| Hounslow | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 High Street | |
  Hounslow Location withinGreater London | |
| Population | 103,337 (2011 Census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | TQ140760 |
| • Charing Cross | 10.7 mi (17.2 km) ENE |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HOUNSLOW |
| Postcode district | TW3–TW6 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
| 51°28′00″N0°22′30″W / 51.4668°N 0.375°W /51.4668; -0.375 | |
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Hounslow (/ˈhaʊnzloʊ/HOWNZ-loh) is a large town inWest London, England,10+3⁄4 miles (17.5 kilometres) west-southwest ofCharing Cross. It is the administrative centre of theLondon Borough of Hounslow, and is identified in theLondon Plan as one of the 14 metropolitan centres inGreater London.
It is bounded byIsleworth to the east,Twickenham to its south,Feltham to its west andSouthall to its north.
The Hounslowpost town covers theTW3, TW4, TW5 and TW6 postcodes. Most of the post town is in the London Borough of Hounslow, but parts fall within theLondon Borough of Richmond upon Thames and theLondon Borough of Hillingdon, notably includingHeathrow Airport.
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 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 Railway line 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 Hospital opened 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 has a continuous recorded history dating back to theNorman period, in which it lent its name to the hamlet ofHeathrow. It was infamously known for the numbers ofhighwaymen andfootpads in 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 Road later 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 IV andJoseph Banks, president of theRoyal Society.[6]
In 1793, theCavalry Barracks were constructed and were extended with theBeavers Lane Camp. Between 1914 and 1920 the heath becameHounslow Heath Aerodrome.
Hounslow Heath Aerodrome was 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]
Theterritorial police force is theMetropolitan Police. Hounslow Police Station is located on Montague Road, adjacent to the High Street.
Thestatutoryfire and rescue service in Hounslow is theLondon Fire Brigade (LFB), with the nearest fire station inIsleworth on London Road.
The nearest accident and emergency hospital isWest Middlesex University Hospital, in Isleworth, which is part of theChelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and a teaching hospital of theImperial College School of Medicine.London Ambulance Service provides emergency ambulance services.
Hounslow forms part of the London Borough of Hounslow, governed byHounslow Council based atHounslow House at 7 Bath Road. As part of Greater London it is also covered by theLondon Assembly andMayor of London for certain strategic functions.
The original settlement of Hounslow grew up on the boundary between theancient parishes ofHeston andIsleworth, both in theIsleworth Hundred ofMiddlesex. Hounslow was made its ownecclesiastical parish in 1835, whilst continuing to straddle Heston and Isleworth forcivil purposes.[9]
In 1875 alocal government district was 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 districts under 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 Isleworth in 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 Chiswick andFeltham Urban District to become the London Borough of Hounslow.
Hounslow is part of multipleconstituencies for elections to theHouse of Commons of the United Kingdom.;Brentford & Isleworth,Feltham & Heston,Hayes and Harlington andTwickenham.
Hounslow is covered by multiple wards for elections toHounslow London Borough Council;Hounslow Central,Hounslow East,Hounslow Heath,Hounslow South andHounslow West.[17]
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).
The suburban district of Hounslow, including its localitiesCranford,Heston,Hounslow West andLampton, was 103,337 in the2011 census, whereas the wider borough had a population of 254,000.[18]
| Ward | Detached | Semi-detached | Terraced | Flats and apartments | Caravans/temporary/mobile homes | Shared between households[19] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Ward | Population | Households | % Owned outright | % Owned with a loan | hectares[19] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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%.[20] The town has a largeBritish Asian andSomali community.[21]
Hounslow is an economic hub within the west of the capital city, with it having a large shopping centre which adjoins itshigh street and many restaurants, cafés and small businesses,[22] 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 Belt with access between 45 and 60 minutes from most ofCentral London.
DHL Air UK has its head office in the Orbital Park in Hounslow.[23]
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 Centre which opened in 1987,[24] containing JD, Next, H&M and many large branches ofchain stores found in British high streets. It includes a food court along with over 50 shops. There is a largeASDA superstore located within the Blenheim Centre complex (which was completed in 2006)[25] along withB&M, a local health centre, a gym run byThe Gym Group and 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-screenCineworld cinema multiplex.[26][27]
Gillette, the American razor manufacturer, built its UK factory and HQ here in 1936–1937. Theart-deco style building was designed by architect Banister Flight Fletcher and isGrade II listed. The 45 m (148 ft) high clocktower with its illuminated clock became a landmark for traffic on the nearby Great West Road. The clock has recently been restored to working order and the main building will be converted into a state-of-the-art digital production studio.[28]
Hounslow Heath is a large public open space and localnature reserve to 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).[29]
Bell Square is an outdoor performance space next to the Bell pub.Hounslow Community Land Project was a community garden and sports area on a derelict piece of land on Hanworth Road.
Hounslow istwinned with the following settlements around the world:
The London Borough of Hounslow also has a sister district agreement withLeningradsky District inKrasnodar Krai, Russia.[30]
One of the earliest surviving houses in the town is The Lawn, in front of the formerCivic Centre with its public tennis courts, in brown brick with three double-hungsash windows set back inreveals with flat arches, roof withparapet and porch of fluteddoric columns,pilasters,entablature and semi-circular traceriedfanlight.[31] The similar example of 44–50 Bath Road: also in brown brick and as is sometimes seen, has been painted.[32]
Nearby country houses includeOsterley House,Syon House,Hanworth Park House and Worton Hall.
