Information about Wormwood Scrubs

Coordinates:

Wormwood Scrubs is also the name of the Wormwood Scrubs prison.

Wormwood Scrubs, known locally as The Scrubs, is an open space located in the north-eastern corner of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London. It is the largest open space in the Borough, at 80 ha (200 acres), and one of the largest areas of common land in London. The eastern part, known as Little Wormwood Scrubs, is cut off by Scrubs Lane and the West London Line railway. It has been an open public space since the Wormwood Scrubs Act of 21 July 1879, and is recognised by English Nature as an important site of natural significance. Although it has an unenviable record in terms of crimes committed there, as of April 2005 it has had a volunteer-led programme of rejuvenation. [1]

The southern edge of the Scrubs is the site of two locally important buildings. At the western end is HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs, built between 1875 and 1891 by convict labour. To the east of the prison is the Hammersmith Hospital campus, which includes the relocated Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital.

Within the area are several sports facilities, including the Linford Christie stadium, tens of football pitches and a pony centre. Queens Park Rangers Football Club played on The Scrubs between 1888 and 1889.

A suspect package linked to the 21 July 2005 London bombings was found in some bushes in Little Wormwood Scrubs.

History

In the early 19th century the whole district was open fields, and included several areas of common land. In 1812 an area of 190 acres known as Wormholt Scrubs was leased by the War Office from the Manor of Fulham. This was in order to exercise cavalry horses which until that point had been hacked out in Hyde Park, Belgrave Square and Regent's Park - then known as St. Marylebone's Park. This common land became known as Wormwood Scrubs, 135 acres of which was bought by the War Office in 1878.

In 1879, Parliament passed The Wormwood Scrubs Act, which aimed to create a "metropolitan exercising ground" for the military and to provide the Scrubs for "the perpetual use by the inhabitants of the metropolis for exercise and recreation". Under this act, the military were able to expel civilians from the Scrubs whenever they were training, but allowed civilians free use of the area when they were not. To ensure that the Scrubs were kept as open land for all to enjoy, the act banned the military from building any permanent structures other than rifle butts, one of which survives today as a wall in the Linford Christie Stadium.

The Scrubs became recognised as the duelling ground of London, with several duels having been fought there. [2]. In 1908, the route for the Olympic Marathon went across the Scrubs on the final stages of the race from Windsor Castle to the Olympic Stadium at White City. In 1910 Wormwood Scrubs became part of aviation history when a pioneer airship took flight from an improvised landing ground. In 1914 all air related activities on the Scrubs passed to the authority of the Admiralty, and there are records of a base here called 'Wormwood Scrubs Naval Air Station' in the National Archives at Kew. It remained as an emergency landing ground until the 1930s. In 1939 with the onset of another World War, Wormwood Scrubs again played host to an innovative military department - The Chief Cable Censorship Department, an outstation of GCCS at Bletchley Park.

Until 1940 it was served by St. Quintin Park and Wormwood Scrubs, a station on the West London Line. It was closed after heavy bombing damage during the Second World War.

Points to Note

Nearest places:

• White City
• Kensal Green
• North Kensington

Nearest tube stations:

• East Acton tube station
• North Acton tube station

Points of Interest:

• The Jam mention the Scrubs in their hit "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight": "They smelt of pubs/And Wormwood Scrubs/And too many right-wing meetings".
• In the 1969 film The Italian Job, the prison Charlie Croker (played by Michael Caine) leaves at the start is Wormwood Scrubs.
• Billy Bragg mentions the prison in his song "Rotting on Remand" from his 1988 album Workers Playtime.

External links

• Notes on Wormwood Scrubs
• Hammersmith and Fulham Volunteer Centre

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