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{{short description|Suburb of West London}}
{| border=1 cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" align="right" width=300 style=margin-left:10px
{{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 = ]
| 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 ], England and part of the ]. It lies at the ] of the ] and the ], {{convert|8|mi|km}} west of ].

Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings which mark the start of the ]; in transport it also has two railway stations and ] on its north-west border with ]. 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 ]. A 19th and 20th centuries mixed social and private housing locality: New Brentford is contiguous with the ] neighbourhood of ] and ] 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 ] charter and means 'ford over the ]'.<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 ] word, meaning "high" or "elevated" (possibly in a holy sense). The river may also have been associated with the goddess ]. The suffix '-ford' is ].<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 ], 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'. ] 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 ] 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 ]. The ] knot pattern (the 'Brentford Knot') on this item has been copied for use on modern jewellery.

] at Brentford]]
] is a basin off the Thames, with modern housing around it.]]
] 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 ] were closed in May 1942, but although Brentford Dock was closed in 1964, goods trains ran to ] until December 1970.]]
] car park.]]

An amateur local history and an inscription outside the County Court claim that ] crossed the Thames here during his invasion of Britain in 54 BC, and fought a battle with ] 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 ] in the early 20th century was taken by ] 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.

] part of ], in the south-eastern corner of ], it has formed part of ] 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 ] 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 ] is now a ] and ].<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 ] (1752–1829) were both from Brentford and are buried in the old church of St Laurence. Hardwick Senior was the master mason for the ] during the construction of ]. Hardwick Junior assisted in the building of ] and was known for his designs of churches in the capital. He was also a tutor of ] 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 ], and the ]
* 1016 ] between the invading ] and ]
* 1431 Relocation of ] to Brentford from ]
* 1539 Destruction of Syon Abbey by King ]
* 1616 – 1617 ], a ] woman, belonging to the ], resided in Brentford with her husband, ] and son ].<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 ] during the ]
* 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 ] founded to maintain the road between ] and ]
* 1756 Ronalds nursery established by ]' 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 ] (later the ])
* 1806 ]'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 ], 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 ].
* 1841 Brentford was flooded, caused by the ] 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 ], providing service to Kew Bridge, Brentford Central and Syon Lane stations in the Brentford area.
* 1859 Start of operations of the ], built in part on ]'s land and linking ] to the ] main line at ]. Additional passenger station named ] later constructed just north of Brentford High Street.
* 1884 Start of operations of ] (then known as Boston Road).
* 1889 ] founded by a rowing club seeking a winter sport.
* 30 May 1925 – Great West Road officially opened by King ]. Later the Brentford section became known as the ] 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 ] and amalgamated with other canals to form the Grand Union Canal.
* 1965 Opening of elevated section of ].
<!-- ==Governance== -->

==Local government==
Brentford developed around the ancient boundary between the parishes of ] and ]. 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 ] of ] in 1789, on the basis that it was the location of elections of knights for the shire (or ] (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 ]).<ref name="british-history.ac.uk"/>

The ] was formed in 1965, under the ], by the merger of the areas of the ], the ] and ] of ].

==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/>
!colspan=2 align=center bgcolor="#ff9999"|Brentford
|- |-
|Brentford|| 150 || 826 || 1,425 || 3,511 || 17 || 25
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#ff9999"|Administration
|- |-
|Syon (most homes in the ward<br />are in New Brentford)||147 || 806 || 1,488 || 3,299 || 33 || 17
|width="50%"|]:||]
|- |}
{| class="wikitable"
|width="50%"|]:||]
|+ '''2011 Census households'''
|-
!Ward !!Population !!Households !!% Owned outright !!% Owned with a loan!!hectares<ref name=ons/>
|width="50%"|]:||]
|- |-
|Brentford||14,353 || 5,954 || 15 || 23 || 315
|width="50%"|]:||]
|-
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#ff9999"|Other
|-
|width="50%"|]:||]
|-
|width="50%"|]:||]
|-
|width="50%"|]:||]
|- |-
|Syon ||13,554 || 5,790 || 16 || 28 || 272
|} |}
'''Brentford''' is a place in in the ] on the ] in west ].


