| Uxbridge | |
The Market House in Uxbridge |
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Uxbridge
Uxbridge shown within Greater London |
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| OS grid reference | TQ055835 |
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| - Charing Cross | 15 mi (24 km) ESE |
| London borough | Hillingdon |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | London |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | UXBRIDGE |
| Postcode district | UB8 |
| Dialling code | 01895 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| EU Parliament | London |
| UK Parliament | Uxbridge and South Ruislip |
| London Assembly | Ealing and Hillingdon |
| List of places: UK • England • London | |
Uxbridge ( /ˈʌksbrɪdʒ/) is a large town located in north west London, England and is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. It forms part of the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is located 15 miles (24.1 km) west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan.[1] It historically formed part of the parish of Hillingdon in the county of Middlesex and was a significant local commercial centre from an early time. As part of the suburban growth of London in the 20th century it expanded and increased in population, becoming a municipal borough in 1955 and has formed part of Greater London since 1965. Uxbridge is a significant retail and commercial centre, and is the location of Brunel University and the Uxbridge campus of Buckinghamshire New University.[2] The town is close to the boundary with Buckinghamshire, which is locally the River Colne.
Several historical events have taken place in and around the town, including attempted negotiations between King Charles I and the Parliamentary Army. The location of these events, a public house, still stands and is named The Crown and Treaty in recognition of the event. Uxbridge also houses the Battle of Britain Bunker, from where the air defence of the south-east of England was coordinated during the Battle of Britain. Situated in RAF Uxbridge, the No. 11 Group Operations Room within the bunker took on a crucial rule during the battle and was later used during the D-Day landings.
Uxbridge is split into north and south sectors by the local authority and for census purposes. The Office of National Statistics recorded an approximate population figure for Uxbridge North of 12,357 in 2008,[3] with 12,967 in Uxbridge South.[4]
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The name is derived from "Wixan's Bridge"[5] which was likely to have been near the bottom of Oxford Road where the "Swan and Bottle" now stands. The Wixan were a 7th-century Saxon tribe from Lincolnshire who also began to settle in what became Middlesex.[6] Anglo-Saxons began to settle and farm in the area of Uxbridge in the 5th century, clearing the dense woodland and remaining there for around 500 years.[6]
Archaeologists found Bronze Age remains (before 700 BC) and medieval remains during the construction of The Chimes shopping centre. Two miles away at Denham, Upper Paleolithic remains have been found. Uxbridge is not mentioned in the Domesday Book of the 11th century, but a hundred years later the existing church, St Margaret's, was built. The town appears in records from 1107 as "Woxbrigge", and became part of the Elthorne Hundred with other settlements in the area.[7]
The Parliamentary Army garrisoned the town upon the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642 and later established their headquarters there in June 1647 on a line from Staines to Watford,[8] although the King passed through Uxbridge in April 1946, resting at the Red Lion public house for several hours.[9] Charles I met with representatives of Parliament at the Crown Inn in Uxbridge in 1645, though negotiations for the end of hostilities were unsuccessful due in part to the king's stubborn attitude.[8] The town had been chosen as it was located between the Royal headquarters of Oxford and the Parliamentary stronghold of London.[10]
The covered market was built in 1788 replacing a building constructed in 1561.[11] In the early 19th century, Uxbridge had an unsavoury reputation. The jurist William Arabin said of its residents "They will steal the very teeth out of your mouth as you walk through the streets. I know it from experience." For about 200 years most of London's flour was produced in the Uxbridge area.[12]
The Grand Junction Canal opened in 1794 linking Uxbridge with Birmingham. By 1800, Uxbridge had become one of the most important market towns in Middlesex, helped by its status as the first stopping point for stagecoaches travelling from London to Oxford. The development of Uxbridge declined after the opening of the Great Western Railway passing through West Drayton in 1838. A branch line to Uxbridge was later built in 1904.[13]
Harman's Brewery was established in Uxbridge by George Harman in 1763 and moved into its new headquarters in Uxbridge High Street in 1875. The eventual owners of the brewery, Courage, closed the headquarters in 1964. They were demolished and replaced by a Budgen's supermarket which in turn demolished with the construction of The Chimes shopping centre. The brewery building in George Street remained in place until it was demolished in 1967.[14] The office building Harman House was built on the site in 1985, named after the brewery.[15]
The Inclosure of Hillingdon Parish in 1819 saw the reduction in size of Uxbridge Common, which at its largest had been 4 miles (6.4 km) in circumference. The common originally covered both sides of Park Road to the north of the town centre but now covers 15 acres (6.1 ha).[16]
In 1871, the town's first purpose-built police station was built in Windsor Street. The building included three cells and stables.[17]
In the early 1900s, the Uxbridge and District Electricity Supply Company was established in Waterloo Road, much of the town was connected by 1902. By 1912, some houses still had gas lighting. A water tower on Uxbridge Common was built in 1906, resembling a church tower, to improve the supply to the town.[18]
Wood panelling from the room in the Crown and Treaty public house was sold in 1924 to an American who installed them in his office in the Empire State Building. It was returned in 1953 as a gift to the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II and returned to the house, although remaining in the ownership of the monarch.[19]
