Editing Hanwell (section)

==Places of interest and recreation==
===The parish church===
[[File:St mary hanwell 38.jpg|thumb|St Mary, Hanwell, built in 1841|right]]
[[St. Mary's Church, Hanwell|St Mary's Church]] is the original ''ancient parish'' church. The present church structure was built in 1841. As such, it stands as one of [[George Gilbert Scott]]'s very early churches, executed in the style of [[Gothic Revival]], and consists of masoned white [[limestone]] and [[gault]] brickwork, with flint-rubble and mortar panels. Scott himself later condemned his work of this period as "a mass of horrors". However, the famous painter [[William Frederick Yeames]], who at one time was its churchwarden, is thought to have done the wall paintings in the [[chancel]].<ref>'Hanwell: [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=22345&strquery=Mary%20hanwell Churches] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928042732/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=22345&strquery=Mary%20hanwell |date=28 September 2007 }}', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3: Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury, Teddington, Heston and Isleworth, Twickenham, Cowley, Cranford, West Drayton, Greenford, Hanwell, Harefield and Harlington (1962), pp. 230–33. Retrieved 25 July 2007.</ref>

Perhaps the most famous [[Rector (ecclesiastical)|rector]] was [[George Glasse|Dr. George H. Glasse]]; he has a memorial place in his memory in St. Mary's Churchyard (Grade II). Still surviving is the home he had built for him nearby in 1809. It is executed in the style of [[cottage orné]] and named [[The Hermitage (Hanwell)|The Hermitage]] (Grade II). [[Nikolaus Pevsner]] described it thus: "a peach of an [[Gothic Revival architecture|early c19 Gothic]] thatched cottage with two pointed windows, a [[quatrefoil]], and an [[ogee]] arched door, all on a minute scale. Inside, an [[octagon]]al hall and reception room".<ref name="Pev">Pevsner N B L (1991). The buildings of England, London 3:  North-West. {{ISBN|0-300-09652-6}}</ref>

In latter years another well-known rector was [[Fred Secombe]] (brother of [[Harry Secombe]]). After leaving and moving back to [[Wales]], he became a prolific author.
[[File:The Hermitage -Hanwell W7.jpg|thumb|{{center|[[The Hermitage (Hanwell)|The Hermitage]] <br />built 1809 (Grade II) }}|right]]

No archaeological evidence has been found so far, to show that any church existed here earlier than shown in written records. However, due to its commanding [[Topography|topographical]] position, which enables the distinctive [[broach spire]] to be seen from many miles away, it has been suggested that this may have been a [[Paganism|pagan]] place of worship long before Christianity reached this part of the world. There is however, no evidence to support this theory. An early supporter of this [[hypothesis]] was Sir [[Montagu Sharpe]] KC DL, a local historian and a member of the [[Society of Antiquaries of London|Society of Antiquaries]].<ref>Sharpe, Montagu (1926). Some accounts of bygone Hanwell. page 24. Brentford Printing and Publishing Coy., Ltd. London. UK.</ref> (In nearby [[Northolt]], the parish church, which is also on high ground, has had much evidence found around it of past occupation by the [[Beaker People]].)

===St Thomas the Apostle===
[[File:St Thomas Hanwell 3311.jpg|thumb|The east face of [[St Thomas the Apostle, Hanwell|St. Thomas the Apostle]], Boston Road]]
[[St Thomas the Apostle, Hanwell|St Thomas's]] is a Grade II* listed building. [[Edward Maufe]] won the competition for [[Guildford Cathedral]] in 1932. His reputation as a church architect had hitherto rested on restoration work at AIl Saints, Southampton and [[St Martin-in-the-Fields|St Martin's in the Fields]]; and on two churches for the Royal Association for the Deaf at East Acton and Clapham, and – most notable – a well respected 'Clubland' Methodist chapel in Walworth, which was bombed in the war.

Work on Guildford Cathedral did not begin until 1936. In the meantime Maufe designed St Thomas's, for which the foundation stone was laid in July 1933. Completed in 1934, the materials used were an experiment with the form of construction proposed for Guildford. They were the load-bearing silver grey Tondu brick from South Wales and particularly the reinforced concrete vault Iined with acoustic plaster. Many of the interior details are also similar to Guildford Cathedral: most notably the tall lancets and narrow aisle passages with the acutely pointed arches, but also the style of some of the fittings and the employment of [[Eric Gill]] as one of the sculptors.

