets. It includes a food court along with over 50 shops. There is a largeASDAsuperstore located within the Blenheim Centre complex (which was completed in 2006)[24]along withB&M,aBarnado'scharity shop, a local health centre, a gym run byThe Gym Groupand Jungle V.I.P (a children's indoor play area).

A new retail area, the High Street Quarter, will be located near Hounslow High Street and is set to contain a 27-storey residential tower along with many shops, restaurants, and a ten-screenCineworldcinema multiplex.[25][26]

Culture and community[edit]

Hounslow Heathis a large public open space and localnature reserveto the west of Hounslow, a London borough. It now covers about 200 acres (80 ha) and is only the residue of the historic Hounslow Heath that once covered over 4,000 acres (1,600 ha).[27]

Bell Squareis an outdoor performance space next to the Bell pub.Hounslow Community Land Projectwas a community garden and sports area on a derelict piece of land on Hanworth Road.

Twinning[edit]

Hounslow is twinned with the following settlements around the world:

The London Borough of Hounslow also has a sister district agreement withLeningradsky DistrictinKrasnodar Krai,Russia.[28]

Landmarks[edit]

One of the earliest surviving houses in the town is The Lawn, in front of the formerCivic Centrewith its public tennis courts, in brown brick with three double-hungsash windowsset back inrevealswith flat arches, roof withparapetand porch of fluteddoric columns,pilasters,entablatureand semi-circular traceriedfanlight.[29]The similar example of 44–50 Bath Road: also in brown brick and as is sometimes seen, has been painted.[30]

Nearby country houses includeOsterley House,Syon House,Hanworth Park Houseand Worton Hall.

Transport[edit]

AQantasBoeing 747-400overMyrtle Avenue, Hounslowon approach toHeathrow Airportrunway 27L[31]

Major roads[edit]

There are three major roads in Hounslow. The east–west roads, theA4'Great West Road' and the 'Bath Road' that connects Hounslow toCentral LondonandSlough,and theA30'Great South West Road' that connects it toStaines-upon-Thames,which meet at Henlys Roundabout in Hounslow West. There is also the north–south road, theA312'The Causeway' and 'The Parkway', which connects Hounslow toHamptonin the south andHarrowto the north.

Additionally, A and B roads in Hounslow include the A314 'Hanworth Road' that starts in Hounslow and finishes inHanworth,Feltham.The historic A315 'London Road', 'Hounslow High Street', 'Hanworth Road', 'Grove Road' and 'Staines Road'; which starts in Central London and ends inBedfont,Feltham. In doing this, it connects Hounslow to towns and districts such as Kensington, Hammersmith, Chiswick, Brentford and Isleworth.

East-west roads[edit]

TheA4 Great West Roadjoins with theA3006Bath Road (from the A315) before Henlys Roundabout, which is inHounslow West.From there aWNWroute passesHeathrow Airport,terminals 1 to 3 and terminal 5 as theBath Roadand a WSW route, theA30,passes terminal 4, bypassesStainesand reaches theM25;the remainder is a mostly-minor route toLand's End,Cornwall.

TheM4 motorwayis two miles north; its nearest junction, J3, being northwest along theA312.

The A315 is the historic WSW road out of London, on which Hounslow's High Street is placed. To the east, it bisectsIsleworth,BrentfordandChiswick.To the west it bisectsNorth FelthamandBedfontbefore joining the A30.

North-south roads[edit]

The north–southA312,The Parkway,to the west of Hounslow leads south toHamptonor north toHarrowpassing Waggoners' Roundabout (WNW of Henlys Roundabout in Hounslow West),Hayes,YeadingandNortholt.

Three minor roads converge onHestonfrom the A315 in parts of Hounslow, the A3063, A3005 and B363. The single road re-divides just north inNorwood Greeninto a northwest road toSouthall(the A3005) and into theA4127that passes byHanwell,briefly using theA4020west before bypassingDormers Wells,passingGreenfordto reachSudbury,the town immediately to the west ofWembleyandNorth Wembley.

For longer journeys north, the M4, A4 or A30 then M25 provides the best routes. For longer journeys south, Hanworth Road leads to theA316that becomes theM3 motorway.

