Information about Chiswick

Chiswick
Chiswick (Greater London)
OS grid reference	TQ205785
London borough	Hounslow
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LONDON
Postcode district	W4
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
UK Parliament	Brentford & Isleworth
London Assembly	South West
European Parliament	London
List of places: UK • England UK • London

Coordinates: Chiswick (IPA pronunciation: [ˈtʃɪzɪk]) is a district of West London, covering the eastern part of the London Borough of Hounslow^[1] and Ealing. It is located 5.9 miles (9.5 km) west of Charing Cross.

The area is not entirely residential; Chiswick High Road is a mix of retail, restaurants, food outlets and expanding office and hotel space. The wide streets encourage cafes and restaurants to provide pavement seating, adding to Chiswick's increasing popularity as a leisure destination. Chiswick is home to the Griffin Brewery, where Fuller, Smith & Turner brew their prize-winning ales.

History

The name "Chiswick" is of Old English origin meaning "Cheese Farm" and originates from the riverside meadows and farms that are thought to have supported an annual cheese fair on Dukes Meadows up until the 18th century. Chiswick was first recorded c 1000 as Ceswican.^[2]

Chiswick grew up as a fishing village around St. Nicholas church on Church Street, but the name Chiswick later became used for a wider area, formed originally by merging the four villages of Chiswick, Strand-on-the-Green, Little Sutton and Turnham Green. By 1815, Chiswick parish included all the area bounded by the loop of the Thames, the High Road west of Turnham Green, the north side of Chiswick Common and Bath Road to Goldhawk Road. (See map in Chiswick Past, page 63.^[3]) In 1896, “Bedford Park, Chiswick” was advertised (map in Chiswick Past, page 123), extending the area still further. The Chiswick W4 London postal district includes an area which is administered by the London Borough of Ealing as part of their Southfield Ward^[4].

For centuries fishermen and watermen have used the waterfront of old Chiswick to deliver goods to riverside businesses and the surrounding area. By the early nineteenth century the fishing industry in and around Chiswick was declining as the growth of industry and the invention of the flush toilet were causing pollution in the river. Fish began to die out and the river became unsuitable as a spawning ground. Locks upstream also made the river impassable by migratory fish such as salmon and shad.

Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C. and its predecessor companies have been brewing beer on its Chiswick site for over 350 years. ^[5] The original brewery was in the gardens of Bedford House in Chiswick Mall, and these premises later expanded to the present site nearby. The company brews real ales, owns public houses, and provides local employment.

From the 18th century onwards the High Road became built up with inns and large houses. Today the High Road is a busy shopping street with many cafes, restaurants and several 19th century public houses.

In 1822, the Royal Horticultural Society leased 33 acres (0 ha) of land in the area between the now Sutton Court Road and Duke’s Avenue.^[6] This site was used for its fruit tree collection and its first school of horticulture, and housed its first flower shows. The area was reduced to 10 acres (0 ha) in the 1870s, and the lease was terminated when the Society’s garden at Wisley, Surrey, was set up in 1904. Some of the original pear trees still grow in the gardens of houses built on the site.

Chiswick had two well-known theatres in the 20th century.^[3] The Chiswick Empire (1912 to 1959) was at 414 Chiswick High Road. It had 2,140 seats^[8], and staged music hall entertainment, plays, review, opera, ballet and an annual Christmas pantomime. The Q Theatre (1924 to 1959) was a small theatre opposite Kew Bridge station. It staged the first works of Terence Rattigan and William Douglas-Home and many of its plays went on to the West End.

Dukes Meadows stands on land formerly owned by the Duke of Devonshire. In the 1920s, it was purchased by the local council, who developed it as a recreational centre. A promenade and bandstand were built, and the meadows are still used for sport with a rugby club, football pitches, hockey club, several rowing clubs and a golf club. In recent years a local conservation charity, the Dukes Meadows Trust^[9] has undertaken extensive restoration work, which saw a long term project of a children's water play area opened in August 2006.

Chiswick is the birthplace of the modern domestic violence refuge movement, with the first shelter established by Erin Pizzey in 1971.

During World War II, Chiswick suffered a number of bombing raids. W.P. Roe’s book ^[10] pages 80 to 90 notes areas of damage due to 50 bombing raids in late 1940 to early 1941, and another 5 in 1944. Both incendiary and high explosive bombs were used, and there was also damage from falling anti-aircraft shells that had not exploded as intended. From June 1944, V-1 flying bombs started to fall; Mr. Roe lists 14 of these. The first V-2 Rocket to hit London fell on Chiswick in September 1944, killing three people and causing extensive damage to surrounding trees and buildings. There is a memorial where the rocket fell on Staveley Road. There is also a War Memorial at the east end of Turnham Green.

Governance

Civic history

Before being absorbed into Greater London in 1965, Chiswick was in Middlesex and formed an urban district from 1894 to 1927.^[11] It merged with Brentford in 1927 to form Brentford and Chiswick Urban District, becoming a municipal borough in 1932. The borough of Brentford and Chiswick was abolished in 1965, when it was replaced by the London Borough of Hounslow.

