Editing Brentford

{{short description|Suburb of West London}}
{{For|the football club|Brentford F.C.}}
{{distinguish|Bretford|Brantford|Brentwood, Essex}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2015}}
{{Infobox UK place
| country                  = England
| region                   = London
| official_name            = Brentford
| coordinates              = {{coord|51.486|-0.310|display=inline,title}}
| london_borough           = Hounslow
| post_town                = BRENTFORD
| postcode_area            = TW
| postcode_district        = TW8
| dial_code                = 020
| os_grid_reference        = TQ1878
| constituency_westminster = [[Brentford and Isleworth (UK Parliament constituency)|Brentford & Isleworth]]
| static_image_name        = Brentford skyline.JPG
| static_image_caption     = Skyline of Brentford town centre, facing south-west.
| population               = {{#expr:{{london ward populations|00ATGS|population}}+{{london ward populations|00ATFZ|population}}}}
| population_ref           = ({{london ward populations|00ATGS|ward}}, {{london ward populations|00ATFZ|ward}} wards {{London ward populations|year}})<ref name="ons">{{cite web |title=Brentford Ward (as of 2011) |url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/localarea?compare=E05000347 |website=nomisweb.co.uk |access-date=9 June 2021}}</ref>
| area_total_km2           = 5.87
| charingX_distance_mi     = 8
| charingX_direction       = WNW
}}
'''Brentford''' is a suburban town in [[West (London sub region)|West London]], England and part of the [[London Borough of Hounslow]]. It lies at the [[confluence]] of the [[River Brent]] and the [[River Thames|Thames]], {{convert|8|mi|km}} west of [[Charing Cross]].

Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings which mark the start of the [[M4 corridor]]; in transport it also has two railway stations and [[Boston Manor tube station|Boston Manor Underground station]] on its north-west border with [[Hanwell]]. Brentford has a convenience shopping and dining venue grid of streets at its centre. Brentford at the start of the 21st century attracted regeneration of its little-used warehouse premises and docks including the re-modelling of the waterfront to provide more economically active shops, townhouses and apartments, some of which comprises [[Brentford Dock]]. A 19th and 20th centuries mixed social and private housing locality: New Brentford is contiguous with the [[Osterley]] neighbourhood of [[Isleworth]] and [[Syon Park]] and the Great West Road which has most of the largest business premises.

==History==
{{further|History of London}}

===Toponymy===
The name is recorded as ''Breguntford'' in 705 in an [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] charter and means [[Ford (crossing)|ford]] over the [[River Brent]]'.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gover |first1=J. E. B. |title=The Place Names of Middlesex |date=1922 |publisher=Longmans, Green and Co. |location=London, UK |url=https://archive.org/details/placenamesofmidd00goverich/mode/2up |access-date=9 June 2021}}</ref>{{rp|10}}

The name of the river derives from * ''brigant-'', a [[Common Brittonic|Brythonic]] word, meaning "high" or "elevated" (possibly in a holy sense). The river may also have been associated with the goddess [[Brigantia (goddess)|Brigantia]]. The suffix '-ford' is [[Old English]].<ref name="Mills">{{ cite book |last=Mills |first=D. |title=Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names |year=2000 |publisher=Oxford}}</ref> The ford was most likely located where the main road crossed the river. ''New Brentford'' is recorded as ''Newe Braynford'' in 1521 and was previously known as ''Westbraynford''. ''Old Brentford'' is recorded as ''Old Braynford'' in 1476 and was previously known as ''Estbraynford''.<ref name="Mills"/>

===Early Brentford===
The settlement pre-dates the Roman occupation of [[Great Britain|Britain]], and thus pre-dates the founding of nearby London. Many pre-Roman artefacts have been excavated in and around the area in Brentford known as 'Old England'. [[Bronze Age]] pottery and burnt flints have been found at separate sites in Brentford. The quality and quantity of the artefacts suggests that Brentford was a meeting point for pre-Romanic tribes. One well known [[Iron Age]] piece from about 100 BC – AD 50 is the Brentford horn-cap<ref>{{cite web|title=Bronze chariot fitting from Brentford|url=http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/archive/lbl/pages/moreObjResult.asp?id=4542&code=O1760&terms=horn+cap&search=&whichobj=&go=Go|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312112913/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/archive/lbl/pages/moreObjResult.asp?id=4542&code=O1760&terms=horn+cap&search=&whichobj=&go=Go|archive-date=12 March 2007|website=museumoflondon.org.uk}}</ref> – a ceremonial chariot fitting that formed part of local antiquarian Thomas Layton's collection,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/archive/lbl/pages/toursCollectors1.asp|title=Tour 1: Antiquarians, collectors and dealers: Thomas Layton|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110527080241/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/archive/lbl/pages/toursCollectors1.asp|archive-date=27 May 2011|website=museumoflondon.org.uk}}</ref> now held by the [[Museum of London]]. The [[celtic art|Celtic]] knot pattern (the 'Brentford Knot') on this item has been copied for use on modern jewellery.

