Editing Wormwood Scrubs (section)

==History==
[[File:Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) women at a 3.7-inch anti-aircraft gun site at Wormwood Scrubs in London, 22 October 1941. H14878.jpg|thumb|[[Auxiliary Territorial Service]] (ATS) women at a 3.7-inch anti-aircraft gun site 22 October 1941]]
The area is first mentioned in 1189 as Wormhold Scrubs ({{Lit|[[shrubland]] [by] snake-forest}}),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.glias.org.uk/news/141news.html|title=Greater London Industrial Archaeology Society|website=www.glias.org.uk}}</ref> the area was cleared woodland used for pasture for the cattle and pigs of the local manor. In 1801, the northern section was cut off by the building of the [[Paddington Arm]] of the [[Grand Junction Canal]].<ref name="ARB">{{cite book |title=Around the Bush |date=1998 |publisher=Shepherds Bush Local History Society |location=London |isbn=0950942103 |edition=Millennium}}</ref>{{rp|35–36}} In 1812 an area of {{convert|77|ha|acre}} known as Wormholt Scrubs was leased by the [[War Office]] from the Manor of Fulham.<ref name="H&F"/> This was in order to exercise [[cavalry]] horses, which until then had been exercised in [[Hyde Park, London|Hyde Park]], [[Belgrave Square]] and [[Regent's Park]] – then known as St. Marylebone's Park. This [[common land]] became known as Wormwood Scrubs. The [[London and Birmingham Railway]] removed a section north of the canal in 1837, followed by the [[Great Western line]] removing a section to the south of the canal in 1838. 1844 saw the [[West London line|Birmingham, Bristol and Thames Junction Railway]] slice off a sizable section of the eastern half, becoming [[Little Wormwood Scrubs|The Little Scrubs]]. In 1872, the manorial rights were purchased under the [[Military Forces Localisation Act 1872]] with a view to creating a military exercise ground.<ref name="ARB"/>{{rp|36–37}} 
The [[Wormwood Scrubs Act 1879]], which aimed to create a "metropolitan exercising ground" for the military and to provide the Scrubs for "the perpetual use by the inhabitants of the metropolis for exercise and recreation". Under this Act, the military were empowered to expel civilians from the area whenever they were training, but they allowed civilians free use of it when they were not. To ensure that it was kept as open land for all to enjoy, the act banned the military from building any permanent structures other than [[Rifle range|rifle butts]],<ref name="ARB"/>{{rp|37}} one of which survives today as a wall in the [[Linford Christie Stadium]]. 1873 saw the purchase of the southern part of the Scrubs for the building of Wormwood Scrubs Prison, and in 1889 an area adjacent to the prison for the building of [[Hammersmith hospital]].<ref name="ARB"/>{{rp|40–41}}

In 1908, the [[1908 Summer Olympics|Olympic Marathon]] route from [[Windsor Castle]] to the [[White City Stadium|Olympic Stadium]] at [[White City, London|White City]] went across the Scrubs. In 1910 Wormwood Scrubs became part of aviation history when a pioneer [[airship]] took flight from an improvised landing ground; ''The [[Daily Mail]] [[Airship hangar|Airship Garage]]'' was built shortly afterwards—the site is now occupied by the Linford Christie Stadium. In 1914 all air-related activities on the Scrubs passed to the authority of the [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]], and there are records in the [[The National Archives (UK)|National Archives]] at [[Kew]] of a base here called Wormwood Scrubs Naval Air Station. The airship shed was used to train [[Royal Naval Air Service#RNAS Armoured Car Section|RNAS armoured car]] crews.<ref>The Devil's Chariots, John Glanfield, Sutton Publishing Ltd 2001, {{ISBN|0-7509-4152-9}} (p.58)</ref> It remained as an emergency landing ground until the 1930s. In 1939 with the onset of [[World War II]], Wormwood Scrubs again played host to an innovative military department—the Chief Cable Censorship Department, an [[Y station|outstation]] of the [[Government Code and Cypher School]] (GC&CS) at [[Bletchley Park]]. In 1928 [[St Clement Danes School|St.Clement Danes Grammar School]] moved from [[Holborn]] to a newly built school on Du Cane Road next to Hammersmith Hospital; the school buildings were demolished in 1975, when the school moved out of London.

It was served by [[St. Quintin Park and Wormwood Scrubs railway station]] on the [[West London Line]]. On 3 October 1940 the station was struck by an [[incendiary bomb]] and destroyed by fire. <ref>{{cite web |title=West London Line |url=http://www.abandonedstations.org.uk/West_London_Line.html |website=www.abandonedstations.org.uk |access-date=24 July 2021}}</ref>

The prison is located just yards from the scene of the [[Massacre of Braybrook Street]] in 1966, in which three policemen were shot dead by three armed men after stopping their suspicious car.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/AZzJiPtl2cM Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20140611023034/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZzJiPtl2cM Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZzJiPtl2cM |title=Harry Roberts |publisher=YouTube |date=12 August 1966 |access-date=2 November 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In 1986 local birdwatcher [[Lester Holloway]] set up a campaign to save Scrubs Wood,<ref>{{cite web |title=unavailable |url=http://scrubs.ground-level.org/stories/storyReader$158 |access-date=23 February 2009 |archive-date=5 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205020451/http://scrubs.ground-level.org/stories/storyReader$158 |url-status=dead }}</ref> the area of railway land along the north side of Wormwood Scrubs, from destruction as part of plans by the then [[British Rail]] to build cleaning depots (see [[North Pole depot]]) to service Channel Tunnel trains. Holloway and his campaign petitioned the House of Lords,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1987/jul/06/channel-tunnel-bill-1 |title=Channel Tunnel Bill (Hansard, 6 July 1987) |work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]] |date=6 July 1987 |access-date=2 November 2010}}</ref> supported by the then MP for Fulham [[Nick Raynsford]], and won concessions. The existing nature reserve includes an area known as 'Lester's Embankment'.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scrubs-online.org.uk/Documents/Bird%20Reports/2008/BirdsOctober2008.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006153614/http://www.scrubs-online.org.uk/Documents/Bird%20Reports/2008/BirdsOctober2008.pdf |archive-date=6 October 2011 |url-status=live |title=October 2008 Sightings at Wormwood Scrubs|access-date=2 November 2010}}</ref> The campaign attracted considerable national publicity in 1987, and even a musical.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ashleyhutchings2.tripod.com/thewildsideoftown.html |title=The Wild Side of Town |publisher=Ashleyhutchings2.tripod.com |access-date=2 November 2010 |archive-date=6 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006153603/http://ashleyhutchings2.tripod.com/thewildsideoftown.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

From 1965 until 1994 the western part of Wormwood Scrubs lay in the [[London Borough of Ealing]], and was known as ''Old Oak Common''. The name is still shown on maps today. In 1994 the whole park became part of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1993/1346/made|title=The Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, and Hounslow (London Borough Boundaries) Order 1993 |website=UK Government|date=1993|access-date=19 October 2024}}</ref>