London Borough of Hounslow

London Borough of Hounslow
London borough
Coat of arms Council logo
Hounslow shown within Greater London
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	London
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Created	1 April 1965
Admin HQ	Hounslow
Government
• Type	London borough council
• Body	Hounslow London Borough Council
• Leadership	Leader & Cabinet (Labour)
• Mayor	Councillor Sue Sampson [1]
• London Assembly	Tony Arbour AM for South West
• MPs	Seema Malhotra Ruth Cadbury
• EU Parliament	London
Area
• Total	55.98 km2 (21.61 sq mi)
Area rank	264th (of 326)
Population (mid-2017 est.)
• Total	269,100
• Rank	54th (of 326)
• Density	4,800/km2 (12,000/sq mi)
• Ethnicity[1]	37.9% White British 1.9% White Irish 0.1% White Gypsy or Irish Traveller 11.5% Other White 0.9% White & Black Caribbean 0.7% White & Black African 1.3% White & Asian 1.2% Other Mixed 19% Indian 5.4% Pakistani 0.9% Bangladeshi 0.9% Chinese 8.2% Other Asian 4.2% Black African 1.3% Black Caribbean 1% Other Black 1.4% Arab 2.1% Other
Time zone	GMT (UTC)
• Summer (DST)	BST (UTC+1)
Postcodes	TW, W, UB, SW
Area code(s)	020
ONS code	00AT
GSS code	E09000018
Police	Metropolitan Police
Website	http://www.hounslow.gov.uk/

The London Borough of Hounslow ( pronunciation (help·info)) is a London borough in West London, England, forming part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London Government Act 1963. It is governed by Hounslow London Borough Council.

The borough stretches from near Central London in the east (Chiswick) to the border with Surrey in the west (Feltham and Bedfont), covering Chiswick, Brentford, Isleworth, Hounslow and Feltham; it borders the boroughs of Richmond upon Thames, Hammersmith and Fulham, Ealing and Hillingdon, in addition to the Spelthorne District of Surrey.

The Borough is home to the London Museum of Water & Steam and the attractions of Osterley Park, Gunnersbury Park, Syon House, and Chiswick House. Moreover, landmarks straddling the border of Hounslow include; Twickenham Stadium and London Heathrow Airport in the London Boroughs of Richmond-upon-Thames and Hillingdon respectively.

List of Districts in Hounslow[edit]

Postcode	Towns, Districts and other localities
London W3 Head District (Acton) not in borough	South Acton (part)	Gunnersbury Park
London W4 (Chiswick)	Chiswick	Kew Bridge (part)	Turnham Green
London W5 Head District (Ealing) not in borough	Gunnersbury Park (part)
London W6 Head District (Hammersmith) not in borough	Chiswick (part)
London W7 Head District (Hanwell) not in borough	Osterley Park (part)
London W12 Head District (Shepherd's Bush) not in borough	Chiswick (part)
London W13 Head District (West Ealing) not in borough	Brentford (part)
London SW13 Head District (Barnes) not in borough	Barnes Bridge
London SW14 Head District (Mortlake) not in borough	Chiswick Bridge
Hounslow TW3	Hounslow Town Centre	Hounslow Central	Hounslow East	Hounslow West (part)
Hounslow TW4	Hounslow West	Hounslow Heath	Cranford (part)
Hounslow TW5	Heston	Cranford	Osterley Park (Part)
Hounslow TW6	Cranford (part)
Isleworth TW7	Isleworth	Old Isleworth	Syon Park (approx. half)	Osterley/Osterley Park
Brentford TW8	Brentford/Kew Bridge	Gunnersbury Park (part)	Syon Park (approx. half)	Osterley Park
Richmond-upon-Thames TW9 Post Town not in borough	Oliver's Island (Chiswick)	Kew Bridge
Hampton TW12 Post Town not in borough	Hampton (Twickenham RFC)
Feltham TW13	Feltham (approx. half)	Hanworth
Feltham TW14	Feltham (approx. half)	Bedfont
Ashford TW15 Post Town not in borough	Feltham (part)
Sunbury-on-Thames TW16 Post Town not in borough	Feltham (part)
Staines-upon-Thames TW19 Post Town not in borough	Feltham (Bedfont)
Southall UB2 Post Town not in borough	Norwood Green (part)	North Hyde	Osterley Park
Hayes UB3 Post Town not in borough	North Hyde/Cranford (part)