====Exterior====

The large Calvary that arrests attention from the road is by Eric Gill, its cross forming the tracery of the East Window. This was carved "in situ" from a single Weldon stone block. The carving over the north door is the work of [[Vernon Hill (sculptor)|Vernon Hill]], depicting a dove with the girdle of Our Lady that was sent to St Thomas. To the left of the door, almost at ground level, the seal of Edward Maufe can be seen.

The wave pattern to the brass kicking plates on the doors represents the sea. Inside the north porch is a carving of St Matthew by [[John Skelton (sculptor)|John Skelton]] (nephew of Eric Gill).

The carving over the west door is also by Vernon Hill and represents two birds pecking from the same [[bunch of grapes]] symbolic of all Christians sharing the one cup at Communion.

====Edward Maufe's 'finest church'====

In her listing report to English Heritage Elain Harwood described St Thomas' as Maufe's 'finest church'. She writes:

'Inside the feeling is of a great church exquisitely miniaturised. Indeed, it has frequently been said that Maufe's distinctive and austere style was better suited to the small scale than to a cathedral. Moreover, St Thomas's substantiates [[Nikolaus Pevsner|Pevsner's]] admission that Maufe was "a man with genuine spatial gifts". The initial impression is of a nave and chancel of equal height given semblance of religious presence by narrow passage aisles cut into the thick piers of the vault, Alibi style. The east end is more complicated, however, One becomes aware of a cross axis along the front of the chancel, and another in front of the sanctuary itself On the south side there are vestries and a kitchen: on the north side another door, a Morning Chapel, now called the Lady Chapel, and between them a little Children's Corner or chapel set within the thick walls of the tower. There is a small space behind the sanctuary, reached through the arches.'

====Font and nave====

At the west end of the church is the font, which was also carved by Vernon Hill in Weldon stone. It depicts a fish and anchor and the ICQUS cypher, which are all signs for Christ. The stained glass behind the font, depicting 'Christ and the children', is by [[Moira Forsyth]]. The War Memorial came from the 'tin church', which used to stand where the Parish Hall now stands.

In the Nave, the light fittings are plated with silver and bear the arms of the twelve apostles. The original foot-long candle bulbs are now unobtainable and have been replaced with a modern energy saving equivalent.

The flooring is linoleum and was originally buff in colour and marked out with blue lines. The sign of St. Thomas the Apostle – a builder's square and three spears – can be seen on the churchwardens' staves and various other places in the church. The square indicates that Thomas was a builder and that spears were the instruments of his martyrdom.

====Sanctuary====

The Sanctuary is dominated by the reredos that came from St Thomas's Portman Square. It was made to the design of [[Cecil Greenwood Hare]], [[George Frederick Bodley|Bodley's]] last partner and successor to his practice. The three manual organ also came from St Thomas', Portman Square and was reconditioned and electrified by [[J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd|Walker and Sons Ltd]]. {{citation needed|date=December 2016}}

===St Mellitus Church===
[[File:StMellitusHanwell.jpg|thumb|St Mellitus, Hanwell|right]]
Until the early years of the 20th century all of Hanwell had been one parish, St Mary's.  The inadequacy of one church to serve a growing population is indicated by the rebuilding of St Mary's church in 1842 to cater for the increased number of church goers and then by the building in 1877 of St Mark's as an additional church serving the south of the parish.  By the turn of the century this was no longer sufficient and it was decided to create an additional parish, St Mellitus, the first in the Anglican Communion to bear that name.

The church building is an imposing Gothic style building of the Edwardian period situated on a busy cross roads in the heart of Hanwell. It was designed by the office of Sir [[Arthur Blomfield]] in 1909, built by Messrs J Dorey & Co of Brentford and consecrated by the Bishop of London, Rt Rev [[Arthur Winnington-Ingram]] in March 1910. It is a landmark building with a distinctive gable end housing three recently restored bells.

