Heston is a suburban area and part of the

Hounslow Hounslow () is a large suburban district of West London, west-southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hounslow, and is identified in the London Plan as one of the 12 metropolitan centres in ...

district in the

London Borough of Hounslow The London Borough of Hounslow () is a London borough in West London, England, forming part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 when three smaller borough councils (forming part of the former Middlesex County Council area) amalgamated under ...

. The residential settlement covers a slightly smaller area than its predecessor farming village, 10.8 miles (17.4 km) west south-west of Charing Cross and adjoins the M4 motorway but has no junction with it; Heston also adjoins the Great West Road, a dual carriageway, mostly west of the "Golden Mile" headquarters section of it. Heston was,

historically History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

, in

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

History

The village of Heston is north of

, and has been settled since Saxon times. It is first recorded as having a priest in the 7th century, though the present

Anglican parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ca ...

dates to the 14th century. A charter of Henry II gives the name as Hestune, meaning "enclosed settlement", which is justified by its location in what was the Warren of Staines, between the ancient Roman road to Bath, and the Uxbridge Road to

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. Another suggested etymology is Anglo-Saxon ''Hǣs-tūn'' = "

brushwood Brushwood can mean: * ''Melaleuca uncinata'' or Broombrush * Brushwood, New South Wales, a rural community in the central east part of the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia * Brian Brushwood Brian Allen Brushwood (born January 17, ...

farm or settlement". Before 1229, Heston was part of the parish of Gistleworth ( Isleworth) before being taken by Henry III, who subsequently granted it to the

Earl of Cornwall The title of Earl of Cornwall was created several times in the Peerage of England before 1337, when it was superseded by the title Duke of Cornwall, which became attached to heirs-apparent to the throne. Condor of Cornwall * Condor of Cornwall, ...

. It covered until the late 19th-century creation of Hounslow from outlying parts of two adjoining parishes, . The close association pre-dates the town of Hounslow, when that was simply

Hounslow Priory Hounslow Priory was a priory in London, England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the sou ...

, the two parishes had long been associated: the medieval manor of Isleworth covered all of that parish and this. After Henry III died in 1316, Heston was owned by the

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

, and later by the wardens of St Giles' Hospital, until it was surrendered to Henry VIII during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...

granted Heston to Sir

Thomas Gresham Sir Thomas Gresham the Elder (; c. 151921 November 1579), was an English merchant and financier who acted on behalf of King Edward VI (1547–1553) and Edward's half-sisters, queens Mary I (1553–1558) and Elizabeth I (1558–1603). In 1565 G ...

, and, after eating some bread made from locally grown wheat, insisted on a supply for her own personal use. Heston Village Hall

The separation from Isleworth in the 14th century gave the locals a sense of independence from the inhabitants and

feudal lords Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structur ...

of Isleworth, with whom they frequently quarrelled. The practice of "

beating the bounds Beating the bounds or perambulating the bounds is an ancient custom still observed in parts of England, Wales, and the New England region of the United States, which traditionally involved swatting local landmarks with branches to maintain a shared ...

" was practised annually when the inhabitants went in procession around the parish boundaries, to show locals the extent of their lands. A contemporary account of such a procession describes an occasion when the parishioners of Heston came across some from Isleworth, and the ensuing "quarrel" saw men from Heston throwing the others across a ditch. A single board of health for the parishes mentioned was formed in 1875 and a very large

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

in 1927. The Great West Road was completed in 1925, forming the southern border with

and the farming and market garden land around the village was snapped up for industry and housing developments. The southern part of Heston up to the Great West Road, Sutton (also known as 'The Deans'), was previously a small hamlet subsequently built up as part of the suburb; this name appearing in some road names and other local features. A Roman Catholic parish church was also built for Heston in the 20th century.

