Cranford, London
Encyclopedia
Cranford is a place in the London Borough of Hounslow
. It is a suburban development located 12.4 miles (20 km) west of Charing Cross
and on the eastern perimeter of London Heathrow Airport
.
The area is bounded in the west by the airport and the River Crane
, which also flows through Cranford Park. To the north the area is bounded by the M4 motorway
.
" for many years and can be found in the north west of the borough, on the eastern side of the River Crane. The name may be an approximation of "Crane Ford" (perhaps owing to the birds which frequent the river running through the village).
Before the Norman Conquest, the village was a small Saxon
settlement completely surrounded by Hounslow Heath
. The Domesday Book
records the Manor of Cranford being given to a Norman baron, William Fitz Ansulf. By the 13th century, the area of Cranford Park and House, the High Street and Bath Road had been given to the Knights Templar
as Cranforde St John. The rest, Cranford le Mote, included the manor house and stretched up to the north of the present M4.
The manors were reunited after the Dissolution of the Monasteries
and were bought by Sir Thomas Berkeley's widow Elizabeth
in 1618. These stayed in the Berkeley family until the house and Cranford Park were sold to Hayes and Harlington Urban District
Council in 1932, before being sold again to Middlesex County Council
in 1935. The Park was then leased back to Hayes and Harlington Urban District Council who jointly administered it with Heston and Isleworth Borough
Council, to whom Cranford had been transferred in 1934.
St Dunstan's church, in the park adjacent to the stable block, dates from the 15th century. The tower and the nave survived a fire in 1710, and the repairs were paid for by Elizabeth, Dowager Countess of Berkeley
in 1716. The oldest bell in the church was cast in 1338 and is said to have chimed on every occasion of national importance since. One of Cranford's more "colourful" former residents was the MP
and writer George Charles Grantley Fitzhardinge Berkeley, known for his violent behaviour.
The family also gave their name to Berkeley Parade, where there are now many shops, which were built on the common on the south of the Bath Road in the 1930s. These still-existing "château-type" buildings with their little slated turrets were described as "ingenious architectural fun" in the journal Architectural Review
in 1939.
Cranford also boasts one of only two remaining "lock-ups" in the Metropolitan Police area, which was built in 1838 to hold drunks and vagrants overnight, before finding use as a mortuary for the parish council.
An Air Transport white paper
of December 2003 proposed that, since a new runway at Heathrow could not come into operation before some time in the period 2015-2020, consideration should be given to the scope for using the two existing runways more; for example, through mixed-mode operations.
London Borough of Hounslow
-Political composition:Since the borough was formed it has been controlled by the Labour Party on all but two occasions. In 1968 the Conservatives formed a majority for the first and last time to date until they lost control to Labour in 1971. Labour subsequently lost control of the council in the...
. It is a suburban development located 12.4 miles (20 km) west of Charing Cross
Charing Cross
Charing Cross denotes the junction of Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square in central London, England. It is named after the now demolished Eleanor cross that stood there, in what was once the hamlet of Charing. The site of the cross is now occupied by an equestrian...
and on the eastern perimeter of London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
.
The area is bounded in the west by the airport and the River Crane
River Crane, London
The River Crane is a river in west London, England, and is a tributary of the River Thames.-Location:The River Crane is 8.5 miles in length...
, which also flows through Cranford Park. To the north the area is bounded by the M4 motorway
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
.
History
Cranford has been known as "the prettiest village in MiddlesexMiddlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
" for many years and can be found in the north west of the borough, on the eastern side of the River Crane. The name may be an approximation of "Crane Ford" (perhaps owing to the birds which frequent the river running through the village).
Before the Norman Conquest, the village was a small Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
settlement completely surrounded by Hounslow Heath
Hounslow Heath
Hounslow Heath is a public open space and local nature reserve to the west of Hounslow, a London borough. It now covers about , the residue of the historic Hounslow Heath that covered over .-History:...
. The Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
records the Manor of Cranford being given to a Norman baron, William Fitz Ansulf. By the 13th century, the area of Cranford Park and House, the High Street and Bath Road had been given to the Knights Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
as Cranforde St John. The rest, Cranford le Mote, included the manor house and stretched up to the north of the present M4.