On 31 August 1935, Uxbridge Lido, an outdoor swimming pool built in the "Moderne" or Art Deco style, was officially opened. Before the opening, many residents swam in a section of the Frays River near Harefield Road,[20] and the Colne.[21] The pool, pavilion building, entrance building and both fountains were granted Grade II listed status in 1998. Despite the listing and the pool becoming closed to the public, the buildings were subjected to heavy vandalism.[22]
During the Second World War, Uxbridge adopted the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Intrepid in 1942 to help towards the ship's costs. Intrepid was later lost in 1943 to enemy action.[23] The town and surrounding areas suffered bombing by the Luftwaffe. V1 flying bombs fell on the town between June 1944 and March 1945. The first recorded bombing using a V1 was on 22 June 1944 at 07:00, when the bomb passed over the top of a bus and hit four houses nearby. Seven people were killed and 25 injured, leaving 46 houses in the area uninhabitable.[24]
In 1958, the 199-acre (81 ha) Lowe & Shawyer plant nursery to the west of RAF Uxbridge entered voluntary liquidation. The nursery had stood in Kingston Lane since 1868 and was the largest producer of cut flowers in the country.[25] Demolition works began in 1962 and the construction of Brunel University commenced.[26] Chrysanthemums are included the coat of arms of the Borough of Uxbridge to remember the nursery.[27] The Uxbridge (Vine Street) railway branch line which partially ran alongside the site was closed in 1964 and in 1966 the university opened,[28] purchasing the land where the railway had run for £65,000 from the local council.[29]
Uxbridge Cricket Club moved from Cricketfield Road in 1971 to make way for the new Civic Centre.[30] The club had been at Cricketfield Road since 1858, but moved to a new site on part of Uxbridge Common on Park Road.[31]
The Market Square shopping precinct in the town centre was built in the late 1970s, though the lack of shelter meant it became unpopular and did not attract the levels of custom hoped for. Many buildings along the High Street and Windsor Street had been demolished to make way for the new precinct.[32] It was eventually sold to the Prudential Assurance Company and was redeveloped with a roof to become the Pavilions Shopping Centre.[28] The new roof was built during the early 1980s and as part of the redevelopment, The Peacock public house in one of the two main squares was demolished and replaced with a cafe named The Chequers which remains.[33]
The Chimes shopping centre was built beside Uxbridge station in 2001, incorporating many of the existing buildings into the new structure. The centre was originally to be named the St. George's Centre in plans dating back to the early 1990s, though this name was eventually taken by another shopping centre in Harrow on the Hill. Instead, The Chimes was said to refer to the sound of the bells from the nearby market house on the High Street.[34] An Odeon cinema opened as a major part of the centre, with the smaller cinema at the opposite end of the High Street closing.[35] Some houses on Chippendale Way and the St George's car park were demolished to allow for the construction of the new shopping centre car park.[36] The offices of the local building company Fassnidge were also included in the new development, having been built in the 19th century, and now house a Pizza Express restaurant. Preserved timber from earlier demolished buildings in Uxbridge were used in the construction of a new building beside the former offices of Fassnidge, built to resemble a much older structure.[37]
In 2002, the dry ski slope situated near Park Road and the Uxbridge Lido was closed, and the remaining buildings and structures removed. The Hillingdon Ski Centre had been subject to several arson attacks during 2001 and the company operating it became bankrupt. The slope, which had been built in 1977, was left to return to nature.[38]
Uxbridge Lido was extensively refurbished and extended, with work beginning in 2008. The lido reopened as the Hillingdon Sports and Leisure Complex in 2010.[39]
Uxbridge originally formed a chapelry within the parish of Hillingdon. It was split out as a separate civil parish in 1866,[40] and became part of the Uxbridge Urban District[41] in 1894 under the Local Government Act 1894. In 1955 the urban district council successfully petitioned for a charter of incorporation and became a municipal borough. This remained until 1965, when the borough was incorporated into the new London Borough of Hillingdon.[42] Within the borough, Uxbridge is split into two wards: Uxbridge North and Uxbridge South. Both are served by three Conservative Party councillors each.[43]
Since 2010, the town has been part of the Uxbridge and South Ruislip Parliament constituency. The Member of Parliament is John Randall, of the Conservative Party.[44]
Uxbridge has two shopping centres, The Mall Pavilions (formerly "The Pavilions") and The Chimes. Much of the town centre is pedestrianised. In addition, just off the High Street is Windsor Street, a short road populated by older shops; as well as being home to St Margaret's Church. The Art Deco style department store, Randall's, is owned by the family of the Conservative MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, John Randall, who was elected in a 1997 by-election after the sitting MP, Sir Michael Shersby, died shortly after the 1997 general election. The Randalls store building was awarded Grade II listed status in October 2008.[45]
The town centre today comprises retail outlets and major office buildings, including the main European offices of several international companies including Kuehne + Nagel, Cadbury plc, Parexel International, Xerox, Arri, Bristol-Myers Squibb, APL, Herbalife Europe Ltd and the Anadarko Algeria Oil Company. Other employers include Apple, Unisys, F. Hinds, The Coca-Cola Company, Coca-Cola Enterprises, Amgen, Bayer, Canon, Anixter International, WMS Gaming, Manpower, AIB, General Mills, Nexen Petroleum and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Cadbury plc has its head office in the Cadbury House in the Uxbridge Business Park in Uxbridge.[46] In 2007 Cadbury Schweppes had announced that it was moving to Uxbridge to cut costs.[47]
Uxbridge is home to Brunel University and the Buckinghamshire New University's nursing campus.[48] The main campus of Uxbridge College is also in the town.[49]
Uxbridge station, built in 1933, fronted by a pedestrian high street is a terminus for both the Metropolitan and Piccadilly underground lines. The station is connected to a bus terminus with connections to Hillingdon, Hayes, Ealing, Ruislip, and Slough.
