Chiswick
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Chiswick (disambiguation).
| Chiswick | |
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| Location | |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference: | TQ205785 |
| Latitude: | 51.492542° |
| Longitude: | -0.263345° |
| Administration | |
| London borough: | Hounslow |
| County level: | Greater London |
| Region: | London |
| Constituent country: | England |
| Sovereign state: | United Kingdom |
| Other | |
| Ceremonial county: | Greater London |
| Historic county: | Middlesex (1965) |
| Services | |
| Police force: | Metropolitan Police |
| Fire brigade: | London Fire Brigade |
| Ambulance service: | London Ambulance |
| Post office and telephone | |
| Post town: | LONDON |
| Postal district: | W4 |
| Dialling code: | 020 |
| Politics | |
| UK Parliament: | Brentford & Isleworth |
| London Assembly: | South West |
| European Parliament: | London |
| London | List of places in London | |
Chiswick (IPA pronunciation: [ˈtʃɪzɪk]) is an extensive district of West London, located within the eastern extremity of the London Borough of Hounslow and 5.9 miles (9.5 km) west of Charing Cross. The southern border of Chiswick runs along the River Thames, which is crossed at this point by Chiswick Bridge, Barnes Railway Bridge and Strand-on-the-Green Railway Bridge. Before being absorbed into Greater London in 1965, Chiswick was in Middlesex and formed an urban district from 1894 to 1927. <ref>Vision of Britain - Chiswick UD</ref> It merged with Brentford in 1927 to form Brentford and Chiswick Urban District.
The name "Chiswick" is of Saxon 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 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 also served by the London Underground District Line (Three stations: Stamford Brook, Turnham Green and Chiswick Park) 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 area is not entirely residential: Chiswick High Road is widely-recognised amongst Londoners as offering a significant variety 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.
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[edit] History
Chiswick grew up as a fishing village around St. Nicholas church on Church Street.
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 unsuitable for migratory fish such as salmon and shad.
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.
Dukes Meadows stands on land formerly owned by the Dukes of Devonshire. In the 1920s the Duke sold them to the local council, which developed the land 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 Friends of Dukes Meadows has undertaken extensive restoration work.
Chiswick is also known for being the site where the first V-2 Rocket to hit London fell, killing three people and causing extensive damage to surrounding trees and buildings. There is a memorial where the rocket fell on Staveley Road.
[edit] Architecture
The population of Chiswick grew almost tenfold during the 19th century, and the built environment is largely Victorian, with one notable exception.
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.
St. Michael on Elmwood Road, of 1908-9, was designed by W.D. Caroe.
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, originally a fishing community
[edit] Famous names
Chiswick's celebrity residents include Kim Medcalf, Sarah Keeler, Roger Daltrey, Sheila Hancock, Al Murray, Ant and Dec, Vanessa Redgrave, Kate Beckinsale, Colin Firth, Daley Thompson, Richard Briers, Timothy Dalton, Jeremy Irons, Nigel Havers, Moira Stuart, Nick Knowles, Mark Lamarr, Gabby Logan, Bruce Dickinson, Bill Bailey, Tim Vincent, John Leslie, Sir Peter Blake, Christien Anholt, Des Lynam, Phil Collins, Dennis Waterman, Lisa Birch, Richard Bacon, Griff Dickinson, Davina McCall, James Cracknell, Beverley Turner, Rageh Omaar, Matthew Kelly, Jasper Conran, Imogen Stubbs, Trevor Nunn, Toyah Willcox and Clare Balding.
Chiswick is divided into a number of districts that reflect the historical development of the area:
[edit] Sporting Links
The Boat Race finishing line is immediately downriver from Chiswick Bridge, and Duke's Meadows is a popular view-point for the closing stages of the race.
[edit] Education in Chiswick
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".
Chiswick has many schools, both primary and secondary. The 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 250 students. Chiswick Community School was granted "Technology College" status in 2004. Although being situated in Chiswick it attracts many pupils from places such as Shepherds Bush and Hammersmith. Chiswick Community School scored moderately well in its last Ofsted inspection. The former head teacher of the school, Dame Helen Metcalf received her Damehood 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.
Chiswick is also home to the prestigous Arts Educational Schools of London, a theatre academy specialising in both Acting and Musical Theatre. The schools has 3 areas: a secondary school for 11-16 years olds, a Sixth Form, and more commonly known is the Degree school, offering BA Honours degrees in Acting or in Musical Theatre. The School of currently accrediated by the Council for Dance Education and Training (CDET) and produces some of the finest West End performs in the industry. For more information, go to the www.arted.co.uk or to Wikipedia's page for ArtsEd, which will be published very soon.
[edit] Chiswick Pubs
Strand-on-the-Green, immediately downriver from Kew Bridge, has a number of historic pubs fronting onto the river path, viz :
- Bell & Crown
- City Barge
- Bulls Head
as well as the former Steampacket, now a Café Rouge.
Chiswick High Road has :
- John Bull
- Old Packhorse
- Crown & Anchor
- Barley Mow
- George IV.
- The Paragon
- The Roebuck
- The Packhorse & Talbot
- Carvossos at 210 (Strictly speaking a wine bar, but does sell beer. Formerly a Police Station)
- The Tabard, on Bath Road. Known for its William Morris interior.
Near to Hogarth Roundabout are :
- George & Devonshire
- Mawson Arms.
[edit] Nearest places
[edit] Local Transport
Nearest tube stations:
- Chiswick Park tube station
- Turnham Green tube station
- Stamford Brook tube station
- Gunnersbury station
Nearest railway stations:
[edit] References
<references/>
[edit] External links
- Chiswick's Local Web Site
- Virtual Tour of Chiswick
- A few Old Postcards of Chiswick
- [1]
- Photographs of Chiswick
- Arts Educational Schools of London
