Southall
Southall (/ˈsaʊθɔːl/) (Punjabi: ਸਾੳਥਾਲ) is a large suburban town in West London, England, part of the London Borough of Ealing and is one of its seven major towns.
It is situated 10.7 mi (17.2 km) west of Charing Cross and had a population of 69,857 as of 2011.[2] It is generally divided in three parts: the mostly residential area around Lady Margaret Road (Dormers Wells); the main commercial centre at High Street and Southall Broadway (part of the greater Uxbridge Road); and Old Southall/Southall Green to the south consisting of Southall railway station, industries and Norwood Green bounded by the M4.
It was historically a municipal borough of Middlesex administered from Southall Town Hall until 1965. Southall is located on the Grand Union Canal (formerly the Grand Junction Canal) which first linked London with the rest of the growing canal system. It was one of the last canals to carry significant commercial traffic (through the 1950s) and is still open to traffic and is used by pleasure craft. The canal separates it from Hayes on the west, whereas to the east the River Brent separates the town from Hanwell.
From the 1950s the town's local factories and proximity to
Toponymy
The name Southall derives from the
It appears as Suhaull in 1198, and Sudhale in 1204,[7] and as Southold on the Oxfordshire Sheldon tapestry from the late 1580s.
The district of Southall has many other Anglo-Saxon place names such as Elthorne and Waxlow. Its earliest record, from ad 830, is of Warberdus bequeathing Norwood Manor and Southall Manor to the archbishops of Charles House. [citation needed]
History
Southall formed part of the chapelry of
The southern part of Southall (roughly south of the railway) used to be known as either Old Southall or Southall Green (and a section of the main north–south road in the area is still called The Green) and was centered on the historic Grade II*listed
The extreme southernmost part of Southall is known as Norwood Green. It has few industries and is mainly a residential area, having remained for many years mainly agricultural whilst the rest of Southall developed industrially. Norwood Green borders, and part is inside, the London Borough of Hounslow.
The main east west road through the town is
19th century
The opening of the Grand Junction Canal (later renamed Grand Union Canal) as the major freight transport route between London and Birmingham in 1796 began a commercial boom, intensified by the arrival of Brunel's Great Western Railway in 1839, leading to the establishment and growth of brick factories, flour mills and chemical plants which formed the town's commercial base. In 1877, the Martin Brothers set up a ceramics factory in an old soap works next to the canal and until 1923, produced distinctive ceramics now known and collected as Martinware.
A branch railway line from
20th century
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the old parish church of Southall, St John's, which had been rebuilt in 1837–8, was found to be too small for its congregation and, as a result, emigrated to a new building in Church Avenue, which was completed in 1910. The original church building, in Western Road, is now a youth centre.[15]
In the 1920s and 1930s Southall was the destination of many Welsh migrants escaping from the harsh economic conditions in that part of the country. For many years, Welsh accents were very commonplace in the area.[16]
On the eastern boundary of Southall was the Hanwell Asylum, which was once the world's largest asylum for the mentally ill. It was considered in its day to be a progressive institution with a good success rate for treatment. As attitudes to and treatment for mental illness improved, the site was renamed
During World War II Southall was the target of enemy bombing on a number of occasions. A German
In 1950, the first group of
Accidents and racial tensions
On 2 September 1958 at 7:10 am, a pilot of a Vickers VC.1 Viking V624 (G-AIJE), which had just taken off from Heathrow Airport, reported that he had engine trouble. Some minutes later it crashed into a row of houses in Kelvin Gardens. It was on a cargo flight carrying aero engines to Tel Aviv and carried no passengers; however, the three crew members and four people on the ground were killed. One of the surviving occupants, 14-year-old Brian Gibbons, was later awarded the George Medal for bravery, as well as the Carnegie Award.[23] The accident was due to poor maintenance, and caused the company, Independent Air Travel, to fail in October 1959.[24]
The 1970s saw racial tensions in the area; in 1976 Sikh teenager Gurdip Singh Chaggar was killed in a racist attack.
On 4 July 1981, a
The
Economic history
The Quaker Oats Company built a factory in Southall in 1936. Part of the operation that made pet foods was sold to Spiller's in 1994, and the remainder to Big Bear Group in 2006. The site continues to produce brands such as Honey Monster Puffs. Other engineering, paint and food processing factories prospered for many years, mostly alongside the railway and/or canal. A collection of Martinware – salt-glazed stoneware, and birds – is on display at Southall Library.