[[File:Thames Lock, Brentford, Spring Tide, Twilight, 20050113.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The Thames Lock on the [[Grand Union Canal]] at Brentford]]
[[File:Brentford Dock lock gates and Justin Close - geograph.org.uk - 1086302.jpg| thumb|right|200px| Brentford Dock lock gates and Justin Close [[Brentford Dock]] is a basin off the Thames, with modern housing around it.]]
[[File:Brentford GWR Station (site) 1894854 78770255.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The former [[Brentford (GWR) railway station|Brentford GWR Station]] view eastward on Brentford High Street. The station, on a branch from Southall to Brentford Docks, had been on the left. The passenger station and the service from [[Southall]] were closed in May 1942, but although Brentford Dock was closed in 1964, goods trains ran to [[Brentford Town Goods]] until December 1970.]]
[[File:Confluence of Rivers Thames and Brent at Brentford - geograph.org.uk - 1444076.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Confluence of Rivers Thames and Brent at Brentford. The photograph was taken from the redeveloped docklands at Brentford. In the foreground is the River Brent, and in the background is the River Thames with the carpark [[Kew Gardens]] car park.]]

An amateur local history and an inscription outside the County Court claim that [[Julius Caesar|Julius Cæsar]] crossed the Thames here during his invasion of Britain in 54 BC, and fought a battle with [[Cassivellaunus]] close by.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thomaslayton.org.uk/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=42 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120914090624/http://www.thomaslayton.org.uk/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=42 |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 September 2012 |title=The Thomas Layton Collection, Inscription on the Brentford Monument |publisher=Thomaslayton.org.uk |access-date=3 June 2014 }}</ref> Cæsar describes the place as fortified with sharp stakes. The discovery of sharp stakes in the river-side at [[Brentford Dock]] in the early 20th century was taken by [[Montagu Sharpe]] as evidence of a fortified crossing-site, and Caesar's battle.<ref>Sharpe, Montagu (1926). Some accounts of bygone Hanwell. Page 7,8,9, & 10. Brentford Printing and Publishing Coy., Ltd. London. UK.</ref> The stakes were removed as a hazard to river-traffic, and Sharpe's claims are not supported by further excavations.

[[Historic counties of England|Historically]] part of [[Middlesex]], in the south-eastern corner of [[Elthorne Hundred]], it has formed part of [[Greater London]] since 1965.

===English Civil War===
{{See also|Battle of Brentford (1642)}}
In November 1642 a Royalist army advancing on London overcame a much smaller Parliamentarian force in battle at Brentford. The town was ransacked in the immediate aftermath of the engagement.<ref>Civil War: The Wars of the Three Kingdoms 1638-1660, Trevor Royle, p205. Abacus, 2004. {{ISBN|978-0-349-11564-1}}</ref>

===Local fair===
A local town fair, the Brentford Festival, has been held in Brentford every September since 1900.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brentfordfestival.org.uk/BF2010.htm |title=Brentford Festival 2010 |publisher=Brentfordfestival.org.uk |access-date=3 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140601214715/http://www.brentfordfestival.org.uk/BF2010.htm |archive-date=1 June 2014  }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brentfordfestival.org.uk/BF2010PressRelease2.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=6 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316022925/http://www.brentfordfestival.org.uk/BF2010PressRelease2.pdf |archive-date=16 March 2012  }}</ref>

===Brentford Dock===
{{main|Brentford Dock}}
The building of [[Brentford Dock]] was started in 1855<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brentforddock150.co.uk/history.shtml |title=Brentford Dock History |access-date=15 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110911045726/http://www.brentforddock150.co.uk/history.shtml |archive-date=11 September 2011  }}</ref> and it was formally opened in 1859. The [[Dock (maritime)|dock yard]] is now a [[marina]] and [[housing estate]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brentforddock150.co.uk/ |title=Brentford Dock's 150th Anniversary |access-date=15 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106075510/http://www.brentforddock150.co.uk/ |archive-date=6 January 2010  }}</ref>

===The Hardwick family===
A notable family from Brentford was the 18th-/19th-century architectural father and son partnership, the Hardwicks. Thomas Hardwick Senior (1725–1798) and [[Thomas Hardwick|Thomas Hardwick Junior]] (1752–1829) were both from Brentford and are buried in the old church of St Laurence. Hardwick Senior was the master mason for the [[Robert Adam|Adam Brothers]] during the construction of [[Syon House]]. Hardwick Junior assisted in the building of [[Somerset House]] and was known for his designs of churches in the capital. He was also a tutor of [[J. M. W. Turner]] and he helped start Turner's illustrious career in art. Both father and son did a great deal of remodelling and rebuilding on the church of St Laurence.