In Brentford, those who ethnically identify as ] (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>
Nearest places:
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]


==Economy==
Nearest tube stations:
{{More citations needed section|date=September 2011}}
* ]
]
* ]
* ]


* ]
Nearest railway stations:
* ] (Headquarters), manufacturer of folding bicycles was based here for many years, but moved to a new factory in Greenford, Ealing in 2017
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ] (Headquarters)*
* ]
* ] (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 ])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uk.heidelberg.com |title=Heidelberg – Heidelberg UK |publisher=Uk.heidelberg.com |access-date=3 June 2014}}</ref>
* ] 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>
* ] 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>
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ] (Greater London offices)


==Brief history== ==Landmarks==
]
Brentford, as the name suggests, was built on a fording point on the ].


===The Syon estate===
The town is named as Bregentforda at the time of the Council of Brentford ] and as 'Bregentforda' and 'Brentforda' in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle of ]. The root 'Bregent-', naming the river is thought to originate from the name of the Celtic goddess ']', tutelary goddess of the ] tribe (who didn't live in Brentford).
], the Greater London residence of the ], is a large mansion and park in ''Syon'' ward, described above, that has long been shared with ]. Some of its seasonally marshy land is now a public ]. The estate has a hotel (Hilton London Syon Park), visitor centre and garden centre.


], demolished and replaced (with reworked gatehouses) by the newer mansion, had the largest abbey church in England in the ].
The settlement pre-dates the Roman occupation of ], and thus pre-dates the founding of ] itself. Many pre-Roman artefacts have been excavated in and around the area in Brentford known as 'Old England'. ] pottery and burnt flints have been found in separate sites in Brentford. The quality and quantity of the artefacts suggests that Brentford was a meeting point for pre-Romanic tribes where part of tribal rituals included the ceremonial casting of weapons into the river.


The location of Syon Abbey in the park was unknown until archeological investigations in the grounds in 2003 (for the television series '']'') and 2004 revealed the foundations of the abbey church. It was larger than ] is now, but no above-ground structure remains. There were complex reasons for its destruction.
It has been suggested that Brentford was also a main fording point on the ], and was the point where ] crossed the Thames during his invasion of Britain. It has been asserted, without strong evidence, that a documented battle fought at this time between Caesar's forces and ] took place at Brentford. There are, however, two other historically accredited '''battles of Brentford''' in ] and ]


The ] in Syon Park was an ] like a large ] containing a ]. Visitors could see butterflies and moths flying about, feeding, and emerging from ]. 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.
=== Timeline ===
:] Brentford is a likely site of a battle recorded by Julius Caesar between Julius Caesar and local king, ].


] ], built in 1622, is a ] ], noted for its fine plasterwork ceilings.
:] Council of Brentford recording settlement of a dispute between ], king of Mercia, and the Bishop of Worcester


Syon Park House (], and not to be confused with Syon House itself) housed the 'Syon Park Academy' where the poet ] was educated between the ages of 10 and 12 before moving on to ]. A Royal Mail depot stands on the site now. This may also be the site of the dwelling where ] lived in ] between 1616 and 1617.
:] 'Battle of Brentford' between the invading ] and ]


===Brentford Monument===
:] Relocation of ] to Brentford from ]
]
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 ] in 54 BC; the council of Brentford by King ] in 781; the defeat of King ] by King ] at the first ] in 1016; and the second ] 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===
:] Destruction of Syon Abbey by King ]
]
Built in 1868 from Kentish ], Saint Paul's Church is one of Brentford's two current ] ]es, and a distinct landmark. Its ] is clearly visible. The architect was H. Francis and ] 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 ] called ''Christ's Last Supper''. It was originally intended to be installed in ], 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>
:] 'Battle of Brentford' during the ].