Southall was the home of Southall Studios, one of the earliest British film studios. It played a historic role in film-making from its creation in 1924 to its closure in 1959. In 1936, a fire destroyed the studio but it was rebuilt and enlarged. Numerous feature films (many featuring famous or later-to-be-famous actors) and the early TV series Colonel March of Scotland Yard were made at the studios, as were TV and cinema adverts.[37]
There has been a
Bus and commercial vehicle manufacturer Associated Equipment Company (AEC) was based in Southall, on a 25 ha (62 acres) triangular site between Windmill Lane, the Great Western Main Line and the branch to Brentford Dock. The company moved there from Walthamstow in 1926 and closed in 1979 after losing market share whilst part of the giant but inefficient British Leyland group. The site was noticeable to railway passengers and to motorists on Uxbridge Road due to large signs proclaiming "AEC – Builders of London's Buses for 50 years".
A major
Culture
Since the end of World War II, Southall has become largely a
In addition, the signs on the main railway station are
Southall is home to London's largest
The Tudor Rose, Southall is a nightclub and venue that caters for the local British African-Caribbean community. It opened as a cinema in 1910 and was converted to its current premises in 1983.[48][49]
Other notable local pubs include
Media
There are two local
Some non-English newspapers for the community in Southall are also in circulation[50] including Des Pardes, a Punjabi-language paper. A writer of Des Pardes, Tarsem Singh Purewal was killed in Southall in 1995.
In film and TV
Southall was the main location for the film Bend It Like Beckham.
Southall was also the location of a
Southall has also appeared in other Bollywood films as well, including
Sport
The local football club Southall F.C. has a long history, having been formed in 1871 and nurtured past players such as Les Ferdinand, who went on to play for the national team. and as of 2018–19, they currently play in the Premier Division of the Combined Counties Football League. Southall Park is home to a free weekly parkun 5k event, which starts at 9am every Saturday.
Demography
In the 2011 census, Southall was recorded as having a resident population of 28,018 across the Southall Broadway and Southall Green wards.[53]
Of these 76.1% are
In terms of religion, the most common religious affiliation in 2011 was Sikhism, with 29.7% of the population. This is followed by Islam at 23.0%, Christianity at 20.0%, and Hinduism at 17.3%.[53] Only 2% of residents profess no faith, the lowest figure anywhere in London.[55]
9.8% of the population are students and 7.8% are retired. 7% are self-employed. 53.2% are male and 46.8% are female.[53]
Notable people
Musicians
- H Dhami, Bhangrasinger
- Channi Singh OBE, the "godfather of bhangra"
- Ms Scandalous, rapper/MC, born in Southall in 1983
- Juggy D, bhangra singer
- Cleo Laine, jazz singer and actress, born in Southall in 1927 and brought up in Clarence Street, and attended Featherstone Road School
- Rishi Rich, music producer
- Misty in Roots, reggae band, started there in the early 1970s
- Kamaljeet Singh Jhooti(birth name), R&B singer, was raised there
- Kuljit Bhamra MBE, composer, record producer and musician, educated at Southall Grammar School (now Villiers High School)
- The Ruts, punk band from the late 1970s
- Ian D'Sa, guitarist of punk rock band Billy Talent
- Ray Dorset, singer of British rock group Mungo Jerry
- Panjabi Hit Squad, Dj, Producers and artists
- Ash King, Singer
Writers
- Mike Ashley, author and editor
- Kwame Kwei-Armah, playwright and actor
- Rupinderpal Singh Dhillon, poet
- Tim Lott, author (his debut The Scent of Dried Roses is about growing up in Southall), he was born there in 1956
- Harjeet Atwal, author
- Amarjit Chandan poet and translator
Television and film
- Daljit Dhaliwal, newsreader and journalist
- Nick Knowles, television personality
- Fresh Prince of Bel Air" and English theatre actor)
- Actress Hayley Mills lived at Friars Lawn, at Norwood Green, Southall, in the late 1970s to 1980[56]
- Gurinder Chadha OBE, film director, Southall area is the setting for many of her films involving the British Asian community
- Stewart Bevan, actor, screenwriter, lyricist and poet grew up in Southall
- Elisabeth Sladen, British Actress, lived in Southall
Politicians
- Sir
- Syd Bidwell represented Southall in parliament from 1966 to 1992, succeeded by Piara Khabra from 1992 to 2007 and Virendra Sharma from 2007 onwards. Radio station owner Avtar Lit stood as a parliamentary candidate; his son Tony Lit followed in his footsteps, standing in the 2007 by-election.