===Timeline===
* 781 Council of Brentford recording settlement of a dispute between King [[Offa of Mercia]], and the [[Bishop of Worcester]]
* 1016 [[Battle of Brentford (1016)|Battle of Brentford]] between the invading [[Canute the Great|Canute]] and [[Edmund II of England|Edmund Ironside]]
* 1431 Relocation of [[Syon Abbey]] to Brentford from [[Twickenham]]
* 1539 Destruction of Syon Abbey by King [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]]
* 1616 – 1617 [[Pocahontas]], a [[Native American tribes in Virginia|Native American]] woman, belonging to the [[Powhatan people]], resided in Brentford with her husband, [[John Rolfe]] and son [[Thomas Rolfe|Thomas]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Pocahontas in England |url=https://www.historytoday.com/pocahontas-england |website=www.historytoday.com |access-date=5 January 2023}}</ref>
* 1642 [[Battle of Brentford (1642)|Battle of Brentford]] during the [[English Civil War]]
* 1682 "A very violent storm of rain, accompanied with thunder and lightning, caused a sudden flood, which did great damage to the town of Brentford."<ref name="british-history.ac.uk">{{cite web |title=Brentford {{!}} British History Online |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=45404 |website=www.british-history.ac.uk |access-date=9 June 2021}}</ref>
* 1717 Brentford [[Turnpike trust|Turnpike Trust]] founded to maintain the road between [[Kensington]] and [[Hounslow]]
* 1756 Ronalds nursery established by [[Hugh Ronalds]]' father on Brentford High Street (closed 1880)<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ronalds|first=B.F.|date=2017|title=Ronalds Nurserymen in Brentford and Beyond|journal=Garden History|volume=45|pages=82–100}}</ref>
* 1805 Start of operations of the [[Grand Junction Canal]] (later the [[Grand Union Canal]])
* 1806 [[James Montgomrey]]'s father James Montgomrey Snr commenced operating a large timber mill at Montgomrey's Wharf, a yard formerly occupied by his cousin (relocated 1911)<ref name="JM1">{{Cite journal|last=Ronalds|first=B.F.|date=2018|title=The Montgomrey Family of Brentford: Timber Merchants and Benefactors|journal=London's Industrial Archaeology|volume=16|pages=57–69}}</ref>
* 1815 – 1817 [[John Quincy Adams]], sixth President of the US, lived in Brentford.
* 1828 William Corder was arrested on Wednesday 23 April at Everley Grove House, Ealing Lane in Brentford, for the notorious [[Red Barn Murder]].
* 1841 Brentford was flooded, caused by the [[Brent Reservoir]] becoming overfull so that the overflow cut a breach in the earth dam. Several lives lost.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bott |first1=V. |title=Flood! : the Brentford flood of 1841 |date=2002 |publisher=Brentford & Chiswick Local History Society |location=London |isbn=0950802506}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/water/rs/pdf/defra_rs_flood-etc-16.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=21 August 2007 |archive-date=6 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080406002331/http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/water/rs/pdf/defra_rs_flood-etc-16.pdf |url-status=bot: unknown }} Vol 2: Appendix D pg 34. Accessed 21 August 2007</ref>
* 1849 Start of operations of the [[Hounslow Loop Line|Hounslow Loop line]], providing service to Kew Bridge, Brentford Central and Syon Lane stations in the Brentford area.
* 1859 Start of operations of the [[Brentford branch line|Great Western & Brentford Railway]], built in part on [[James Montgomrey]]'s land and linking [[Brentford Dock]] to the [[Great Western Railway]] main line at [[Southall]]. Additional passenger station named [[Brentford railway station (1860-1942)|'Brentford Town']] later constructed just north of Brentford High Street.
* 1884 Start of operations of [[Boston Manor tube station|Boston Manor Underground station]] (then known as Boston Road).
* 1889 [[Brentford F.C.|Brentford Football Club]] founded by a rowing club seeking a winter sport.
* 30 May 1925 – Great West Road officially opened by King [[George V of the United Kingdom|George V]]. Later the Brentford section became known as the [[Golden Mile (Brentford)|Golden Mile]] due to the large number of factories that relocated there to take advantage of the good communications. The factories provided high employment and stimulation to the local economy.
* 1 January 1929 – Grand Junction Canal bought by the [[Regent's Canal]] and amalgamated with other canals to form the Grand Union Canal.
* 1965 Opening of elevated section of [[M4 motorway]].
<!-- ==Governance== -->

