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Acton, London
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Acton is a place in west London, England situated west of Charing Cross. At the time of the 2001 census, Acton, comprising the wards of East Acton, Acton Central, South Acton and Southfield, had a population of 53,689 people.
Acton means "oak farm" or "farm by oak trees", and is derived from the Anglo-Saxon ac (oak) and tun (farm). Originally an ancient village (mentioned in the Domesday Book), as London expanded, Acton became absorbed into the city.
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Encyclopedia
Acton is a place in west London, England situated west of Charing Cross. At the time of the 2001 census, Acton, comprising the wards of East Acton, Acton Central, South Acton and Southfield, had a population of 53,689 people.
Acton means "oak farm" or "farm by oak trees", and is derived from the Anglo-Saxon ac (oak) and tun (farm). Originally an ancient village (mentioned in the Domesday Book), as London expanded, Acton became absorbed into the city. Nowadays, Acton lies predominantly in the London Borough of Ealing, although some of East Acton lies within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and a small portion of South Acton within the London Borough of Hounslow. Acton is home to more railway stations than any other area of London; seven stations in the locality feature Acton in their name.
Central Acton lies on the former main road between London and Oxford (the Uxbridge Road) and several inns along it date back several centuries as stopping places for travellers. Nowadays, the principal route linking London and Oxford (the A40 dual carriageway) bypasses central Acton, but passes through North Acton.
History
Towards the end of the 17th century several springs were found on the north-east side of Acton and, for a time, they became health spas. As a result of the local soft water Acton became famous for its laundries and at the end of the 19th century there were around 170 establishments in South Acton. These laundries would serve hotels and the rich in London's West End, leading to the nickname "soapsuds island".
The Braybrook Street area of Acton attained notoriety on 12 August 1966 when three policemen were shot dead after they apprehended three men inside a Standard Vanguard car which was parked in the street after realising it had no tax disc. Exactly four months later, Harry Roberts, Jack Witney and John Duddy were found guilty on three charges of murder at the Old Bailey and sentenced to life imprisonment. Duddy remained in prison until he died in 1981 at the age of 52. Witney was paroled in 1991 after serving 25 years in prison, and died in 1999 at the age of 69 after being attacked at his home in Bristol. Roberts is still in prison more than 40 years after being captured, and is now one of the longest serving prisoners in England and Wales.
Development
Acton formed an urban district and, later, municipal borough of Middlesex from 1894 to 1965. Its former area was used to form part of the London Borough of Ealing in 1965.
During the 20th Century Acton was a major industrial centre employing tens of thousands of people, particularly in the motor vehicles and components industries. The industries of North Acton merged with the great industrial concentrations of Park Royal and Harlesden. Further south Acton Vale had famous names including Napier & Son (engines), H. Bronnley & Co (Soaps), Evershed & Vignoles (electrical equipment), Lucas CAV (automotive electrical), Vandervell Products (bearings), T. Wall & Son (Wall's Sausages and Wall's Ice Cream) and Wilkinson Sword (swords and razors). Acton is now principally residential, though it maintains some light industry, particularly in the northeast Park Royal area, and the south near the border with Chiswick.
Acton is home to the largest housing estate in West London, the South Acton estate, with approximately 2,000 homes and 5,800 residents. This area is currently in the Phase 2 of a major 15-year phased regeneration which includes near-total demolition of the existing residential units, and the construction of new and more numerous residential units.
Since World War II, Acton has had a small but notable population of Polish immigrants. In recent years, a number of Antipodean immigrants have settled there; there are several Australian and South African pubs concentrated in a small area. Other substantial immigrant groups include Iraqis and Somalis. A Japanese school has attracted a Japanese community to West Acton. The Irish community has diminished somewhat in recent years, but there are still a number of well-supported Irish pubs in the area.
Out and about in Acton
Eating and Drinking
Acton High Street has a range of pubs which vary in theme and clientele. The Redback Tavern (which is an Australian bar) is a particularly popular pub for the many Antipodeans who live in and travel to the area. The newly opened 'Belvedere' on the High Street is the UK's first Polish pub run by a UK chain. More traditional pubs include the newly restored 'St George and the Dragon' on the High Street, which has earned Fancyapint.com's top 5-pint rating. The Red Lion & Pineapple (a Wetherspoons pub) is popular with all ages. On and around the High Street is a range of restaurants, including the Be Thai, Thai Nice, the North China and the only Nepalese restaurant in the W3/W4 area, now called Monty's. The Windmill on 50 High St, is the last family run independent freehouse in Acton and prides itself on its high standard of service and its excellent home cooked food. It is seen by locals young and old as the place to be for all occasions.