Political representation

The constituency of Brentford and Chiswick was created in 1918, and existed until 1974, when it was replaced by the present constituency of Brentford and Isleworth. Ann Keen, a member of the Labour Party, has been the MP since 1997.

Geography

Places adjoining Chiswick are:

• Acton
• Shepherd's Bush
• Hammersmith
• Barnes
• Mortlake
• Kew
• Brentford

Demography

2001 Census

The population of Chiswick by London Borough of Hounslow Electoral Ward is given below. ^[12] These figures exclude those parts of the Chiswick W4 postal district administered by London Borough of Ealing.

Electoral Ward	All people	Males	Females
Chiswick Homefields	10290	4942	5348
Chiswick Riverside	10935	5422	5513
Turnham Green	10184	4839	5345
Total Chiswick Wards	31409	15203	16206

The percentage of people in the 3 White Ethnic groups was 85% , with the remaining 15% being spread across the 12 other groups.^[13]

62.9% of those surveyed stated they were Christians, 27.7 % had no religion or did not state their religion, and the remainder were spread across other religions. ^[14]

2.4% were classified as "Economically active, unemployed". ^[15]

The Southfield Ward in Ealing, most of which is within the Chiswick W4 area, had another 12,481 people in the census. ^[16]

Architecture and development

The population of Chiswick grew almost tenfold during the 19th century, and the built environment is a mixture of Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian.

Chiswick House was designed by the Third Earl of Burlington, and built for him, in 1726–9 as an extension to an earlier Jacobean house (subsequently demolished in 1788); it is considered to be among the finest surviving examples of Palladian architecture in Britain, with superb collections of paintings and furniture. Its surrounding grounds constitute one of the most important historical gardens in England and Wales, and mark a significant step on the road to the picturesque aesthetic in garden design.

St. Nicholas church has a 15th century tower, although the remainder of the church was rebuilt by J.L. Pearson in 1882–4. Monuments in the churchyard mark the burial sites of the 18th century English artist William Hogarth—whose house is now a museum known as Hogarth's House—and William Kent, the architect and landscape designer; the churchyard also houses a mausoleum (for Philip James de Loutherbourg) designed by John Soane. One of Oliver Cromwell's daughters, Mary, lived and died in Chiswick and is buried in the churchyard. Enduring legend has it that the body of Oliver Cromwell was also interred with her. On a later note, Private Frederick Hitch VC, hero of Rorke's Drift, is also buried there.

St. Michael on Elmwood Road, of 1908-9, was designed by W.D. Caroe.

Chiswick is also home to a Russian Orthodox Cathedral, built in 1998. (See photo at Gunnersbury.)

Less visually prominent than these because of its position amid other building is the Sanderson Factory, now known as Voysey House and situated in Barley Mow Passage, designed by the architect C.F. Voysey and completed in 1902. Its original purpose was a wallpaper printing works, but it is now used as office space. It is a Grade II* listed building.

Suburban building began in Gunnersbury in the 1860s and in Bedford Park, on the borders of Chiswick and Acton, in 1875: the latter, designed largely by Richard Norman Shaw, was described by Nikolaus Pevsner as the first place "where the relaxed, informal mood of a market town or village was adopted for a complete speculatively built suburb". Other suburbs of Chiswick include Grove Park (south of the A4, close to Chiswick Station) and Strand on the Green, a fishing hamlet until the late 18th century.^[17]

There are several historic public houses in Chiswick. Three are in Strand-on-the-Green, fronting on to the river path. The Tabard on Bath Road near Turnham Green station is known for its William Morris interior.

A large part of Chiswick falls within the conservation areas within the London Borough of Hounslow. ^[18]

Transport

Chiswick is situated at the start of the North Circular Road and the M4 motorway, the latter providing a direct connection to Heathrow Airport and the M25 motorway.

Chiswick is served by the London Underground District Line (four stations: Chiswick Park, Gunnersbury, Stamford Brook and Turnham Green) and two National Rail lines: the Hounslow Loop Line (from Chiswick and Kew Bridge stations) and the North London Line (from Gunnersbury and South Acton stations).

The southern border of Chiswick runs along the River Thames, which is crossed in this area by Chiswick Bridge, Barnes Railway Bridge, Kew Railway Bridge and Kew Bridge.

Nearest tube stations

• Chiswick Park tube station
• Turnham Green tube station
• Stamford Brook tube station
• Gunnersbury station

Nearest railway stations

• Chiswick railway station
• Gunnersbury station
• Kew Bridge railway station

Education

Primary schools

State primary schools include "Strand-On-The-Green", "Belmont", "Hogarth", "St.Mary's RC", "Cavendish" and "Grove Park". There are also private primary schools including "The Falcons", "Orchard House" and "Chiswick & Bedford Park".

