Editing Middlesex (section)

===1889 - Middlesex County Council===
Following the Local Government Act 1888, the remaining county came under the control of [[Middlesex County Council]] except for the parish of [[Monken Hadley]], which became part of [[Hertfordshire]].<ref name=hadley>{{cite vob|url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10020530&c_id=10001043|name=Monken Hadley|accessdate=20 February 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001000231/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10020530|archive-date=1 October 2007}} {{Cite web |url=https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit_page.jsp;jsessionid=D1C662A8A716903791E545A2366549A0?u_id=10020530 |title=Monken Hadley AP/CP through time &#124; Census tables with data for the Parish-level Unit |access-date=12 May 2023 |archive-date=5 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220605061055/https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit_page.jsp;jsessionid=D1C662A8A716903791E545A2366549A0?u_id=10020530 |url-status=live}}</ref> The area of responsibility of the [[Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex]] was reduced accordingly. Middlesex did not contain any [[county borough]]s, so the county and [[administrative county]] (the area of county council control) were identical. At this time, Middlesex regained the right to appoint its own sheriff, lost in the 12th century.<ref name=vch_middlesex/><ref>{{harvnb|Robbins|2003|p=189}}</ref>

The [[Local Government Act 1894]] divided the administrative county into four [[rural district]]s and thirty-one [[Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland)|urban districts]], based on existing [[sanitary district]]s. One urban district, [[South Hornsey]], was an [[exclave]] of Middlesex within the [[County of London]] until 1900, when it was transferred to the latter county.<ref name=youngs>Frederic Youngs, ''Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England'', Vol.I : Southern England, London, 1979</ref> The rural districts were [[Hendon Rural District|Hendon]], [[Potters Bar Urban District|South Mimms]], [[Staines Rural District|Staines]] and [[Uxbridge Rural District|Uxbridge]]. Because of increasing urbanisation these had all been abolished by 1934.<ref name=vision_mx>{{cite vob |name=Middlesex |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10061441 |accessdate=20 February 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080315025055/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10061441 |archive-date=15 March 2008 }} {{Cite web |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10061441 |title=Middlesex AdmC through time &#124; Administrative history of Administrative County: Hierarchies, boundaries |access-date=20 February 2008 |archive-date=1 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120201154636/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10061441 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Urban districts had been created, merged, and many had gained the status of municipal borough by 1965. The districts as at the 1961 census were:<ref name=census_1961>{{cite vob | name=Census 1961: Middlesex | population=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/census/table_page.jsp?tab_id=EW1961COU_M3&u_id=10061441&show=&min_c=1&max_c=5as | accessdate=20 February 2008}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" align="center"
|<ol>
<li>[[Potters Bar Urban District|Potters Bar]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Enfield|Enfield]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Southgate|Southgate]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Edmonton|Edmonton]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Tottenham|Tottenham]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Wood Green|Wood Green]]</li>
<li>[[Friern Barnet Urban District|Friern Barnet]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Hornsey|Hornsey]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Finchley|Finchley]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Hendon|Hendon]]</li>
<li>[[London Borough of Harrow|Harrow]]</li>
<li>[[Ruislip-Northwood Urban District|Ruislip-Northwood]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Uxbridge|Uxbridge]]</li>
</ol>
| [[File:Middlesex.svg|361px]]<br>Middlesex urban districts in 1961
| <ol start=14>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Ealing|Ealing]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Wembley|Wembley]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Willesden|Willesden]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Acton|Acton]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Brentford and Chiswick|Brentford and Chiswick]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Heston and Isleworth|Heston and Isleworth]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Southall|Southall]]</li>
<li>[[Hayes and Harlington Urban District|Hayes and Harlington]]</li>
<li>[[Yiewsley and West Drayton Urban District|Yiewsley and West Drayton]]</li>
<li>[[Staines Urban District|Staines]]</li>
<li>[[Feltham Urban District|Feltham]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Twickenham|Twickenham]]</li>
<li>[[Sunbury-on-Thames Urban District|Sunbury-on-Thames]]</li>
</ol>
|}

After 1889, the growth of London continued, and the county became almost entirely filled by suburbs of London, with a big rise in population density. This process was accelerated by the [[Metro-land]] developments, which covered a large part of the county.<ref>Royston, J., ''Revisiting the Metro-Land Route'', Harrow Times. Retrieved 20 February 2008.</ref> The expanding urbanisation had, however, been foretold in 1771 by [[Tobias Smollett]] in ''[[The Expedition of Humphry Clinker]]'', in which it is said:

{{Blockquote|Pimlico and Knightsbridge are almost joined to Chelsea and Kensington, and, if this infatuation continues for half a century, then, I suppose, the whole county of Middlesex will be covered in brick.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y7k_AQAAMAAJ&q=tobias+smollett+middlesex&pg=PA93|title=The Miscellaneous Works Of Tobias Smollett|access-date=30 January 2015|last1=Smollett|first1=Tobias George|last2=Anderson|first2=Robert|year=1806}}</ref>}}

Public transport in the county, including the extensive network of trams,<ref name=reed>Reed, J., ''London Tramways'', (1997)</ref> buses and the London Underground came under control of the [[London Passenger Transport Board]] in 1933<ref name=lpt>Office of Public Sector Information – ''[https://archive.today/20121223195009/http://www.uk-legislation.hmso.gov.uk/RevisedStatutes/Acts/ukpga/1933/cukpga_19330014_en_1 London Passenger Transport Act 1933 (as amended)]''. Retrieved 20 February 2008.</ref> and a [[New Works Programme]] was developed to further enhance services during the 1930s.<ref name=wolmar/> Partly because of its proximity to the capital, the county had a major role during the Second World War. The county was subject to [[The Blitz|aerial bombardment]] and contained military establishments, such as [[RAF Uxbridge]] and [[Heston Aerodrome|RAF Heston]], which were involved in the [[Battle of Britain]].<ref name=battle>Royal Air Force – [http://www.raf.mod.uk/bob1940/september28.html Battle of Britain Campaign Diary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216223244/http://www.raf.mod.uk/bob1940/september28.html |date=16 February 2008 }}. Retrieved 20 February 2008.</ref>