Delius in Hanwell
An exhibition and booklet recently provided a unique insight into a period of Hanwell’s past. Gillian Spragg, artistic director of the Ealing Autumn Festival, tells the story of the detective work and inspiration behind it all. Since its inception in 2010, an essential element of the Ealing Autumn Festival has been to find slightly out […]
Second World War: ‘They were all very brave’
It has been 70 years since Megan Avery was last in Northolt. As she came back to visit the Polish War Memorial and pay her respects, the memories came flooding back. Lorien Nash was there to witness it. “I remember the Polish airmen were fantastic dancers,” Megan recalled. “They’d be dancing in the target nightclub […]
The art of democracy
To mark the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta, an exhibition is being held in libraries across the borough. The exhibition opened in June with a special, themed event at Ealing Central Library which featured a talk by borough archivist Dr Jonathan Oates. The exhibition has remained in Ealing but will start touring all the other […]
When the Olympics were on our doorstep
This summer, London will make Olympic history by becoming the first city to host the Games for a third time, Dr Martin Polley writes. The 2012 Olympics will follow on from those of 1908 and 1948, giving London a unique hat-trick and placing it ahead of the other two-time hosts Athens (1896 and 2004), Los […]
The tale of two Dickens
Charles Dickens was born in 1812, two hundred years ago, and it is fair to say that his novels and short stories have lost little of their appeal. The great author has a few links, however slight, to our borough. Indeed, Charles, one of the writer’s two sons, gave readings in Ealing of his father’s […]
Southall Manor House
Southall Manor House is Southall’s oldest building. It used to tower over the surrounding houses when it was first built, the centre of a small agricultural economy in the countryside, miles from the bustle of London. It is a grade two listed building and one of a very small number of Elizabethan manor houses still […]
Second World War: The funny and sad times
A group of enthusiastic volunteers recently came together at Gunnersbury Park Museum to share their experiences of the Second World War and trade tales. Louise Hollaway reports. The project was set up by Ealing and Hounslow councils to highlight Gunnersbury Park Museum’s collection of objects from the war period 1939-45 and to help preserve our […]
War memorials to fallen locals
Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day form an important part of the national calendar in November, and it is when the country’s many memorials to our war dead take centre stage. During the 20th Century, war memorials were commissioned to commemorate the sacrifice made by our servicemen, notably during the two world wars. There are a […]
Greenford’s forgotten mansions
Most of Greenford’s houses were built in the 1930s and range from maisonettes to semi-detached. However, fewer than a hundred years ago, there were several mansions standing in the town. They were all located in or around Oldfield Lane. The only one still in existence is Greenford Hall, near Holy Cross Church and now a community […]
Ealing and the Titanic
There may seem to be no connection with Ealing and the sinking of the RMS Titanic 100 years ago in April 1912, which resulted in a large loss of life. But it also resulted in many of the survivors losing all their possessions, and furthermore, families of crewmen and passengers were often left without their […]
Ealing and the Diamond Jubilee of 1897
With the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee approaching, we look at what happened the only other time such a celebration took place here – 115 years ago. Initially it was not thought that much needed to be done in Ealing to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Victoria’s reign in 1897, even though a British monarch had […]
Dr Who and its links to the borough
November marks the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who. Production of the original television programmes was closely linked to west London, including Acton and Ealing, so the series is very much part of our local heritage, reports Linda Davies. With this in mind, earlier in the year Ealing Libraries brought together a small group of experts […]