The manors were reunited after the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
and were bought by Sir Thomas Berkeley's widow Elizabeth
Elizabeth Carey, Lady Berkeley
Hon. Elizabeth Carey was an English noblewoman and a patron of the arts. Thomas Nashe dedicated his Terrors of the Night to her in 1594...
in 1618. These stayed in the Berkeley family until the house and Cranford Park were sold to Hayes and Harlington Urban District
Hayes and Harlington Urban District
Hayes was a local government district in west Middlesex, England from 1904 to 1965.It was originally created in 1904 as an urban district, Hayes Urban District, covering the Hayes parish transferred from Uxbridge Rural District...
Council in 1932, before being sold again to Middlesex County Council
Middlesex County Council
Middlesex County Council was the principal local government body in the administrative county of Middlesex from 1889 to 1965.The county council was created by the Local Government Act 1888, which also removed the most populous part of the county to constitute the County of London...
in 1935. The Park was then leased back to Hayes and Harlington Urban District Council who jointly administered it with Heston and Isleworth Borough
Municipal Borough of Heston and Isleworth
Heston and Isleworth was a local government district of Middlesex, England from 1894 to 1965.It was created an urban district in 1894 by the Local Government Act 1894...
Council, to whom Cranford had been transferred in 1934.
St Dunstan's church, in the park adjacent to the stable block, dates from the 15th century. The tower and the nave survived a fire in 1710, and the repairs were paid for by Elizabeth, Dowager Countess of Berkeley
Charles Berkeley, 2nd Earl of Berkeley
Charles Berkeley, 2nd Earl of Berkeley PC KB FRS , was a British nobleman and diplomat, known as Sir Charles Berkeley from 1661 to 1679 and styled Viscount Dursley from 1679 to 1698....
in 1716. The oldest bell in the church was cast in 1338 and is said to have chimed on every occasion of national importance since. One of Cranford's more "colourful" former residents was the MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
and writer George Charles Grantley Fitzhardinge Berkeley, known for his violent behaviour.
The family also gave their name to Berkeley Parade, where there are now many shops, which were built on the common on the south of the Bath Road in the 1930s. These still-existing "château-type" buildings with their little slated turrets were described as "ingenious architectural fun" in the journal Architectural Review
Architectural Review
The Architectural Review is a monthly international architectural magazine published in London since 1896. Articles cover the built environment which includes landscape, building design, interior design and urbanism as well as theory of these subjects....
in 1939.
Cranford also boasts one of only two remaining "lock-ups" in the Metropolitan Police area, which was built in 1838 to hold drunks and vagrants overnight, before finding use as a mortuary for the parish council.
The Cranford Agreement
The area's position directly below the flight path of the northern runway of Heathrow Airport led to a ministerially approved undertaking, the Cranford Agreement, given on 31 July 1952 at a meeting of the Cranford Residents' and District Amenities Association. The agreement stated that, as far as possible, the northern runway would not be used for landings or take-offs to the east. This meant that houses under the flight path would not have to suffer the noise from the take-off of planes leaving the airport, which is considerably louder than that of those landing.An Air Transport white paper
White paper
A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that helps solve a problem. White papers are used to educate readers and help people make decisions, and are often requested and used in politics, policy, business, and technical fields. In commercial use, the term has also come to refer to...
of December 2003 proposed that, since a new runway at Heathrow could not come into operation before some time in the period 2015-2020, consideration should be given to the scope for using the two existing runways more; for example, through mixed-mode operations.
Nearest places
- FelthamFelthamFeltham is a town in the London Borough of Hounslow, west London. It is located about west south west of central London at Charing Cross and from Heathrow Airport Central...
- Harlington, LondonHarlington, LondonHarlington is a suburban area in the London Borough of Hillingdon, on the northern perimeter of London Heathrow Airport. It is situated west of Charing Cross.-Etymology:...
- Hatton, LondonHatton, LondonHatton is a small settlement in the London Borough of Hounslow, on the southern perimeter of London Heathrow Airport and on the A30 road.-Etymology:Hatton's name comes from Anglo-Saxon Hǣþtūn = "heath farmstead".-Neighbours:...
- Hayes, HillingdonHayes, HillingdonHayes is a town in the London Borough of Hillingdon, West London. It is a suburban development situated west of Charing Cross. Hayes was developed in the late 19th and 20th centuries as an industrial locality to which residential districts were later added in order to house factory workers...