There are three major roads in Hounslow. The east–west roads, theA4 'Great West Road' and the 'Bath Road' that connects Hounslow toCentral London andSlough, 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 toHampton in the south andHarrow to 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.
TheA4 Great West Road joins with theA3006 Bath Road (from the A315) before Henlys Roundabout, which is inHounslow West. From there aWNW route passesHeathrow Airport, terminals 1 to 3 and terminal 5 as theBath Road and a WSW route, theA30, passes terminal 4, bypassesStaines and reaches theM25; the remainder is a mostly-minor route toLand's End, Cornwall.
TheM4 motorway is 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,Brentford andChiswick. To the west it bisectsNorth Feltham andBedfont before joining the A30.
The north–southA312,The Parkway, to the west of Hounslow leads south toHampton or north toHarrow passing Waggoners' Roundabout (WNW of Henlys Roundabout in Hounslow West),Hayes,Yeading andNortholt.
Three minor roads converge onHeston from the A315 in parts of Hounslow, the A3063, A3005 and B363. The single road re-divides just north inNorwood Green into a northwest road toSouthall (the A3005) and into theA4127 that passes byHanwell, briefly using theA4020 west before bypassingDormers Wells, passingGreenford to reachSudbury, the town immediately to the west ofWembley andNorth Wembley.
For longer journeys north, the M4, A4 or A30 then M25 provides the best routes. For longer journeys south, Hanworth Road leads to theA316 that becomes theM3 motorway.
There are three London Underground stations in the town;Hounslow East,Hounslow Central andHounslow West, all on thePiccadilly line. TheDistrict line used 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 theHounslow Loop Line, opened in 1850.[34]
Hounslow bus garage and an adjoining bus station are close to theHigh Street. In 1962, as a result of the final stage of theLondon trolleybus programme of conversion to motor bus operation, whenIsleworth garage 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 United fromTransdev.
In addition to its frequent and regular daytime services throughout the surrounding areas, Hounslow is served by theN9 night service fromHeathrow Airport to Central London.
St Mark's Catholic School is on Bath Road.Lampton School was previously Spring Grove Grammar School, in the area ofLampton.Kingsley Academy was 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.
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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.
Churches include 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.
Gurdwaras include Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha and Gurdwara Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha.
Mandirs include the Lakshmi Narayan Temple and Jalaram Jupadi.
Mosques situated 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.
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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 Club was 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 Beckham is set in Hounslow, depicting a fictional football team called The Hounslow Harriers.
TheIrish Guards GAA club is based in Hounslow.
Alfred Doolittle fromGeorge Bernard Shaw'sPygmalion was claimed to have been raised in Hounslow.
The 2002 filmBend It Like Beckham is set in Hounslow and depicts a fictional football team called the Hounslow Harriers.
There is a weather station at nearby Heathrow Airport. Like the rest of Britain, Hounslow has an oceanic climate - one of the warmest climates in the UK.
| Climate data for London Heathrow Airport, 1991–2020, extremes 1948– | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 16.0 (60.8) | 20.0 (68.0) | 23.4 (74.1) | 27.9 (82.2) | 31.7 (89.1) | 33.9 (93.0) | 40.2 (104.4) | 37.9 (100.2) | 33.0 (91.4) | 28.8 (83.8) | 23.0 (73.4) | 16.4 (61.5) | 40.2 (104.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8.3 (46.9) | 8.9 (48.0) | 11.6 (52.9) | 14.9 (58.8) | 18.2 (64.8) | 21.4 (70.5) | 23.7 (74.7) | 23.3 (73.9) | 20.1 (68.2) | 15.7 (60.3) | 11.4 (52.5) | 8.6 (47.5) | 15.6 (60.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 5.5 (41.9) | 5.8 (42.4) | 7.9 (46.2) | 10.5 (50.9) | 13.6 (56.5) | 16.8 (62.2) | 19.0 (66.2) | 18.7 (65.7) | 15.8 (60.4) | 12.2 (54.0) | 8.4 (47.1) | 5.9 (42.6) | 11.7 (53.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.7 (36.9) | 2.8 (37.0) | 4.1 (39.4) | 6.0 (42.8) | 9.0 (48.2) | 12.0 (53.6) | 14.2 (57.6) | 14.0 (57.2) | 11.4 (52.5) | 8.7 (47.7) | 5.3 (41.5) | 3.2 (37.8) | 7.8 (46.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −9.6 (14.7) | −9.6 (14.7) | −5.1 (22.8) | −2.4 (27.7) | −1.5 (29.3) | 2.9 (37.2) | 5.6 (42.1) | 4.9 (40.8) | 1.7 (35.1) | −3.3 (26.1) | −6.5 (20.3) | −12 (10) | −12 (10) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 49.18 (1.94) | 41.85 (1.65) | 34.36 (1.35) | 36.23 (1.43) | 42.14 (1.66) | 36.73 (1.45) | 40.27 (1.59) | 55.01 (2.17) | 41.82 (1.65) | 53.32 (2.10) | 59.59 (2.35) | 49.75 (1.96) | 540.25 (21.27) |
| Source: meteostat.net[35] | |||||||||||||
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