The parish was formed in 1908 and lay between the railway and Elthorne Park, thus including St Mark's as a chapel of ease.  While St Mark's would continue in this fashion as a subsidiary church for the parish, it was clear that a new, bigger parish church was needed and so Sir [[Arthur Blomfield]] was commissioned to design it. With a capacity of 800 people it was designated St [[Mellitus]], the name probably derived from the legend, propagated by Sir Montagu Sharpe, the Middlesex historian, that Mellitus, Bishop of the East Saxons, was instrumental in the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons of Hanwell. Funds for the new church were raised from the sale of [[Holy Trinity Gough Square|Holy Trinity in Gough Square]] in the city of London.

In 1980, with the retirement of the then vicar of St Mark's, the two parishes were merged, now known as St Mellitus with St Mark's.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}

===The Wharncliffe Viaduct===
{{main|Wharncliffe Viaduct}}Brunel's first major structural design and the first contract to be let on his Great Western Railway. The viaduct carries trains across the Brent valley at an elevation of {{convert|65|ft|m}}.<ref>{{Cite journal|year=2018|title=Wharncliffe Viaduct|url=http://www.engineering-timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=444|journal=Engineering Timelines|access-date=26 December 2018|archive-date=11 July 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070711072721/http://www.engineering-timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=444|url-status=live}}</ref>

Constructed of brick, the {{convert|900|ft|m|adj=mid|-long}} bridge has 8 arches, each spanning {{convert|70|ft|m}} and rising {{convert|17|ft|6|in|m}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.victorianweb.org/technology/bridges/43.html|title=Wharncliffe Viaduct, Greater London|website=victorianweb.org|access-date=26 December 2018|archive-date=20 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620200410/http://www.victorianweb.org/technology/bridges/43.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The supporting piers are hollow and tapered, rising to projecting stone cornices that held up the arch centring during construction.

Originally, the piers were {{convert|30|ft|m}} wide at ground level and {{convert|33|ft|m}} at deck level. The deck was designed to accommodate two tracks of Brunel's broad gauge railway.

However, an [[Regulating the Gauge of Railways Act 1846|Act of Parliament]] was passed in 1846 that made Stephenson's narrower gauge standard across the country and so the viaduct was widened in 1847 by the addition of an extra row of piers and arches on the north side. The new width is {{convert|55|ft|m}}. In 1892 the broad gauge track was converted to standard gauge, and this allowed enough width for four standard gauge tracks. Overhead electrification, at 25,000 volts AC, of the London to Bristol main line is in progress (2017).

The viaduct is still used today for trains running from Paddington to Bristol. Lord Wharncliffe's coat of arms can be seen on the central pier on the south side. He was chairman of the Great Western Railway.<ref>{{Cite web|title=GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY. (Hansard, 27 August 1835)|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1835/aug/27/great-western-railway|access-date=2021-07-28|website=api.parliament.uk}}</ref>

===Hanwell Flight of Locks===
[[File:Southall mill.jpg|thumb|Windmill and Lock|right]]
The Hanwell flight of six locks raises the [[Grand Union Canal]] by just over {{convert|53|ft|m|1}} and has been designated a [[Scheduled Ancient Monument]] by [[English Heritage]].<ref>Ealing Borough Council (2007). [http://www.ealing.gov.uk/ealing3/export/sites/ealingweb/services/environment/planning/planning_services/conservation/_docs/_management_plans/st_marks_and_canal_ca_management_plan_2007.pdf St Marks and Canal Conservation Area. Management Plan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007032945/http://www2.ealing.gov.uk/ealing3/export/sites/ealingweb/services/environment/planning/planning_services/conservation/_docs/_management_plans/st_marks_and_canal_ca_management_plan_2007.pdf |date=7 October 2011 }}. Pages 19 Accessed 9 October 2010.</ref> At the top of the flight of locks towards [[Norwood Green]] is the [[Three Bridges, London|Three Bridges]] designed by [[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]]. It is still often referred to on maps by the original canal crossing name of Windmill Bridge and is very close to the spot where the eponymous windmill once stood; attracting the attention of a local [[Brentford]] artist, [[J. M. W. Turner|Joseph Mallard William Turner]]. However, there was also a windmill on the grounds where the Hanwell asylum once stood and the original name was Watermill Lane. So the true origine of the name appears to originate with the watermill that stood near to the club house of the local golf club house. This canal and flight of locks are actually within the boundary of [[Southall]] but are named after the local village of Hanwell, which is much closer than either of the villages of Norwood or Southall.<ref>{{cite book |orig-year=1969 |year=2016 |title=Waters Guide 1: Grand Union, Oxford & the South East |publisher=Nicholson |ref={{harvid|Nicholson|2016}}|pages=40–41}}</ref>

