Isleworth - WikiHQ

right|thumb|240px|Map of the town of Isleworth (click to enlarge)

Isleworth ( ) is a suburban town in the London Borough of Hounslow, west London, England. Its main retail street London Road becomes Hounslow High Street and adjoining Treaty Centre for shopping centre only a few hundred metres away from its westernmost point. No physical signs mark this boundary, which reflects how Isleworth contained the east of Hounslow, originally.

Isleworth sits west of the River Thames and its tributary the River Crane and the original area of settlement, alongside the Thames, is known as Old Isleworth. The northwest corner of the town, bordering on Osterley to the north and Lampton to the west, is known as Spring Grove. Both postally and historically Osterley is part of Isleworth, however it has its own tube station.

Isleworth's former Thames frontage of approximately one mile, excluding that of the upmarket attractions of Syon Park, was reduced to little over half a mile in 1994 when a borough boundary realignment was effected in order to unite the district of Margaret's wholly within London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. As a result, the riverside is those parts overlooking the islet of Isleworth Ait: the short-length River Crane flows into the Thames south of the Isleworth Ait, and its artificial distributary the Duke of Northumberland's River west of the Isleworth Ait, one of two Colne distributaries constructed for aesthetic reasons between 1600 and 1750.

The town is the birthplace of broadcaster David Attenborough.

Etymology

{| class="wikitable"

!Date!!Form!!Source

| 695|| Gislheresuuyrth|| An Anglo-Saxon charter.

| 1086|| Gistelesworde|| The Domesday Survey

| 1301 ||Istelworth|| Roll.

| 1415 ||Ystelworth||Roll.

| 1418 ||Thistelworth||Plea Roll of the Court of Common Pleas

| ||Yhistelforth||rowspan="2"|George James Aungier, in "History of Syon Monastery, the Parish of Isleworth and the Chapelry of Hounslow", 1840

| || Islleworth

| 1540 ||Istyllworth|| Local document

| || Istelworthe||An assize (court sitting) document in the reign of Elizabeth I

| 1554 ||Thyslyworth|| Plea Roll, Court of Common Pleas.

| 1593 ||Thistleworth or Gistelesworth|| Norden and Lysons, historians

| 1702|| Istleworth|| Shown on a memorial in the parish church.

| 1742 ||Isleworth|| Title of an engraving by Thomas Priest.

History

Roman and Anglo Saxon

Excavations around the eastern end of the Syon Park estate have unearthed evidence of a Romano-British settlement. 'Gislheresuuyrth', meaning in Old English Enclosure belonging to [a man called] Gīslhere, is first referred to as a permanent settlement in an Anglo-Saxon charter in the year 695. The Domesday Book says that during the reign (1042–1066) of Edward the Confessor the manor belonged to "Earl Algar" (probably Ælfgar of Mercia), and a modern road off South Street today carries his name.

Granted to Saint Valeri Barons

Isleworth was a well-cultivated farming and trading settlement, more valuable than many of its neighbours at the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066. For centuries it continued to stretch from the Middlesex bank of the Thames in the east, west to include the centre of what was its hamlet then chapelry Hounslow (including the medieval founded Hounslow Priory) and to bound Whitton, as far north so as to bound Southall (in Hayes parish at the time), and as south as to bound Twickenham. The Domesday Book (1086) as Gistelesworde records its 55 ploughlands, 118 households and amount rendered, £72 per year, to its feudal system overlords. After the Conquest, successive Norman barons of the Saint Valeri family held the manor of Isleworth but there is no evidence that they lived there – it being held as a source of rentals and subinfeudation/lettings/charitable giving power. One of the later barons gave several manorial rents and privileges to London's Hospital of Saint Giles. He also gave the church and advowson to the Abbey of Saint Valeri, at the mouth of the Somme in Picardy.

Transfer to Earldom of Cornwall

thumb|left|160px|Coat of arms of Richard, First Earl of Cornwall

In 1227, when he took control of England from his childhood regents, Henry III seized Isleworth manor and other property of the Saint Valeri family and gave the manor to his brother, Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall. He built a new moated manor house, which is described in the Black Book of the Exchequer – having a tiled roof, chimney, two bedchambers and an inner courtyard. Outwith the moat was an outer courtyard with a number of buildings for servants and supplies, and a short distance away was a watermill. The exact location is unknown, but a report long ago of 'Moated Place' puts the likely place between the Northumberland Arms and Twickenham Road, with the watermill being near Railshead, on the only suitable water then existing, the Crane. The castle-like stone church tower by the river remains from this period, see below.

