Brentford & Chiswick History

New Journal Out Now! Articles on the Oxford & Cambridge Hotel, where Brentford FC was founded; the Clitherow's books & manuscripts at Boston Manor House; T M Rooke’s original inn sign for The Tabard, Bedford Park; a hanging at Turnham Green, 1706 & more - brentfordandchiswicklhs.org.uk/portfolio/1129…

d. #otd 1903, poet+editor WE Henley, whose Sunday @ChiswickHighRd soirées #Yeats attended along with GKC, RLS + JM Barrie. He published 40+ of #Yeats's articles + poems in the🗞️National Observer, incl. "The Cap and Bells", "Father Gilligan", "...Innisfree" + "The Celtic Twilight"

@DonTanswell It was located next to Fauconberg Road, Grove Park Terrace on the west and Sutton Court Road on the east. It was purchased for redevelopment in the late 1940s.

@BCLocalHistory Where was (is?) the club?

Did you know that from 1884 to 1939 the Chiswick Park Lawn Tennis Club held the annual Middlesex Open Tennis Championships, which was regarded as second only to #Wimbledon in importance. Read more in "The Chiswick Park Club" by Nora Cox in Journal 32 - brentfordandchiswicklhs.org.uk/portfolio/1073…

d #otd 1917 Dadabhai #Naoroji, 1st Asian British MP(1892) -2nd was🌻#BedfordPk resident Mancherjee #Bhownagree! Naoroji supported #IrishHomeRule with fellow @thefabians Annie Besant, president of @theosophical (#Yeats was hon.sec.) +became pres. of Besant’s #IndianHomeRule League

The Great West Road: A Centenary History by James Marshall, marks 100 years since the new road was opened. For two miles a corridor of inter-war factory buildings emerged, a stylish celebration of art deco architecture, this book reveals its story. brentfordandchiswicklhs.org.uk/portfolio/the-…

#Otd in 1906, the Rev William Stracey Clitherow, owner of @BostonMnrHouse, laid the foundation stone for St Faith’s, a new church for Brentford. Image from Building News 1908. brentfordandchiswicklhs.org.uk/a-century-of-s…

#Otd in 1897 was Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. 'Fête de Jubilé de la Reine à Bedford Park' by Camille Pissarro. Although other fêtes were reported in the local press, sadly there is no mention of the fête on Stamford Brook cricket field painted here. brentfordandchiswicklhs.org.uk/publications/t…

#Otd in 1959 Liberace became the last act to perform at the Chiswick Empire, playing to a full house. The performance ended with shouts of encore and deafening applause, and the stage was covered with flowers. The theatre was demolished a month later. brentfordandchiswicklhs.org.uk/publications/t…

The Great West Road: A Centenary History by James Marshall, marks 100 years since the new road was opened. For two miles a corridor of inter-war factory buildings emerged, a stylish celebration of art deco architecture, this book reveals its story. brentfordandchiswicklhs.org.uk/portfolio/the-…

The Duke of Devonshire's Grand Fete for Tsar Nicholas, Emperor of Russia at Chiswick House, June 1844. On display was the Duke's menagerie, including his giraffes. (Images from the Illustrated London News June 15 1844.) brentfordandchiswicklhs.org.uk/the-duke-of-de…

Sir Stephen Fox’s estate (later known as Moreton Hall) was incorporated into the grounds of Chiswick House following an auction on 12 June 1812. Only three of Fox’s four walled gardens remain. Learn more in "Fox’s ‘Extraordinarily Fine’ Chiswick Garden" - brentfordandchiswicklhs.org.uk/foxs-extraordi…

The Chiswick Cottage Hospital opened in June 1911. It was first housed in a double fronted two-storied villa in Burlington Lane, known as Villa Amalinda. It was donated by Dan Mason, owner of the the Chiswick Soap Company, whose premises were nearby. brentfordandchiswicklhs.org.uk/the-history-of…

In June 1924 Brentford Urban District Council purchased Boston Manor House and its grounds for £24,046. The Middlesex Independent reported that there would be "beautiful woodland places for the solace of the aged ... sport of the youth' & shady walks for 'whispering lovers made'.

In June 1920 Mizpah Gilbert became Chief Librarian of Chiswick Library, one of the first women in the country to be appointed. She initiated a series of modernisations, including introducing open access, removing the counter and book indicator boards. brentfordandchiswicklhs.org.uk/mizpah-gilbert…

Join me at The Twickenham Museum this Saturday 7th June where I will be presenting introduction talks on their latest display, ‘JMW Turner and West London’. On the hour at 11, 12, 1 and 2pm. #JMWTurner and the River #Thames enjoyed a close relationship. As a child Turner went to stay his uncle, James William Mallord Marshall, in Brentford. In 1805 he rented Syon Ferry Lodge on the edge of the Duke of Northumberland’s Syon estate. In 1806 he moved to Hammersmith’s Upper Mall. In 1807 he bought land on which he would build Sandycombe Lodge from 1810. These talks form part of the 50➕ events celebrating the twinning/ reaffirmation between #Richmond, #Konstanz and #Fontainebleau taking place between the 6th and 8th June. And Turner visit and painted Konstanz and Fontainebleau. Free entry to the Twickenham Museum with no need to book. Nearby St Mary’s Church will also be open on Saturday 7th with the opportunity of climbing the tower for fantastic views of the local area. See you there! @TwickMuseum @LuminariesTrust @LBRUT @Gareth_Roberts_ @Visit_Richmond1 @JamesHenryChard @jwgcoombs @munirawilson @twickerati @BCLocalHistory @eelpierecords @EelPiepub @eelpiemuseum @TracyBorman @PopesGrotto @EHMarbleHill @HamHouseNT @hamhousegarden @Orleanshg @Twickenham_RC @RSSatMWT @StMaryTwick please R/T

The first Kew Bridge opened in June 1759. It was a wooden structure, built by John Barnard for Robert Tunstall to replace the Kew ferries, also owned by Tunstall. 3,000 people crossed it on the first day. Watercolour by Paul Sandby, 1759, Museum of London. brentfordandchiswicklhs.org.uk/the-centenary-…

The Royal Brewery, Brentford closed #otd in 1923. The brewery stood at nos 21-27 Brentford High Street, where Waterman’s Park is today. The brewery’s origins go back to at least 1735 when a Francis Harvest was known to be brewing on the site. brentfordandchiswicklhs.org.uk/brentford-chis…

The 30 May 2025 marks 100 years since the opening of the Great West Road, the birth of the Golden Mile and a milestone in London’s industrial story. GM100 is a programme marking this centenary through a range of events & exhibitions. Find out more - goldenmile.london

For a more comprehensive study see "The Great West Road: A Centenary History" by James Marshall - brentfordandchiswicklhs.org.uk/portfolio/the-…

#Otd in 1925 King George V cut the ceremonial ribbon and opened the new Great West Road. The building of this by-pass through the agricultural landscape north of Brentford and Hounslow triggered a decade of development and transformation. brentfordandchiswicklhs.org.uk/local-history/…