Settlement[edit]

The borough's area is approximately quarter parkland. Large areas of London's open space fall within its boundaries, including Chiswick House and Gardens, Gunnersbury Park, Syon Park, Osterley Park, Hounslow Heath, Avenue Park in Cranford; and Hanworth Park.The borough's predominant land use is mainly residential, with a large, commercial town centre of Hounslow. Other large town centres include Chiswick, Feltham and Brentford. Business is mainly focused on retail; and aviation (due to the proximity of Heathrow airport) especially in the west of the borough (Hounslow and Feltham). Parts of the Borough; including Chiswick, Turnham Green, Osterley and Old Isleworth are some of the most expensive parts of Outer London. With other areas such as Hounslow, Feltham and Heston being more affordable.

Economy[edit]

The borough is home to the headquarters of GlaxoSmithKline and Sky plc, both based in Brentford's 'Golden Mile' stretch of the A4 Great West Road, once known across the globe for its cluster of factories and offices, and is currently going under extensive re developments in the form of new apartment blocks and offices. Fuller's Griffin Brewery is also in the borough, in Chiswick. Aston Martin were based in Feltham for several years before moving to Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire.^[2]

DHL Air UK has its head office in Hounslow.^[3]

Air France-KLM's head office for United Kingdom and Ireland operations, which includes facilities for Air France and KLM, is located in Plesman House in Hatton Cross in the borough.^{[n 1][4]} The Plesman House, outside of Terminal 4 of London Heathrow Airport, has the UK commercial team, sales team, and support team.^[5] Sega Europe has its head office in Brentford.^[6] Menzies Aviation has its head office by the airport in Feltham.^[7][8] JCDecaux UK has its head office in Brentford.^[9]

Before winding-up British Mediterranean Airways was headquartered at Hetherington House near London Heathrow Airport

A 2017 study by Trust for London and New Policy Institute found that pay inequality in Hounslow is the second largest of any London borough. It also found that 25% people in Hounslow live in poverty, which is slightly lower than the London-wide poverty rate of 27%.^[10]

Demography[edit]

53.3% of the borough's population is White, 34.4% is Asian, and 11.6% is Black. The Borough has a high ethnic diversity especially in the central parts of the borough (Hounslow, Heston and Cranford) with the majority of the White British population residing in the eastern and western parts of the borough (Chiswick, Brentford, Isleworth, Osterley, Hounslow East, Hanworth, Feltham and Bedfont).

In terms of religion, 42% identify themselves as Christian, 14% Muslim, 10.3% Hindu, 9% Sikh, 1.4% Buddhist and 0.3% Buddhist, 18% of the population are not religious.. At 9%, Hounslow has the largest proportion of Sikhs in London, and the third-highest in England before Slough and Wolverhampton.

The following table shows the ethnic group of respondents in the 2001 and 2011 census in Hounslow.

Ethnicity[edit]

Population census
Year	Pop.	±%
1801	11,672	—
1811	13,717	+17.5%
1821	15,861	+15.6%
1831	17,817	+12.3%
1841	20,924	+17.4%
1851	23,095	+10.4%
1861	32,942	+42.6%
1871	42,789	+29.9%
1881	52,637	+23.0%
1891	65,836	+25.1%
1901	85,688	+30.2%
1911	111,565	+30.2%
1921	132,823	+19.1%
1931	158,134	+19.1%
1941	183,060	+15.8%
1951	211,916	+15.8%
1961	209,161	−1.3%
1971	206,469	−1.3%
1981	198,967	−3.6%
1991	209,016	+5.1%
2001	212,344	+1.6%
2011	253,957	+19.6%
Note:[11]