===The Central London District Poor School/Hanwell Community Centre===
[[File:Cuckoo Schools.jpg|thumb|Hanwell Community Centre]]{{main|Central London District School}}
The Central London District Poor School, aka the [[Cuckoo Schools]] at Hanwell was built between 1856 and 1861 by a group of central London poor law unions to house and educate pauper children away from the workhouse; the original site at Norwood having proved to be too small and unsuitable for extension. By far its most famous resident was [[Charlie Chaplin]] who was at the school from June 1896 until January 1898.

The school was closed in 1933 but parts of it remain standing, and it is in use as the Hanwell Community Centre. The Community Centre was used as a location in the film [[Billy Elliot]]. It has been declared a [[Grade II listed]] building by [[English Heritage]].<ref>English Heritage entry for [http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/ConBar.4315 Hanwell Community Centre] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312081701/http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/ConBar.4315 |date=12 March 2007 }}. Retrieved 2 September 2006</ref> In 2015 the [[London Welsh School]] moved into the building.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ysgolgymraegllundain.co.uk/about-us/|title=About Us – Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain / London Welsh School|access-date=16 April 2016|archive-date=29 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160329022908/http://ysgolgymraegllundain.co.uk/about-us/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Brent Lodge Park and Animal Centre===
[[File:Indian Blue Peacock 42.jpg|thumb|Peacock at the Brent Lodge Park Animal Centre|right]]
This park was acquired by [[Municipal Borough of Ealing|Ealing Borough Council]] as a recreation ground in 1931 from Sir <!--- DON'T ! - it is spelt without an 'e' at the end of Montagu--->Montagu Sharpe (1856–1942), who had lived in Brent Lodge since 1884. The lodge itself, by then dilapidated, was demolished. The original stable block remains and is Grade II listed.
For many years the park served as a 9-hole golf course requiring no more than a small driver and a putt, which could be hired together with a ball from a kiosk. Small boys would supplement their pocket money by retrieving lost balls from the river.<ref>A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3: Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury, Teddington, Heston and Isleworth, Twickenham, Cowley, Cranford, West Drayton, Greenford, Hanwell, Harefield and Harlington (1962) [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22341 Hanwell: Other estates] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525210408/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22341 |date=25 May 2011 }}. pages 225–226. Retrieved 11 September 2008.</ref>

Another attraction was a large wired enclosure, within which unwanted pet rabbits (and tortoises, guinea pigs etc.) were given a new home. This inevitably led to it acquiring the nickname 'Bunny Park', which is still how most locals refer to it today. Later, the animal collection became more exotic as it began to receive and house imported animals that remained unclaimed after their period of compulsory [[quarantine]] had expired. Better enclosures were built and it has now become a small zoo and is a recognized member of the [[British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums]] (BIAZA).<ref>Ealing Council (2008) [http://www.ealing.gov.uk/services/leisure/parks_and_open_spaces/animal_centres/ Animal centres ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080922105036/http://www.ealing.gov.uk/services/leisure/parks_and_open_spaces/animal_centres/ |date=22 September 2008 }}. Retrieved 11 September 2008.</ref> As of April 2016, the animal centre has been renamed Hanwell Zoo, and is home to such animals as [[Mara (mammal)|Mara]], [[Capybara]], [[Meerkats]], [[Caribbean Flamingo]] and [[Crested Porcupine]], [[Emperor Tamarin]] monkeys and [[Ring-tailed Lemur]]s.

The park has a modern and well-equipped children's playground. Clearly visible on [[Google Earth]] are the 2,000 yew trees that were planted to create the [[Millennium]] Maze. The entrance to the park is at the south-west side of St Mary's Church at the end of Church Road.