==Local government==
Brentford developed around the ancient boundary between the parishes of [[Ealing]] and [[Hanwell]]. It was divided between the chapelry of Old Brentford to the east in Ealing and the chapelry of New Brentford in Hanwell to the west. Of the two areas, Old Brentford was significantly larger.

New Brentford was first described as the [[county town]] of [[Middlesex]] in 1789, on the basis that it was the location of elections of knights for the shire (or [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Members of Parliament]] (MPs)) from 1701.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ealing and Brentford: Growth of Brentford {{!}} British History Online |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=22575 |website=www.british-history.ac.uk |access-date=9 June 2021}}</ref> In 1795 New Brentford (as it was then) was "considered as the county-town; but there is no town-hall or other public building" causing confusion that remains to this day (see [[county town of Middlesex]]).<ref name="british-history.ac.uk"/>

The [[London Borough of Hounslow]] was formed in 1965, under the [[London Government Act 1963]], by the merger of the areas of the [[Municipal Borough of Brentford and Chiswick]], the [[Municipal Borough of Heston and Isleworth]] and [[Feltham Urban District]] of [[Middlesex]].

==Demography and housing==
{| class="wikitable"
|+ '''2011 Census homes'''
|-
!Ward !!Detached  !!Semi-detached!!Terraced!!Flats and apartments!!Caravans/temporary/mobile homes/houseboats!!Shared between households<ref name=ons/>
|-
|Brentford||	150	||	826	||	1,425	||	3,511	||	17	||	25
|-
|Syon (most homes in the ward<br />are in New Brentford)||147	||	806	||	1,488	||	3,299	||	33	||	17
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ '''2011 Census households'''
!Ward !!Population !!Households !!% Owned outright !!% Owned with a loan!!hectares<ref name=ons/>
|-
|Brentford||14,353	||	5,954	||	15	||	23	||	315
|-
|Syon	||13,554	||	5,790	||	16	||	28	||	272
|}

In Brentford, those who ethnically identify as [[Classification of ethnicity in the United Kingdom|BAME]] (Black, Asian and minority Ethnic) was 33.9% in the Brentford ward and 34.2% in the Syon ward at the 2011 UK census. The median age of the population was 32 years in Brentford ward and 34 years in Syon ward. Both wards have about equal proportions of household types, with flats/maisonettes/apartments forming a majority in both wards.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/ward-profiles-and-atlas |title=Ward Profiles and Atlas |publisher=Greater London Authority |access-date=20 August 2021 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027133052/http://data.london.gov.uk:80/dataset/ward-profiles-and-atlas |archive-date=27 October 2014 }}</ref>

==Economy==
{{More citations needed section|date=September 2011}}
[[File:The Beehive pub, Brentford, 2024.jpg|thumb|The Beehive pub]]

* [[Allianz|Allianz Cornhill Animal Health]]
* [[Brompton Bicycle]] (Headquarters), manufacturer of folding bicycles was based here for many years, but moved to a new factory in Greenford, Ealing in 2017
* [[Carillion]]
* [[Datapoint]] (Headquarters)*
* [[Global Blue]] (previously Global Refund)<ref>{{cite web |title=Home {{!}} Global Blue |url=http://www.global-blue.com/en/home |access-date=9 June 2021 |date=9 October 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101009141309/http://www.global-blue.com/en/home |archive-date=9 October 2010 }}</ref> (Formerly the EMC Corporation HQ, aka 'EMC Tower')
* E.M.Tool Designs (Ltd) (Headquarters)
* Heidelberg Graphic Equipment Ltd. (subsidiary of [[Heidelberger Druckmaschinen|Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uk.heidelberg.com |title=Heidelberg – Heidelberg UK |publisher=Uk.heidelberg.com |access-date=3 June 2014}}</ref>
* [[JCDecaux]] UK<ref>{{cite web |title=Contact Us |url=http://www.jcdecaux.co.uk/contact/?departmentid=58 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301040459/http://www.jcdecaux.co.uk/contact/?departmentid=58 |archive-date=1 March 2012}}</ref>
* [[Sega Europe]] has its head office in Brentford<ref>{{cite web |title=SEGA US - Corporate |url=https://www.sega.com/corporate/ |website=SEGA |access-date=9 June 2021 |language=en |date=19 March 2015 |archive-date=9 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609142503/https://www.sega.com/corporate/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Sky (company)|Sky]]
* [[Tie Rack|Tie Rack Corporate Neckwear]]
* [[ViiV Healthcare]]
* [[WorleyParsons]] (Greater London offices)