On Churchfield Road, which runs north of and parallel to the High Street, is a range of pubs and restaurants, from the Churchfield near the level crossing to the Rocket, a gastropub and further along the road , an organic coffee shop and deli. There are Korean, Lebanese, Chinese, Portuguese and Spanish bars and various restaurants. Churchfield Road also features a florists, several specialist clothes and antique shops and many hairdressers.
Recreation
The recently refurbished 'Mount' on Acton High Street hosts a weekly Farmers Market from 9 am to 1 pm (or longer) every Saturday. Visitors to the market can shop at choice of stalls selling a range of produce which includes organic & outdoor reared meat, game (when in season), dairy, fruit juice, freshly caught fish, plants, flowers, hand-made preserves, soft fruit & top fruit, herbs, free range eggs, bread and cakes from local bakeries and the freshest vegetables and salads.
Acton's library, swimming baths (Acton swimming pool was built in 1904) and Town Hall are examples of tall Victorian municipal buildings that can be found along the High Street (a conservation area).
On the east end of Acton High Street, is Acton Park, which features bowls facilities, a children’s play area, tennis courts and an art block. There is a cafe next to the bowling green selling meals as well as tea/coffee and cakes and ice cream.
Acton in popular culture
- In the episode of Alan Partridge Towering Alan, the character Mike Sampson is from Acton. He is an odd character who describes Acton as having "a few too many blacks."
- The Monty Python sketch 'Bicycle Repair Man' was shot on Churchfield Road; part of the sketch 'Hell's Grannies' was shot on Acton High Street.
- In the TV series Minder, a vacant site (now flats in Churchfield Road) was the location for Arthur Daley's car lot with the door of the Winchester Club a hundred yards away. The lock up was the rear part of a warehouse in North Acton. These locations were for the last series only.
- Corfe Tower, on the South Acton estate, was a stand-in for the fictional Nelson Mandela House, the home of Del Boy in the popular sitcom Only Fools and Horses. It is Corfe Tower which is seen in the opening credits of that programme.
- Acton Park often hosted filming for programmes such as Rose & Macaulay and The Deal. Other parts of Acton were used for The Sweeney and early episodes of The Bill.
- The first Waitrose store was in Acton. Originally called "Waite, Rose and Taylor", it opened in 1904, at number 263 Acton Hill. A metal plate commemorating this has been inserted into the pavement outside these premises as it was not possible to obtain permission from the current owners of the building to affix a plaque onto it.
- Scenes from the 1986 movie Aliens and the 1989 movie Batman were shot inside the disused Acton Power Station.
- The Ken Loach film Ladybird Ladybird was film at many sites around Acton including The Mount, the Town Hall, Vyner Road, Cumberland Park and parts of South Acton.
- Musician M.I.A in interviews has hinted one of the meanings of her stage name is "Missing in Acton", with Acton being the place she grew up.
- Adam Faith the pop singer, first lived at 4 Churchfield Road, from 1940, until about 1960.
- The band Art of Noise featured a track entitled "Acton Art" as a B-Side to their 12" Single release of "Dragnet".
- The band Carbon/Silicon recorded a track called "Acton Zulus" for their album, The Last Post
- Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros played a gig in support of striking firefighters on November 15, 2002, and Mick Jones joined Strummer on stage, marking the first time they performed together since Jones's departure from The Clash.
Transport
Acton has seven railway stations, namely North, East, South, West, Central, Mainline and Town. Four of these are on the London Underground and three on national rail. Acton is the only town in London to have all four of the points of the compass as Stations.
Tube stations
Railway stations
Shelved tram proposals
Transport for London, led by then Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, proposed to build a West London Tram between Shepherd's Bush and Uxbridge town centre. It would have run along the A4020, the Uxbridge Road, through Acton, Ealing, West Ealing, Hanwell, Southall and Hayes End. This proposed scheme was highly controversial and resulted in strong differences in opinion between TfL, who supported the scheme, and local councils throughout the proposed route, who all took a 'no tram' stance.
The West London Tram was finally scrapped when Prime Minister Gordon Brown agreed that the long-awaited Crossrail would go ahead in October 2007.
Neighbouring places
Gallery
External links
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