Trains and Underground[edit]

Hounslow Central tube station

There are three main London Underground stations in the town;Hounslow East,Hounslow CentralandHounslow West,with all the stations being on thePiccadilly line.TheDistrict lineused to operate services to Hounslow, and the town also has abandoned stations on the old line, such asHounslow Town.

Hounslow railway station,operated bySouth Western Railway,is on the line toLondon Waterloo,or westwards toReading,Weybridge,WokingorWindsor.The line also offers services on theHounslow Loop Line,opened 1850, further around the loop toTwickenhamandRichmond.[32]It is situated a fair distance from the town centre and is used far less than the Underground stations.

Bus services[edit]

London Unitedbuses confined toHounslow bus stationduring the2009 snowfall

Hounslow bus garageand an adjoining bus station are close to theHigh Street.In 1962, as a result of the final stage of theLondon trolleybusprogramme of conversion to motor bus operation, whenIsleworthgarage was closed, the staff from that depot (coded IH) were transferred to Hounslow. The property is owned by theRATP Group,which took it over with the purchase ofLondon UnitedfromTransdev.

In addition to its frequent and regular daytime services throughout the surrounding areas, Hounslow is served by theN9 night servicefromHeathrow Airportto Central London.

Education[edit]

Main article:List of schools in Hounslow

St Mark's Catholic Schoolis on Bath Road.Lampton Schoolwas previously Spring Grove Grammar School, in the area ofLampton.Kingsley Academywas formerly known as Hounslow Manor School andHounslow Heath School,formally known as Hounslow Heath Infant and Nursery School and Hounslow Heath Junior School before they merged, in Selwyn Close.

Holy Trinity Church before renovation of Hounslow High Street

Religious sites[edit]

Due to the town's large South Asian community, Hounslow has a large array of religious sites to cater to the large Muslim, Hindu and Sikh communities as well as the Christian community.

Mosquessituated in the area include Hounslow Central Mosque, Hounslow Muslim Center, Mosque of Jummah Prayer, Islamic Integration Community Centre, Al-Furqan Education Trust and Madina Islamic Mission.

Mandirsinclude the Lakshmi Narayan Temple and Jalaram Jupadi.

Gurdwarasinclude Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha and Gurdwara Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha.

Churchesinclude Our Lady Queen of Apostles, Holy Trinity Church, Hounslow Methodist Church, Hounslow Spiritualist Centre, Hounslow Pentecostal Church, Maswell Park Church, Hounslow URC Church, St Paul's Church, St Stephen's Church, Hounslow United Reformed Church, St Michael & St Martin Church, Christian Community Church, Hounslow Pentecostal Church, Hounslow West Evangelical Church, Emmanuel Baptist Church, Hounslow Spiritualist Church, St John's Mar Thoma Church, Christ Embassy and Heston Methodist Church.

Sport[edit]

A printed programme dated 7 July 1935 suggests that there may have been a motorcycle speedway race at a venue in Dockwell Lane, Feltham, branded as the Hounslow Speedway. Information suggests that more than one meeting was staged in conjunction with the Hounslow Motorcycle and Car Club.

In the late 20th century,Hounslow Hockey Clubwas successful at a national level but has since merged with Barnes Hockey Club.Hounslow Heath Golf Centre,situated on the western side of the Heath, closed in 2016.

The 2002 filmBend It Like Beckhamis set in Hounslow, depicting a fictional football team called The Hounslow Harriers.

TheIrish Guards GAAclub is based in Hounslow.