Ethnic Group	2001[12]		2011[13]
	Number	%	Number	%
White: British	118,421	55.77%	96,264	37.91%
White: Irish	6,198	2.92%	4,775	1.88%
White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller			183	0.07%
White: Other	13,135	6.19%	29,283	11.53%
White: Total	137,754	64.87%	130,505	51.39%
Asian or Asian British: Indian	36,812	17.34%	48,161	18.96%
Asian or Asian British: Pakistani	9,127	4.30%	13,676	5.39%
Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi	1,125	0.53%	2,189	0.86%
Asian or Asian British: Chinese	1,842	0.87%	2,405	0.95%
Asian or Asian British: Other Asian	5,446	2.56%	20,826	8.20%
Asian or Asian British: Total	54,352	25.60%	87,257	34.36%
Black or Black British: African	5,723	2.70%	10,787	4.25%
Black or Black British: Caribbean	2,826	1.33%	3,381	1.33%
Black or Black British: Other Black	688	0.32%	2,645	1.04%
Black or Black British: Total	9,237	4.35%	16,813	6.62%
Mixed: White and Black Caribbean	1,382	0.65%	2,273	0.90%
Mixed: White and Black African	843	0.40%	1,730	0.68%
Mixed: White and Asian	2,407	1.13%	3,390	1.33%
Mixed: Other Mixed	1,815	0.85%	2,956	1.16%
Mixed: Total	6,447	3.04%	10,349	4.08%
Other: Arab			3,638	1.43%
Other: Any other ethnic group			5,395	2.12%
Other: Total	4,551	2.14%	9,033	3.56%
Black, Asian, and minority ethnic: Total	74,587	35.13%	123,452	48.61%
Total	212,341	100.00%	253,957	100.00%

Attractions, parks and open spaces[edit]

Main Article: Hounslow parks and open spaces

Major parks and recreational spaces include; Chiswick Gardens, Chiswick common, Turnham Green, Gunnersbury Park, Gunnersbury Triangle Nature reserve, Carville Hall Parks, Claypond Garden, Boston Manor Park, London Playing field, Syon Park, Osterley Park, Thornbury Park, Lampton Park, Inwood Park, Heston Sports Ground, Hounslow Heath, Avenue Park, Crane Park, Letrim Park, Hanworth Park and Bedfont Lakes Country Park. Parks that are a short distance from Hounslow's border are; Ravenscourt Park (London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham), Acton Green common, Acton Park, Ealing common, Elthorne Parkin the London Borough of Ealing, Cranford Park in the London Borough of Hillingdon, Hampton common, Fulwell Golf club, Crane Park (Whitton), Murray Park, Kew Gardens, Old Deer Park, Marble Hill Park, Richmond Park, Ham Lands, Bushy Park and Hampton Court in the London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames.

The River Thames forms the natural boundary between Hounslow and Richmond-upon-Thames. It runs through the borough at Chiswick, Brentford and Isleworth. Various tributaries and dis tributaries of the Thames flow through the borough, including; The River Crane, River Brent/Grand Union Canal, Duke of Northumberland's River, Longford River and the Feltham Hill Brook to name a few.

• 

  River Thames at Chiswick overlooking Chiswick Bridge

• 

  The Thames looking towards Brentford, Chiswick and Hammersmith, with the Brentford Towers on the left.

• 

  Brentford Lock development with GlaxoSmithKline building in the background

• 

  View from Chiswick, from right to left; Brentford Museum of Water and Steam pumping tower, Kew Bridge (Centre), River Thames, Brentford Towers, GSK building

• 

  Richmond Lock view from Isleworth

• 

  West End of Hounslow High Street

• 

  Central section of Hounslow High Street

• 

  Back of Treaty Centre, Hounslow

• 

  Hounslow East

• 

  GSK building at Brentford

• 

  River Crane at Hounslow Heath, Separating Feltham and Hounslow

• 

  View from Isleworth of Twickenham Stadium

• 

  Heathrow Terminal 5, Hounslow

• 

  The Centre, Feltham

• 

  New Developments at The Centre, Feltham

• 

  View of the Blenhiem Centre from Hounslow Central Station

Political composition[edit]

Elections across the London Boroughs are currently held every four years. Since the Hounslow borough was formed it has been controlled by the Labour Party on all but two elections: in 1968 the Conservatives formed a majority until they lost control to Labour in 1971. The 2006 local elections produced a no overall control result. Although Labour was the largest party on the Council, the Conservatives formed a coalition with the six Councillors from the independent Isleworth Community Group (ICG) which administered the area until the 2010 local elections when Labour regained control.^[14]

Seat distribution as of 2018 elections:

Party		Seats
	Labour	51
	Conservative	9
Total		60

Reflecting how votes were cast in the national elections, in separate polls held the same day, for the 2010-2014 period, the Conservatives and Labour won fifteen seats each from the Brentford and Isleworth (UK Parliament constituency). Overall, control was held by the Council's Labour administration as 20 Labour Party Councillors and 10 Conservative Party Councillors were elected for wards in the Feltham and Heston half of the borough.

