Acton, London

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Acton

Coordinates: 51.510519° N 0.262661° W
OS grid reference	TQ205805
London borough	Ealing
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LONDON
Postcode district	W3, W4
Dial code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
UK Parliament	Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush
London Assembly	Ealing and Hillingdon
European Parliament	London
List of places: UK • England • London

Acton is an extensive area in West London, situated 6.4 miles (10.3 km) west of Charing Cross. At the time of the 2001 census, Acton, comprising the wards of East Acton, Acton Central, South Acton and Southfield, had a population of 53,689 people.^[1]

The name Acton derives from the Anglo-Saxon for "oak town". Originally an ancient village (mentioned in the Domesday Book), as London expanded, Acton became absorbed into the city. Nowadays, Acton lies predominantly in the London Borough of Ealing, although some of East Acton lies within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.

St Mary's Church, King Street, Acton Central

Central Acton lies on the former main road between London and Oxford (the Uxbridge Road) and several inns along it date back several centuries as stopping places for travellers. Nowadays, the principal route linking London and Oxford (the A40 dual carriageway) bypasses central Acton, but passes through North Acton.

1 History
2 Development
3 Out and About in Acton
4 Trivia
5 Transport
6 Nearby Places
7 Gallery
8 References
9 External links

[edit] History

Several springs were found towards the end of the 17th century on the north-east side of Acton and, for a time, they became health spas. As a result of the local soft water 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 the rich in London's West End, leading to the nickname "soapsuds island".

[edit] Development

Acton formed an urban district and, later, municipal borough of Middlesex from 1894 to 1965. Its former area was used to form part of the London Borough of Ealing in 1965.

Acton 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.

Acton is also home to the largest housing estate in West London, the South Acton estate, with approximately 2,000 homes and 5,800 residents.^[2]

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 a small area. Other substantial immigrant groups include Iraqis and Somalis. A Japanese school has attracted a Japanese community to West Acton.

Acton Town Hall

[edit] Out and About in Acton

Eating and Drinking

Acton has no shortage of good pubs, one of which, the newly restored “St George and the Dragon” on the High Street, has earned Fancyapint.com's top 5-pint rating. The Red Lion & Pineapple (a Wetherspoon pub) is popular with younger people and older people, particularly those out seeking a very cheap pint. On and around the High Street is a diverse range of restaurants and takeaways, including the Thai Be Thai, the Indian Acton Tandoori and the Chinese North China.

On Churchfield Road, which runs north of and parallel to the High Street, is a large range of pubs and eating places from the Churchfield near the Level Crossing to the Rocket, a fine Gastro-pub and Vanilla, a new organic coffee shop and deli. There are Korean, Lebanese, Chinese, Portuguese and Spanish bars and restaurants, along with a well-regarded and unusual Indian restaurant, 3Spice. Churchfield Road also features a flower shop, several specialist clothes and antique shops and many hairdressers.

Recreation

Acton hosts a range of recreational facilities and its library and swimming baths (not to mention the Town Hall) are fine examples of tall Victorian muinicipal buildings that can be found along the High Street (a conservation area).

On the east end of Acton High Street, is Acton Park, which features bowls facilites, a children’s play area, tennis courts and an art block.

Acton Farmers' Market was piloted on the newly refurbished Mount on December 2, 2006.

Pilot of Acton Farmers' Market on 2 December, 2006.

[edit] Trivia

Acton was the birthplace of The Who, of which all members except Keith Moon went to Acton High School.

Pete Townshend's 1982 solo album, All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes, contained the track "Stardom in Acton" in reference to his home town, while the accompanying video was filmed on and around Acton High Street.

The Monty Python sketch 'Bicycle Repair Man' was shot on Churchfield Road.

Harlech Tower, on the South Acton estate, was a stand-in for the fictional Nelson Mandela House, the home of Del Boy in the popular sitcom Only Fools and Horses.

Acton Park often hosts filming for programmes such as “Rose & Macaulay” and The Deal.

The first Waitrose store was in Acton. Originally called "Waite, Rose and Taylor", it opened in 1904, at number 263 Acton Hill.

Scenes from the 1986 movie Aliens and the 1989 movie Batman were shot inside the disused Acton power station.

[edit] Transport

Acton is noteworthy for having seven railway stations. These are North, South, East, West, Central, Mainline and Town. Four of these are on the London Underground and three on the regional rail network.

Nearest tube stations:

Level Crossing at Acton Central Station

Nearest railway stations:

Transport for London, led by the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, is proposing to build a West London Tram between Shepherd's Bush and Uxbridge town centre. It would run along the A4020, the Uxbridge Road, through Acton, Ealing, West Ealing, Hanwell, Southall and Hayes End. This proposed scheme is highly controversial and has resulted in strong differences in opinion between TfL, who suppport the scheme, and local councils throughout the proposed route, who have all taken a 'no tram' stance.