Northolt facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Northolt
Northolt Green and the clock tower
Northolt
Population	30,304 (2011 Census)
OS grid reference	TQ135845
• Charing Cross	11 mi (18 km) ESE
London borough	Ealing
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	NORTHOLT
Postcode district	UB5
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
EU Parliament	London
UK Parliament	Ealing North
London Assembly	Ealing and Hillingdon
List of places UK England London 51°32′49″N 0°21′43″W / 51.547°N 0.362°W / 51.547; -0.362

Map of the London Borough of Ealing, showing the location of Northolt, one of Ealing's seven major towns.

Northolt is a town in West London, England, spread across both sides of the A40 trunk road. It is 11 miles (17.7 km) west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the seven major towns that make up the London Borough of Ealing. It had a population of 30,304 at the 2011 UK census.

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

• St Mary the Virgin church (14th century) stands on the hill overlooking the old village. The Welsh poet Goronwy Owen was briefly a curate here. Bishop Samuel Lisle is buried here.
• In the centre of the village is a freestanding clock tower erected to commemorate the coronation of George VI in 1937.

Northolt Green Clock

• The White Hart public house is on the site of an old coaching inn. The roundabout immediately south of it is on the junction of the A312 (Church Road and Hayes Bypass) with the A4180 (Ruislip Road and West End Road). The Yeading Lane also joins the roundabout.
• Willow Cottages on the village green are said to have been built of bricks from the old manor house, which once stood behind the parish church.
• The two towers of the disused RAF radio station north of the town are situated in the Wood End wireless station recreation ground, which is bordered on all sides by housing (Bayshill Rise, Lancaster Road, Blenheim road). The location is now home to a National Air Traffic Control base.
• Northala Fields is a large area alongside the A40 road which has been redeveloped as an extension to the Northolt and Greenford Country Park. The development consists of four large, man-made conical hills (built of rubble from the first Wembley Stadium), which act as a sound barrier to block traffic noise from the Western Avenue. Behind the mounds are new ponds and a visitor centre.
• The Larkspur Rovers F.C. clubhouse is in Rowdell Road, Northolt. It received funding from Ealing Council and an Olympic legacy grant of £50,000 from Sport England’s Inspired Facilities Fund.
• There is a village community centre building in Ealing Road, opposite St Mary's church, which incorporates an open-air miniature railway.
• A leisure centre, incorporating a pool, a fitness centre, a community hall and a library was built on the site of the former Swimarama swimming pool at the junction of Mandeville Road and Eastcote Lane North, and opened in 2010.
• Down Barns Moated Site, a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

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:

• 1801 – 336 inhabitants
• 1871 – 479
• 1921 – 904
• 1961 – 26,000
• 1991 – 32,000

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.

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 Station

Bus stand of route 90 on Mandeville Road

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

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:

• Labour: 53 seats
• Conservative: 12 seats
• Liberal Democrats: 4 seats

Nearest places

Nearest Settlements

	South Ruislip	South Harrow	Sudbury Hill
	Hillingdon		Perivale
		Northolt
	Yeading	Southall	Greenford

Northolt on television

• The popular BBC comedy series My Hero, produced between 2000 and 2006, and featuring Ardal O'Hanlon and Emily Joyce, was set in Northolt.
• An episode of the popular CBBC series Tracy Beaker had scenes filmed in the old Swimarama swimming pool.
• A faux documentary titled Ghostwatch, aired on Halloween in 1992, was filmed in Northolt. Ghostwatch, the tale of a single mother haunted in her Northolt home by a mysterious figure called "Pipes"

Climate

Demography

Northolt is covered by two electoral wards of the London Borough of Ealing. Northolt Mandeville ward covers the main area of Northolt. Northolt West End ward covers the area south of the A40 road, including housing that is contiguous from Yeading directly to the south.

The median house price as of 2014 was £300,000 in Northolt Mandeville and £226,111 in Northolt West End. The population who are from BAME (Black, Asian and minority Ethnic) background was 51.7% and 55.1% respectively. The median age was 34 years and 32 years respectively.

Population

Mandeville Road (A312), the main throughfare of Northolt

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

• 1066 – 32
• 1801 – 336 inhabitants
• 1871 – 479
• 1921 – 904
• 1961 – 26,000
• 1991 – 32,000

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.

Education

Notable people

• Michael Colclough, Canon Pastor at St Paul's Cathedral and Deputy Priest in Ordinary to The Queen, was Archdeacon of Northolt 1992–4
• Alton Ellis (1938–2008), musician, "Godfather of Rocksteady", lived in Northolt.
• Paul Gardiner (1958–1984), musician, bass guitar player in Gary Numan's Tubeway Army, died in Northolt.
• Stanley Green (1915–1993), a human billboard, lived in Northolt.
• Paul Kidby, artist, known for his association with author Terry Pratchett's Discworld, was born in Northolt.
• Jerome Okimo, footballer with Stevenage FC, was born in Ealing and grew up in Northolt.
• Steve Perryman, footballer with Tottenham Hotspur, was born in Ealing and grew up in Northolt.

Images for kids

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  Northala Fields in Northolt (view from A40)

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

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  Village sign with Middlesex coat of arms

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  Belvue Park

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  St Mary's Church

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  St Mary's Church

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  Signage of The Crown pub