Northolt
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Northolt is a town in West London, England, spread across both sides of the A40 trunk road. It is 11 mi (17.7 km) west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the seven major towns that make up the London Borough of Ealing. It had a population of 30,304 at the 2011 UK census.
History
The earliest record of Northolt is in 872 as the
Archaeological evidence suggests that the settlement's origin was an 8th-century Saxon village close to Northolt Manor behind the present Court Farm Road.[4] It is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Northala, part of the Elthorne Hundred in the historic county of Middlesex, England. In 1066 the lord was Esger the constable, and in 1086 was Geoffrey de Mandeville.[5] Northolt Manor itself was built in the fourteenth century and provides much of the archeological information of the area from its excavations in the 1950s and onward. A Tudor barn built in 1595 from Smith's farm in Northolt was moved to Chiltern Open Air Museum and is now on display there.[6] In the early part of the 18th century farmland was enclosed in order to provide hay for the City of London, alongside more traditional crops such as peas and beans. Up to late Victorian times, the area was rural with predominantly arable crops being grown.
1795 saw parliamentary approval for construction of Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal. The route from Hayes to Paddington passes through Northolt, opening on 10 July 1801.[7] The Great Central Railway line (now the Chiltern Line) opened in 1906, passing through Northolt on its way from Marylebone to High Wycombe. However, it wasn't until 1926 that a station opened at Northolt Park. 1906 also saw the Great Western Railway's New North Main Line pass through south of Great Central Railway on its way to Birmingham. The following year Northolt Halt opened on it, eventually becoming Northolt station. In 1948 an extension to the Central line, transformed it into Northolt tube station.
In May 1915 the Royal Flighing Corp established an airfield in neighbouring South Ruislip in the London Borough of Hillingdon, Most early RAF airfields were named after the nearest railway station; in this case Northolt Junction, (now South Ruislip), so it became RAF Northolt.
WW1 also brought an urgent need for more munitions, and in 1915 the Ministry of Munitions created many national munition factories. The
Suburban development began in the 1920s. Most of the housing north of the
Two important transport links run through Northolt: the Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal and the modern A40 road.
In the 21st century, a new large private housing development was built on the former site[citation needed] of the Taylor Woodrow company, adjacent to the Grand Union Canal. This development is known as "Grand Union Village" and incorporates a new canal boat marina.
Landmarks
- St Mary the Virgin church (14th century) stands on the hill overlooking the old village. The Welsh poet Goronwy Owen was briefly a curate here. Bishop Samuel Lisleis buried here.
- In the centre of the village is a freestanding clock tower erected to commemorate the coronation of George VI in 1937.
- The White Hart public house is on the site of an old coaching inn. The A4180(Ruislip Road and West End Road). The Yeading Lane also joins the roundabout. (Now closed)
- Willow Cottages on the village green are said to have been built of bricks from the old manor house, which once stood behind the parish church.[citation needed]
- The two towers of the disused Air Traffic Control base.[citation needed]
- Northala Fields is a large area alongside the A40 road which has been redeveloped as an extension to the Northolt and Greenford Country Park. The development consists of four large, man-made conical hills (built of rubble from the first Wembley Stadium), which act as a sound barrier to block traffic noise from the Western Avenue. Behind the mounds are new ponds and a visitor centre.
- The Larkspur Rovers F.C. clubhouse is in Rowdell Road, Northolt. It received funding from Ealing Council and an Olympic legacy grant of £50,000 from Sport England's Inspired Facilities Fund.[8]
- There is a village community centre building in Ealing Road, opposite miniature railway.
- A leisure centre, incorporating a pool, a fitness centre, a community hall and a library was built on the site of the former Swimarama swimming pool at the junction of Mandeville Road and Eastcote Lane North, and opened in 2010.[9]
- Scheduled Ancient Monument.[10]
Northolt Village
-
Village sign with Middlesex coat of arms
-
Belvue Park
-
St Mary's Church
-
St Mary's Church
-
Signage of The Crown pub
Geography
Northolt is in the north-western corner of Ealing, bordering the boroughs of Harrow and Hillingdon. The centre of Northolt lies at an elevation of about 130 ft (40 m) above sea level. It is hillier in the north (up to about 200 ft (60 m)) whereas the south is lower, about 115 ft (35 m). The town is mainly suburban, with some industrial land to the east (by the Grand Union Canal), large green parts such as Lime Tree Park and Rectory Park, and semi-rural land to the west
Northolt is located 3.3 mi (5.3 km) from Hayes; 2.4 mi (3.9 km) from Southall; 1.4 mi (2.3 km) from Greenford; 3.1 mi (5.0 km) from Wembley; 2.7 mi (4.3 km) from Harrow; 2.8 mi (4.5 km) from Ruislip; and 4.5 mi (7.2 km) from Uxbridge.
