86-534: Gunnersbury Park is a park between Acton , Brentford , Chiswick and Ealing , West London , England. Purchased for the nation from the Rothschild family , it was opened to the public by Neville Chamberlain , then Minister of Health, on 21 May 1926. The park is currently jointly managed by Hounslow and Ealing borough councils. A major restoration project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund
172-548: 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
258-625: A " Japanese garden " in England. All of these survive, though inevitably not as well-maintained as a century ago. The name Gunnersbury derives from Gunylda, the niece of King Canute who lived there until her banishment from England in 1044. The manor, owned by the Bishop of London , was occupied by the Frowyk family in the 15th century; Sir Thomas Frowyk , Chief Justice of the Common Pleas
344-660: A design to remodel the Pavilion in Chinese style but this was not executed. The Prince of Wales's brother Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany commissioned Holland to extend Dover House (then called York House), and work started in 1788. He designed the Whitehall façade with its portico and behind it the circular domed vestibule 40 feet in diameter with an inner ring of eight scagliola Doric columns . In 1785 George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer entrusted Holland with
430-487: A horseshoe-shaped lake . The house was bought in 1739 from Maynard's great-grandson John Hobart, 1st Earl of Buckinghamshire by wealthy merchant and MP Henry Furnese , after whose death in 1756 it was sold to Princess Amelia , the daughter of George II. Daniel Defoe visited Gunnersbury in 1742. He wrote: "...(The Mansion) stands on an eminence, the ground falling gradually from it to the Brentford Road; from
516-499: A house in Hanover Square and used Gunnersbury House and estate as a country summer retreat. Amelia – George III 's aunt, "that odd and hearty lady" – made Gunnersbury famous with her parties and political intrigues. The previous owner, Henry Furnese, had the grounds landscaped by William Kent in the 18th-century landscape style . Princess Amelia continued this, building a bathhouse in the grounds. After Amelia died in 1786,
602-689: A joint purchase. Following the First World War , there was a demand for house-building land. In addition the construction of the Great West Road, immediately south of the estate, was attracting modern industries along its "Golden Mile". Lionel Nathan de Rothschild had bought for his use Exbury House in 1919, by the English Channel and was investing in its fine, tourist attraction today, woodland garden , so selling Gunnersbury facilitated this. Disgruntled Ealing ratepayers wrote to
688-601: A lease from Charles Cadogan, 2nd Baron Cadogan on his Chelsea estate and began the Hans Town (named after an earlier owner Hans Sloane ) development on 89 acres (360,000 m²) of open field and marsh. There he laid out parts of Knightsbridge and Chelsea , including Sloane Street and Sloane Square , and Hans Place, Street and Crescent and Cadogan Place . The buildings were typical Georgian , terraced houses , they were three or four floors in height plus an attic and basement and two or three windows wide, of brick, decoration
774-637: A long railway history, particularly associated (historically) with London Transport and the Great Western Railway . Between 1858 and 1864 there was a further station on the North London Railway , Acton Junction , where the line to Hammersmith & Chiswick railway station branched off. North Acton has a large Great Western Railway housing estate (now privately owned), and the Old Oak Common TMD railway depot
860-654: A market on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Visitors can shop at stalls selling a range of produce. Acton's library, swimming baths (built in 1904) and Town Hall are examples of tall Victorian municipal buildings that can be found along the High Street. Acton Swimming Baths closed in December 2011 for a three-year development project, replacing the existing pools with a 25m 8-lane pool and a smaller teaching pool. The site reopened in April 2014 .An indoor climbing wall opened on
946-810: A multi-purpose basketball and 5-a-side football court. The park also features a large children's play area including, an adventure playground partially created from local trees felled during a storm, a pond, an art block and Acton Skate Park, run by the Ealing Skatepark Association, which opened in April 2019. There are six state-funded primary schools in Acton, Berrymede Junior School, Derwentwater Primary School, East Acton Primary School, St Vincent's RC Primary School, West Acton Primary School, West Twyford Primary School. The Ark (charity) has opened two primary academies in Acton, Ark Priory Primary Academy in 2013 and Ark Byron Primary Academy in 2015,