==Landmarks==
[[File:Syon House West Aspect.JPG|thumb|Syon House]]

===The Syon estate===
[[Syon House]], the Greater London residence of the [[Duke of Northumberland]], is a large mansion and park in ''Syon'' ward, described above, that has long been shared with [[Isleworth]]. Some of its seasonally marshy land is now a public [[nature reserve]]. The estate has a hotel (Hilton London Syon Park), visitor centre and garden centre.

[[Syon Abbey]], demolished and replaced (with reworked gatehouses) by the newer mansion, had the largest abbey church in England in the [[Middle Ages]].

The location of Syon Abbey in the park was unknown until archeological investigations in the grounds in 2003 (for the television series ''[[Time Team]]'') and 2004 revealed the foundations of the abbey church. It was larger than [[Westminster Abbey]] is now, but no above-ground structure remains. There were complex reasons for its destruction.

The [[London Butterfly House]] in Syon Park was an [[:fr:Insectarium|insectarium]] like a large [[Greenhouse|glasshouse]] containing a [[butterfly zoo]]. Visitors could see butterflies and moths flying about, feeding, and emerging from [[Pupa|chrysalises]]. There was also a colony of large ants (kept with the butterflies), a small tropical bird aviary, and a small gallery of reptiles, amphibians, insects and spiders. The lease on the current site expired in October 2007 and the Butterfly House closed on 28 October.

[[File:Boston Manor front.jpg|thumb|left|Front of Boston Manor House]] [[Boston Manor House]], built in 1622, is a [[Jacobean architecture|Jacobean]] [[manor house]], noted for its fine plasterwork ceilings.

Syon Park House ([[Destruction of country houses in 20th-century Britain|demolished in 1953]], and not to be confused with Syon House itself) housed the 'Syon Park Academy' where the poet [[Percy Bysshe Shelley]] was educated between the ages of 10 and 12 before moving on to [[Eton College|Eton]]. A Royal Mail depot stands on the site now. This may also be the site of the dwelling where [[Pocahontas]] lived in [[Brentford End]] between 1616 and 1617.

===Brentford Monument===
[[File:Brentford County Court.jpg|thumb|Monument outside Brentford County Court commemorating four major events in the town's history]]
In 1909 a monument was made out of two stone pillars that used to support lamps on the old Brentford bridge over the Grand Union Canal. The monument originally stood at the end of Ferry Lane; after being covered in coal unloaded from boats, it was moved further up the lane in 1955. In 1992 it was moved again to its present site at the junction of Brentford High Street and Alexandra Road, outside the County Court. The monument commemorates four major events in Brentford's history: the supposed crossing of the Thames by [[Julius Caesar]] in 54 BC; the council of Brentford by King [[Offa of Mercia]] in 781; the defeat of King [[Canute the Great|Canute]] by King [[Edmund II of England|Edmund Ironside]] at the first [[Battle of Brentford (1016)|Battle of Brentford]] in 1016; and the second [[Battle of Brentford (1642)|Battle of Brentford]] in 1642.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bhsproject.co.uk/pc_monument1_hw.shtml|title=Brentford Monument|publisher=BHS Project|access-date= 2 August 2014}}</ref>

===Saint Paul's Church===
[[File:St Paul, St Paul's Street, Brentford, Mx TW8 0PN - geograph.org.uk - 710904.jpg|thumb|left|Saint Paul's Church]]
Built in 1868 from Kentish [[ragstone]], Saint Paul's Church is one of Brentford's two current [[Church of England|Anglican]] [[parish church]]es, and a distinct landmark. Its [[spire]] is clearly visible. The architect was H. Francis and [[James Montgomrey]] was a principal subscriber and chairman of the building committee.<ref name="JM1"/> In 1959 and 1961 the parishes of the nearby churches of Saint George and Saint Lawrence were amalgamated with Saint Paul.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/middx/vol7/pp153-157|title=Churches: Brentford|publisher=British History|access-date=2 February 2015}}</ref>