===Saint Faith's Church===
:] Brentford Turnpike Trust founded to maintain the road between ] and ]
Brentford's other Anglican parish church, Saint Faith's, is a comparatively recent building, dating from 1906 to 1907. Designed in ] style, by G F Bodley and D G Hare, it was described by the poet ]:


{{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>}}
:] Start of operations of the Grand Junction Canal (later the ])


===Saint Lawrence's Church===
:] Start of operations of the Hounslow Loop line, providing service to Kew Bridge, Brentford Central and Syon Lane stations in the Brentford area.
]
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=] |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 ] 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 ] 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===
:] Start of operations of the Great Western & Brentford Railway company linking Brentford Dock to the ] main line at ]. Additional passenger station named 'Brentford Town' later constructed just north of Brentford High Street.
], opened in 1866, was built for Irish railway construction workers, by an architect named Jackman.


===Saint George's Church===
:] Start of operations of Boston Manor Underground station (then known as Boston Road).
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 ]. 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===
:] ] founded by a rowing club seeking a winter sport.
] Museum is in Gunnersbury House, narrowly in Gunnersbury (the north-west of Chiswick) containing ] and former furnishings of the ], who were culturally and financially pre-eminent across France, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and North America.


] is visible from the scattering of high rise buildings towering over the town and some of the mid rise ones.
:] 30th May - Great West Road officially opened by King ]. Later the Brentford section became known as the ] 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.


The Weir public house, formerly 'The White Horse', was where the artist ] 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 ] and ].
:] Opening of elevated section of ]
] building in background]]


===Brentford Dock===
The main road to the South West of Britain passed through Brentford for many centuries, and even now, the ] passes approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the original main road through Brentford.
] came to single use and engineered enlargement as a freight terminus of the ]. It was designed by ] and built between 1855 and 1859 at the confluence of the River Thames and River Brent – part of the land was ]'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 ] and ]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 ] remains. However, Dock Road still retains some of its original fan pattern ] 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 ], originally the Grand Junction Canal. This waterway is still in use for leisure traffic as part of the ].
==Places of interest==
''']''', the ] residence of the ].


===Others===
''']''', now rased to the ground, was the largest abbey church in ].


]]]
Syon House is built upon part of the site of Syon Abbey. The exact location of Syon Abbey was unknown until archeological investigations in the grounds of Syon House (Syon Park) in 2003 and 2004 revealed the foundations of the abbey church. It was larger than ] is now, but no above-ground structure remains. For more details on the abbey and the reasons for its destruction, see its own entry - ]
] is a ], built by the architect ] 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 ]'s bench honouring ]'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>


] (1896), also by the architect ], is a Grade II ] example of late ].
'''Boston Manor House''', built in 1622, is a ] manor house, noted for its fine plasterwork ceilings.


The ] houses the world's largest working ], and its narrow cuboid tower is an emblem of the town.
'''The Wier''', public house, formerly 'The White Horse' was where the artist ] lived for one-year at the age of ten. He is regarded as having started his interest in painting while living there.


The ] houses a large collection of mechanical musical instruments, such as ]s and a ].
'''Syon Park House''' (demolished in 1953), not to be confused with Syon House, housed the 'Syon Park Academy' where the poet ] was educated between the ages of 10 and 12 before moving on to ]. A Royal Mail depot stands on the site now.


]
'''Brentford Dock''', a freight terminus of the Great Western Railway, built at the confluence of the ] and ], designed by ], and built between ] and ]. A spur line from the ] at ] was constructed to the dock to facilitate easy transferral of freight from ]s and ]s on the Thames to GWR served destinations in the west of the United Kingdom. The dock was redeveloped as residential accommodation in the early 1970s, and little industrial archeology remains.


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>
Brentford Dock was built alongside previous important transport infrastructure as Brentford is the terminus of the ''']''', originally the Grand Junction Canal. This waterway is still in use for leisure traffic.