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#17327911010431032-487: A partnership in 1771 and Henry Holland married Brown's daughter Bridget on 11 February 1773 at St George's, Hanover Square . In 1772 Sir John Soane joined Holland's practice in order to further his education, leaving in 1778 to study in Rome . Holland paid a visit to Paris in 1787 which is thought to have been in connection with his design of the interiors at Carlton House. From this moment on his interior work owed less to
1118-477: A plain neoclassical style, of stone, with a tetrastyle Ionic portico, the building was altered in 1914, the pediment on the portico was replaced by a balustrade and the roof lowered and hidden behind a balustrade. The interiors have also been altered. Though the Circular Hall in the centre of the building, with its large niches and fine plasterwork, is probably as designed by Holland, it has an opening in
1204-603: A portico with Ionic columns and the interiors completely modernised in the latest French Directoire style . The finest interiors are the library, drawing room, dining room, Mrs. Whitbread's room and the boudoir. In the garden Holland created the north terrace and the temple with four Tuscan columns . In 1796 Holland received the commission to design the new headquarters for the East India Company , East India House in Leadenhall Street . In order to find
1290-469: A range of finds. It begins with a cluster of Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic flint cores, flakes and artefacts mainly to the north of Churchfield Road . Around the Mill Hill Park area, a Neolithic axe, and a group of Bronze Age Deverel-Rimbury urns and cremated bone were found, along with an Iron Age pot shard. Iron Age coins were also found near Bollo Lane . The Roman period
1376-570: A sculpture gallery to house the Duke's collection of Roman sculpture , adding the 'Temple of Liberty' at the east end to house busts of Charles James Fox and other prominent Whigs . Holland went on to design the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane , when it was rebuilt ( c. 1791–94 ) as Europe's largest functioning theatre with 3,919 seats. The building was 300 feet in length, 155 feet in width and 108 feet tall. The Portland stone exterior
1462-467: A small area. The Japanese School in London has also attracted a Japanese community to West Acton. East Acton's King Fahd Academy is also attracting Arab and mainly Saudi immigrants to the area. The Somali community is concentrated around Church Road, and there are two mosques near the High Street. The Irish community has diminished somewhat in recent years, but there are still a number of Irish pubs in
1548-435: A summer retreat for courtiers and lawyers. Sir Richard Sutton bought the seat at East Acton known later as Manor House in 1610 and Sir Henry Garraway probably rebuilt Acton House in 1638. Sir John Trevor MP bought several Acton properties in the mid 17th century, including Berrymead/Berrymede, improving it with a lake and stream, home of George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax and his second son after him, and afterwards of
1634-489: A village. From 1788 Holland began transforming the building, the east front had two double height bows added, to the north the present saloon was created circular in plan with two apses to north and south, the exterior was of the form of a large bow surrounded by Ionic columns, and to the north of that the farmhouse copied, the west front was quite plain, a tetrastyle , Ionic portico in the centre flanked by two wings forming an open court. Holland proposed further alterations to
1720-561: Is a town and area in west London, England, within the London Borough of Ealing . It is 6.1 miles (10 km) west of Charing Cross . At the 2011 census , its four wards , East Acton, Acton Central, South Acton and Southfield, had a population of 62,480, a ten-year increase of 8,791 people. North Acton , West Acton , East Acton , South Acton , Acton Green , Acton Town , Acton Vale and Acton Central are all parts of Acton. Acton means "oak farm" or "farm by oak trees", and
1806-484: 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
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#17327911010431892-470: Is derived from the Old English āc (oak) and tūn (farm). Originally an ancient village, as London expanded, Acton was absorbed into the city. Since 1965, Acton equates to the east of the London Borough of Ealing , though some of East Acton is in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and a small portion of South Acton is in the London Borough of Hounslow . Central Acton is synonymous with