Between 1998 and 2006 Independents were elected to the London Borough of Hounslow from the area. The first Independent Community Group (ICG) Councillor was elected in 1998 as Isleworth Community Group in Isleworth. In 2002 three ICG Councillors were elected in Isleworth. In 2006 six ICG Councillors were elected (Syon and Isleworth wards), and former Labour Leader of the Council John Connelly was re-elected as an Independent in Hounslow Heath ward. All seven of the Independents were defeated in the local elections held on 6 May 2010 by, in their respective wards, Labour Party candidates. Since then one Conservative councillor has become an Independent and four Conservative Councillors have defected to UKIP.

History[edit]

Etymology[edit]

The town of Hounslow, which has existed since the 13th Century, is located at the centre of the Borough of Hounslow. The name Hounslow means 'Hund's mound'; the personal name Hund is followed by the Old English hlaew meaning mound or barrow. (The mound may have been his burial place.) It was recorded in the Domesday Book as Honeslaw.^[15]

Foundations[edit]

The borough was formed in 1965, under the London Government Act 1963, by the merger of the area of the Municipal Borough of Brentford and Chiswick, The Municipal Borough of Heston and Isleworth and Feltham Urban District of Middlesex.

The Borough is an outer borough of Greater London and lies on the Middlesex bank of the River Thames.It is the site of the first stop on an important coach route to Southampton, Bath, Bristol and Exeter. The A30 Great South West Road, which runs down to Penzance in Cornwall, starts in the borough. Hounslow town developed on either side of the main Great West Road (now the A3006/A4 Bath Road ) from London to the West of England, causing a large number of inns to be built to serve the travellers. A few, such as The Bell retain their names, although the buildings have largely been replaced. The Bell marks the former junction of the coaching routes of the A314 Hanworth Road, A315 Staines Road, A3005 Lampton Road and the A3006 Bath Road. Historic milestones are preserved on the Staines Road (now re-numbered as the A315 but joining the "old" A30 again just inside the borough's western boundary)

Hounslow grew rapidly in the latter half of the 20th century due to other travel, a connection to the largest of London's airports since the 1940s, Heathrow Airport which is in the Hounslow post town. Little known is that aviation dates to the early 1900s here when one of London's earliest airfields was situated on Hounslow Heath because of the extremely flat terrain. The Great West Road, which crosses the borough from Chiswick to Heathrow, at one time served nationally and globally famous manufacturers including Firestone, Gillette and Coty. As a result, the area became known as the "Golden Mile". A few of these factory sites remain today, such as Gillette Corner, and the Great West Road is still home to many prestigious names (see "famous companies" below), providing them with easy non-motorway access between Slough, London Heathrow Airport and Central London.

Transport[edit]

Air[edit]

Hounslow abuts the perimeter of Heathrow Airport in the London Borough of Hillingdon. Plans for the expansion of Heathrow Airport are vigorously opposed by Hounslow if such plans increase or widen noise and pollution, weighed against arguments of greater employment and spending.^[16]

River[edit]

River services between Westminster Pier and Hampton Court depart from Kew Gardens Pier just across the River Thames from Hounslow.

Road[edit]

Major roads in the Borough include:

• A4 Great West Road/Bath Road
• A205 South Circular
• A406 North Circular
• A312 The Parkway
• A316 Chiswick Lane/Great Chertsey Road (meets M3)
• M4

Rail and London Underground[edit]

The Borough is served by South Western Railway; Mainline and Hounslow Loop Line and London Overground's North London Line.Moreover, the Borough's residents (in Cranford, North Hyde and Heston) use railway stations just outside the Borough's boundaries which are served by the Great Western Main Line, Heathrow Express and in the future Elizabeth line. In addition to this it is also served by London Underground's District and Piccadilly lines. Because of numerous rail links, the borough has fast connections to Central London, Heathrow Airport and the rest of Greater London.