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

Heston - Our Lady Queen of the Apostles
from ''Taking Stock'', retrieved 9 February 2021

Heston Aerodrome

Heston Aerodrome was operational between 1929 and 1947. In September 1938, the British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, flew from Heston to Germany three times in two weeks for talks with

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

, and he returned to Heston from the

Munich Conference The Munich Agreement ( cs, Mnichovská dohoda; sk, Mníchovská dohoda; german: Münchner Abkommen) was an agreement concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy. It provided "cession to Germany ...

with the paper referred to in his later "

Peace for our time "Peace for our time" was a declaration made by British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain in his 30 September 1938 remarks in London concerning the Munich Agreement and the subsequent Anglo-German Declaration. The phrase echoed Benjamin Disr ...

" speech from 10 Downing Street.Sherwood (1999) Housing and industrial estates have been built on some of the area that was Heston Aerodrome, and the M4 motorway with its large service area (

Heston services Heston services is a motorway service station on the M4 motorway in the London Borough of Hounslow, built on land that once formed part of the now defunct Heston Aerodrome. History It is owned by Moto. The 11-mile £19m Chiswick-Langley secti ...

) cuts across the former aerodrome site east–west, but a substantial area to the north of the M4 is host to the Airlinks 18-hole golf course. Many of the roads in the area have aviation-related names: Alcock Road (

Alcock and Brown British aviators John Alcock and Arthur Brown made the first non-stop transatlantic flight in June 1919. They flew a modified First World War Vickers Vimy bomber from St. John's, Newfoundland, to Clifden, County Galway, Ireland. The Secretar ...

), Brabazon Road ( Lord Brabazon), Bleriot Road ( Louis Blériot), Cobham Road (Sir

Alan Cobham Sir Alan John Cobham, KBE, AFC (6 May 1894 – 21 October 1973) was an English aviation pioneer. Early life and family As a child he attended Wilson's School, then in Camberwell, London. The school relocated to the former site of Croydo ...

), De Havilland Road (

Geoffrey de Havilland Captain Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, (27 July 1882 – 21 May 1965) was an English aviation pioneer and aerospace engineer. The aircraft company he founded produced the Mosquito, which has been considered the most versatile warplane ever built, ...

), Norman Crescent (

Nigel Norman Air Commodore Sir Henry Nigel St Valery Norman, 2nd Baronet, (21 May 1897 – 19 May 1943) was a consulting civil engineer and Royal Air Force officer during the first half of the 20th century.Heston Phoenix), Sopwith Road (

Thomas Sopwith Sir Thomas Octave Murdoch Sopwith, CBE, Hon FRAeS (18 January 1888 – 27 January 1989) was an English aviation pioneer, businessman and yachtsman. Early life Sopwith was born in Kensington, London, on 18 January 1888. He was the e ...

), Spitfire Way ( Supermarine Spitfire), Whittle Road (

Frank Whittle Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, (1 June 1907 – 8 August 1996) was an English engineer, inventor and Royal Air Force (RAF) air officer. He is credited with inventing the turbojet engine. A patent was submitted by Maxime Guillaume in 1921 fo ...

), and Wright Road (the Wright brothers).

Schools

There are six

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

s in Heston: Edison Primary School, Berkeley, The Rosary Catholic School, Westbrook Primary, Springwell School, Heston Primary School. Heston Community School is a secondary school with a

sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...

Community

There are three active

community groups Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other or share some common problem come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. Unlike those who promote more-consensual community bui ...

in Heston: Heston Residents Association, formed in 1918, Heston West Big Local, formed in 2015 and Heston Action Group, formed in 2018.

Transport

London Underground

Hounslow West tube station Hounslow West is a London Underground station in locality of Hounslow West in Hounslow within the London Borough of Hounslow, West London. The station is on the Heathrow branch of the Piccadilly line, between Hatton Cross and Hounslow Centra ...

is just within the area's southern boundary and is ( from the village hall). To the East, the nearest underground station is

Osterley tube station Osterley () is a London Underground station in Osterley in west London. The station is on the Heathrow branch of the Piccadilly line, between Boston Manor and Hounslow East. The station is located on Great West Road ( A4) close to the National ...

