London Borough of Hounslow
Foundations
The borough was formed in
1965, under the
London Government Act 1963, by the merger of the area of the former
Brentford and Chiswick Urban District,
Feltham Urban District and the
Heston and Isleworth Urban District of
Middlesex.
This outer borough of Greater London is on the Thames River and was the site of the first stop on an important coach route to Southampton and Bath. Hounslow town developed on either side of the main Great West Road from London to the West of England, causing a large number of inns to be built to serve the travellers. A few, such as The Bell retain their names, although the buildings have been replaced.
The town has grown rapidly in the latter half of the 20th century due to other travellers. This time due to its connection to
Heathrow Airport. Today the items Hounslow manufactures include razor blades, soap, tires, biscuits, precision instruments, pharmaceuticals, and heating equipment.
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Ant and Dec, television presenters, resident in Chiswick
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Gurinder Chadha, director and writer of such films as
Bend It Like Beckham and
Bhaji on the Beach *
Phil Collins, former drummer and singer with
Genesis, was born in
Chiswick.
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Asif Mohammed Hanif, believed to have been the first suicide bomber in
Israel from the UK, came from Hounslow.
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William Hogarth: the
18th century artist owned a country retreat in Chiswick, which is now a museum. See
Hogarth's House.
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Patsy Kensit: (actress) grew up in Hounslow
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Rula Lenska, actress resident in Chiswick
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Dame Helen Mirren, actress born in Chiswick, star of the Prime Suspect detective series.
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Jimmy Page, guitarist for legendary rock band
Led Zeppelin, was born and raised in
Heston*
Captain Matthew Webb was the first man to swim the
English Channel and lived in
East Bedfont from
1880 until his death in
1883 whilst trying to swim the rapids below the
Niagara Falls*
Olivia Hallinan: Currently playing "Kim" in
Sugar RushThe borough is home to the headquarters of
GlaxoSmithKline, and
British Sky Broadcasting's studio complex, both based in
Brentford's '
Golden Mile'.Fuller's Griffin Brewery is also in the borough, in Chiswick.
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The London Borough of Houslow*
The Best of Hounslow - Local news, events and business listings directory*
Hounslow Community - The history of Hounslow and the local area