The stations in or near the Borough are:

Shared with the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham:

• Ravenscourt Park (District Line, Ealing Broadway and Richmond branches)*
• Stamford Brook (District Line, Ealing Broadway and Richmond branches)

Shared with the London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames:

• Barnes Bridge (South Western Railway, Hounslow Loop Line)*
• Kew Bridge (South Western Railway, Hounslow Loop Line)

Shared with the London Borough of Ealing:

• Turnham Green (District Line, Ealing Broadway and Richmond branches. Piccadilly Line, Heathrow branch, early mornings and late evenings only)
• Chiswick Park (District Line, Ealing Broadway branch)*
• Gunnersbury (London Overground, North London Line. District Line, Richmond branch)
• South Acton (London Overground, North London Line)*
• Acton Town (District Line, Ealing Broadway and Richmond branches. Piccadilly Line, Heathrow and Uxbridge branches)*
• South Ealing (Piccadilly Line, Heathrow branch)*
• Northfields (Piccadilly Line, Heathrow branch)*
• Boston Manor (Piccadilly Line, Heathrow branch)

Solely serving the London Borough of Hounslow:

• Chiswick (South Western Railway, Hounslow Loop Line)
• Brentford (South Western Railway, Hounslow Loop Line)
• Syon Lane (South Western Railway, Hounslow Loop Line)
• Osterley (Piccadilly Line, Heathrow branch)
• Isleworth (South Western Railway, Hounslow Loop Line)
• Hounslow East (Piccadilly Line, Heathrow branch)
• Hounslow Central (Piccadilly Line, Heathrow branch)
• Hounslow West (Piccadilly Line, Heathrow branch)
• Hounslow (South Western Railway, Hounslow Loop Line)
• Feltham (South Western Railway Hounslow Loop Line)

Shared with the London Borough of Hillingdon:

• Hayes & Harlington (Great Western Main Line. Heathrow Express, Crossrail, Mainline and Heathrow Branch)*
• Hatton Cross (Piccadilly Line, Heathrow branch)*
• Heathrow Terminal 1,2,3 (Piccadilly Line, Heathrow branch)*
• Heathrow Terminal 4 (Piccadilly Line, Heathrow branch)*
• Heathrow Terminal 5 (Piccadilly Line, Heathrow branch)*

*Indicates station is not in the Borough

Travel to work[edit]

In March 2011, the main forms of transport that residents used to travel to work were (of all residents aged 16–74):

• driving a car or van, 26.7%;
• bus, minibus or coach, 10.5%;
• underground, metro, light rail, tram, 10.5%;
• train, 5.5%;
• on foot, 5.0%;
• work mainly at or from home, 2.9%;
• bicycle, 2.2%.^[17]

Education[edit]

Sport and leisure[edit]

• Brentford F.C.

The borough of Hounslow has several Non-League football clubs:

• CB Hounslow United F.C. who play at the Osterley Sports Ground.
• Hanworth Villa F.C. who play at Rectory Meadow.
• Bedfont & Feltham F.C. who currently play at the Orchard in East Bedfont.
• Bedfont Sports F.C. who play at the Bedfont Sports Recreation Ground.
• Ashford Town F.C. (Middlesex) who play at The Robert Parker Stadium.

The borough is also home to Staines Rugby Football Club who play at the "Reeves" in Hanworth.

Twinning[edit]

Hounslow has a sister district agreement with Leningradsky District in Krasnodar Krai, Russia.^[18]

People from Hounslow[edit]

Ian Gillan, vocalist for Deep Purple, and formerly of Black Sabbath and Gillan, is a native of Hounslow. Alistair Overeem a UFC Champion was also born here.

See also[edit]

• Hounslow local elections
• The Community Group (London Borough of Hounslow)

Notes and references[edit]

Notes

References

External links[edit]

• The London Borough of Hounslow
• Public Transport Guide

Coordinates: 51°28′3″N 0°21′42″W / 51.46750°N 0.36167°W / 51.46750; -0.36167