( from the village hall)

East–West roads

The A4 Great West Road, having left the historic A315 on the Chiswick– Brentford border, forms the southern border of Heston and then reaches Henlys Roundabout by

Hounslow West Hounslow West is an area of the London Borough of Hounslow, United Kingdom. It is part of the western residential area of Hounslow but is its own separate area. The area came about with the arrival of the District Railway and then the Piccadilly Li ...

from which two routes leave. A WNW route passes Heathrow Airport Terminals 1– 3 and 5 as the ''Bath Road'' and a WSW route, the A30, passes Terminal 4, bypasses Staines and reaches the M25; the remainder is for the most part a minor route to

Land's End Land's End ( kw, Penn an Wlas or ''Pedn an Wlas'') is a headland and tourist and holiday complex in western Cornwall, England, on the Penwith peninsula about west-south-west of Penzance at the western end of the A30 road. To the east of it is ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

. The M4 motorway is north; its nearest junction is J3, accessed from Hyde Lane or Southall Lane, crossing over the M4 motorway into North Hyde and then turning left (west) to reach the A312, ''The Parkway'', north of the junction.

North–South roads

The north–south A312, ''The Parkway'', to the west of Heston leads south to

Feltham Feltham () is a town in West London, England, from Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it became part of the London Borough of Hounslow in 1965. The parliamentary constituency of Feltham and Heston has been held by Labour Party ...

and

Hampton Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia *Hampton, New South Wales *Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region * Hampton, Victoria Canada * Hampton, New Brunswick *Ha ...

or north to Harrow passing Waggoners' Roundabout ( WNW of Henlys Roundabout in

), Hayes,

Yeading Yeading ( ) is a settlement in west London, forming part of the London Borough of Hillingdon, having been developed after the Second World War. Etymology Yeading is very early Saxon and was originally ''Geddingas'' or ''Geddinges'', meaning "the ...

and

Northolt Northolt is a town in West London, England, spread across both sides of the A40 trunk road. It is west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the seven major towns that make up the London Borough of Ealing. It had a population of 30,304 at ...

. Three minor roads converge on Heston from the A315 in parts of Hounslow, the A3063, A3005 and B363. The single road re-divides just north in

Norwood Green Norwood Green is a place in the London Borough of Ealing in London, England, that forms the southern part of Southall. It is a suburban development centred west of Charing Cross and ENE of Heathrow Airport. Its origin coincides with the 12th ...

into a northwest road to

Southall Southall () is a large suburban county of West London, England, part of the London Borough of Ealing and is one of its seven major towns. It is situated west of Charing Cross and had a population of 69,857 as of 2011. It is generally divided ...

(the A3005) and into the A4127 that passes by

Hanwell Hanwell () is a town in the London Borough of Ealing, in the historic County of Middlesex, England. It is about 1.5 miles west of Ealing Broadway and had a population of 28,768 as of 2011. It is the westernmost location of the London post t ...

, briefly using the A4020 west before bypassing

Dormers Wells Dormers Wells or Dormer's Wells is an urban community or neighbourhood in west London, England consisting of a grid of mostly semi-detached or terraced houses with gardens and small parks: in the London Borough of Ealing, and the Southall post t ...

, passing

Greenford Greenford () is a suburb in the London Borough of Ealing in west London, England, lying west from Charing Cross. It has a population of 46,787 inhabitants, or 62,126 with the inclusion of Perivale. Greenford is served by Greenford Station (L ...

to reach Sudbury, the town immediately to the west of

Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...

and

North Wembley North Wembley is a district in North West London, England. It is located in the London Borough of Brent and is mostly made up of the 1930s Sudbury Court Estate. North Wembley forms the north-western part of the district of that is its namesake. ...

. For longer journeys north, the M4 then M25 provide the best routes. For longer journeys south, Hanworth Road in Hounslow leads to the

A316 The A316, known in parts as the Great Chertsey Road, is a major road in England, which runs from the A315 Chiswick High Road, Turnham Green, Chiswick to join head-on the M3 motorway at Sunbury-on-Thames. Its initial London section Chiswick L ...

which becomes the M3 motorway.

Nearest places

Notable people

* Oarsman

Don Allum Donald Edward Allum (17 May 1937 – 1 December 1992) was a British oarsman, the first person to row across the Atlantic Ocean in both directions. Duo Atlantic rowing Allum's cousin, Geoff Allum, initially thought of the idea to row solo across ...