Inside the church is a painting by local artist [[Johann Zoffany]] called ''Christ's Last Supper''. It was originally intended to be installed in [[St Anne's Church, Kew]], but the local people objected, and therefore in 1887 it was installed in Saint George's Church instead. When that church was closed in 1959, the painting was transferred to its present location in Saint Paul's Church.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brentfordtw8.com/default.asp?section=info&page=localhistory006.htm|title=Johann Zoffany|publisher=Brentford local website|access-date=2 February 2015}}</ref>

===Saint Faith's Church===
Brentford's other Anglican parish church, Saint Faith's, is a comparatively recent building, dating from 1906 to 1907. Designed in [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival]] style, by G F Bodley and D G Hare, it was described by the poet [[John Betjeman]]:

{{quote|St Faith's displays all the splendour of Bodley in its simplicity and strength. It rises like a great ship over the housetops and inside the view from the west end leads you naturally to the altar and up to the roof.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brentfordhistory.com/2013/12/21/st-faiths-church/|title=Saint Faith's Church|date=21 December 2013|publisher=Brentford History|access-date=2 February 2015}}</ref>}}

===Saint Lawrence's Church===
[[File:St Lawrence's Church, Brentford, London.jpg|thumb|The derelict St Lawrence's church]]
There has been a church on the site of Brentford's former parish church of Saint Lawrence since the 12th century, but the tower dates from the 15th century, and the remainder of the church was rebuilt in 1764 from brick. There were a number of interesting monuments in the church, including one dedicated to a Maurice de Berkeley, dating from 1189, who was buried in the original church. The church was closed in 1961 and the monuments removed, and the parish was united with Saint Paul's.<ref>{{cite book|author=Weinreb, Ben|author2=Hibbert, Christopher|author2-link=Christopher Hibbert|name-list-style=amp |title=The London Encyclopaedia |edition=reprint |year=1992 |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan]] |page=750|title-link=The London Encyclopaedia}}</ref> The church has now been in a derelict state for more than half a century but the graveyard still holds the Ronalds vault where [[Hugh Ronalds]] and numerous members of his family are buried.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sirfrancisronalds.co.uk/vault.html|title=Ronalds Family Vault|website=Sir Francis Ronalds and his Family|access-date=9 May 2018}}</ref> A [[war memorial]] stood outside the church until 2009, when it was moved to Brentford Library.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bhsproject.co.uk/photo_memorial1709.shtml|title=West Brentford War Memorial Restoration|work=Brentford History Project|access-date=2 February 2015}}</ref>

===Saint John the Evangelist's Church===
[[St John the Evangelist Church, Brentford|St John the Evangelist Church]], opened in 1866, was built for Irish railway construction workers, by an architect named Jackman.

===Saint George's Church===
An unconsecrated chapel was built from subscriptions raised from 57 prominent inhabitants on the site in 1762; previously the parish was part of Ealing. The old chapel was demolished in 1886 and eventually replaced by the current building designed by [[A. W. Blomfield]]. The painting of the Last Supper by Zoffany was transferred to the new church. It was closed in 1959 and used as the home for the Musical Museum from 1963 until the Museum moved to new premises. It is now (2017) being converted into flats.

===On the periphery===
[[Gunnersbury Park]] Museum is in Gunnersbury House, narrowly in Gunnersbury (the north-west of Chiswick) containing [[artifact (archaeology)|artefacts]] and former furnishings of the [[Rothschild family]], who were culturally and financially pre-eminent across France, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and North America.

[[Kew Gardens]] is visible from the scattering of high rise buildings towering over the town and some of the mid rise ones.

The Weir public house, formerly 'The White Horse', was where the artist [[J. M. W. Turner]] lived for one year at the age of ten. He is regarded as having started his interest in painting while living there. Later he lived in [[Isleworth]] and [[Twickenham]].
[[File:Pool of Brentford Lock.jpg|thumb|The Pool of Brentford Lock with new developments and the [[GlaxoSmithKline|GSK]] building in background]]

===Brentford Dock===
[[Brentford Dock]] came to single use and engineered enlargement as a freight terminus of the [[Great Western Railway]]. It was designed by [[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]] and built between 1855 and 1859 at the confluence of the River Thames and River Brent – part of the land was [[James Montgomrey]]'s Montgomrey's Wharf.<ref name="JM1"/> A spur line from the GWR at Southall was constructed to the Brentford Dock railway station to facilitate easy transferral of freight from [[lighter (barge)|lighters]] and [[barge]]s on the Thames to GWR-served destinations in the west of the country. The dock was redeveloped as residential accommodation from the early 1970s, and little [[industrial archaeology]] remains. However, Dock Road still retains some of its original fan pattern [[cobblestone]] road bed and examples of Brunel's broad-gauge 'bridge section' rail can be seen there.