Transfer of Manor to Syon Monastery

In 1415 Henry V granted nuns from the Swedish Bridgettine order land on the bank of the Thames, firstly in Twickenham opposite his new Sheen Palace, where they built their first house Syon Monastery. In 1422 Henry V transferred ownership of Isleworth Manor from the Duchy of Cornwall to Syon Monastery, which in 1431 was selected for the new site within their manor to rebuild their monastery. This is the site of the present Syon House.

Granted to Duke of Somerset

Henry VIII demolished most of Syon Monastery after 1539 and the site and manor was granted to Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset. It was Seymour who built Syon House in 1548. Lady Jane Grey was taken from here to the Tower by Royal barge in anticipation of her being crowned Queen of England.

Acquired by Earl of Northumberland

Forty-six years later, in 1594 Queen Elizabeth I granted a lease of the manor of Syon to Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland on his marriage to Dorothy Devereux the younger daughter of Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex, who later received a grant of the freehold from King James I in 1604. It has remained in the possession of the Percy family, now the Dukedom of Northumberland, for over four hundred years. The Royalist army occupied the house during the Battle of Brentford in November 1642. Syon Park was rebuilt and landscaped by the Adam brothers and "Capability" Brown between 1766 and 1773. It became the new home of the Dukes of Northumberland when Northumberland House in the Strand was demolished in 1874.thumb|right|250px|Georgian houses in Church Street, next to the parish church and facing the Thames

Georgian and Victorian times

Much of Isleworth became orchards in the 18th century (including part of Hugh Ronalds' renowned nursery), and then market gardens in the 19th century, supplying the London markets. Lower Square and Church Street still have buildings dating from the 18th and early 19th centuries. A striking element of this period was the establishment in Isleworth of many mansions and large houses, principally for aristocrats and high achievers. This phenomenon arose owing mainly to the collection of royal and noble residences and ecclesiastical establishments that already existed nearby. The subject is examined in depth in the "Notable houses" section.

There is evidence of a Black community in Isleworth in the 18th century. This community was primarily made up of enslaved people of colour, from Africa, Asia or the Caribbean. Some of these people had fled from bondage and chose to seek their freedom in the streets of London. With very few exceptions, little is known about people of colour in 18th century London. However, as a result of contemporary sources like advertisements seeking the capture and return of runaway slaves, an insight can be gained into the lives of two people, Marina Dellap and Prince, who resided in the area in 1765.

Workhouse and former Hospitals

Brentford Workhouse Infirmary and West Middlesex Hospital before 1980

The Brentford Poor Law Union had a workhouse built in 1838 covering much land to the east of Twickenham Road in Isleworth. At the turn of the 20th century, this was totally rebuilt as an infirmary, with a much larger workhouse newly erected in the grounds. This infirmary functioned until 1920, when it became 'West Middlesex Hospital'. In 1931 it was upgraded to a county hospital, but in 1948 (under the NHS) 'County' was dropped from its title. It later became a teaching hospital, and added 'University' to its title in 1980. The Victorian buildings were closed in 2003, and largely redeveloped as housing, called Union Lane, after the original workhouse. The hospital was rebuilt on the adjacent site.

Percy House Auxiliary Military Hospital

Within the old union workhouse complex stood a school, facing Twickenham Road, called Percy House – Percy being the surname of the dukes of Northumberland. Owing to its gradual disuse as a school it was adapted to function as a military hospital during World War I of 1914–18. From 1915 onwards it treated some 5,000 war-wounded soldiers, and ceased operation at the end of 1918. Among the VAD nurses was Sophia Duleep Singh. The building was demolished in 1978.

20th century

The first half of the 20th century for Isleworth generally was characterised by a very substantial amount of artisan and white-collar residential development throughout the town, on many market gardens. The former western area was ceded to the town and parish of Hounslow, which was invested as a civil parish in 1927. This period also included the building of several new factories and offices, mostly in the far north-east by the eastern limit (with Brentford). This rapid spread of building transformed the nature of Isleworth's layout in the space of just fifty years, from an agrarian pattern to an urban one.

Isleworth's former Thames frontage of about one mile (excluding within the Syon estate), has falled to about since 1994 when two boroughs' boundaries were tweaked by the UK's Local Government Minister to shift land to the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. This unified the district of St Margarets, Twickenham, named after a former house there. The house stood in its Ailsa estate a Victorian garden suburb and which has a railway station next to its other parts and has several seamless bridges over the south channel of the Crane, but which accordingly had been cross-borough.