Others
- Southall FC.
- Paul Canoville, English footballer, first black player to play for Chelsea F.C.
- Brett Ewins, comic book artist.
- Clockwork Radiogrew up in the suburb.
- The Duchess of Cambridgelived, as a child, on Clarence Street and was educated at Featherstone Primary and High Schools.
Local landmarks
- Wharncliffe Viaduct. An imposing structure 300 yd (270 m) and 65 ft (20 m) high. Situated the north side of Uxbridge Road on the boundary with Hanwell.
- Manor House, The Green, Southall, UB2 4BJ
- Southall Town Hall
- Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Three Bridges
- Golf Links Estate. A 1960s housing development, at one time had the highest crime rate in the Borough of Ealing. Was hit by fire twice, in 1996 and 2008.
- Naval gun on the junction of Tentelow Lane with Windmill Lane. ( No longer present)
- Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha. The largest Sikh gurdwara (temple) found outside Asia.
-
Redbrick water tower (now converted into apartments) with the former Southall Gas Works gasholder behind
-
A naval gun that was at the Threebridges, Former part of the Outer London Defence Ring
-
The Manor, Southall.
-
Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara
-
Wharncliffe Viaduct, viewed from the south side
-
Palace Shopping Centre
-
Bull's Bridge, Grand Union Canal (between Southall and Hayes)
Political representation
Southall is part of the parliamentary
Southall consists of six
Southall is in the
Geography and transport
Nearby places include Hayes, Hanwell, Hounslow, Greenford, Northolt and Ealing The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.[58]
Southall is served by
The nearest London Underground to the town centre is Osterley station, on the Piccadilly line, which is located approximately 2 mi (3.2 km) to the south.
Frequent bus services link Southall with all neighbouring suburbs and Heathrow Airport.
There is an express coach service between Southall, Leicester and Birmingham which specialises in serving the many family connections in both areas' South Asian populations.[citation needed]
Education
Schools in Southall
- Villiers High School
- Dormers Wells High School
- Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College, a campus is located on Beaconsfield Road in Southall.
- Featherstone High School
- Ayesha Siddiqa Girls School, located in the Abu Bakr Mosque[59]
See also
- Blair Peach, anti-racist campaigner was killed in a demonstration in Southall on Monday 23 April 1979.
- Southall rail crash
References
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- ^ "Norwood, including Southall: Manors - British History Online". British-history.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
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- ^ Great Britain Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, Southall MB (historic map). Retrieved {{{accessdate}}}. Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Great Britain Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, Ealing LB (historic map). Retrieved {{{accessdate}}}. Archived 4 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
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- ^ 'Norwood, including Southall: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon With Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner (1971), pp. 43–45. [1] Archived 19 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine Date accessed: 25 May 2010.
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- ^ "BBC On This Day | 23 | 1979: Teacher dies in Southall race riots". BBC News. 23 April 1979. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
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{{cite web}}
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- ^ Southall is made up of 5 wards in the London Borough of Ealing: Dormers Wells, Lady Margaret, Southall Green, Southall Broadway, and Norwood Green. "Norwood Green: Religion". UK Census Data. Archived from the original on 25 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023."Lady Margaret: Religion". UK Census Data. Archived from the original on 25 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023."Dormers Wells: Religion". UK Census Data. Archived from the original on 25 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023."Southall Broadway: Religion". UK Census Data. Archived from the original on 25 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023."Southall Green: Religion". UK Census Data. Archived from the original on 25 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Ealing - UK Census Data 2011". UK Census Data. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
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- ^ Home page Archived 3 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Ayesha Siddiqa Girls School. Retrieved on 15 June 2016. "We are located on the second and third floors of Abu bakr Mosque in Southall, in the London Borough of Ealing,[...]" – Address Archived 24 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine: "165–169 The Broadway Southall Middlesex UB1 1LS"
Further reading
- British History Online: 'Norwood, including Southall: Introduction', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4 (1971)
- Southall Town Hall
- UK Polling Report Guide to the Ealing Southall constituency
External links
- Image of the former Gas holder showing the LH directions on the side
- Southall in World War II (at the BBC)
- Southall History
- The Southall Story website
- Des Pardes (lit. Home and Abroad), a Punjabi-language weekly newspaper based in Southall