Editing Uxbridge (section)

===Early developments===
[[File:Crown and Treaty, Uxbridge, UB8 (7970434724).jpg|thumb|left|The Crown & Treaty public house]]

The Parliamentary Army garrisoned the town upon the outbreak of the [[English Civil War]] in 1642 and established their headquarters there in June 1647 on a line from [[Staines-upon-Thames|Staines]] to [[Watford]],<ref name="Cotton p.23">Cotton 1994, p. 23.</ref> although the king passed through Uxbridge in April 1646, resting at the [[Red Lion, Hillingdon|Red Lion]] public house for several hours.<ref>Cotton 1994, p. 25.</ref> Charles I met with representatives of Parliament at the Crown Inn in Uxbridge in 1645, but [[Treaty of Uxbridge|negotiations]] for the end of hostilities were unsuccessful due in part to the king's stubborn attitude.<ref name="Cotton p.23" /> The town had been chosen as it was located between the Royal headquarters at [[Oxford]] and the Parliamentary stronghold of London.<ref>Cotton 1994, p. 22.</ref>

The covered market was built in 1788, replacing a building constructed in 1561.<ref>Sherwood 2007, p. 53.</ref> In the early 19th century, Uxbridge had an unsavoury reputation; the jurist [[William St Julien Arabin|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.<ref>Cotton 1994, p. 32.</ref>

The [[Grand Junction Canal]] opened in 1794, linking Uxbridge with [[Birmingham]] and the [[River Thames]] at [[Brentford]]. 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]] in 1838, which passed through [[West Drayton]]. A branch line to Uxbridge was opened in 1856, but it was the opening of the Metropolitan Line in 1904 which restarted Uxbridge's growth by giving the town its first direct link to London.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sherwood |first1=Philip |title=Around Uxbridge Past and Present |date=2007 |publisher=The History Press |location=Stroud |isbn=9780750947947 |page=6}}</ref>

Harman's Brewery was established in Uxbridge by George Harman in 1763, and moved into a new headquarters in Uxbridge High Street in 1875. The eventual owners of the brewery, [[Courage Brewery|Courage]], closed the headquarters in 1964. It was demolished and replaced by a Budgen's supermarket, which in turn was demolished with the construction of The Chimes shopping centre. The brewery building in George Street remained in place until it was demolished in 1967.<ref>Sherwood 2007, p. 43.</ref> The office building Harman House was built on the site in 1985, named after the brewery.<ref>Sherwood 2007, p. 44.</ref>