A Transport for London project called the West London Tram Service has been postponed however "an effective bus-based solution"[50] was cited as an alternative, but no specific plans exist. The route is currently served by the 427, 207, and 607 bus services.
There were once two overground railway stations - Uxbridge Vine Street (originally just Uxbridge Station) and Uxbridge High Street, which were to be eventually linked (hence High Street ending on a half built bridge).[51] High Street closed to passengers as a war economy and never reopened. Despite having the most intensive service, the Vine Street line was one of the first Western Region urban branches to close under the Beeching axe. Uxbridge Belmont Road was the first underground station, built slightly outside of the town centre to allow possible extension to High Wycombe. This was later replaced by the more conveniently placed current station.
The former Grand Junction Canal, now Grand Union Canal, which connects London with Birmingham, passes immediately to the west of Uxbridge, and forms the borough boundary. The first stretch was built in the late 18th century from Brentford to Uxbridge. Further upstream is Uxbridge Lock, and nearby is a flour mill belonging to Allied Mills. A Mr King, who called it "Kingsmill", bought this in the 19th century. This brand name is one of the best-selling bread-makers in the UK, though most of the milling is now done on Tyneside.
London Heathrow Airport is also located in the London Borough of Hillingdon and is approximately 5 miles from the centre of Uxbridge.
London Buses routes 222, 331, 427, 607, A10, U1, U2, U3, U4, U5, U7, U9, U10 and N207 serve the area alongside four non-Tfl routes: First Berkshire & The Thames Valley route 58 and Carousel Buses routes A30, A40 and 740 also serve the town.
The London Borough of Hillingdon's Civic Centre was built in Uxbridge High Street in 1973, as part of an effort to unite the services of the council, which had formed in 1965 with the merger of the Municipal Borough of Uxbridge, Ruislip-Northwood Urban District, Hayes and Harlington Urban District and Yiewsley and West Drayton Urban District. Before the new building was completed, council services had been spread throughout Uxbridge and the rest of the borough and various buildings, as a result of the merging of the former district councils.
Part of the original Middlesex County Council office building which stood on site was incorporated into the new Civic Centre. The centre's clock tower is the only visible section from the old building. The Uxbridge Cricket Club Ground and Uxbridge fire station were relocated as part of the new development, which became controversial due to both its size and cost. Areas of the building, particularly the council chambers, continue to suffer from poor acoustics.[52]
The original Magistrate's Court opened in 1907 in an Edwardian style. A new building with little exterior styling opened nearby in the 1990s and legal proceedings were transferred.[53]
Uxbridge had a Royal Air Force station, known as RAF Uxbridge, until its closure on 31 March 2010. The station was built within the grounds of Hillingdon House, a 19th century mansion bought by the British Government in 1915,[54] and became most famous for being the home of RAF Fighter Command's No. 11 Group Operations Room during the Battle of Britain. Fighter squadrons at airfields in the south-east of England were directed from the station, which was also visited by the Prime Minister Winston Churchill during the Battle, and other foreign leaders throughout the rest of the war.[55]
Following the station's closure, the replica No. 33 Squadron Supermarine Spitfire gate guardian was removed from the main entrance for restoration work and moved to the entrance of the Operations Room (now known as the Battle of Britain Bunker). The area around the bunker was retained as an enclave under the RAF Uxbridge name, under the care of RAF Northolt. An additional guardian, a Hawker Hurricane in the colours of No. 303 (Polish) Squadron was added to the area in November 2010.[56]
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| Section 11: | London Outer Orbital Path | Section 12: |
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| Hayes | Uxbridge | Harefield |
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