Village Postcards
HESTON
Heston was one of the little villages on the northern
edge of Hounslow Heath and was once well known for
making bricks. The last brick maker that we know of was Henry Westbrook
who died in 1841.
Fine corn and wheat was and still is grown in what is left of the open
ground between the village and Osterley Park. The Parish Church
of St.Leonards has a fine 14th century tower with a large an interesting
graveyard including the resting place of Private White the last man
to be flogged in the British Army.
Outside is a very old Lych gate which was recently
refurbished and won an English Heritage award. The church has the unmarked
vault of Sir Joseph Banks the famous botanist who traveled to Australia
and New Zealand with Captain Cook in 1770 and lived at Spring Grove.
Later Heston became well known for its Air Port after two young flyers
bought a piece of ground to park their aircraft. The first commercial
air services to Paris started from Heston and was the scene when Neville
Chamberlain the British Prime Minister returned from meeting Adolph
Hitler in 1938 and waived a piece of paper declaring that there would
be no war. Twelve months later World War II broke out.
CRANFORD
Little is left of the old village of Cranford or “Craneforde” as
it was once known. In fact
there were two villages Cranford St.John which was given to the Knights
Templars and Cranford le Mote which has now completely disappeared.
Later it was the country home of the Earls of Berkeley who held Cranford
House until the 1930’s. The old house was pulled down but the Tudor
cellars, an interesting ha-ha and the stables still remain. A large
park and woods are an open space for the community for sports and recreation
but the herd of deer that once roamed the area are long gone.
The outside of the historic church of St.Dunstan which
nestles at the edge of the park shows a building of various ages. The
tower, chancel and portions of the old church are 15th century and
after a fire in 1710 the nave was re-built by Elizabeth Berkeley in
1716. The oldest bell in a peal of six was cast in 1338 and is reputed
to have been rung on every occasion of national importance during the
past 600 years. A number of the Berkeley family are buried within and
outside the church where there is a stone representation of the Berkeley
coat of arms. The ashes of the comedian Tony Hancock were laid in a
corner of the churchyard.
FELTHAM
Feltham is thought to have a history going back about
1000 years and is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 the name is
given as Felteha and according to most experts
means a Field Home or Home in the Fields. In 1634 the village burnt
down in a disastrous fire which also appears to have destroyed any
records before that time. The village grew up around the Parish
Church of St.Dunstan and it is thought that the church was dedicated to the
Saint at the end of his lifetime in 988. He became Archbishop
of Canterbury.
The Church has a list of priests going back to 1322 and in 2002 celebrated
the bi-centenary of the re-building of the present church.
For many years it was a an agricultural area save for
two gun powder mills at North Feltham and at Hanworth. When the railway
came in 1884 the it opened up the district to city gentry who enjoyed
working “in town” and living in the leafy countryside and many large
houses were built to accommodate these families. In the late 19th century
and early 20th century the farming family of Smith bought and leased
most of the Feltham farms and A.W.Smith developed many vegetable species
with the Feltham pre-fix in the name the best known being the Feltham
Pea.
After the first world war the town grew and became industrialized
with the second largest railway marshaling yard in the country, the
assembly and flying of early aircraft. The famous Feltham Tram was
developed here and items such as Minimax Fire Extinguishers were manufactured
and exported world wide. An R.A.O.C Army depot grew up between the
wars and during the second world war it became a garrison town. By
this time the population had moved to housing nearer the railway.
The High Street is now facing a new town centre development
and many high tech offices have been built in the area with more in
the development stage.
BEDFONT
Bedfont or Bede’s Font as it was first known stand
on an old Roman Road from Londinium to Pontes (London to Staines) where
there was a wooden bridge over the River Thames. It was therefore a
Royal road as through the centuries Kings and Queens would have passed
this way on their journeys to Windsor Castle. There were two villages
East and West Bedfont but the latter which stood on the Stanwell Road
has now disappeared. Aerial surveys have shown that there were early settlements here
close by.
The Parish Church of St. Mary the Virgin has been described
as a “jewel of Middlesex” as it is of Norman origin with later additions.
At the entrance to the church are two trees shaped to represent peacocks
one dated 1704. They are said to represent two sisters who lived in
Bedfont House and were described as being “as proud as peacocks” The
church stands at the back of a delightful village green which once
had two ponds. These have now been filled in. Close by is Pates
Manor House which is a timbered Elizabethan building that once belonged to
Christ’s Hospital. During its long history it once fell into disrepair
and was saved by a local historian.