1978-668: Is now North Acton Station. The town was incorporated as the Municipal Borough of Acton in 1921. This authority combined with the municipal boroughs of Ealing and Southall to form the London Borough of Ealing, within Greater London , in 1965. An Acton Golf Club was founded in 1896, which closed in 1920 and the area was redeveloped for housing. Acton formed an urban district and, later, municipal borough of Middlesex from 1894 to 1965. Its former area
2064-606: 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. Waitrose started in Acton, as Waite, Rose and Taylor - on the High Street near the police station - with its second branch opening in Churchfield Road in 1913. 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
2150-404: Is of nine by five bays, of white brick with stone dressings. The main feature on the entrance front is the tetrastyle Corinthian pedimented portico. This leads to the entrance hall with red scagliola columns, these are arranged in an oval with the rectangular room. The drawing room has a fine plaster ceiling and marble fireplace with two caryatids . There is a fine staircase. In 1771 he took
2236-515: Is represented by a ditch in the same area, and a hoard north of Springfield Gardens. In the Middle Ages the northern half of the parish was heavily wooded. Oaks and elms still stood along roads and hedgerows and in private grounds in the early 20th century, but most of the woodland had been cleared by the 17th century, even on the extensive Old Oak common. Landholders figuring in county records were resident by 1222 and houses were recorded from
2322-643: Is within the usual boundary, as is the London Transport Museum Depot which houses an extensive collection of historic and heritage rolling stock. Acton Main Line station has a busy freight yard (operating ballast and container trains). London Buses routes 7 , 70 , 72 , 94 , 95 , 207 , 218 , 228 , 260 , 266 , 272 , 283 , 306 , 427 , 440 , 487 , E3 , N7 , N11 , N207 and SL8 serve Acton. Transport for London , led by then Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone , proposed to build
2408-606: The 4CV and Dauphine , at a factory in North Acton from 1926 until 1960. Renault has remained on the site continuously since the 1920s and still has its main London showroom on the Park Royal site. 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), and Wilkinson Sword (swords and razors). Acton
2494-615: The Adam style and more to contemporary French taste. Holland was a founder member in 1791 of the Architects' Club, which included Thomas Hardwick as a signatory. In the 1790s he translated into English A.M. Cointereaux's Traite sur la construction des Manufactures, et des Maisons de Champagne . Holland was feeling unwell in the early summer of 1806, on 13 June he had a seizure and his son Lancelot made this entry in his diary on 17 June, 'My poor father breathed his last about 7 o'clock in
2580-459: The Corinthian order . Also he created the greenhouse (1789) (later altered by Jeffry Wyattville c. 1818 ) attached to the stable block, a grand riding-school (1789) demolished, indoor tennis court, demolished and Chinese style dairy (1789). Within the park he also designed a new entrance archway (1790), farm buildings, cottages and kennels. In 1801 he converted the greenhouse into
2666-461: The Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull , with a much-praised landscape. Acton was lauded as "blessed with very sweet air" in 1706 by rector urging a friend in verse to move there. The fashion for medicinal waters brought a brief period of fame, with the exploitation of the wells at Old Oak common, when East Acton and Friars Place were said to be thronged with summer visitors, who had brought about improvement in
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2752-544: The Light Division during the Peninsular War . Bridget later remarried to Sir Robert Wilmot of Chaddesden . The remaining daughters, Harriet (1778–1814), Charlotte (1785–1824) and Caroline (1786–1871) never married. Holland began his practice by designing Claremont House for Robert Clive , with his future father-in-law in 1771 and their partnership lasted until Brown's death twelve years later. Claremont
2838-517: The Ministry of Health . Depending on political view, "civic pride" or "snobbery" prevailed, and the Rothschilds sold Gunnersbury on condition that it was only to be used for leisure and recreation – save for houses to abut Popes Lane and Lionel Road to help repay the loan. When he opened the park on 21 March 1926, Neville Chamberlain " ...rejoiced that the people had come into
