The London Borough of Hillingdon () is the largest and westernmost borough in

West London West London is the western part of London, England, north of the River Thames, west of the City of London, and extending to the Greater London boundary. The term is used to differentiate the area from the other parts of London: North Londo ...

, England. It was formed from the districts of Hayes and Harlington, Ruislip-Northwood,

Uxbridge Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. Situated west-northwest of Charing Cross, it is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Uxbrid ...

, and Yiewsley and West Drayton in the ceremonial county of

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

. Today, Hillingdon is home to

Heathrow Airport Heathrow Airport (), called ''London Airport'' until 1966 and now known as London Heathrow , is a major international airport in London, England. It is the largest of the six international airports in the London airport system (the others be ...

(which straddles the border between Hillingdon and

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 Gr ...

) and

Brunel University Brunel University London is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It was founded in 1966 and named after the Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In June ...

, and is the second largest of the 32 London boroughs by area. The main towns in the borough are Hayes,

Ruislip Ruislip ( ) is an area in the London Borough of Hillingdon in West London, and in the historic county of Middlesex. Ruislip lies west-north-west of Charing Cross, London. The manor of Ruislip appears in the Domesday Book, and some of the ear ...

, Northwood,

West Drayton West Drayton is a suburban town in the London Borough of Hillingdon. It was an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex and from 1929 was part of the Yiewsley and West Drayton Urban District, which became part of Greater London in 1965. Th ...

and

. Hillingdon is the second least densely populated of the London boroughs, due to a combination of large rural land in the north, RAF Northolt Aerodrome, and the large Heathrow Airport.

Governance

Administrative history

The borough was formed in 1965 from the

Hayes and Harlington Urban District Hayes and Harlington (until 1930, Hayes) was a local government, urban district in west Middlesex, England from 1904 to 1965. It was created in 1904 as Hayes Urban District - covering the Hayes parish transferred from Uxbridge Rural District (i ...

Municipal Borough of Uxbridge Uxbridge was a local government district in north west Middlesex, England, from 1849 to 1965, seated in the town of Uxbridge. History Uxbridge was one of the first towns in England to adopt the Public Health Act 1848 in 1849 and form a local boar ...

Ruislip-Northwood Urban District Ruislip-Northwood was an urban district in west Middlesex, England, from 1904 to 1965. From its inception Ruislip-Northwood fell within the Metropolitan Police District and from 1933 it was part of the London Passenger Transport Area. The ur ...

, and

Yiewsley and West Drayton Urban District Yiewsley and West Drayton was a local government district in Middlesex, England from 1929 to 1965. Its area became the south-west of the London Borough of Hillingdon. Establishment and expansion The Yiewsley and West Drayton Urban District evo ...

, all formerly in the ceremonial county of

.Cotton 1994, p.133 The councils involved were initially unable to decide upon a name, with Keith Joseph suggesting "Uxbridge" in October 1963, later revised to Hillingdon. The coat of arms for the London Borough of Hillingdon was granted on 22 March 1965. Between 1973 and 1978, the borough's civic centre was built in Uxbridge.

Hillingdon Council

Hillingdon_London_UK_labelled_ward_map_2002

Hillingdon Council Hillingdon London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Hillingdon in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. Hillingdon is divided into 22 wards, elect ...

provides

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

services in the borough, with its headquarters in the Civic Centre in Uxbridge. For administrative purposes, the borough is split into North and South Hillingdon. The borough has an elected council, known either by the full name or as Hillingdon Council. It is split into wards represented by 65 Conservative and Labour

councillor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

s. A

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

and leader are elected annually. The present leader of the council is Cllr. Ian Edwards of the Conservative Party. Elections for councillors are held every four years. A

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

is chosen yearly by councillors; the role is largely ceremonial. The present mayor is Councillor Roy Chamdal (Brunel Ward), who was elected on 20 May 2021.

Wards

The London Borough of Hillingdon is divided into a total of 22

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

London Assembly

In the London assembly elections,

Ealing Ealing () is a district in West London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. Ealing is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Ealing was histor ...

and Hillingdon Borough form a geographical constituency with one member as there are eleven London-wide members, currently from the four biggest parties.

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

candidate Richard Barnes won the 2000, 2004 and 2008 elections, and since the 2012 election the

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

candidate Onkar Sahota has served as the area's designated member on the London Assembly. At the same election in 2012 Conservative mayoral candidate

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...

won the largest share of Hillingdon's votes in becoming elected Mayor of London for a second term.

Demographics

Population

From 2001 to 2011 the borough's population grew by 11.5% (4.4% above the England and Wales mean of 7.1%). By comparison Merton and

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, char ...

grew by 4.5% and

Tower Hamlets The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough covering much of the traditional East End. It was formed in 1965 from the merger of the former metropolitan boroughs of Stepney, Poplar, and Bethnal Green. 'Tower Hamlets' was originally ...

grew by 26.4%. The number of households increased from 2001 to 2011 by 3.3%, and the average number of people per household was 2.7.

