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No.50 - January 2002 | Contex HOME A Sunday Stroll in Brentford Rose Baillie The story of Brentford, as we heard from Brenda Cole during our highly enjoyable tour in September, was largely shaped by its transport possibilities. Firstly there were the rivers, the Thames and the Brent, which transmogrified into a canal in its latter stages. Then there was the Roman road from London to Silchester and all points west, which remained a major artery until recent times. Brentford was important as a ford, market and staging post, it saw several battles and is now the location of some enviable Georgian houses and notable modern architecture, not to mention a Jacobean manor house.
Brentford’s position at the junction of the Brent and Thames had a major influence on its development. It became a place for manufacturing industry and was once reckoned one of the dirtiest (and immoral) towns in England, but it specialised in boat and barge building and in goods handling. Our morning walk took us around the old town centre and down to the bank of the Thames, where we were observed by an interested heron. Our route took in, among other things, a ships’ equipment manufacturer, the site of a large dock and railway goods terminus, Brenda’s trademark piece of sculpture and a parchment works. On the way we heard some fascinating information about the area’s past fame for apple growing and its philanthropic efforts on behalf of canal boat folk.
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Thanks
to Brenda’s thorough preparation there was something to note every
few yards of our tour. From the war memorials outside the Carnegie
endowed public library, to the imaginatively redeveloped parish church
and rails from Brunel’s G.W.R. now supporting a fence; even Somerfield’s
car park had once had an excavation in it. My personal favourite
was the granite pillar erected by a local worthy to commemorate Brentford’s
military history, which he claimed began with Cassivellaunus’ resistance
to Caesar and went on to the notable Civil War battle of 1642, that
wrecked the town and brought the Royalists to the edge of London.
A
return to the High Street acquainted us with several coaching inns
and Brentford’s once important market, which was once part of a property
belonging to the City nunnery of St Helen’s Bishopsgate. After which
there was a welcome stop at The White Horse, that stands partly
on the site of a house owned by an uncle of J M W Turner, where the
painter lived for a time while a boy. Her a tasty and ample buffet
lunch was awaiting us. Then it was off to admire the lovely 18th Century
houses of ‘The Butts’, followed by a walk north up the canalised
Brent, where post-industrial dereliction is just giving way to redevelopment.
Some striking structures were to be seen on the way, including a
large roofed canal basin and the striking new glass covered HQ of
Glaxo Smith Kline Pharmaceuticals. It was surprising how many wild
flowers and birds were flourishing along the towpath, oblivious to
the traffic of the Great West Road and M4 passing near by.
Our
walk ended at Boston Manor, a substantial three gabled house dating
from 1623, now in the care of Hounslow Council. There we were met
by Janet McNamara, who has written an excellent booklet on its history.
For most of its existence Boston Manor was the home of the Clitherows,
a merchant family who lived long and useful lives despite the absence
of mains sewers. Janet guided us around some of the rooms, which
included the formal drawing room, with an elaborate ceiling, fireplace
and overmantel. Other rooms contained family portraits and local
views, while the upper staircase has original C18th wallpaper in
the antiquarian taste. Our visit concluded with a welcome cup of
tea in the dining room, there to reflect that there was a lot more
to Brentford than any of us had suspected.