2924-490: The 18th century, where there was some settlement by 1664. To the north-west were Acton or Old Oak wells, known by 1613. In the parish's extreme south, a few farmhouses on the northern side of Acton common or Acton Green were mentioned as in Turnham Green until the 19th century and were linked more closely with that village than with Acton. Gregories , mentioned in 1551 as a copyhold tenement with 30 a. near Bollo Lane and
3010-623: The Acton site becoming the Cardinal Newman Roman Catholic High School. The Japanese School in London is in Acton. Stations in the area are: Acton has seven railway stations bearing its name, more than any other place in the United Kingdom other than London itself. Acton is also the only place in London to have stations named after all four of its cardinal points, north, south, east, and west. The widespread provision of train services reflects
3096-497: The Brentford high road, probably lay in Acton. Londoners were increasingly involved in land sales from the early 14th century but apparently did not live in Acton until the late 15th. The manor , part of Fulham, had no resident (demesne) lord , and apart from a brief period before c. 1735 , when a branch of the landed Somerset (Duke of Beaufort's) family lived in Acton, there were no large resident landowners. Many of
3182-668: The Card Room, Brook's was known for its gambling on card games , the Prince of Wales being a member. The interiors are in neoclassical style, the Great Subscription Room having a segmental barrel vault ceiling. From 1778 to 1781 for Thomas Harley , Holland designed and built Berrington Hall , Herefordshire, one of his purest exercises in the Neoclassical style , the exterior is largely devoid of decoration,
3268-740: The Gunnersbury estate became the Gunnersbury Cemetery the same year. The park passed to the London Borough of Hounslow in 1965 and the Gunnersbury Park Joint Committee with Ealing was set up in 1967. A £50 million-pound, four-year restoration was completed in June 2018 with the reopening of the large mansion. The restoration was supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund , Ealing Council and Hounslow Council and English Heritage . An outdoor sporting facility
3354-644: The London-based indie band The Hit Parade released their single "In Gunnersbury Park"; the song describes the failing relationship between songwriter J.Henry and his girlfriend who lived a short distance from the park in Bollo Lane . In 2020, Gunnersbury Park and its museum served as the location of the music video of Liam Gallagher 's single "Once". 51°29′53″N 0°17′31″W / 51.498°N 0.292°W / 51.498; -0.292 Acton, London Acton ( / ˈ æ k t ə n / )
3440-486: The Old English words āc (oak) and tūn (enclosed garden, enclosure), meaning "a garden or a field enclosed by oaks". Later, in the Middle Ages tūn became a synonym for "farm" or "farm by oak trees". For several centuries, its name bore the prefix Church (hence Chirche Acton , Churche Acton , etc.) to distinguish it from the separate hamlet of East Acton. Different phases of prehistoric settlement are marked by
3526-618: The Portico…you have an exceeding fine prospect of the County of Surrey, the river Thames…and a good prospect of London in clear weather…" In 1760, the house and estate were purchased for Princess Amelia , favourite daughter of George II . Plans for her to marry Prince Frederick of Prussia (who later became Frederick the Great of Prussia ) had come to nothing, and when her father died, Amelia had lost her apartments at St James's Palace . She took
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3612-608: The Prince of Wales's friends, commissioned Holland to remodel and extend his country residence Woburn Abbey beginning in 1786. This involved a remodelling the south front and within the south wing Holland remodelled several rooms (1787–1790), including the Venetian Room to house twenty four paintings of Venice by Canaletto , the Ante-Library and the Library, a tripartite room divided by openings containing two columns of
3698-605: The area. Acton will host the starting point of the 25 kilometre Thames Tideway Tunnel (also known as the "Super Sewer") at the Acton Storm Tanks in Canham Road. This will be built to avoid the discharge of sewage from Combined Sewer Overflow into the River Thames . The Acton High Street has a range of pubs which vary in theme and clientele. The recently refurbished 'Mount' on Acton High Street hosts