Notable people[edit]

Main article:List of people from Hounslow

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Hounslow is made up of 8 wards in the London Borough of Hounslow: Cranford, Heston Central, Heston East, Heston West, Hounslow Central, Hounslow Heath, Hounslow South, and Hounslow West."2011 Census Ward Population Estimates | London DataStore".Archived fromthe originalon 22 February 2014.Retrieved9 June2014.
  2. ^Daniel Lysons, 'Heston',The Environs of London:volume 3:County of Middlesex(1795:22–45):accessed 6 August 2010.
  3. ^Quoted in Acworth, WM 'The Railways in 1843' in Morgan, B (1963) Railway Lover's Companion,Eyre & Spottiswoode,P90
  4. ^"Hounslow Heath - Highwaymen and Highway Robbery".Stand-and-deliver.org.uk.Retrieved6 May2018.
  5. ^"When Hounslow Was The Most Dangerous Place In Britain".Londonist.13 January 2017.Retrieved6 May2018.
  6. ^Owen, Tim; Pilbeam, Elaine (1992).Ordnance Survey, Map Makers to Britain since 1871.Southampton/London: Ordnance Survey/HMSO. p. 6.ISBN0-31-900249-7.
  7. ^Cumber, Robert (6 April 2016)."How Hounslow's forgotten airports helped win the world wars".Getwestlondon.co.uk.Retrieved6 May2018.
  8. ^"Hounslow - Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust UK".Abct.org.uk.Retrieved6 May2018.
  9. ^"No. 19356".The London Gazette.16 February 1936. p. 309.
  10. ^"Local Government Board's Provisional Orders Confirmation (Abingdon, &c.) Act 1975".legislation.gov.uk.The National Archives.Retrieved18 April2024.
  11. ^Susan Reynolds, ed. (1962)."Parishes in the medieval hundred of Isleworth, with map".A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3.Institute of Historical Research.Retrieved27 October2014.
  12. ^"A change of name".The Citizen.Gloucester. 30 June 1927. p. 5.Retrieved19 April2024.
  13. ^"Ealing News".West Middlesex Gazette.Ealing. 9 July 1927. p. 2.Retrieved19 April2024.
  14. ^"Heston and Isleworth Urban District / Municipal Borough".A Vision of Britain through Time.GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth.Retrieved19 April2024.
  15. ^"Heston and Isleworth Civil Parish".A Vision of Britain through Time.GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth.Retrieved19 April2024.
  16. ^"Cranford Ancient Parish / Civil Parish".A Vision of Britain through Time.GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth.Retrieved19 April2024.
  17. ^Ali, Sorriya."Census 2011".Hounslow.gov.uk.Retrieved6 May2018.
  18. ^abKey Statistics; Quick Statistics: Population DensityArchived11 February 2003 at theWayback Machine2011 censusOffice for National Statistics
  19. ^"Ward Profiles and Atlas – London Datastore".Data.london.gov.uk.Retrieved6 July2022.
  20. ^Ehsan, Rakib (18 February 2017)."Inside the British Asian Brexit vote – and why it contains a few surprises".UK and EU.
  21. ^Restaurants guideSquaremeal.co.uk Retrieved 24 December 2013
  22. ^"Online Shipping."DHL Air UK.Retrieved on 23 April 2014. "DHL International (UK) Limited Registered Office: Orbital Park, 178-188 Great South West Road, Hounslow, Middlesex TW4 6JS"
  23. ^"Treaty Centre - Hounslow".Treatyshoppingcentre.co.uk.Retrieved6 May2018.
  24. ^"LONDON BOROUGH OF HOUNSLOW (HOUNSLOW HIGH STREET QUARTER) COMPULSORY PURCHASE ORDER 2015"(PDF).Hws.uk.Retrieved6 July2022.
  25. ^Patel, Salina (2 February 2018)."Hounslow High Street Quarter development takes major step forward".Getwestlondon.Retrieved6 May2018.
  26. ^"High Street Quarter, Hounslow |".Hounslowhighstreetquarter.Retrieved6 May2018.
  27. ^"Hounslow Heath - Hidden London".hidden-london.Retrieved6 May2018.
  28. ^abcdeCumber, Robert (17 December 2010)."Council to revive links with Palestinian town".Hounslow, Heston & Whitton Chronicle. Archived fromthe originalon 23 December 2010.
  29. ^Historic England."Gate to The Lawn, The Lawn (1080312)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved24 June2012.
  30. ^Historic England."44–50 Bath Road (1079602)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved24 June2012.
  31. ^"Myrtle Avenue, Hounslow".Google Maps.Retrieved26 March2013.
  32. ^Grid square mapOrdnance surveywebsite

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

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