The ''Brentford Dock'' flats (originally named the ''Tiber Estate'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://brentford.inuk.com/bd.htm|title=HISTORY OF THE DOCKS BRENTFORD|access-date=7 January 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705054140/http://www.brentford.inuk.com/bd.htm|archive-date=5 July 2008}}</ref> were built alongside formerly important transport infrastructure as Brentford is the terminus of the [[Grand Union Canal]], originally the Grand Junction Canal. This waterway is still in use for leisure traffic as part of the [[Grand Union Canal]].

===Others===

[[File:Carnegie Library(2), Brentford, 20050123.jpg|thumb|[[Brentford Library|Brentford Public Library]]]]
[[Brentford Library|Brentford Public Library]] is a [[Carnegie library]], built by the architect [[Nowell Parr]] and opened in 1904.<ref name="English Heritage">{{National Heritage List for England |num=1334382 |desc=Brentford Public Library|accessdate=3 April 2015}}</ref> Outside the library is the Brentford War Memorial,<ref>{{cite web |title=Men Of Brentford |url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/12069 |website=Imperial War Museums |publisher=Imperial War Museum |access-date=23 December 2021 |language=en}}</ref> accompanied by three smaller war memorials.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Middlesex/BrentfordGasLightAndCokeCompany.html|title=Roll of Honour- Brentford Gas Light and Coke Company|work=Roll of Honour|accessdate=15 July 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bhsproject.co.uk/photo_memorial1709.shtml|title=West Brentford War Memorial Restoration|work=Brentford History Project|accessdate=15 July 2014}}</ref> There is also [[Jim Pooley]]'s bench honouring [[Robert Rankin]]'s writing connection with the borough.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Charnick |first1=David |title=Whoops Apocalypse: Catastrophe Diverted in Robert Rankin's Brentford Trilogy |url=https://www.academia.edu/34735767 |website=Academia |access-date=23 December 2021}}</ref>

[[Brentford Baths]] (1896), also by the architect [[Nowell Parr]], is a Grade II [[listed building|listed]] example of late [[Victorian architecture]].

The [[London Museum of Water & Steam]] houses the world's largest working [[beam engine]], and its narrow cuboid tower is an emblem of the town.

The [[Musical Museum, Brentford|Musical Museum]] houses a large collection of mechanical musical instruments, such as [[player piano]]s and a [[Wurlitzer organ]].

[[File:Brentford-houseboats-5840.jpg|thumb|Houseboats on the Thames at Brentford, from Kew Bridge]]

The Butts Estate, a Georgian square and associated conservation area, contains several Grade II listed buildings some dating back to 1680.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brentforddockresidents.co.uk/history.php|title=Brentford Dock Residents – Brentford and Brentford Dock history|access-date=9 June 2014|archive-date=24 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161224103559/http://www.brentforddockresidents.co.uk/history.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the Butts is located St Mary's Convent, a grade II listed building from the late 18th century, now a convent and residential care home, Maryville Care Home.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 November 2013 |title=St Raphael or St Mary's Convent |url=https://brentfordhistory.com/2013/11/25/st-raphael-or-st-marys-convent/ |website=Brentford History}}</ref>

==Sports==
[[Brentford F.C.]] is a professional English [[association football|football]] club, based in Brentford, and currently playing in the [[Premier League]].
The club was founded in 1889 by members of the defunct Brentford Rowing Club and plays its home games at the [[Brentford Community Stadium|Gtech Community Stadium]], having played at [[Griffin Park]] between 1904 and 2020. The club has a long-standing rivalry with near neighbours, [[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]] and [[Queens Park Rangers F.C.|QPR]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.talkfootball.co.uk/guides/brentford_fc_history.html |title=Guide |publisher=TalkFootball |access-date=3 June 2014}}</ref> The Stadium was also used by the former [[Premiership Rugby]] side [[London Irish]].

Griffin Park is also the former home of [[Chelsea Football Club]] Reserves. From 2002 until September 2005, it was the home of the [[Harlequins RL|London Broncos]] [[rugby league]] club – subsequently they were renamed [[Harlequins RL]] and transferred to [[The Stoop]]).