Bedfont House an is an 18th century building of great interest which stands in
its own grounds. It was bought in the Edwardian era by David
Henry Waring of Waring and Gillows the fine art establishment in London.
He made additions to the house which are fine examples of the architecture
of the time and also raised a winter garden which can be seen on the
Staines Road side of the house. It is now sheltered accommodation for
the elderly and is owned by Hounslow Borough Council.
Off Bedfont Road is Fawns Manor House which was held
by generations of one family. On inspection can be seen the additions
that have been made to the building over the years.In recent times
it has been turned into flats. A village which was once surrounded
by fields of produce is now a close neighbour of London Airport.
HANWORTH
Hanworth has two claims to fame the Tudors and flying.
Henry VIII enjoyed hunting and had a hunting box built at Hanworth
where he could rest change horses and have refreshment when he took
to the heathland that once surrounded the village. It is not certain
how Henry came to hold Hanworth but like other places perhaps he just
took it. Just before his death Henry made the property over to his
last Queen Catherine Parr, and when he died she came to live at Hanworth.
Later she married Lord Seymour of Sudley and they took charge of the
young Princess Elizabeth later Queen Elizabeth I to live with them.
The future Queen spent some time at the Manor
House sometimes known as Hanworth Palace and it was here that Seymour acted
in an improper manner towards the Princess and was committed to the
Tower of London and later executed. Queen Elizabeth returned to visit
Hanworth later in her reign as it was said she that she enjoyed the
area.
A later Lord of the Manor was Lord Cottington who
held Hanworth and Feltham and Kennington in London. He was Chancellor
of the Exchequer and a great favourite of Charles
I. During the Civil
War he fled to Spain where he died.
At the restoration of the Monarchy
Charles II had his body brought back and he was buried in Westminster
Abbey. During the first world war, the Whitehead Aircraft Company built
hangers on the Feltham side of Hanworth Park to assemble
and fly their bi-planes. After the war the company did not survive.
In the early
1930’s the park became an airfield once again and had a visit from
the Graf Zeppelin the German airship.With the arrival
of General Aircraft Company from Croydon in the 1930’s and the formation
of the London Flying Club it became known as London Airpark. With
the arrival of nearby London Airport in the 1950’s all flying ceased
and it is now a local open space.
HOUNSLOW
Over the years Hounslow was probably best know for
its heath which at one time stretched from Brentford to Staines and
became notorious for its highwaymen and footpads specially during the
18th and 19th century coaching days. Straddling the old Roman road
from London to Staines and Winchester in the High Street it forks off
north west to Bath and so was a highway for Kings and Queens down the
ages to Windsor and the “quality folk” to the west country.
Hounslow
was also a garrison town and the heathland used for troop maneuvers.
Following the sealing of Magna Carta at Runnemede in 1215 the Barons held
a tournament on the heath to celebrate their political victory over
the King. Many other great camps were held on the heathland over
the years.
Hounslow grew considerably during the coaching era
providing refreshment and fresh horses for coaches and travelers. It was estimated that some 8000
horse drawn vehicles passed through the town in one day. With the coming
of the railways and trams in the 18th century the towns importance
somewhat diminished.
Troops still camped on the heath under canvas
and so suffered in the hard winters that Hounslow Barracks were built
for them. Now listed buildings, the barracks are still used by troops.
In 1919 part of the heath became the first London Airport and early
flights took of for Europe and record attempts made to Australia. This
only lasted nine months before the opening of Croydon Airport, Surrey.
The town grew again in prosperity when the Great West
Road was built north of the High Street and many factories lined this
gateway to the west. It was know as the Golden Mile and gave employment
to many hundred of people and made an important contribution to the
war effort during WW2. With industry declining in the area since the
70’s the Great West Road is
now home to great offices of international companies. With
its close proximity to London Airport many warehouses and offices have
been built in the area specially along the South Great West Road which
passes by the southern edge of the airport.
Hounslow now has a large shopping mall the Treaty Centre beside a pedestrianised High Street and plans are going ahead for a new shopping precinct with cinema and restaurants on the north of the high street which will change the face of Hounslow completely from the long straggling main road of yesteryear.
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