(1937–1992), first man to row the Atlantic Ocean in both directions, lived in Heston. * Guitarist Jimmy Page, of

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

, was born in Heston. * Guitarist

Ritchie Blackmore Richard Hugh Blackmore (born 14 April 1945) is an English guitarist and songwriter. He was a founding member of Deep Purple in 1968, playing jam-style hard rock music that mixed guitar riffs and organ sounds. He is prolific in creating guita ...

, of

bands Deep Purple and

Rainbow A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...

, grew up in Heston. * Anthony Collins (1676–1729), philosopher friend of John Locke, was born in Heston. * Composer

Ernest John Moeran } Ernest John Smeed Moeran (31 December 1894 – 1 December 1950) was an English composer of part-Irish extraction, whose work was strongly influenced by English and Irish folk music of which he was an assiduous collector. His output includes or ...

(1894–1950) was born in Heston. * Horticulturist

Ellen Willmott Ellen Ann Willmott (19 August 1858 – 27 September 1934) was an English horticulturist. She was an influential member of the Royal Horticultural Society, and a recipient of the first Victoria Medal of Honour, awarded to British horticulturists ...

(1858–1934) was born in Heston. *

Lynwood Palmer James Lynwood Palmer (1868–1941)Known as "Lynwood Palmer", for example his portrait of ''Golden Corn'' signed and dated 'Lynwood Palmer/1922' (lower left), per Christie's catalogue description, lot 51, Christie's June 27, 2012, Londo ...

(1868–1941) painter of race-horses lived in Heston between 1911 and 1941. * Motorcycle racer

Mike Hailwood Stanley Michael Bailey Hailwood, (2 April 1940 – 23 March 1981) was a British professional motorcycle racer and racing driver. He is regarded by many as one of the greatest racers of all time. He competed in the Grand Prix motorcycl ...

had a bachelor flat in Heston, where he kept his high-powered sports cars. * Actor

Sanjeev Bhaskar Sanjeev Bhaskar (born 31 October 1963) is a British actor, comedian and television presenter. He is best known for his work in the BBC Two sketch comedy series '' Goodness Gracious Me'' and as the star of the sitcom ''The Kumars at No. 42''. H ...

grew up in a flat above the shops on Vicarage Farm Road.

Gallery

File:St Leonard, Heston - Window - geograph.org.uk - 1776313.jpg, St Leonard's Church
Main window: the

crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagi ...

File:St Leonard, Heston - Window - geograph.org.uk - 1776304.jpg, St Leonard's Church
Madonna and Child File:St Leonard, Heston - Window - geograph.org.uk - 1776302.jpg, St Leonard's Church
St Clare and St Francis File:St Leonard, Heston -Window - geograph.org.uk - 1776306.jpg, St Leonard's Church

Inscribed {{unreferenced, date=August 2012 An inscribed triangle of a circle In geometry, an inscribed planar shape or solid is one that is enclosed by and "fits snugly" inside another geometric shape or solid. To say that "figure F is inscribed in figu ...

window File:St Leonard, Heston - East end - geograph.org.uk - 1776299.jpg, St Leonard's Church
Interior File:Heston Type 1 Phoenix II G-AESV Elstree 1951x.jpg, Heston Type 1 Phoenix II G-AESV at

Elstree Aerodrome London Elstree Aerodrome is an operational general aviation aerodrome located in Elstree, situated east of Watford, Hertfordshire, England. Elstree Aerodrome has Civil Aviation Authority Ordinary Licence P486, which allows flights for the pu ...

File:Moto Heston East services.jpg, Moto Heston East services

Demography and housing

Heston's ethnic groups in 2011 were: 14.9% White British 7.2% Other White (Not covering Irish and Gypsy) 60.9% Asian 7.2% Black This is 2011 combined data for Heston's three wards, Heston East, West and Central.

Notes

References

*Sherwood, Tim. 1999. ''Coming in to Land: A Short History of Hounslow, Hanworth and Heston Aerodromes 1911–1946''
Heritage Publications (Hounslow Library)
{{Authority control Areas of London Districts of the London Borough of Hounslow Places formerly in Middlesex