- HestonHestonHeston is a place in the London Borough of Hounslow, west London. It is a suburban development area, based on a former farming village west south-west of Charing Cross.-History:...
- HounslowHounslowHounslow is the principal town in the London Borough of Hounslow. It is a suburban development situated 10.6 miles west south-west of Charing Cross. It forms a post town in the TW postcode area.-Etymology:...
- SouthallSouthallSouthall is a large suburban district of west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross. Neighbouring places include Yeading, Hayes, Hanwell, Heston, Hounslow, Greenford and Northolt...
Nearest stations
- Hatton Cross tube stationHatton Cross tube stationHatton Cross tube station is on the Heathrow branch of the London Underground Piccadilly line. It is in Travelcard Zones 5 and 6 and stands between the Great South West Road and the Heathrow Airport Southern Perimeter Road....
- Hounslow West tube stationHounslow West tube stationHounslow West is a London Underground station in Hounslow in west London. The station is on the Heathrow branch of the Piccadilly Line, between Hatton Cross and Hounslow Central stations. The station is located on Bath Road about 600m from the junction of Bath Road, Great West Road and Great...
- Hayes and Harlington railway stationHayes and Harlington railway stationthumb|right|Up freight west of Hayes & Harlington in 1962Hayes and Harlington railway station is a railway station in Hayes and Harlington in the London Borough of Hillingdon.-History:...
Notable people
- Elizabeth CareyElizabeth Carey, Lady BerkeleyHon. Elizabeth Carey was an English noblewoman and a patron of the arts. Thomas Nashe dedicated his Terrors of the Night to her in 1594...
(1576-1635) - patron of the arts, with links to Thomas NasheThomas NasheThomas Nashe was an English Elizabethan pamphleteer, playwright, poet and satirist. He was the son of the minister William Nashe and his wife Margaret .-Early life:...
and Ben JonsonBen JonsonBenjamin Jonson was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satirical plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist, and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his lyric poems...
- bought the estate of Cranford in 1618, and is buried in Cranford parish church, where there is a white marble effigy of her
- Ian GillanIan GillanIan Gillan is an English rock music vocalist and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist for Deep Purple. During his career Gillan also fronted his own band, had a year-long stint as the vocalist for Black Sabbath, and sang the role of Jesus in the original recording of Andrew Lloyd...
, vocalist of rockRock musicRock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Deep PurpleDeep PurpleDeep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
, grew up in Cranford
- Charles ScarboroughCharles ScarboroughSir Charles Scarborough MP FRS FRCP was an English physician and mathematician.Scarborough was born in St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, London in 1615, the son of Edmund Scarburgh, and was sent to St...
(1615-1694), royal physicianPhysicianA physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and mathematicianMathematicianA mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
, is buried at Cranford; there is a monument to him in the parish church erected by his widow
- Session guitarist Big Jim SullivanBig Jim SullivanBig Jim Sullivan is an English musician, whose career started in 1959. He is best known as a session guitarist. In the 1960s and 1970s, Sullivan was one of the most "in-demand" studio musicians in the UK, and performed in more than one thousand charting singles over his career...
(whose credits include records with Dusty SpringfieldDusty SpringfieldMary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'BrienSources use both Isabel and Isobel as the spelling of her second name. OBE , known professionally as Dusty Springfield and dubbed The White Queen of Soul, was a British pop singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s...
, The Walker BrothersThe Walker BrothersThe Walker Brothers were an American 1960s and 1970s pop group, comprising Scott Engel , John Walker , and Gary Leeds...
and Serge GainsbourgSerge GainsbourgSerge Gainsbourg, born Lucien Ginsburg was a French singer-songwriter, actor and director. Gainsbourg's extremely varied musical style and individuality make him difficult to categorize...
's '70s classic Histoire de Melody NelsonHistoire de Melody NelsonHistoire de Melody Nelson is a 1971 concept album by French songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. The Lolita-esque pseudo-autobiographical plot involves the middle-aged Gainsbourg unintentionally colliding his Rolls Royce Silver Ghost into teenage nymphet Melody Nelson's bicycle, and the subsequent...
) attended Woodfield Secondary School in Cranford