3784-458: The ceiling rising to the galleried floor above and a glazed dome. The principal staircase is also original. Brown had been designing the landscape of Trentham Hall since 1768, for the owner Earl Gower , when it was decided to remodel the house, this took from 1775 to 1778, it was enlarged from nine to fifteen bays, the pilasters and other features were in stone, but the walls were of brick covered in stucco to imitate stonework. The building
3870-701: The construction of the National Gallery by the architect William Wilkins . The principal rooms were on the ground floor as entered on the north front. The various floors were linked by the Grand Staircase, built c. 1786 , this was one of Holland's finest designs. Carlton House was demolished in 1827, other significant interiors by Holland were the Great Hall, (1784–89), and the Circular Dining Room (1786–1794). After
3956-463: The demolition many fittings including chimney-pieces were reused by John Nash in the construction of Buckingham Palace . Holland is perhaps best remembered for the original Marine Pavilion (known as such from 1788) (1786–87) at Brighton, Sussex, designed for the Prince of Wales. The Prince had taken a lease on a farmhouse in October 1786 in the centre of Brighthelmstone , then little more than
4042-574: The estate had a number of owners. In 1788 it was acquired by Colonel Ironside, who sold it again in 1792 to a Walter Stirling. John Morley decided in 1801 to pull down the mansion and sell the land off piecemeal in 13 lots (the old house occupying Lot 2). The lots were eventually acquired by only two people, Alexander Copland (10 lots in 1802 and a further two in 1806), and Stephen Cosser (Lot 1 in 1802, sold to Major Alexander Morrison in 1807). Two separate estates were then established, each with its own new house. Copland, who bought 76 acres/30 hectares (most of
4128-440: The former Perryn estate, on land which had been left to the company by John Perryn in 1657. There were 241 inhabited houses in 1801 and 426 by 1831. Growth took place mainly in the established residential neighbourhoods of Acton town and East Acton, but Acton Green also had acquired a cluster of cottages and houses at the bottom of Acton Lane by 1842. Acton was mostly rural in 1831. The few mansions contrasted sharply with most of
4214-551: The green, was the home of the botanist John Lindley (1797–1865) as was the house to the north and Bedford House, another home of Lindley, and Melbourne House further east. A short row of houses had been built on the south side of the green by 1800. In 1804, Derwentwater House was built in the grounds of Acton House by the Selby family. In 1812, twenty almshouses were built by the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths on
4300-459: The high street, housed in a building constructed in the 1920s as an Art Deco cinema. The building was later used as a bingo hall before being refurbished into a bouldering centre. On the east end of Acton High Street is Acton Park, which features mini golf, bar and pizza restaurant operated by Putt in the Park. The southeastern bcorner of the park includes tennis courts, outdoor fitness equipment and
4386-826: The houses there. Although high society had left Acton by the mid 18th century, many professional and military men bought houses there, sometimes including a small park, until well into the 19th century. The break-up of the 800 acres (3.2 km ) Fetherstonhaugh estate, which had had no resident owner, produced four or five small estates whose owners, professional men such as Samuel Wegg, John Winter, and Richard White, were active in parish affairs. Grand early homes included: Heathfield Lodge, West Lodge, and East Lodge by Winter c. 1800, Mill Hill House by White, and Woodlands at Acton Hill soon afterwards. Acton Green also became increasingly popular, being near Chiswick High Road (the Great West Road). Fairlawn, substantial, on west side of
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#17327911010434472-486: The houses, which were described as 'beneath mediocrity of character'. Despite an overall rise in the number of houses, poor rates had to be increased in the 1820s because of a growing number of empty dwellings. More widespread building was planned and took place in the 1850s. As a result of its soft water sources, 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
4558-536: The hub of commerce and retail on the former main road between London and Oxford ( the Uxbridge Road ); a reminder of its history is in its inns, which in some cases date back to the late Tudor period as stopping places for travellers. Nowadays, the principal route linking London and Oxford (the A40 dual carriageway) bypasses central Acton, but passes through East Acton and North Acton. Acton's name derives from