The park also has a coffee shop and a children's play area.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cityultima.com/London/BusinessPage:Brent_Lodge_Park |title=Brent Lodge Park (Bunny Park), Animal Centre, Maze, Play Area, Cafe - Hanwell - Cityultima |access-date=8 May 2011 |archive-date=5 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005045811/http://www.cityultima.com/London/BusinessPage:Brent_Lodge_Park |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Brent River Park and Brent Valley Golf Club ===
The Lodge Park is part of the larger Brent River Park, which follows the river from [[Perivale]] down to Hanwell.<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.ealing.gov.uk/services/environment/parks_and_open_spaces/nature_conservation/conservation_sites/brp.html |title=Brent River Park |publisher=Ealing Borough Council |access-date=5 November 2010 |archive-date=6 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110306191855/http://www2.ealing.gov.uk/services/environment/parks_and_open_spaces/nature_conservation/conservation_sites/brp.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In this river valley, there is also the [[Brent Valley Golf Club]]

===Hanwell Clock Tower===
[[File:Hanwell clock tower 3383.jpg|thumb|Hanwell's Coronation (1937) clock tower]]
This was unveiled on Hanwell Broadway at midday on 7 May 1937, as part of Ealing's celebration of the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (later known as the Queen Mother) by Alderman Alfred Bradford, chairman of the Highways Committee. The Mayor, Frederick Woodward, was also present, as were members of the Hanwell Chamber of Commerce and 'a large concourse of the general public'.

Amongst other remarks, the Mayor said: "I consider Hanwell one of the finest gateways to the city of London, and I cannot think of a more fitting place for the clock". It had been Timothy King, a councillor from Hanwell, who had first suggested the idea and had fought for it in the Highways Committee.  Alderman Bradford was proud that the Hanwell Clock had been the result of a Hanwell man's work. It was also noted that the Mayor was born in Hanwell (he also attended Hanwell National School and was married there).

However, the clock tower became the centre of controversy in the early 70s. This started because a Hanwell estate agent, one Mr Parish, objected to it and wanted to raise £5,000 to demolish it and replace it with something more pleasing. According to him, the clock tower was a "dreadful concrete eyesore" and "aesthetically pleasing neither in its location nor design". He added that it was "downright ugly…built in the thirties, one of the worst periods for design". He also commented "the motive behind it was largely self-congratulatory on the part of a small village community". The latter statement was certainly open to question, since Mr Parish seemed to have had no evidence to back it up, and nor was Hanwell "a small village community" in 1937 with a population of over 20,000.

This caused much annoyance to both residents of Hanwell and commuters who passed the tower on their way to work. Parish's views were seen as 'arrogant' and 'insulting'. Some thought it was a useful reminder of the time (Mr Parish later doubted the clock's accuracy) or a good meeting place. Others defended it as being in the style of the time "if the clock tower is typical of the thirties, that is how it should be". The Elthorne Ward Labour Group also defended the tower, some members feeling that its removal might herald the construction of an office block.

On the whole, Parish's arguments were countered. The general thrust was that the clock tower needed restoration, not demolition. In the following year, such work was carried out and the tower properly cleaned up. Its appearance even had the effect of converting Mr Parish, who commented "I admit having said some harsh things about its architectural inadequacies", but he liked the new, clean, clock tower, "Come back, all is forgiven".

The problem of cleaning and restoration was a common one over future years. Sometimes the edifice had to be boarded up. However, in 2002, as part of the celebrations of the Queen's Golden Jubilee, the clock tower was again restored.  The clock put in operation again and a new plaque displayed to celebrate this renovation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Leary |first=Gemma |title=Other notable buildings |url=https://www.ealing.gov.uk/info/201131/historic_buildings/70/other_notable_buildings/4 |access-date=2023-10-17 |website=www.ealing.gov.uk |language=en}}</ref>

===Elthorne Park===
The name Elthorne goes back at least one thousand years.  It was mentioned in the Domesday survey as being one of the six Hundreds of the shire of Middlesex along with Edmonton, Gore, Hounslow, Ossulstone and Spelthorne.

The origin of the park goes back to the 1500s.  The original much larger estate, called La Bromeland, was named after the wild yellow flowering Broom shrub, which still grows on the steep embankment of the river Brent.

In the 16th century Thomas Gresham's widow bought the freehold of 'Broomland', which later passed down through Osterley to the Earls of Jersey.

Fifteen years after the [[Inclosure (Consolidation) Act 1801]] the estate was reduced to 90 acres and then became known as Park Farm. At one time, with Cuckoo Farm it was one of the last two existing farms in Hanwell.

In 1908 Lord Jersey started negotiations with the Council and Middlesex County Council about the use of the land.  Whilst negotiations were going on he allowed a section of the land to be used as a temporary recreation ground.