Geography

thumb|NoiseIf deemed to still include Osterley, elevations range from in the northwest to by the Thames OD. The boundaries are longstanding, subject to twentieth-century western and southern circonscriptions: Isleworth is east of the town of Hounslow which has more retail and offices, in the borough of that name; west of the River Thames; north of its tributary and the northernmost confluence of the Crane; and south of the crest by the M4 motorway separating the Brent and Crane catchments. Half of the River Crane flows into the Thames south of the Ait, and its newest distributary the Duke of Northumberland's River flows toward the Ait's midpoint.

Isleworth is on the Heathrow flight path. It experiences a high level of airplane noise daily. Hundreds of flights per day go over Isleworth. Both flight paths 27R and 27L go through Isleworth. The average daily noise level at Isleworth station is 61 decibels.

Politics

Isleworth is part of the Brentford and Isleworth constituency for elections to the House of Commons.

Isleworth resembles Isleworth ward for elections to its council, Hounslow London Borough Council.

Amenities

thumb|Olympic gold medal-winning distance runner [[Mo Farah's gold post box is outside a large convenience shop; his senior school was Isleworth and Syon School]]

Isleworth is home to Isleworth Crown Court whose original remit has been expanded to include judicial work formerly conducted at the Middlesex Crown Court; an extension to create six new courtrooms was completed in 2009.

The town's municipal facilities include a library, a leisure centre with swimming pool, a gymnasium, four recreation grounds, and a town (community) hall.

There used to be a film studio in Worton Road, Isleworth. Known variously as Worton Hall Studios and Isleworth Studios, its most notable film was The African Queen (1951) starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. After it closed, the premises became a Mining Research Establishment for the National Coal Board. It is now a subdivided but in a larger set of light industry units.

Osterley/Isleworth has been home to satellite television broadcaster Sky since its launch in 1989 by Rupert Murdoch. Originally centred on Grant Way, the sprawling campus around Gillette Corner once took in New Horizons Court and is now the sole occupier of the Centaurs Business Park, with offices, studios, production space, research and development facilities, plus a dedicated energy centre including a wind turbine by Arup Associates.

The boat Cathja is moored in Old Isleworth. This is a 38-metre barge houses a charity since 1996. It offers people with mental disabilities an opportunity to hone their artistic skills, and hosts sculpture The Heron by Martin Cotts.

Isleworth was home to opera group Isleworth Baroque (now Richmond Opera) from 2002 to 2015.

Hospitals

West Middlesex University Hospital

This is a major acute hospital on the Twickenham Road, Isleworth, with 394 beds, providing the full range of services expected of a general hospital. It serves residents of the London boroughs of Hounslow and Richmond. As a university hospital it is affiliated with Imperial College London. A programme of building, renovation and modernisation in recent years has resulted in the hospital offering modern facilities.

Education

West Thames College, a further education college, is located in Isleworth.

Secondary schools

The Green School for Girls
Gumley House Convent School (girls)
Isleworth and Syon School (boys)
The Green School for Boys
Oaklands School (Special Educational Needs)

Primary schools

Ashton House School
The Blue School (Church of England)
Isleworth Town, a school that has been open for more than 100 years
Ivybridge
Marlborough
Smallberry Green
Spring Grove Primary
St Mary's (Roman Catholic)
Worple

Churches

thumb|left|240px|All Saints Church, early 19th century

thumb|right|St Francis of Assisi parish church, Great West Road

;Church of England

All Saints' Church, Isleworth is the ancient parish church
St Francis of Assisi Church, Syon Lane (sometimes viewed as part of Osterley)
St John's Church (near Woodlands)
St Mary the Virgin Church (near Woodlands)
St Mary's Church, Osterley

;Full Protestant

Isleworth Congregational Church

;Roman Catholic

St Bridget's RC Church

Transport

Roads

The principal road in Isleworth is the London Road (A 315), which closely tracks the later dubbed Devil's Highway (Roman Britain) rising here to gravelly heathland en route to Silchester, from where other roads led to Bath, Winchester and Salisbury; one historian Bate combines Latin with Anglo-Saxon to call this "Tamesis Street"; stressing how for instance it took until the year 1280 for a Maidenhead Bridge, whereas on this route, the first Staines Bridge was Roman – to cross the Thames.

