Hounslow Heath
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Hounslow Heath is a local nature reserve in the London Borough of Hounslow and at a point borders Richmond upon Thames. The public open space, which covers 200 acres (80 ha), is all that remains of the historic Hounslow Heath which covered more than 4,000 acres (1,600 ha). The present day area is bounded by A315 Staines Road, A3063 Wellington Road South, A314 Hanworth Road, and the River Crane.
History
The heathland of Hounslow Heath originally covered an area underlain by Taplow gravel that now includes parts of Bedfont, Brentford, Cranford, Feltham, Hampton, Fulwell, Hanworth, Harlington, Harmondsworth, Heston, Hounslow, Isleworth, Stanwell, Teddington, Twickenham, and Heathrow.[1]
Hounslow Heath has had major historical importance, originally crossed by main routes from London to the west and southwest of Britain. Staines Road, the northern boundary of the present heath, was the
Various armies used the heath due to its proximity to London,
The eventual mapping of the whole of the United Kingdom by the
By 1900, the heath was still in use as a training ground for horse-mounted cavalry based at
On the south side of Staines Road, to the north of the Heath, is a monument, now in a state of neglect, commemorating the first
An area to the west of the present heath was used for gravel extraction after World War II. Used for landfill until the late 1960s, the land was reclaimed to form Hounslow Heath Golf Centre which opened in 1979.[7][8]
Archaeology
Bronze Age spearheads, axes, and sword and knife fragments from Hounslow, are held at the British Museum, also Celtic badges and amulets discovered in a field at Hounslow in 1864. In 1999, excavations on the former Feltham Marshalling Yards to the south of the heath unearthed remains of an Iron Age furnace and post holes from a round house. There are various remains of former mills and other industrial archaeological features adjoining the River Crane near the heath. This part of the river is classified as an Archaeological Priority Area.[4][9]
Nature reserve
Hounslow Heath is a designated local nature reserve[10][11] and Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation,[12] and is made up of lowland heath, dry acid grassland, woodland, scrub, neutral grasslands, wetlands, wildflower meadows, providing a wild, rugged country setting with a large network of paths.[13]
See also
- Hounslow parks and open spaces
- Murder of Patsy Morris, took place on the heath in 1980
Notes
- ^ Reynolds, Susan, ed. (1962). "Heston and Isleworth: Hounslow Heath". A History of the County of Middlesex. Institute of Historical Research. pp. 94–96. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- ^ Lysons, Daniel (1795). Heston. Vol. 3: County of Middlesex. pp. 22–45.
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ignored (help) - ^ Hounslow Online hounslowtw3.net Archived 2011-01-14 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ISBN 1-899144-00-5.
- ISBN 1-899144-30-7.
- ^ "Hounslow Heath - Hidden London". airfieldinformationexchange.org. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
- ^ "Hounslow Heath Nature Reserve" (PDF). Green route walks in Hounslow. 7 February 2023. p. 13.
- ^ "Hounslow Heath". London Gardens Online. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- ^ About The Heath hounslow.info
- ^ "Hounslow Heath". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 5 March 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
- ^ "Map of Hounslow Heath". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
- ^ "Hounslow Heath". Greenspace Information for Greater London. 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
- ^ Hounslow Parks & Open Spaces hounslow.info