Secondary schools

Chiswick's local secondary state school is Chiswick Community School. It has an attendance of roughly 1200 pupils and contains a Sixth Form College, which has an attendance of about 150 students. Chiswick Community School was granted Technology College status in 2004. Although in Chiswick, it attracts many pupils from places such as Shepherds Bush, Hammersmith, and other locations in West London. Chiswick Community School scored moderately well in its last Ofsted inspection. The former head teacher of the school, Dame Helen Metcalf received her Damehood in 1998 for her service to the school. Before her arrival, the school was said to have been doing very poorly both in public opinion and Ofsted reports, she is widely recognised as the person who turned the school's reputation around.

There are several private secondary schools in nearby areas, such as Godolphin and Latymer School (all girls, Hammersmith), Latymer Upper School (mixed, Hammersmith), St Paul's Girls' School (girls, Brook Green) and St Paul's School (boys, Barnes).

Higher education

Chiswick is also home to the Arts Educational Schools of London, a theatre academy specialising in both acting and musical theatre. This institution has three areas: a secondary school for 11–16-year olds, a sixth form, and a degree-course school which offers BA Honours degrees in acting and in musical theatre. It is accredited by the Council for Dance Education and Training (CDET).

Sports

Rugby

Chiswick has a local rugby union team, Chiswick RFC, formerly Old Meadonians RFC. It currently plays in Herts/Middlesex 1 league (level nine), eight leagues below the Guinness Premiership. It plays on a Saturday at Dukes Meadows.

Rowing

The Chiswick reach of the Thames is heavily used for competitive and recreational rowing, and Chiswick itself is home to several clubs.

The University of London Boat Club is based in its boathouse off Hartington Road (the boathouse also houses the clubs of many of the University's constituent colleges and teaching hospitals). ULBC is, periodically, one of the most successful university clubs in the UK, with multiple wins at Henley Royal Regatta. Recent members include Tim Foster, Gold medallist at the Sydney Olympics and Frances Houghton, World Champion in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Mortlake Anglian & Alpha Rowing Club and Quintin Boat Club are situated between Chiswick Quay Marina and Chiswick Bridge. The foreshore facing these clubs is also used as the landing place for Boat Race crews.

Tideway Scullers School is immediately downriver of Chiswick Bridge. The Club's current members include single sculling World Champion Mahe Drysdale and Great Britain single sculler Alan Campbell.

The upriver end of the Championship Course from Mortlake to Putney is adjacent to the Tideway Scullers School boathouse.

The Boat Race is contested on the Championship Course on a flood tide (in other words from Putney to Mortlake) with Duke's Meadows a popular view-point for the closing stages of the race. Other important races such as the Head of the River Race race the reverse course, on an ebb tide.

Notable people

Chiswick's notable residents include, or have included, Anthony Burgess, Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle, Ant and Dec, Vanessa Redgrave, Kate Beckinsale, Colin Firth, Timothy Dalton, Jeremy Irons, Nigel Havers, Moira Stuart, Des Lynam, Phil Collins, Dennis Waterman, Davina McCall, Jasper Conran, Kim Wilde, Pete Briquette, James Dean Bradfield, Toyah Willcox & Robert Fripp, Nick Lowe, Robyn Hitchcock, Peter Blake, Felicity Kendal, Peter Foxhall, Mick Hucknall, Judy Loe, Tommy Cooper, John Thaw, Sheila Hancock, Suzi Perry, Al Murray and Patrick Stewart.

Blue plaques

Blue plaques have been erected for the following people:^[19]

• Jack Beresford, Olympic rowing champion
• E. M. Forster, novelist
• Joseph Michael Gandy, architect and painter
• Private Frederick Hitch, (V.C.) hero of Rorke's Drift
• John Lindley, botanist and pioneer orchidologist
• Lucien Pissarro, painter, print-maker and wood engraver
• Alexander Pope, poet
• Johann Zoffany, painter

Trivia

• Exterior shots of Chiswick Town Hall appeared in the 1990 Inspector Morse TV episode , as the building in which Morse's local choral society is performing The Magic Flute.
• A home on Bath Road was used in the film Love Actually, in a scene featuring Chiswick resident, Colin Firth.
• Because Chiswick is located close to television studios, it is used frequently by national television channels such as the BBC and ITV for location shots. Recent TV material was shot for The Worst Week of My Life, Love Soup and Jonathan Creek at Sutton Court & environs.
• Many location shots for the more recent version of Vanity Fair were shot in the ground of Chiswick Park including the bridge and lake.
• In Bottom, Eddie's sleeping bag was in Chiswick.
• The Harpers in My Family live in Chiswick.
• In the Doctor Who third series episode "The Runaway Bride", Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate, was to be married at a church in Chiswick.

References

External links

• Chiswick's local community web site
• Sutton Court, an example of a mansion block in Chiswick
• Virtual Tour of Chiswick
• A few Old Postcards of Chiswick
• Photographs of Chiswick
• Chiswick history website
• http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=22559 Chiswick growth

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