4644-479: The late 13th century. The main settlement, Church Acton or Acton town, lay slightly west of the centre of the parish along the highway to Oxford (Uxbridge Road) at the 5-mile post out of London. By 1380 some of the tenements, such as The Tabard and The Cock , along the south side of the road, were inns. The hamlet of East Acton, mentioned in 1294, consisted of farmhouses and cottages north and south of common land known as East Acton green by 1474. Medieval settlement
4730-554: The latter is based in Acton Park. Acton has three state-funded secondary high schools, Ark Acton Academy (formerly Acton High School), Twyford Church of England High School and The Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls , and an independent school, the Barbara Speake Stage School . Acton was once home to another independent school, Haberdashers' Aske's School for Girls before it changed its site to Elstree,
4816-487: The main feature is the tetrastyle Ionic portico. The interior are equally fine, the most impressive being the staircase at the centre of the building, with its glazed dome and the upper floor is surrounded by scagliola Corinthian columns. The main rooms have fine plaster ceilings and marble chimneypieces, these are the library, dining and drawings rooms. The small boudoir has a shallow apse screened by two Ionic columns of Scagliola imitating Lapis lazuli . Holland also designed
4902-621: The merchant and financier Nathan Mayer Rothschild purchased the Large Mansion and park shortly before he died. The Small Mansion and its grounds were acquired in 1889 by the Rothschilds from the Thomas Farmer family (who had owned it since 1828), finally reuniting the original estate. The Rothschilds extended Gunnersbury further, acquiring most of the Old Brentford Common Field to the west, as well as land to
4988-411: The more lavish style of his great contemporary Robert Adam . Carlton House was his most significant work, built on a slope, the north entrance front on Pall Mall was of two floors, the south front overlooking the gardens and The Mall was of three floors. The large hexastyle Corinthian portico on the north front acted as a porte-cochère , after Carlton House was demolished the columns were reused in
5074-439: The morning. He had got out of bed shortly before and inquired what the hour was. Being told he said it was too early to rise and got into bed again. He immediately fell into a fit. I was sent for, and a minute after I came to his bedside he breathed his last.'. He was buried at All Saints Church, Fulham , in a simple tomb, a few yards from the house in which he had been born. Bridget Holland his wife lived for another 17 years and
5160-466: The neoclassical style Drawing Room being the only significant interior to survive more or less as Holland designed it. In 1776 Holland designed Brooks's club in St James's Street , Westminster. Build of yellow brick and Portland stone in a Palladian style similar to his early country houses. The main suite of rooms on the first floor consisted of the Great Subscription Room, Small Drawing Room and
5246-486: The north. An old clay-pit in the south-west, "Cole’s Hole", was landscaped to become the Potomac lake, and the tile-kiln beside it modified to become a boat-house disguised as a gothic folly . An orangery was built in 1836 to a design by Sydney Smirke . In 1925, following the death of Nathan's grandson Leopold de Rothschild , Leopold's wife, Maria, and son Lionel, sold the 200-acre (81 ha) Gunnersbury estate, which
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#17327911010435332-477: The original grounds), was a builder and business partner of Henry Holland , and built the "Large Mansion" which was known, with its grounds, as "Gunnersbury Park". The "Small Mansion" was built virtually alongside in around 1806–1809, the builders evidently recognising the suitability of the position – an elevated terrace overlooking the horseshoe-lake near where the original mansion had stood. The small mansion and grounds were known as "Gunnersbury House". In 1835,
5418-410: The papers complaining about the burden on their rate bills. The adjacent Brentford and Chiswick Borough Council commented that since Ealing already had The Common and several other parks, not to mention Kew Gardens close by, another park would be unnecessary. They insisted that the greater part of the land should be used for housing, and opposed the loan of the purchase money to Ealing and Acton from
5504-461: The pavilion in 1795, but due to the Prince's financial problems were delayed and it was not until 1801 that any work was carried out, this involved extending the main facade with wings at 45 degrees to north and south containing an eating room and conservatory (these were later replaced by Nash's Banqueting and Music rooms) and the entrance hall was extended with the portico moved forward, and three new staircases created within. In 1803 Holland produced