In Westminster the road is 'Knightsbridge' and 'Piccadilly'. In Hammersmith it is 'King Street', in Chiswick: the 'High Road', in Brentford and Kensington: 'High Street', and as Isleworth's 'London Road' passes into Hounslow it again becomes 'High Street'. After this the road united with the road to Maidenhead bridge (now mirrored by a nearby motorway bridge since the 1960s) this was part of the 'King's Highway' to Windsor.

1947 Rails-head Ferry still existed, more than fifty years after the nearby footbridge had been built.

1952 Typical pleasure boat of the mid-20th century seen here from Isleworth Promenade.

Notable residents

Joseph banks.jpg|Sir Joseph Banks

Banks' house.jpg|Banks' house, known as Spring Grove House

Spring Grove House 18th Century.jpg|Spring Grove House in the 18th century

Pears House full west front 1902.jpg|Spring Grove House in 1902

VanGogh 1887 Selbstbildnis.jpg|Vincent van Gogh Self-portrait (1887), painted ten years after his stay in Isleworth

Turner selfportrait.jpg|J. M. W. Turner

</gallery>

Peter Oliver (1594–1648), watercolour copyist and miniature portrait artist, lived in his native Isleworth. He painted many figures at the courts of Kings James I and Charles I.
Marina Dellap was a resident of Isleworth in 1765. She was enslaved and lived in the home of Mrs Dellap near All Saints’ Church in Isleworth. She ran away on 26 May 1765. Marina was in her 20s, had arrived from Jamaica about a year before, spoke English and had a child. She was a skilled seamstress.
Prince was a resident of Isleworth in 1765. He was enslaved by a merchant called Mr Shea. Prince was aged 24, from Guinea and a musician who played the French horn. Prince ran away from Mr Shea on 13 August 1765 and is likely to have known Marina Dellap. She was seen with someone matching Prince’s description (wearing an old brown livery coat turned up with red).
Post-impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh moved to Isleworth in 1876 to become a teacher and assistant preacher at a local school. A blue plaque exists on the house he lived in alongside Twickenham Road.
Andrew Pears was the third generation head of the Pears soap business located in Isleworth, and in 1886 he bought Spring Grove House. He rebuilt it in 1892/94 on a grander scale, retaining the structure, facing the building with new red brickwork, and adding large rear extensions. This created a sizeable mansion, most of which still stands. The house is now part of West Thames College. There is a memorial to the Pears family in Isleworth cemetery, including Thomas Pears (1882–1912) who died on the RMS Titanic.
George Manville Fenn (1831-1909) was a prolific English novelist, journalist, editor and educationalist who lived in Isleworth and is buried there. Many of his novels were written for young adults.
Walter R. Booth (1869–1938), creator of the first British animated cartoon film, The Hand of the Artist, constructed his own outdoor studio in the back garden of Neville Lodge, Woodlands Road, Isleworth in 1906 with Harold Bastick as his cameraman. At least fifteen films a year were made up to 1915, after which he entered the publicity film market, making advertising shorts for Cadbury.
Arthur Penty (1875–1937), an architect and writer on guild socialism and distributism lived in Church Street, Old Isleworth (1926–1937). He is commemorated by a blue plaque.
Eileen Sheridan (1923–2023), a champion English cyclist of the 1940s and 1950s, lived in Church Street, Old Isleworth for many years.
Jack Simmons (1915–2000), historian, was born in Isleworth. In 1947 he became the first professor of history at University College, Leicester, which became the University of Leicester in 1957. He was the university's acting vice-chancellor from 1962 until 1975.
Ronald Chetwynd-Hayes (1919–2001) was born in Isleworth. For over 30 years, Chetwynd-Hayes published more than 200 short stories, 8 novels, and over 20 collections, as well as editing 24 anthologies including many of the Fontana Ghost Stories series of anthologies.
Sir David Attenborough (1926–) was born in Isleworth. His career as the face and voice of natural history television programmes has endured for more than 60 years. He is best known for writing and presenting the nine Life series, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit.
William Hartnell, actor, best known as the First Doctor in Doctor Who from 1963 to 1966, lived opposite the London Apprentice pub from the 1920s, next door to his guardian, the art collector Hugh Blaker.
Vince Taylor (1939–1991), British rock and roll singer and main inspiration for David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust persona, spent his early life in Isleworth.
Ellen Edith Hannah Redknap (1906–1991), author, lived at Worton Way and wrote under the name of Erroll Collins. She was active during the 1940s, specialising in adventure and science fiction for boys.
Presenter Fiona Phillips lives in Isleworth.
Patsy Morris, victim of unsolved murder in 1980 and reportedly the childhood girlfriend of serial killer Levi Bellfield, also from Isleworth.
Joan Bicknell, professor of psychiatry and human rights advocate for people with intellectual disabilities, was born here..
Edd Gould (1988–2012) creator of Eddsworld, a popular YouTube channel.
Earl Rhodes, former actor, lives in Isleworth.
Dave Brock, founder of space rock group Hawkwind, was born in Isleworth.
Ruel, Australian singer-songwriter, was born in Isleworth.
Ben Turnbull, artist, was born in Isleworth.
Ellie Beaven, actress, was born and grew up in Isleworth
Thomas Allistone (1823–1896), a soldier in the 11th Hussars who took part in the Charge of the Light Brigade.

