Northolt

For the Royal Air Force station in Ruislip, see RAF Northolt.
Northolt

Northala Fields in Northolt (view from A40)
Northolt
 Northolt shown within Greater London
OS grid referenceTQ135845
London borough Ealing
Ceremonial county Greater London
RegionLondon
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town NORTHOLT
Postcode district UB5
Dialling code 020
Police Metropolitan
Fire London
Ambulance London
EU Parliament London
UK ParliamentEaling North
London Assembly Ealing and Hillingdon
List of places
UK
England
London

Coordinates: 51°32′49″N 0°21′43″W / 51.547°N 0.362°W / 51.547; -0.362

Northolt is a town in north west London, England, 11 miles (17.7 km) west-northwest of Charing Cross and within the London Borough of Ealing, England. Essentially a suburban development, a feature is the Grand Union Canal, as is the A 40 road and a history of pony racing.

History

The settlement of Northolt is located in the ancient county of Middlesex (now part of Greater London) and is mentioned in the Domesday Book as being held by Geoffrey de Mandeville, and archaeological evidence suggests that there was a Saxon village at the location from the 8th century onwards. The medieval village had its origins in the Saxon period. Up to late Victorian times, the area was rural with predominantly arable crops being grown. The fourteenth century Northolt Manor existed behind the present Court Farm Road and was excavated from 1950 onwards. A barn constructed in the area in 1595 can now be seen in the Chiltern Open Air Museum. In the early part of the 18th century farmland was enclosed in order to provide hay for the City of London, alongside more traditional crops such as peas and beans.

The 15th-century St Mary's Church

Suburban development began in the 1920s. Most of the housing north of the Western Avenue was built in the 1920s–1930s, and is in the private housing sector. Most of the housing built to the south of the Western Avenue was built in the 1960s–1970s, and is in the social housing sectors, particularly along the Kensington and Ruislip Roads.

Two important transport links run through Northolt: the Grand Union Canal and the modern A40 road.

In the 21st century, a new large private housing development was built on the former site of the Taylor Woodrow company, adjacent to the Grand Union Canal. This development is known as "Grand Union Village" and incorporates a new canal boat marina.

Local landmarks

Farrier Road apartments, part of Smith's Farm estate, at the bank of the Grand Union Canal
Northolt Green Clock
A40 Western Avenue, taken from near Islip Manor

Population

While Northolt remained a rural, agricultural area in the 19th century, its population growth remained slow:

The rapid growth of the population in the mid-20th century can be explained by Northolt's growth as a dormitory town for nearby Ealing, and the construction in 1935 of the A40 road through the area. Modern family homes were built in the 1920s and 1930s. In the 1950s and 1960s, predominantly local authority rented housing was constructed. 3,423 council houses had been built in Northolt by 1963. Northolt tube station was opened in 1948 to serve the growing population of the area.

Crime

Anti-social behavior has recently been the most common reported crime, followed by violent and sexual offences. Crime levels notably increased, by up to 50% between 2013 and 2014.[5]

RAF Northolt

Main article: RAF Northolt

The Royal Air Force has a station near Northolt. Sometimes called Northolt Aerodrome, it is situated in the neighbouring town of South Ruislip in the London Borough of Hillingdon. Most early RAF airfields were named after the nearest railway station; in this case Northolt Junction, (now South Ruislip).

Racecourse Estate: this area was used for horse racing in the early 20th century

Pony racing

Northolt was famous for the pony racing which took place in Northolt Park. A one and a half mile (2.4 km) racecourse was constructed by Sir William Bass and Viscount Lascelles, and opened in 1929 by the Earl of Harewood and his wife the Princess Royal. During World War II the land was taken over and used as an army depot and prisoner of war camp. Despite numerous attempts to revive pony racing after the war the land was given over to housing construction. The Racecourse Estate was constructed between 1951 and 1955 in order to solve a severe housing shortage within the borough. The gates of the original racecourse remain in Petts Hill, and a section of the track can be observed as a long, flat stretch of land alongside Mandeville Road.

Transport

Northolt has two stations: Northolt on the London Underground Central line and Northolt Park, a Network Rail station served by Chiltern Railways.

There are a number of London Buses routes serving Northolt.

Education

  • Petts Hill Primary
  • St. Raphael's Catholic Primary School
  • Downe Manor Primary School
  • Willow Tree Primary

Political representation

The constituency of Ealing North is currently represented by Labour Party Member of Parliament Stephen Pound, and has been since 1997.

Northolt is made up of two electoral wards (Northolt Mandeville and Northolt West End), as well as part of the electoral ward of North Greenford, which elect councillors to Ealing Council. As of 6 May 2010 the area is represented by five Labour councillors (three in West End and two in Mandeville) and one Conservative councillor.

At the same election Labour took control of Ealing Council from the Conservatives with a major swing against the Tories, which conflicted with the nationwide swing in the General Election.

Northolt comes under the London Assembly constituency of Ealing and Hillingdon which has one assembly member, currently Onkar Sahota (Labour), who was elected in May 2012.

Political status on Ealing Council:

Nearest places

Notable people

Northolt on television

Climate

Climate data for Northolt 40m amsl (1981–2010) (extremes 1973–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 7.9
(46.2)
8.3
(46.9)
11.3
(52.3)
14.1
(57.4)
17.7
(63.9)
20.8
(69.4)
23.2
(73.8)
22.9
(73.2)
19.7
(67.5)
15.4
(59.7)
11.0
(51.8)
8.2
(46.8)
15.04
(59.08)
Average low °C (°F) 1.7
(35.1)
1.5
(34.7)
3.4
(38.1)
4.8
(40.6)
8.0
(46.4)
10.9
(51.6)
13.2
(55.8)
12.9
(55.2)
10.5
(50.9)
7.6
(45.7)
4.1
(39.4)
2.1
(35.8)
6.72
(44.11)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 58.2
(2.291)
43.4
(1.709)
45.5
(1.791)
45.8
(1.803)
56.0
(2.205)
47.5
(1.87)
45.3
(1.783)
51.3
(2.02)
50.6
(1.992)
72.2
(2.843)
64.9
(2.555)
59.0
(2.323)
639.7
(25.185)
Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) 11.4 9.2 10.0 9.3 9.2 8.6 8.0 8.2 8.3 10.8 10.7 10.5 114.2
Source #1: Met Office[7]
Source #2: tutiempo[8]

References

Sources

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Northolt.
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