Hanwell and Southall both have surprisingly interesting historical
associations. The adjoining Middlesex parishes are linked by the
Uxbridge Road, formerly the Oxford Road, which was connected to London.
Hanwell and Southall were both reliant on agriculture right up to the
end of the Victorian period. It was during the Edwardian era, and
particularly after the First World War, that Southall began to change to
an industrial district - greatly facilitated by the good transport links
such as the canal and railway networks. Hanwell never industrialised to
the same extent as Southall, and remains far more suburban in character
to this day. Hanwell is linked in the popular imagination with Charlie
Chaplin, who went to school at the Central London District School.
Contrasting images of the school as it was and how it now appears are
shown in this book. Southall has the distinction of having the oldest
manor house in Greater London - dating from the sixteenth century and
restored. The Middlesex County Asylum, dating to 1831, was also in the
Southall parish. The building still remains and is currently undergoing
restoration. The importance of the railways and the local connection
with Isambard Kingdom Brunel is dealt with, as well as the importance of
the Grand Junction Canal in speeding the growth of industry in the
Southall area. Hanwell amalgamated with Ealing in 1926 and Southall in
1965, but they still retain their own identities in the present day, as
they did a hundred years ago.
