White City, London
White City is a district in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and forms the northern part of Shepherd's Bush. Today, White City is home to the BBC Television Centre and BBC White City, and Loftus Road stadium, the home of football club Queens Park Rangers FC.
History
The area now called White City was level arable farmfields until 1908, when it was used as the site of the Franco-British Exhibition and the 1908 Summer Olympics. In 1909 the exhibition site hosted the Imperial International Exhibition and in 1910, the Japan-British Exhibition. The final two exhibitions to be held there were the Latin-British (1912) and the Anglo-American (1914). During this period it was known as the Great White City due to the white marble cladding used on the exhibition pavilions, and hence gave its name to this part of Shepherd's Bush.
The White City Stadium in the north of the area, known as the Great Stadium, was officially opened by King Edward VII on 27 April 1908 for the Olympics. After the Olympics, it continued to be used for athletics until 1914, and was later turned into a greyhound racing track, although it was also used for short periods by Queens Park Rangers football club, and for other sports. In 1931, a 440yd running track was installed for the Amateur Athletic Association Championships, held there from 1932 to 1970. It hosted one match during the 1966 World Cup. The stadium was demolished in 1985 to make way for the BBC White City building. Today, the 1908 Olympics are commemorated with a list of athletes inscribed on the side of the BBC Broadcast Centre Building, and the athletics finish line is marked in the paving outside the building.
The Marathon from these London Olympics played an important part in the development of the modern marathon race. In the early years of competitive international sport, the long distance marathon race did not have a standard set distance. The distance run at the first seven Olympics from 1896 to 1920 varied between 40km and 42.75 km. The starting point of the race at the 1908 Olympics was at Windsor Castle creating a distance of 26 miles 385 yards (42.195 km) to the finishing line at White City stadium. In 1921 this was adopted as the standard distance.
To house the growing population of Shepherd's Bush, a five-storey housing estate was built, which also took the name of the White City.
In 2001, BBC Television Centre was damaged by a car bomb attack by the Real IRA. The bomb went off on Wood Lane, in front of the Television Centre news building.[1]
On 30 October 2008, Westfield shopping centre was opened.[2]
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Bird's eye view of part of the Franco-British Exhibition (1908)
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The White City Stadium in 1908
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1908 Summer Olympics. |
New development
Westfield Group (with Hausinvest Europa) has built a new shopping centre, bounded by the West Cross Route (A3220, formerly the M41 motorway), the Westway (A40) and Wood Lane (A219). This centre has been branded "Westfield London".
Two stations were built to serve the centre close to the sites of closed former London Underground stations:
- Wood Lane on the Hammersmith and City line, located to provide a walking distance connection with the Central Line station at White City.
- Shepherd's Bush on the West London Line, to the east of the site adjacent to the Holland Park roundabout and served by London Overground trains.
In 2007, it was announced that the BBC would sell its landmark Television Centre as part of a cost-cutting programme.[3]
In 2008 English Heritage announced its recommendation to list parts of TV centre[4] as an excellent example of 20th century architecture.
Imperial College London purchased the BBC Woodlands site for 28 million pounds in 2009. Imperial College is currently developing a seven acre campus on the site (Imperial West).
Schools in the area include Burlington Danes Academy and Phoenix High School.
Nearest places
- Wormwood Scrubs
- Notting Hill
- Kensal Green
- Bayswater
- Harlesden
- North Kensington
- Acton
- West Kensington
- Shepherd's Bush
Nearest tube stations
Nearest railway stations
Popular culture
Pete Townshend, of The Who and former resident of Shepherd's Bush, released a solo album entitled White City: A Novel in November 1985 on Atco. The title refers to a story which accompanies the album and which takes place in the London area of White City.
The Pogues made a song about the stadium and its demolition, called "White City". It can be found on their 1989 album Peace and Love.
North of the Westfield shopping centre itself, the grade II listed Dimco Buildings (1898), now refurbished as a bus depot[5][6] were used as the location for the ‘Acme Factory’ in the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit?.[7]
The journalist Daisy Waugh lives in White City.[8]
See also
Gallery
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BBC Television Centre
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Proposals for Shepherd's Bush tube station; now open.
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The BBC Media Village, on the site of the Olympic Stadium (visible in the Background of BBC 1 prime time show "The One Show").
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BBC TV centre, seen from Shepherd's Bush H&C tube station
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White city tube station
References
- ↑ "Bomb blast outside BBC". BBC News. 4 March 2001. Retrieved 2009-12-27.
- ↑ "Enormous shopping complex opens". BBC News. 30 October 2008. Retrieved 2009-12-27.
- ↑ Midgley, Neil; &, Tv; Clout, Laura (15 October 2007). "BBC television centre may be sold for £300m". London: Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2007-11-02.
- ↑ ""Auntie" honoured in recommendation to list parts of BBC television centre". English heritage. 15 October 2007. Retrieved 2008-07-01.
- ↑ London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. "Bus Station Boost". Retrieved 2009-12-27.
- ↑ Yasmine Estaphanos. "A Piece of White City History is Brought Back to Life". Retrieved 2009-12-27.
- ↑ The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations. "Who Framed Roger Rabbit filming locations". Retrieved 2007-10-02.
- ↑ Debrett's Peerage & Baronetage 2008, p. 1094
External links
- Official Site of White City Development
- Cllr. Stephen Cowan (Lab) - Leader of the Opposition
- Local Labour Party
- Details of new transport infrastructure
- White City development from local youth group
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