Ethnicity

52.2% of the borough's population identified themselves as White British in the 2011 census. In the south-east of the borough, in particular Hayes there is a high population of South Asian residents. The wards where Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Residents comprise the largest racial groups are: *Barnhill (partly covering eastern Hayes, south of

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 ...

), *Pinkwell (mostly the area around the

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

in southern Hayes), *Townfield (Part of eastern Hayes and west of

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 ...

), *Yeading (Eastern Hayes) Whites as a whole form 60.6% of the borough, Asian residents 25.3%, and Black residents 7.3%. In addition, the most common language, English (81.2%), is followed by Punjabi (3.4%),

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

(1.5%),

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

(1.4%) and

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

The borough maintains over 200 green spaces, totalling around . As much of the area is within the

Metropolitan Green Belt The Metropolitan Green Belt is a statutory green belt around London, England. It comprises parts of Greater London, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey, parts of two of the three districts of Bedfordshire and a s ...

it was, in 2008, one of the least densely populated of all the

London borough The London boroughs are the 32 local authority districts that together with the City of London make up the administrative area of Greater London; each is governed by a London borough council. The present London boroughs were all created at ...

s; open spaces range in size from the Colne Valley Regional Park by the River Colne in the north of the borough, to smaller gardens and parks such as the

Norman Leddy Memorial Gardens The Norman Leddy Memorial Gardens in Hayes, Hillingdon, Hayes is one of London Borough of Hillingdon, Hillingdon Borough's designated gardens of excellence. In September 2010, the Gardens earned a gold award for ''Best London Small Park'' in the B ...

and

Lake Farm Country Park Lake Farm Country Park is an expanse of green belt land approximately 60 acres in size fringed by trees and the Grand Union Canal, situated in the south of Hayes in the London Borough of Hillingdon. Its formal status as a country park dates back ...

in the south of the borough. Council leader Raymond Puddifoot had given a promise that green-belt land in Hillingdon would be safe on his watch: 'I can give a categoric assurance that under this administration we will never see a threat to the green belt.' In August 2012, however, Mr Puddifoot announced plans to build on green-belt (and longtime

common land Common land is land owned by a person or collectively by a number of persons, over which other persons have certain common rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect Wood fuel, wood, or to cut turf for fuel. A person ...

) site Lake Farm in the south of the borough. Dismissing the discontent of residents in the south of the borough, the

majority of the council's planning committee peremptorily rubber-stamped the plans in March 2013. Harmondsworth Moor, a park owned by the borough, is administered by

British Airways British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a populati ...

on behalf of the borough. After British Airways planned to create a new headquarters in 1992, the airline agreed to convert a former

landfill A landfill site, also known as a tip, dump, rubbish dump, garbage dump, or dumping ground, is a site for the disposal of waste materials. Landfill is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of the waste ...

site into Harmondsworth Moor. The

Grand Union Canal The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. It is the principal navigable waterway between London and the Midlands. Starting in London, one arm runs to Leicester and another ends in Birmingham, with the latter st ...

passes through Hayes,

Yiewsley Yiewsley ( ) is a large suburban village in the London Borough of Hillingdon, England, 2 miles (3 km) south of Uxbridge, the borough's commercial and administrative centre. Yiewsley was a chapelry in the ancient parish of Hillingdon, Middl ...

, Cowley and

in the Borough.

Ruislip Lido Ruislip ( ) is an area in the London Borough of Hillingdon in West London, and in the historic county of Middlesex. Ruislip lies west-north-west of Charing Cross, London. The manor of Ruislip appears in the Domesday Book, and some of the ear ...

was built as a feeder

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

for the canal, but was eventually disconnected and changed to become a recreational

lido Lido may refer to: Geography Africa * Lido, a district in the city of Fez, Morocco Asia * Lido, an area in Chaoyang District, Beijing * Lido, a cinema theater in Siam Square shopping area in Bangkok * Lido City, a resort in West Java owned by MN ...

. Two

Sites of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

next to the canal,

Frays Farm Meadows Frays Farm Meadows is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest near Denham, Buckinghamshire, Denham in the London Borough of Hillingdon. It was notified as an SSSI in 1981, and has been managed by the London Wildlife Trust on behalf of H ...

and

Denham Lock Wood Denham Lock Wood is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) next to the Grand Union Canal, and near Denham in the London Borough of Hillingdon. It was notified in 1986 and is managed by the London Wildlife Trust on behalf of ...

