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Isleworth
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Isleworth is an affluent suburb located in the London Borough of Hounslow alongside the River Thames in west London. Note that the name is pronounced "eye-zul-worth" and not "eye-l-worth". Isleworth's relatively small river frontage is dominated by Isleworth Ait. The River Crane flows into the Thames to the south of Isleworth Ait. The Crane's distributary, the Duke of Northumberland's River, also flows into the Thames to the west of Isleworth Ait.
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A riverside settlement on the Middlesex bank of the River Thames, Isleworth was well established by the time of the Norman Conquest in the 11th century. Excavations around the eastern end of Syon Park Estate unearthed evidence of Romano-British settlement. The earliest form of the name is Gislhaesuuyrth, meaning Gilhere's settlement. Isleworth's southern part is known as 'Old Isleworth', while its northern part, bordering on Osterley, is known as 'Spring Grove'.
From the Norman Conquest until 1227 the Norman family of St Valeri held the manor of Isleworth. The family gave the manor to the Abbey of St Valeri which stood at the mouth of the Somme, Picardy. Henry III seized the Isleworth and other property of the St Valeri family and gave the manor to his brother, the Earl of Cornwall, who built a new manor house, which was burned down by the London mob in 1264.
In 1431 a monastery was built on the site of the present Syon Park, and Henry V granted the nuns from the Bridgettine order land on the banks of the Thames where they built their first house in 1415.
Henry VIII demolished most of the monastery in 1539 and the site was granted to Edward Seymour, the Duke of Somerset. It was Seymour who built Syon House in 1548. The Royalist army occupied the house during the Battle of Brentford in November 1642, and Oliver Cromwell stayed there in 1647. Syon Park was rebuilt and landscaped by the Adam brothers and ‘Capability’ Brown between 1766 and 1773, and is still a home for the Duke of Northumberland.
All Saint’s parish church dates from the 14th century and the tower has endured fire and the passage of time to survive to the present day. By the end of the 17th century it was in need of repair and Christopher Wren, who, as well as rebuilding St Paul’s Cathedral, had repaired many London churches, was approached to submit a plan for the building. His project was deemed too expensive until 1705 when Sir Orlando Gee died and left £500 towards the work. This sum, combined with funds raised through subscriptions, meant that the work, with a few modifications, could commence and was finished in 1706. In 1943 a fire, started by two school boys, who a few days later set fire to Holy Trinity Church in Hounslow, destroyed much of the building. The present church was built in 1970 to replace an earlier church building incorporating the original 14th century stone tower.
Much of Isleworth became orchards in the 18th century, which were replaced by market gardens in the 19th century to supply vegetables for the London markets. In 1862 Francis Pears decided to expand his soap making business and bought land on the London Road for a factory. Another, larger, factory was opened on the opposite side of the road in the 1880’s and soap was made on the site until 1962.
Lower Square still has buildings dating from the 18th and early-19th centuries as well as the redevelopment of the 1980s.
Isleworth's facilities include a public library, swimming pool, gym, a playground called Redlees park, and a town hall. Also located in Isleworth is Nazareth house, a Catholic convent. Another convent is also located on Twickenham Road with the attached secondary school the Gumley House Convent School for Girls .
Isleworth has links with some famous artists:
- In 1804, Joseph Mallord William Turner moved to live in Sion Ferry House in Isleworth, where he drew inspiration from the picturesque banks of the Thames. He later painted subjects such as the Houses of Parliament and Hampton Court from the Thames.
- Charles Dickens used to drink at the London Apprentice pub, which is just outside Syon Park, opposite the Isleworth Ait.
- Vincent Van Gogh moved to Isleworth in 1876 to become a teacher and assistant preacher at a local school. He is said to have fallen in love with his landlord's daughter, who, sadly for him, did not share this affection. There is a blue and white plaque - commemorating Van Gogh's stay - on the building on Twickenham Road, facing Worton Road at the T-junction.
- Isleworth Studios used to exist here, where some scenes were filmed for the The African Queen, starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn.
- Isleworth is also home to the headquarters and main studios of British Sky Broadcasting.
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