The farmland was finally broken up c1910 and some of the land is now open space and playing fields but seven and a half acres of the site were used to form Elthorne Park.

Lord Villiers and his mother, the Countess of Jersey, officially opened the Park at 3&nbsp;pm on 11 June 1910.  The opening, which had been postponed because of the death of King Edward VII on 6 May 1910, was said to be a grand affair, held in a large marquee with tea being served in the nearby mission church of St Thomas's.

In July 1910 the first event to be held in the park was a show by the Hanwell and Greenford Horticultural Society, which later became an annual event. The following year in April a two-day celebration of George V's coronation took place, which included music from the local [[Hanwell Band]] and a march by children from St Ann's school to Elthorne Park. {{citation needed|date=December 2016}}

Although toilets for men were installed in the park from the outset, a toilet for women was not installed until 1912.

The Hanwell 'Sarsen' Stone can be seen just inside the main entrance to the park. This stone, a [[glacial erratic]] which was deposited in the Ice Age, was excavated from a gravel pit on a site now occupied by Townholm Crescent.

=== Cemeteries ===
There are three burial grounds in Hanwell.  The one at the parish church of St Mary is full. The remaining two are for the deceased residents of other boroughs.

For the local people today, the London Borough of Ealing offers interments in Hortus Cemetery, Southall, and Greenford Park Cemetery, Greenford.<ref>London Borough of Ealing:Cemeteries. Retrieved 10 November 2010.</ref>

====St. Mary's church graveyard====
The graveyard of [[St. Mary's Church, Hanwell#Monuments|St. Mary's]] is the oldest burial ground.  To the east side of the church yard is a large square stone monument to the Glasses family, which [[English Heritage]] has given a Grade II listing, although it is in a poor state of repair.

====Westminster City Council Cemetery, Hanwell====
<!---Warning: the postal address and internal names for both council cemeteries has been shortened to just "Hanwell Cemetery;"  please take care not to get them mixed up. Address: Hanwell Cemetery, 38 Uxbridge Road, Ealing, London, W7 3PP--->

Built on the former common land of South Field, [[Westminster City Cemetery, Hanwell]] is an extramural cemetery run by [[Westminster City Council]].<ref name="westminster2">City of Westminster [http://www.westminster.gov.uk/services/communityandliving/burials/hanwell/ Westminster Cemetery Service] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514123935/http://www.westminster.gov.uk/services/communityandliving/burials/hanwell/ |date=14 May 2011 }}.</ref>

In 1987 [[Shirley Porter]]'s controlled Westminster City Council controversially sold to land developers for 15p.<ref>House of Commons Hansard [https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm198990/cmhansrd/1990-07-16/Debate-4.html Debates for 16 July 1990] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180401212942/https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm198990/cmhansrd/1990-07-16/Debate-4.html |date=1 April 2018 }}. Retrieved 8 September 2006.</ref> It possesses some fine mausoleums and family vaults.<ref name="westminster2"/>

====Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Cemetery, Hanwell====
<!---Warning: the postal address and internal names for both council cemeteries has been shortened to just "Hanwell Cemetery;" please take care not to  get them mixed up. Address: Hanwell Cemetery, 31 Uxbridge Road Hanwell W7 3PX --->

[[File:Hanwell cemetery - geograph.org.uk - 17083.jpg|thumb|Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Cemetery]]

[[Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Cemetery, Hanwell]] is an extramural Victorian cemetery run by [[Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea]].<ref>Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
[http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/communityandlocallife/registeringadeath/cemeteryservices.aspx Cemetery Services] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128234359/http://rbkc.gov.uk/communityandlocallife/registeringadeath/cemeteryservices.aspx |date=28 November 2010 }}</ref> It is situated on the north side of the Uxbridge Road on the former common land of East Field. On the grounds stands a disused chapel. The chapel, gatehouse and entrance arch were designed by [[Thomas Allom]] and executed in [[Rag-stone|Kentish ragstone]]. There are many [[Victorian era|Victorian]] and [[Edwardian era|Edwardian graves]] here.

====Ancient Saxon burials====
Middlesex as a whole has a dearth of early Saxon archaeology. However, the nearby place names of [[Ealing]], [[Yeading]] and [[London Borough of Harrow|Harrow]] are of the early Saxon period, even though there are no surviving records of their presence in the Brent valley and its tributaries at this time.

