Editing Hounslow (section)

== History ==

=== Etymology ===
In old records, Hounslow is spelt 'Hundeslow' which points to the Anglo-Saxon phrase '''Hundes hlāw''<nowiki/>', translating to 'the Hound's barrow' or more accurately 'the barrow of a man named or nicknamed Hound'.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}

=== Hounslow Town ===
Hounslow was centred around the Holy Trinity Priory founded in 1211.<ref>[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=45431 Daniel Lysons, 'Heston', ''The Environs of London'': volume 3: ''County of Middlesex'' (1795:22–45):] accessed 6 August 2010.</ref> The priory developed what had been a small village into a town with regular markets and other facilities for travellers heading to and from London. Although the priory was dissolved in 1539, the town remained an important staging post on the Bath Road.

The construction of the [[Great Western Railway]] line from London to Bristol from 1838 reduced long-distance travel along the Bath Road. By 1842, the local paper was reporting that the 'formerly flourishing village' (which used to stable 2000 horses) was suffering a 'general depreciation of property'.<ref>Quoted in Acworth, WM 'The Railways in 1843' in Morgan, B (1963) Railway Lover's Companion, [[Eyre & Spottiswoode]], P90</ref> The Hounslow Loop Line was constructed in 1850 - which prompted new development. [[Hounslow Hospital]] opened in 1876 and closed in 1978. [[Hanworth Road drill hall, Hounslow|Hanworth Road drill hall]] (now the Treaty Lodge Hotel) was built for the 2nd Volunteer Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment.

The construction of the Great West Road (a by-pass for the Bath Road, around Brentford, Isleworth and Hounslow town centres) in the 1920s attracted the building of factories and headquarters of large companies and led to a great deal of housing development. After a decline in the 1970s, offices largely replaced factories and further expansion in hotel and housing stock started to take place.

=== Hounslow Heath ===
[[Hounslow Heath]] has a continuous recorded history dating back to the [[Norman conquest of England|Norman]] period, in which it lent its name to the hamlet of [[Heathrow (hamlet)|Heathrow]]. It was infamously known for the numbers of [[Highwayman|highwaymen]] and [[footpad]]s in the area,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Hounslow Heath - Highwaymen and Highway Robbery|url=http://www.stand-and-deliver.org.uk/hounslow_heath.htm|access-date=6 May 2018|website=Stand-and-deliver.org.uk}}</ref> who targeted wealthy individuals and noblemen.<ref>{{Cite web|date=13 January 2017|title=When Hounslow Was The Most Dangerous Place In Britain|language=en-GB|website=Londonist.com|url=https://londonist.com/london/history/when-hounslow-was-the-most-dangerous-place-in-london|access-date=6 May 2018}}</ref>

The Heath once had strategic importance as its routes acted as a throughway from London to the west and southwest of Britain. The present northern boundary of the Heath - Staines Road - was the [[Roman roads in Britannia|Roman Road]] later known as the [[Devil's Highway (Roman Britain)|Devils Highway]]. There are several historic references to Roman camps surrounding the Heath. Both Oliver Cromwell and James II used the heath as a military encampment.

In 1784 the first accurate measurements were made on the heath to establish the base line for the Ordnance Survey trigonometrical survey of Great Britain. The event was attended by [[George IV|King George IV]] and [[Joseph Banks]], president of the [[Royal Society]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Owen |first1=Tim |last2=Pilbeam |first2=Elaine |title=Ordnance Survey, Map Makers to Britain since 1871 |date=1992 |publisher=Ordnance Survey/HMSO |location=Southampton/London |isbn=0-31-900249-7|page=6}}</ref>

In 1793, the [[Cavalry Barracks, Hounslow|Cavalry Barracks]] were constructed and were extended with the [[Beavers Lane Camp]]. Between 1914 and 1920 the heath became [[Hounslow Heath Aerodrome]].

[[Hounslow Heath Aerodrome]] was a grass airfield and was operational from 1910 to 1920. It was in the London borough of Hounslow, and in 1919 was where the first scheduled daily international commercial air services began.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/west-london-news/hounslows-forgotten-airports-vital-role-11143221|title=How Hounslow's forgotten airports helped win the world wars|last=Cumber|first=Robert|date=6 April 2016|website=Getwestlondon.co.uk|access-date=6 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/airfield-finder/hounslow/|title=Hounslow - Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust UK|website=Abct.org.uk|language=en|access-date=6 May 2018}}</ref>