==Sports==
]
] is a professional English ] club, based in Brentford, and currently playing in the ].
'''Brentford Public Library''' is a ].
The club was founded in 1889 by members of the defunct Brentford Rowing Club and plays its home games at the ], having played at ] between 1904 and 2020. The club has a long-standing rivalry with near neighbours, ] and ].<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 ] side ].


Griffin Park is also the former home of ] Reserves. From 2002 until September 2005, it was the home of the ] ] club – subsequently they were renamed ] and transferred to ]).
'''Brentford Public Baths''' (1896) are a Grade II listed example of late Victorian architecture.


==Transport==
'''Kew Bridge Steam Museum''' houses the world's largest working beam engine.
Nearest London Underground stations:
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]


Nearest railway stations:
'''The Musical Museum''' houses a large collection of mechanical musical instruments, such as ]s
* ]
* ]
* ]


==In literature==
Brentford is home to a football club ]. The ground is named Griffin Park.
The phrase 'like two kings of Brentford' refers to former enemies who are now good friends. It appears in:
* the play ] (1672), by ],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hidden-london.com/gazetteer/brentford/|title = Brentford - Hidden London}}</ref>
* the poem The Sofa by ]<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 ].<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==
==Sources==
{{more citations needed|section|date=January 2019}}
*The Archive Photographs Series, Brentford; Tempus Publishing Ltd, 1998, ISBN 0752406272
Brentford's industrial status and the Great West Road are notable facets of ]'s 1932 novel '']''. Set in London in AD 2540 (632 A.F.—"After ]"), the influential dystopia anticipates changes in ], sleep-learning, ], and ] that combine to change society profoundly.
*Brentford as it was; Hendon Publishing, 1983

*Old Ordnance Survey Maps, Brentford 1894, The Godfrey Edition; Alan Godfrey Maps, ISBN 0850545099
The ] sitcom '']'' 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>
*Author's personal knowledge of area.

'']'', a (ten-book) series of "far-fetched fiction" novels by ], 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}}
* ]
* ]
{{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== ==External links==
{{Commons category|Brentford, London Borough of Hounslow}}
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* {{cite EB1911|wstitle=Brentford|volume=4}}

{{NSEW|]|]|]|]|'''NW:''' ]|'''NE:''' ]|'''SW:''' ], ]|'''SE:''' ], ]}}
{{LB Hounslow}}
{{London Districts}}

{{Authority control}}


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Latest revision as of 01:41, 22 January 2025

Suburb of West London For the football club, see Brentford F.C. Not to be confused with Bretford; Brantford; or Brentwood, Essex.

Human settlement in England
Brentford
Skyline of Brentford town centre, facing south-west.
Brentford is located in Greater LondonBrentfordBrentfordLocation within Greater London
Area5.87 km (2.27 sq mi)
Population27,907 (Syon, Brentford wards 2011)
• Density4,754/km (12,310/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTQ1878
• Charing Cross8 mi (12.9 km) WNW
London borough
Ceremonial countyGreater London
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBRENTFORD
Postcode districtTW8
Dialling code020
PoliceMetropolitan
FireLondon
AmbulanceLondon
UK Parliament
London Assembly
List of places
UK
England
London
51°29′10″N 0°18′36″W / 51.486°N 0.310°W / 51.486; -0.310

Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, 8 miles (13 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 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 information: History of London

Toponymy

The name is recorded as Breguntford in 705 in an Anglo-Saxon charter and means 'ford over the River Brent'.

The name of the river derives from *brigant-, a Brythonic word, meaning "high" or "elevated" (possibly in a holy sense). The river may also have been associated with the goddess Brigantia. The suffix '-ford' is Old English. 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.

Early Brentford

The settlement pre-dates the Roman occupation of 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 – a ceremonial chariot fitting that formed part of local antiquarian Thomas Layton's collection, now held by the Museum of London. The Celtic knot pattern (the 'Brentford Knot') on this item has been copied for use on modern jewellery.