In 1886, during excavation of gravel on Hanwell Common, seven Saxon graves were discovered. They were found approximately where Oaklands Primary School stands today. Of these burials, it is thought that at least three were men with iron spears. Gold-plated copper alloy brooches were also found and may be seen in the Museum of London.<ref>'Archaeology: The Pagan Saxon Period', in A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 1, Physique, Archaeology, Domesday, Ecclesiastical Organization, the Jews, Religious Houses, Education of Working Classes To 1870, Private Education From Sixteenth Century, ed. J S Cockburn, H P F King and K G T McDonnell (London, 1969), pp. 74–79. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/middx/vol1/pp74-79 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413124024/https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/middx/vol1/pp74-79 |date=13 April 2019 }} accessed 29 April 2019.</ref> They have been dated to between the fifth and the mid sixth century and attest to the age of this Saxon settlement in Hanwell.<ref>An archaeological watching brief at 75b Studley Grange Road, London Borough of Ealing (9 May 2005) [http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/oasis_reports/aocarcha1/ahds/dissemination/doc/aocarcha1-10021.doc] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709192203/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=oasis_reports%2Faocarcha1%2Fahds%2Fdissemination%2Fdoc%2Faocarcha1-10021.doc|date=9 July 2021}}. Retrieved 10 November 2010.</ref>

However, when they were first uncovered, it led some historians to suppose that these were warriors slain in battle.<ref>Sharpe, Montagu (1926). Some accounts of bygone Hanwell. Chapt 3; pages 15 & 16. Brentford Printing and Publishing Coy., Ltd. London. UK.</ref> Especially since some 50 iron spears were found close by. In Victorian times they only had the written records to go on, and, as no mention of Saxon occupation in Middlesex appear for this period, it was a reasonable hypothesis to consider, even though there was no evidence for this fanciful idea that any had died in battle.<ref>{{Cite book
  | last =Oates
  | first = Jonathan
  | title =Southall and Hanwell
  | publisher =The History Press Ltd
  | date = 30 September 2002
  | isbn =978-0-7524-2638-9}}</ref> Archaeological evidence has since shown that Saxons were already present in small numbers along the River Thames generations earlier. Yet the colourful tale of the Battle of Bloody Croft (given as circa AD 572) circulates locally to this day.
<ref>'Archaeology: The Pagan Saxon Period', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 1: Physique, Archaeology, Domesday, Ecclesiastical Organization, The Jews, Religious Houses, Education of Working Classes to 1870, Private Education from Sixteenth Century (1969), pp. 74–79.  [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22102] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027214326/http://british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22102|date=27 October 2011}}. Retrieved 10 November 2010.</ref>

Bloody Croft alludes to a small former common field called Blood Croft.  This used to lie between the present-day golf links to the west, Greenford Avenue to the east, and is partly covered by the northern half of the present-day Grove Avenue, which itself is 1.5&nbsp;km to the nor-nor west of the burial site. Since ancient times, pigs were let loose into the woods that once stood upon Cuckoo Hill, to feed upon the acorns and roots therein. This practice was even recorded in the Domesday Book entry for Hanwell. Therefore, the name may just allude to the place, where they were then slaughtered during the Saxon lunar ''blood month'', which falls around November.  ''Blotmonað'': blot  ''blood or a sacrifice'', monað  ''month.''<ref>{{Cite book
  | last = Bosworth
  | first = J
  | title = A dictionary of the Anglo-Saxon language
  | publisher = Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green, and Longman.
  | year = 1838
  | location = London
  | page = 60
  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=YIALAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA60
  | access-date = 6 November 2016
  | archive-date = 9 July 2021
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210709192139/https://books.google.com/books?id=YIALAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA60
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref> The [[English Place-Name Society]] found in its search of the Hanwell records an earlier name for the field, which was ''Blood Cut Meadow''. Their only comment is "possibly 'land on which veterinary phlebotomy was practised.'"
<ref>{{Cite book
  | last = Field
  | first = John
  | title = Field-Names of the London Borough of Ealing
  | publisher =English Place-Name Society
  | year = 1976
  | page = 14
  | isbn =0-904889-03-3 }}</ref>

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