==Transport==
Nearest London Underground stations:
* [[Northfields tube station|Northfields]]
* [[Boston Manor tube station|Boston Manor]]
* [[South Ealing tube station|South Ealing]]
* [[Gunnersbury station|Gunnersbury]]

Nearest railway stations:
* [[Brentford railway station]]
* [[Kew Bridge railway station]]
* [[Syon Lane railway station]]

==In literature==
The phrase 'like two kings of Brentford' refers to former enemies who are now good friends. It appears in:
* the play [[The Rehearsal (play)|The Rehearsal]] (1672), by [[George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham|George Villiers]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hidden-london.com/gazetteer/brentford/|title = Brentford - Hidden London}}</ref>
* the poem The Sofa by [[William Cowper]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.poetry.com/poem/40185/the-task:-book-i.----the-sofa|title=The Task: Book I. -- The Sofa by William Cowper|website=www.poetry.com}}</ref>
* the novel Tom Cringle's Log, by [[Michael Scott (Scottish author)|Michael Scott]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/7281/7281-h/7281-h.htm|title=Tom Cringle's Log, by Michael Scott|website=www.gutenberg.org}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
{{more citations needed|section|date=January 2019}}
Brentford's industrial status and the Great West Road are notable facets of [[Aldous Huxley]]'s 1932 novel ''[[Brave New World]]''. Set in London in AD 2540 (632 A.F.—"After [[Henry Ford|Ford]]"), the influential dystopia anticipates changes in [[reproductive technology]], sleep-learning, [[psychological manipulation]], and [[classical conditioning]] that combine to change society profoundly.

The [[BBC Three (former)|BBC Three]] sitcom ''[[People Just Do Nothing]]'' is set in and around Brentford.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1045214/People-Just-Do-Nothing-season-5-filming-location-setting-Brentford-London-BBC-series|title=People Just Do Nothing season 5 location: Where is the new series filmed?|last=Nolan|first=Emma|date=14 November 2018|website=Express.co.uk|language=en|access-date=28 January 2019|quote=People Just Do Nothing is a mockumentary set in Brentford, West London.}}</ref>

''[[The Brentford Trilogy]]'', a (ten-book) series of "far-fetched fiction" novels by [[Robert Rankin]], humorously chronicle the lives of a couple of drunken middle-aged layabouts, Jim Pooley and John Omally, who confront the forces of darkness in the environs of western Greater London, usually with the assistance of large quantities of beer from their favourite public house, The Flying Swan. Several of Rankin's other books are also set in or reference Brentford.

==See also==
{{Portal|London}}
* [[List of people from Hounslow]]
* [[List of schools in Hounslow]]
{{Clear}}

==References==
;Notes
{{Reflist}}
;Bibliography
{{refbegin|2}}
* The Archive Photographs Series, Brentford; Tempus Publishing Ltd., 1998, {{ISBN|0-7524-0627-2}}
* Brentford as it was; Hendon Publishing Co. Ltd., Second impression May 1993, {{ISBN|0-86067-082-1}}
* Brentford Past; Historical Publications Ltd., {{ISBN|0-948667-79-6}}
* Old Ordnance Survey Maps, Brentford 1894, The Godfrey Edition; Alan Godfrey Maps, {{ISBN|0-85054-509-9}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
* {{Citation |publisher = Cassell & Co. |location = London |title = Greater London |author = Edward Walford |author-link = Edward Walford |date = 1883 |oclc = 3009761 |chapter= Brentford |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/greaterlondonnar01walf#page/29/mode/1up }}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Brentford, London Borough of Hounslow}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060909054447/http://www.richmondandtwickenhamtimes.co.uk/news/newsbct/ Brentford, Chiswick & Isleworth Times online]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060508205707/http://www.brentford.inuk.com/ Fairly comprehensive amateur local history website on Brentford]
* [http://www.bhsproject.co.uk/ Brentford High Street project: people and properties 1840–1940]
* [http://www.parishofbrentford.org.uk/ Parish of Brentford – St Faith's and St Paul's]
* {{cite EB1911|wstitle=Brentford|volume=4}}

{{NSEW|[[Ealing]]|[[Kew, London|Kew]]|[[Chiswick]]|[[Osterley]]|'''NW:''' [[Hanwell]]|'''NE:''' [[Gunnersbury]]|'''SW:''' [[Isleworth]], [[Twickenham]]|'''SE:''' [[Strand-on-the-Green]], [[Chiswick]]}}
{{LB Hounslow}}
{{London Districts}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Areas of London]]
[[Category:Brentford, London| ]]
[[Category:Districts of the London Borough of Hounslow]]
[[Category:Market towns in London]]
[[Category:Districts of London on the River Thames]]
[[Category:Places formerly in Middlesex]]
[[Category:District centres of London]]