Fictional residents

In the 2001 feature film Gosford Park, Sir William McCordle had one of his factories in Isleworth and Robert Parks was raised in orphanage in Isleworth.
In the ITV television series, Agatha Christie's Poirot, Isleworth is often mentioned as the home town of Chief Inspector Japp.

Landmarks

Notable houses

thumb|Northumberland House and others in Lower Square in one of Isleworth's conservation areas

Much building of grand houses occurred in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Three allures to the eastern half of Isleworth and Twickenham by 1740s were felt, plus Richmond Bridge opened in 1776 (and to wheeled traffic a year later):

The stretch of Thames with meadows, trees and broad water beauty figured in fine art, romantic verse by Alexander Pope.
Grand houses already existed, attracting those in their very high social circles (several in Chiswick, plus Osterley Park House, Syon Park House, Boston Manor House and one of Prime Minister Walpole's houses in Twickenham).
In the latter half of the Georgian era the royal court began to re-appear at Kew, so Kew and all adjacent parishes became, as under Elizabeth I, very fashionable for the rich and famous to build their grand homes.

Thanks to the 1840s mainstay of railway building, direct central London connections came, for the now royally deserted Richmond and Kew – prompting in most cases rebuilding or reinvestment in existing examples. Many high-quality houses also survived well The Blitz and need for wealthy or high income owners to afford their upkeep. Many thus have grade II* listing (the mid category) of architectural listed building.

Syon House Duke of Somerset Duke of Northumberland. (standing, listed Grade I) With parts 450 years old, it has very grand architecture as the only non-royal ducal main home ('seat') in Middlesex. It is chronicled in an exhaustive history.

thumb|right|Silver Hall in 1800, on the King's Highway to Teddington

Silver Hall No. 1 (South of North Street, with four acres) [1.6 hectares] for Sir John Smith Bt, of Isleworth, Privy to William & Mary   for Lady Harcourt, widow of Sir William Harcourt, Chancellor (Demolished 1801)
Silver Hall No. 2 (North of North Street) Joseph Dixon. (Demolished 1950)
Somerset House/Cottage.
Gunnersbury House. SE of where Bridge Road meets London Road (Demolished c. 1972).
Isleworth House Sir William Cooper, chaplain to George III.
Spring Grove House Sir Joseph Banks Andrew Pears.
Warkworth House (demolished), north of Manor Mill (demolished)
Busch House (demolished) see The Green School for Boys under its neighbouring sister school until opened.

Since 1993 in St Margarets, London

thumb|260px|right|Gordon House at Railshead 1869

Countess of Charleville's Villa Harriet Charlotte Beaujolais (Campbell) (about where Charleville Mews is by the Thames)
Gordon House, by the Thames with a drive known as Railshead Road (standing, listed Grade II*). General Humphrey Bland  Lord James Hay Lord John Kennedy-Erskine. Lord and Lady Frederick Gordon  Earl of Kilmorey Judge T C Haliburton MP. In Lord Hay's time this was named 'Seaton House', after his ancestral home in Aberdeenshire. It was next bought by King William IV at 8,000 guineas for his (illegitimate) daughter Lady Augusta, who married Lord John Kennedy-Erskine of Dun, the son of the First Marquis of Ailsa who lived next door in St Margaret's House. Gordon House is being renovated.
St Margaret's House (Lacy House rebuilt and renamed) 1st Marquis of Ailsa, Earl of Cassilis. The proportion who ethnically identify as BAME (Black, Asian and minority Ethnic) was 34.8% of the population.

63.3% of people living in Isleworth were born in England. The other most common countries of birth were India (7.6%), Somalia (5.2%), Ireland (1.7%) and Pakistan (1.4%).

The largest religious affiliations in Isleworth are Christians (49.5%), those with no religion (20.7%), Muslims (13.9%), Hindus (3.7%) and Sikhs (2.4%).