Forum Topic

Chiswick off the air

I have just noticed that the W4 site is off the air for an upgrade and move to a new server. Wonder if Ealing etc will get the same treatment eventually. In the meantime I wonder what the poor dears will find to do with their time? Migrate to TW8? or Ealing W5? Or will the birthrate in Chiswick spiral upwards? Will the Doctor's Surgerys be full of Chiswickians suffering from withdrawl symtoms?

Colin Vaughan ● 6896d12 Comments

I sometimes note there being well over 100 people logged into their site when acton W3 has 3 and Ealing today 10!!Biggest problem is that a large part of Acton is in W 4 they won't accent this fact though, it's now north Chiswick.

Gary Watson ● 6895d

"North Chiswick" eh?  I suppose a sexy cachet like this is worth an extra £50k to the value of one's house. I have to chuckle really - Ealing estate agents aren't averse to sexy property particulars, as in "Horsenden Heights", "The Draytons", "Pitshanger Village", "The St Stephen's area" and "Ealing Dean", "Poets' Corner" etc etc.Much better than "The Railway Cuttings, Cheam" I guess!  ;-(

Gerry Tan ● 6895d

Wasn't it East Cheam?

Francis House ● 6895d

Gerry, Can I swap "Elthorne Heights" imagined to be off the Boston Road, for Ealing Dean which is the genuine old name in the pack?

Robert Darke ● 6895d

"Elthorne Heights" - that's delicious estate agents' speak! And why not? After all, everyone talks-up their personal situations, be it their posessions, their achievements, their social standing and their looks. I like sexy descriptions.  ;-)

Gerry Tan ● 6895d

There is indeed a lot of snobbery in describing neighbourhoods, much of which is perpetuated by estate agents.I have heard my part of South Ealing dismissively referred to as "Brentford Borders".

James de Vivenot ● 6895d

Foxtons are the biggest fiddlers ion all this. To them Acton does not exist at all. Anywere there becomes Ealing W3!Elthorne is however an old name for a large area covering Ealing, Southall, Hayes, Uxbridge, Chiswick and Hounslow, including 'Hefrow'.An old map of MIDLESEX(one 'D')that I have, shows the area as Elthorne Hundred, with Spelthorne Hundred to the South. Acton is shown in the Wenlexbarne Liberties to the East. Barnet however is outside in darkest 'Hartfordshire'. Anyone into History know what 'Hundred' signifies?

Colin Vaughan ● 6895d

The classic case of area snobbery goes to Telephone Exchange IDs 'LEYtonstone', becoming 'KEYstone'.The PO Engineering Traffic Officer that spotted that was a genius!!

Colin Vaughan ● 6895d

A Hundred is a pre-Norman Conquest subdivision of a County:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred_%28division%29

Gavin Gilbert ● 6895d

"Biggest problem is that a large part of Acton is in W 4 they won't [accept] this fact though, it's now north Chiswick."Why is this a problem, Gary, let alone the "biggest problem"?  It just happens that the community that most people call Chiswick extends in practice to the W4 boundary, because that (along an old railway line) is a more natural community boundary than the original parish and borough boundary near Acton Green.  There is of course another meaning of "Chiswick" which is the local government area within L.B.Hounslow.  They are both legitimate meanings.

Richard Jennings ● 6895d

I wonder then if 'Liberties' indicates an area where say skilled artisans lived, who were not tied to a landowner in serfdom?

Colin Vaughan ● 6895d

Colin, It may not be clear on your map but "Ossulstone" hundred covered Ealing, Acton, Brentford, Chiswick and "Elthorne" extended from Hanwell, Hounslow, Greenford to Uxbridge.(according to what I`ve previously read and hastily double-checked)!I think its good that Elthorne`s name is now used as an electoral ward which covers a good part of Hanwell and a chunk of West Ealing.

Robert Darke ● 6895d