West Twyford
| West Twyford | |
| Middlesex | |
|---|---|
 Twyford Abbey | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TQ205805 |
| Location: | 51°32’17"N, 0°17’3"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | London |
| Postcode: | NW10 |
| Dialling code: | 020 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Ealing |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Ealing Central and Acton |
West Twyford (also known as Twyford Abbey) is a village in Middlesex which has beceom engulfed in the metropolitan conurbation. It may be located to the north-east of Hanger Lane station and north of Park Royal, on the south side of the River Brent.
The name Twyford relates to Twyford Brook. The brook now runs almost entirely underground. It formerly fed the Guinness brewery in Park Royal. The name 'Twyford' is the Old English Twegen fordas, meaning 'Two Fords', or Tweon fordum; 'Between fords'.
West Twyford was historically an extra-parochial area of Middlesex.[1]
Traditionally the area has been defined as 281 acres, but now it is curtailed by the uncompromising concrete of the Hanger Lane Gyratory to the west and the A406 North Circular Road. The River Brent is still to the north. To the south is Park Royal.
History
The area now known as West Twyford began as a manor house[2] in the fourteenth century. A small community built up to the west around St Mary's Church which had originally been a chapel belonging to the manor house. In 1902 the Alexian Order took over the manor house as a nursing home; it has since been known as Twyford Abbey. The brothers ran short of funds in 1988 and joined another part of their order in Manchester.[3]
The abbey, which is a Grade II listed building, now lies derelict.[4] Various applications for planning permission have been made but not granted. The best view of this beautiful building is from next to St Mary's Church in the wintertime.
Much of the housing on Twyford Abbey Road was originally built by Guinness in order to house employees working in at the brewery in Park Royal. Abbeyfields Close is one such residential development, built in 1984 around a series of communal gardens, on land formerly owned by Guinness, although its name hints that it might have originally been agricultural land forming part of Twford Abbey estate.
Church
The parish of St Mary's[5] was combined with the parish of the Church of the Ascension in neighbouring Hanger Hill. In the 1950s the chapel of St Mary's was extended with a new large church building, which later fell into disrepair and disuse, due to safety issues. In 2010 the new church was totally renovated to become a community hall and the original chapel was re-dedicated to St Mary to become the church again. The church itself is quite tiny, having originally been the chapel of Twyford Abbey, located just behind. St Mary's churchyard contains one of the oldest headstones in Middlesex.
About the village
West Twyford is well served for groceries, banking, post office and health services at the nearby 'Park Royal Neighbourhood Centre' where there is also a popular Lebanese Restaurant, a Spice Shack restaurant and Subway café. A new building is going up at the moment on Acton Lane next to the Central Middlesex Hospital which will have retail and restaurant space on the ground floor.
For Vue Cinema, Megabowl ten pin bowling, Pure Gym and a choice of about 10 popular chain restaurants there is 'Park Royale', a leisure park immediately to the south of the A40 and West Twyford and accessed by the underpass by Park Royal tube station.
There is a primary school in West Twyford.
Sport and Leisure
West Twyford Park was formerly called Bodiam Fields, after Bodiam in Sussex, where hops were grown for the Guinness brewery. There are plans for improvements to West Twyford Park as well as new lakeside walks and cycle paths nearby.
The Grand Union Canal runs through West Twyford and provides level pathways alongside for walking a running. It is a short walk along the canalside to the Grand Junction Pub, which has lots of outdoor seating alongside the canal. The pathway continues to Little Venice and Paddington.
There are a number of active community projects in West Twyford, including the 'West Twyford Community and Youth' project and 'West Twyford Children’s Centre'. The latter provides a range of services and activities, including mother and toddler groups, health services, daycare, before and after school clubs, Women into Work and English classes.
St Mary’s Church Community Hall, on Brentmead Gardens provides a range of activities for local people.
Outside links
References
- ↑ A History of the County of Middlesex - Volume 7 pp 172-173: West Twyford: Introduction (Victoria County History)
- ↑ Twyford Abbey at Brent Heritage
- ↑ "Twyford Abbet". http://www.londongardensonline.org.uk/gardens-online-record.php?ID=EAL053. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
- ↑ "Notes on Twyford Abbey at Gathering Dust". Gathering Dust. http://www.gatheringdust.net/. Retrieved 10 January 2016.]
- ↑ A History of the County of Middlesex - Volume 7 pp 175-176: West Twyford: Church (Victoria County History)
- West Twyford on Vision of Britain