5590-502: The possession of so magnificent and historical park... " He bemoaned the failure of earlier generations to recognise the need for open spaces in the towns and cities, when outdoor recreation was the privilege of the few. The large mansion was converted into an exhibition space for local history and archaeology, costume and fine art as the Gunnersbury Park Museum in 1929. An adjoining area of Rothschild land just outside
5676-561: The remodelling of his country house Althorp . The exterior was encased in white Mathematical tiles to hide the unfashionable red brick and he added the four Corinthian pilasters to the entrance front. He also added the corridors to the wings. Several interiors are by Holland: the Library, Billiard Room and the South Drawing Room. He also remodelled the Picture Gallery. Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford , one of
5762-407: The rich in London's West End, leading to the nickname "Soapsuds Island" or "Soap Sud City". At least 600 different laundries operated within South Acton; the last laundry closed in the late 1970s and is now a low redbrick block of flats. The parish of Acton formed a local board of health in 1865 and became an urban district in 1894. In 1895, Acton Cemetery was opened on farmland near to what
5848-572: The rooms on the ground floor south front were the drawing room, dining room, lobby, library and music room. As the area was developed on ninety-nine year leases Holland's houses were almost entirely rebuilt from the 1870s onwards. A few houses survive in Hans Place, Nos. 12 and 33-34. Cadogan Square was laid out from 1879 onwards in part over the gardens of Sloane Place. Another joint work was Benham Park 1774–75 designed for William Craven, 6th Baron Craven , three stories high, nine bays wide, in
5934-417: The service yard behind the house with the laundry, dairy and stables as well as the entrance lodge to the estate in the form of a Triumphal arch . In 1788 Holland continued the remodelling of Broadlands in Hampshire for Henry Temple, 2nd Viscount Palmerston started by Brown. The exterior was re-clad in yellow brick and a three-bay recessed Ionic portico added on the north front, a tetrastyle Ionic portico
6020-423: The tenements without land, including most of the inns, frequently changed hands. The parish had 158 communicants in 1548. In 1664 it had 72 chargeable households and 59 exempt, with 6 empty houses. Six houses had 10 or more hearths, 16 had from 5 to 9, 33 had 3 or 4, 23 had 2, and 53 had 1. Acton had about 160 families resident in the mid 18th century. By the 17th century Acton's proximity to London had made it
6106-411: The theatre to provide room for the Scene Painters, Scene Room, Green room , Dressing Rooms, etc. The theatre burnt down on 20 September 1808. From 1802 Holland converted York House on Piccadilly into the Albany apartments. In 1796 Holland started remodelling Southill House Southill, Bedfordshire for Samuel Whitbread with work continuing until 1802. The exterior was remodelled with loggias and
6192-481: Was 42 feet wide and 34 feet to the top of the scenery. The Theatre Royal burnt down on the night of 24 February 1809. At the Royal Opera House he rebuilt the auditorium in 1792. The new auditorium contained a pit and four horseshoe shaped, straight-sided tiers. The first three were boxes, and the fourth was the two-shilling gallery. The ceiling was painted to resemble the sky. In addition Holland extended
6278-482: Was added on the south front, within he added the octagonal domed lobby, also by Holland are the ground floor rooms on the south front library (Wedgwood room), saloon and drawing room, and on the east front the dining room, all in the Adam style . Holland first major commission for the Prince of Wales, later King George IV , was his celebrated remodelling of Carlton House, London (1783 – c. 1795 ), exemplified his dignified neoclassicism , which contrasted with
6364-493: Was born in Fulham , London , where his father, also Henry, ran a building firm constructing several of Capability Brown 's designs. His younger brother was Richard Holland , who later changed his surname to Bateman-Robson and became an MP. Although Henry would learn a lot from his father about the practicalities of construction, it was under Capability Brown that he would learn about architectural design. Brown and Holland formed