The Thames Lock on the Grand Union Canal at Brentford
Brentford Dock lock gates and Justin Close Brentford Dock is a basin off the Thames, with modern housing around it.
The former 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.
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 Cæsar crossed the Thames here during his invasion of Britain in 54 BC, and fought a battle with Cassivellaunus close by. 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. The stakes were removed as a hazard to river-traffic, and Sharpe's claims are not supported by further excavations.

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.

Local fair

A local town fair, the Brentford Festival, has been held in Brentford every September since 1900.

Brentford Dock

Main article: Brentford Dock

The building of Brentford Dock was started in 1855 and it was formally opened in 1859. The dock yard is now a Marina and housing estate.

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 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 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

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 Members of Parliament (MPs)) from 1701. 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).

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

2011 Census homes
Ward Detached Semi-detached Terraced Flats and apartments Caravans/temporary/mobile homes/houseboats Shared between households
Brentford 150 826 1,425 3,511 17 25
Syon (most homes in the ward
are in New Brentford)
147 806 1,488 3,299 33 17
2011 Census households
Ward Population Households % Owned outright % Owned with a loan hectares
Brentford 14,353 5,954 15 23 315
Syon 13,554 5,790 16 28 272

In Brentford, those who ethnically identify as 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.

Economy

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The Beehive pub

Landmarks

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 insectarium like a large glasshouse containing a butterfly zoo. Visitors could see butterflies and moths flying about, feeding, and emerging from 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.

Front of Boston Manor House

Boston Manor House, built in 1622, is a Jacobean manor house, noted for its fine plasterwork ceilings.

Syon Park House (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. 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

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 by King Edmund Ironside at the first Battle of Brentford in 1016; and the second Battle of Brentford in 1642.

Saint Paul's Church

Saint Paul's Church

Built in 1868 from Kentish ragstone, Saint Paul's Church is one of Brentford's two current Anglican parish churches, 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. In 1959 and 1961 the parishes of the nearby churches of Saint George and Saint Lawrence were amalgamated with Saint Paul.

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.

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 style, by G F Bodley and D G Hare, it was described by the poet John Betjeman:

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.

Saint Lawrence's Church

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. 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. A war memorial stood outside the church until 2009, when it was moved to Brentford Library.

Saint John the Evangelist's Church

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 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.

The Pool of Brentford Lock with new developments and the 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. A spur line from the GWR at Southall was constructed to the Brentford Dock railway station to facilitate easy transferral of freight from lighters and barges 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) 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

Brentford Public Library

Brentford Public Library is a Carnegie library, built by the architect Nowell Parr and opened in 1904. Outside the library is the Brentford War Memorial, accompanied by three smaller war memorials. There is also Jim Pooley's bench honouring Robert Rankin's writing connection with the borough.

Brentford Baths (1896), also by the architect Nowell Parr, is a Grade II 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 houses a large collection of mechanical musical instruments, such as player pianos and a Wurlitzer organ.

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. 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.

Sports

Brentford F.C. is a professional English 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 Gtech Community Stadium, having played at Griffin Park between 1904 and 2020. The club has a long-standing rivalry with near neighbours, Fulham and QPR. 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 London Broncos rugby league club – subsequently they were renamed Harlequins RL and transferred to The Stoop).

Transport

Nearest London Underground stations:

Nearest railway stations:

In literature

The phrase 'like two kings of Brentford' refers to former enemies who are now good friends. It appears in:

In popular culture

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Brentford" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

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 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 sitcom People Just Do Nothing is set in and around Brentford.

