| Hillingdon | |
|---|---|
 Hillingdon Court Park | |
  Hillingdon Location withinGreater London | |
| OS grid reference | TQ071827 |
| • Charing Cross | 14.2 mi (22.9 km) E |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | UXBRIDGE |
| Postcode district | UB8, UB10 |
| Dialling code | 020 01895 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
| 51°31′58″N0°27′18″W / 51.5329°N 0.4550°W /51.5329; -0.4550 | |
Hillingdon is an area ofUxbridge within theLondon Borough of Hillingdon, centred 14.2 miles (22.8 km) west ofCharing Cross. It was anancient parish inMiddlesex that included the market town ofUxbridge. During the 1920s thecivil parish borea rapid, planned increase in population and housing, and was absorbed byUxbridge Urban District in 1929.[1] It has formed part ofGreater London since 1965.[2]
Much of Hillingdon has lasting, albeit minor, administrative effect as the current Hillingdon Eastward for electing councillors toHillingdon London Borough Council. In November 2010, the ward had a recorded population of 12,403.[3]
The nameHillingdon appears in theDomesday Book (1086) asHillendone, possibly meaning "hill of a man named Hille".[4] The name could also mean 'hill of a woman named Hilda'.[5]
Hillingdon was anancient parish, and had within it thechapelry ofUxbridge, which became a separate civil parish in 1866. When alocal board of health was created for Uxbridge, the western part of Hillingdon parish was included within it.[6] Under theLocal Government Act 1894, Hillingdon parish was divided in two along the boundary of the board of health district. Hillingdon West became, withUxbridge, part of theUxbridge Urban District. Hillingdon East, now governed by the Hillingdon East Parish Council, became part of theUxbridge Rural District. Uxbridge Rural District and the parish council were abolished in 1928, with the Hillingdon East parish being added to the Uxbridge Urban District. Both Hillingdon East and Hillingdon West parishes were abolished in 1938 and added to Uxbridge parish. In 1965, under theLondon Government Act 1963, Hillingdon became the name of the westernmost borough ofGreater London.
TheA40 (Western Avenue) was rerouted in the early 1990s to run slightly north of its original route, thereby allowing traffic to flow without interruption at the junction of Hillingdon Circus.Hillingdon tube station was required to be demolished in order for the new road to be constructed, and a new station was opened further south along the line in 1994, winning the Underground Station of the Year award for that year.[7]
Hillingdon is a traditionalConservative stronghold lying within theUxbridge and South Ruislip constituency, represented from 2015 until 2023 byBoris Johnson. Before that,John RandallMP had represented the constituency since 1997, following the death of fellow Conservative SirMichael Shersby.
Primary schools in Hillingdon include Oak Farm Juniors, St Bernadette's Roman Catholic Primary School, St Helen's College, Hillingdon Primary and Ryefield Primary.[citation needed]
Secondary schools,ACS Hillingdon,Bishopshalt School, Oak Wood School,Vyners School andSwakeleys School for Girls.
Moorcroft School in Colham Green is a special school, run by theEden Academy Trust.[8] It was formerly located at Moorcroft Park on Harlington Road, the old Moorcroft House hospital site.[9]
Hillingdon tube station is served by theMetropolitan andPiccadilly lines of theLondon Underground.
West Ruislip tube station is served by theCentral line of theLondon Underground.
The Oxford Tube and Oxford X90 services betweenOxford and central London also serve Hillingdon.
Bus routeU2 serves Hillingdon, operating between Uxbridge station andBrunel University.[10]
Bus routeA10 connects Uxbridge to Heathrow Central Bus Station.[11]
The church of St John the Baptist stands at the top of Hillingdon Hill, at its junction with Royal Lane. It was built in 1629, replacing an earlier building deemed to have become unsafe.[12] In 1846, the architectGeorge Gilbert Scott (father ofGeorge Gilbert Scott Junior) was asked to design an extension, as the increasing population meant the church was becoming too cramped. This extension was completed between 1847 and 1848 by the Fassnidge builders from Uxbridge.[12]
On 8 November 1940, a bomb fell on the south side of the church, damaging many of the windows on the south and east sides of the church. The windows were repaired after the war.[13] The barrel roof of thechancel was renovated in 1953 to commemorate thecoronation ofElizabeth II. In 1964, a vestry was built on the north-eastern side of the church.[14] There is a notable brass on the north wall of the south aisle dedicated toJohn, 8th Baron Strange of Knokin and his wife Jacquetta (1509).[15][16] The nearest station to the church isUxbridge which is at the distance of 1.73 km.[17]
Hillingdon Court was built in 1858 bySir Charles Mills as his family home, after he had bought separate adjacent properties in Vine Lane. Both[which?] buildings were demolished and the plots combined to allow the construction of the new property. The mansion remained in the family's ownership untilCharles Mills, 2nd Baron Hillingdon died in 1919. Part of the estate was bought by the local authority, while the mansion was bought by the Roman Catholic Order of theSacred Heart and became a nursing home in 1920. After the Second World War, the mansion became a girls' school, and in 1978 it was bought byACS International Schools to become ACS Hillingdon. Under the ownership of ACS International Schools, the mansion has been extended and converted in parts to meet the needs of a school. The area of land bought by the local authority remains today as Hillingdon Court Park.
Actor Shammi Aulakh was born in Hillingdon
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