6450-474: Was born there in 1460. In the mid-17th century, Gunnersbury was acquired by Sir John Maynard , a lawyer and politician during the time of Cromwell . In around 1663, he built Gunnersbury House , a Palladian mansion modelled on the Villa Badoer , and designed by John Webb , the pupil and son-in-law of Inigo Jones . A map of Ealing dated 1777, shows the house in the north-east corner of the park, facing
6536-430: Was completed in 2018. The park and garden is Grade II listed. Under Leopold de Rothschild in the later 19th century, the park and gardens were greatly developed into a leading example of the new type of woodland garden , relying heavily on new plants from Asia. Other features included a more formal "Italian Garden", Victorian scattered flower-beds, an orangery largely in glass, a rock garden , and an early example of
6622-479: Was due open to the public in 2020. In July 2024, two Kunekune pigs were allowed to graze in the park to maintain shrubs and keep the grass short. It marked the first time in the park’s history that pigs were allowed to graze on the land. The large mansion is quite recognisable as the venue for the police exhibition in the climax of the Ealing Studios comedy The Lavender Hill Mob filmed in 1951. In 1991
6708-589: Was entirely contained within the Brentford Urban District , to the adjacent Ealing Borough Council and Acton Borough Council for £130,000. The land lay entirely outside their boundaries. The "Queen of the Suburbs" did not want more municipal housing, as would likely be built by Brentford under its policies, on its doorstep and the Mayor of Acton concurred, persuading her Borough Council to make it
6794-591: Was finally scrapped when former Prime Minister Gordon Brown agreed that the long-awaited Crossrail would go ahead in October 2007. Acton Main Line railway station is now a station on the Elizabeth line , delivered by the Crossrail project, with 4 trains per hour in each direction. Henry Holland (architect) Henry Holland (20 July 1745 – 17 June 1806) was an architect to the English nobility. He
6880-460: Was mainly around the two hamlets. At Church Acton most of the farmhouses lay along the Oxford road or Horn Lane, with only a few outlying farms. Friars Place Farm at the north end of Horn Lane and the moated site to the west, occupied until the 15th century, were early farms. East of Friars Place farm were commons: Worton or Watton Green and Rush green in the 16th and 17th centuries, and Friars Place in
6966-468: Was minimal, occasionally the ground floor was decorated with stucco rustication . These developments quickly became some of the most fashionable areas in greater London. Construction was slow, the start of the American war of independence in 1776 being one of the factors (Lord Cadogan also died that year). Sloane Square was virtually complete by 1780. Apart from a few houses on the east side Sloane Street
7052-400: Was not developed before 1790. By 1789 Holland was living in a house designed by himself, called Sloane Place , it was to the south of Hans Place . The house was large 114 feet in length, to the north the octagonal entrance hall had a black and white marble floor the south front had a one-storey ionic loggia across the central five bays with an iron balcony above in front of the main bedrooms,
7138-480: Was of four floors, rising a floor higher above the stage. The facades were fairly plain, with the main embellishments on the ground floor. A single-storey Ionic colonnade surrounded the building, with shops and taverns behind it. The auditorium was approximately semi-circular in plan, with the Pit. There was a row of eight boxes flanking each side of the Pit, two levels of boxes above, then two galleries above them. The stage
7224-495: Was remodelled and extended by Sir Charles Barry in 1834–1840 and largely demolished in 1910. John Stuart, 1st Marquess of Bute commissioned Holland and Brown to restore Cardiff Castle (1778–80), Holland's interiors were swept away when the castle was remodelled and extended by William Burges in the 1860s. The east front of the main apartments retain Holland's work a rare example of him using Gothic Revival architecture and
7310-457: Was the main beneficiary of her husband's will. Of his sons, the elder Henry Jr (1775–1855) remained a bachelor. The younger son, Colonel Lancelot Holland (1781–1859), married Charlotte Mary Peters (1788–1876) and they had fifteen children. Of Holland's five daughters, two married two brothers, Bridget (1774–1844) to Daniel Craufurd (lost at sea 1810) and Mary Frances Holland (1776–1842) to Major-General Robert Craufurd (1764–1812), commander of
7396-407: 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 . One of the most important firms was Renault which made cars, including
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