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

References

Notes
  1. ^ "Brentford Ward (as of 2011)". nomisweb.co.uk. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  2. Gover, J. E. B. (1922). The Place Names of Middlesex. London, UK: Longmans, Green and Co. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  3. ^ Mills, D. (2000). Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names. Oxford.
  4. "Bronze chariot fitting from Brentford". museumoflondon.org.uk. Archived from the original on 12 March 2007.
  5. "Tour 1: Antiquarians, collectors and dealers: Thomas Layton". museumoflondon.org.uk. Archived from the original on 27 May 2011.
  6. "The Thomas Layton Collection, Inscription on the Brentford Monument". Thomaslayton.org.uk. Archived from the original on 14 September 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  7. Sharpe, Montagu (1926). Some accounts of bygone Hanwell. Page 7,8,9, & 10. Brentford Printing and Publishing Coy., Ltd. London. UK.
  8. Civil War: The Wars of the Three Kingdoms 1638-1660, Trevor Royle, p205. Abacus, 2004. ISBN 978-0-349-11564-1
  9. "Brentford Festival 2010". Brentfordfestival.org.uk. Archived from the original on 1 June 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  10. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 March 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. "Brentford Dock History". Archived from the original on 11 September 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  12. "Brentford Dock's 150th Anniversary". Archived from the original on 6 January 2010. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  13. "Pocahontas in England". www.historytoday.com. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  14. ^ "Brentford | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  15. Ronalds, B.F. (2017). "Ronalds Nurserymen in Brentford and Beyond". Garden History. 45: 82–100.
  16. ^ Ronalds, B.F. (2018). "The Montgomrey Family of Brentford: Timber Merchants and Benefactors". London's Industrial Archaeology. 16: 57–69.
  17. Bott, V. (2002). Flood! : the Brentford flood of 1841. London: Brentford & Chiswick Local History Society. ISBN 0950802506.
  18. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original on 6 April 2008. Retrieved 21 August 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) Vol 2: Appendix D pg 34. Accessed 21 August 2007
  19. "Ealing and Brentford: Growth of Brentford | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  20. "Ward Profiles and Atlas". Greater London Authority. Archived from the original on 27 October 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  21. "Home | Global Blue". 9 October 2010. Archived from the original on 9 October 2010. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  22. "Heidelberg – Heidelberg UK". Uk.heidelberg.com. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  23. "Contact Us". Archived from the original on 1 March 2012.
  24. "SEGA US - Corporate". SEGA. 19 March 2015. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  25. "Brentford Monument". BHS Project. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  26. "Churches: Brentford". British History. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  27. "Johann Zoffany". Brentford local website. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  28. "Saint Faith's Church". Brentford History. 21 December 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  29. Weinreb, Ben & Hibbert, Christopher (1992). The London Encyclopaedia (reprint ed.). Macmillan. p. 750.
  30. "Ronalds Family Vault". Sir Francis Ronalds and his Family. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  31. "West Brentford War Memorial Restoration". Brentford History Project. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  32. "HISTORY OF THE DOCKS BRENTFORD". Archived from the original on 5 July 2008. Retrieved 7 January 2008.
  33. Historic England. "Brentford Public Library (1334382)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  34. "Men Of Brentford". Imperial War Museums. Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  35. "Roll of Honour- Brentford Gas Light and Coke Company". Roll of Honour. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  36. "West Brentford War Memorial Restoration". Brentford History Project. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  37. Charnick, David. "Whoops Apocalypse: Catastrophe Diverted in Robert Rankin's Brentford Trilogy". Academia. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  38. "Brentford Dock Residents – Brentford and Brentford Dock history". Archived from the original on 24 December 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  39. "St Raphael or St Mary's Convent". Brentford History. 25 November 2013.
  40. "Guide". TalkFootball. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  41. "Brentford - Hidden London".
  42. "The Task: Book I. -- The Sofa by William Cowper". www.poetry.com.
  43. "Tom Cringle's Log, by Michael Scott". www.gutenberg.org.
  44. Nolan, Emma (14 November 2018). "People Just Do Nothing season 5 location: Where is the new series filmed?". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 28 January 2019. People Just Do Nothing is a mockumentary set in Brentford, West London.
Bibliography
  • 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

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NW: Hanwell Ealing NE: Gunnersbury
Osterley Brentford Chiswick
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