Demography
Northolt is covered by two
Ward | Detached | Semi-detached | Terraced | Flats and apartments[11][12] |
---|---|---|---|---|
Northolt Mandeville | 3.7% | 29.6% | 25.3% | 40.8% |
Northolt West End | 3.0% | 26.4% | 17.4% | 53.1% |
The median house price as of 2014 was £300,000 in Northolt Mandeville and £226,111 in Northolt West End. The population who are from BAME (Black, Asian and minority Ethnic) background was 51.7% and 55.1% respectively. The median age was 34 years and 32 years respectively.[13]
Population
While Northolt remained a rural, agricultural area in the 19th century, its population growth remained slow:
The rapid growth of the population in the mid-20th century can be explained by Northolt's growth as a
Crime
Anti-social behaviour has recently been the most common reported crime, followed by violent and sexual offences. Crime levels notably increased, by up to 50% between 2013 and 2014.[15] A knifeman took relatives hostage at a flat in 1985. Jimmy Canning, IRA member, lived undercover in Northolt from 1991 to 1993; he had wooed local Audrey Lamb and moved into her house at 15 Islip Gardens, using it as a weapons and bomb storage depôt. He and Lamb were arrested in 1992 following police surveillance.[16]: 320–28
Pony racing
Northolt was famous for the
During the
Education
- Alec Reed Academy (formerly West London Academy)
- Belvue High School[17]
- Gifford Primary School
- Greenwood Primary School
- Northolt High School
- Petts Hill Primary School
- St. Raphael's Catholic Primary School
- Downe Manor Primary School
- Viking Primary School
- Willow Tree Primary School
- Wood End Primary School
- Wood End Academy
Transport
Northolt has two stations: Northolt on the London Underground Central line and Northolt Park, a Network Rail station served by Chiltern Railways. Numerous London Buses routes serve Northolt such as: 90, 120, 140, 282, 395, 398, 487, 696, 697, E6, E7, E9, E10, N7, N140 and SL9
Political representation
The
Northolt is made up of two
Northolt comes under the
Political status on Ealing Council as of May 2022:
- Labour: 59 seats
- Conservative: 5 seats
- Liberal Democrats: 6 seats
Notable people
- Michael Colclough, Canon Pastor at St Paul's Cathedral and Deputy Priest in Ordinary to The Queen, was Archdeacon of Northolt 1992–4[citation needed]
- Alton Ellis (1938–2008), musician, "Godfather of Rocksteady", lived in Northolt.[18]
- Paul Gardiner (1958–1984), musician, bass guitar player in Gary Numan's Tubeway Army, died in Northolt.[19]
- Stanley Green (1915–1993), a human billboard, lived in Northolt.[citation needed]
- Paul Kidby, artist, known for his association with author Terry Pratchett's Discworld, was born in Northolt.[citation needed]
- Jerome Okimo, footballer with Stevenage FC, was born in Ealing and grew up in Northolt.[citation needed]
- Steve Perryman, footballer with Tottenham Hotspur, was born in Ealing and grew up in Northolt.[citation needed]
Television
- The My Hero, produced between 2000 and 2006, and featuring Ardal O'Hanlon and Emily Joyce, was set in Northolt.
- A faux documentary titled Ghostwatch, broadcast on Halloween in 1992, was filmed in Northolt. It was the tale of a single mother haunted in her Northolt home by a mysterious figure called "Pipes".
References
- ^ Northolt is made up of 2 wards in the London Borough of Ealing: Northolt Mandeville, and Northolt West End. "2011 Census Ward Population Estimates". Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
- ^ a b c Gover, J. E. B. (1922). The Place Names of Middlesex. London, UK: Longmans, Green and Co. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
- ^ "Key to English Place-names". Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ISBN 1-901992-15-2.
- ^ a b "Northolt". opendomesday.org. Anna Powell-Smith. Archived from the original on 2 October 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
- ^ "Northolt Barn". Chiltern Open Air Museum. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ "A brief history of the Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal". UK Waterways Guide. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
- ^ "Playing fields secure Olympic funding - Ealing Council". Archived from the original on 30 August 2012.
- ^ "Facility improvement projects". London Borough of Ealing. Archived from the original on 3 January 2009. Retrieved 15 March 2009.
- ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1001978)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- ^ "Neighbourhood statistics". Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- ^ Census Information Scheme (2012). "2011 Census Ward Population figures for London". Greater London Authority. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
- ^ "Ward Profiles and Atlas – London Datastore". Archived from the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- ^ http://www.ealing.gov.uk/services/leisure/tourism/northolt/ Archived 13 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine ealing.gov
- ^ "Detailed statistics for Northolt Mandeville, Metropolitan Police Service - Police.uk". Archived from the original on 24 December 2014.
- ISBN 978-0340717370.
- ^ "Home | Special Needs School | Belvue School | Ealing | Greater London". belvue. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ "Deceased Estates". The Gazette. 19 December 2008. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
- ISBN 1846090911.