, are managed by the

London Wildlife Trust London Wildlife Trust (LWT), founded in 1981, is a local nature conservation charity for Greater London. It is one of 46 members of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (known as The Wildlife Trusts), each of which is a local nature conservatio ...

. The borough also operates children's centres, recreational areas for children of under five years of age and their families. The centres include: Barra Hall, Belmore, Cherry Lane, Colham Manor, Cornerstone, Cowley St. Laurence, Harefield, Hillside, McMillan Early Childhood Centre, Nestles Avenue, Oak Farm, and Uxbridge College (Hayes Campus). The borough owns four

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

s: the

Beck Theatre The Beck Theatre is a 600-seat theatre in Hayes, in the London Borough of Hillingdon. It was built in 1977 at a cost of £2.5 million. Type The Beck is a community theatre, offering one-night concerts, drama, comedy, dance, musicals, children's ...

in Hayes (which is operated on behalf of the borough by HQ Theatres Limited), the

Compass Theatre The Compass Theatre is a 158-seat theatre in Ickenham owned by the London Borough of Hillingdon. Middlesex County Council Middlesex County Council was the principal local government body in the administrative county of Middlesex from 1889 t ...

in Ickenham, the Winston Churchill Theatre and Hall (part of the Manor Farm site) and the Open Air Theatre, Barra Hall Park in Hayes.

Sport and leisure

The Borough has seven Non-League football clubs: * A.F.C. Hayes, who play at Farm Park, Hayes. *

Harefield United F.C. Harefield United Football Club are an English football club based in Harefield in the London Borough of Hillingdon. The club is the oldest in Middlesex. The club is affiliated to the Middlesex County Football Association. They are currently memb ...

, who play at Preston Park, Harefield. * Hayes & Yeading United F.C., who play at Skyex Community Stadium, Hayes. *

Hillingdon Borough F.C. Hillingdon Borough Football Club are a semi-professional association football, football club based in Ruislip, in the London Borough of Hillingdon. The club is affiliated to the Middlesex County Football Association. Its name was revived in 19 ...

who play at the Middlesex Stadium, Ruislip. *

Northwood F.C. Northwood Football Club is an English football club based in Northwood in the London Borough of Hillingdon. The club is affiliated to the Middlesex County Football Association. They play their home games at The Skyline Stadium in Northwood Re ...

who play at the

Northwood Park Stadium Northwood Football Club is an English football club based in Northwood in the London Borough of Hillingdon. The club is affiliated to the Middlesex County Football Association. They play their home games at The Skyline Stadium in Northwood Re ...

, Northwood. *

Uxbridge F.C. The Uxbridge Football Club are a football club representing Uxbridge, based in Yiewsley, in the London Borough of Hillingdon, England. They were established in 1871 and are one of the oldest clubs in the South of England. They were founding mem ...

who play at Honeycroft, Yiewsley. *

Wealdstone F.C. Wealdstone Football Club ( ) is an English semi-professional football club based in Ruislip, London Borough of Hillingdon, and affiliated to the Middlesex County Football Association. They currently play in the National League, the fifth tier of ...

who play at

Grosvenor Vale Grosvenor Vale is a football ground in Ruislip Ruislip ( ) is an area in the London Borough of Hillingdon in West London, and in the historic county of Middlesex. Ruislip lies west-north-west of Charing Cross, London. The manor of Ruisli ...

, Ruislip. The borough is also home to Hillingdon Outdoor Activity Centre (HOAC), a water sports and activity centre. The center is home to a number of independently run sports clubs: * Queensmead Sailing Club * Hillingdon Rowing Club * Hillingdon Junior Canoe Club * Harrow Angling Club

Economy

Economic history

The south's former strong connection with industry has diminished since the 1980s to be replaced by a preponderantly residential suburban population; the north has remained a consistently residential suburban area, although with significant swathes of rural land. The borough's residential areas expanded with the extension of the Metropolitan Railway from

Harrow on the Hill Harrow on the Hill is a locality and historic village in the borough of Harrow in Greater London, England. The name refers to Harrow Hill, ,Mills, A., ''Dictionary of London Place Names'', (2001) and is located some half a mile south of the mod ...

to Uxbridge in the early 20th century and the gradual establishment of stops along the line, becoming known as "

Metro-land Metro-land (or Metroland) is a name given to the suburban areas that were built to the north-west of London in the counties of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Middlesex in the early part of the 20th century that were served by the Metropo ...

Contemporary economy

Hillingdon has a large economy by national standards, ranked 14th out of 408 local area districts in Britain, and ranked fifth out of the London boroughs. British Airways is headquartered in Waterside,

Harmondsworth Harmondsworth is a village in the London Borough of Hillingdon in the county of Greater London with a short border to the south onto London Heathrow Airport. The village has no railway stations, but adjoins the M4 motorway and the A4 road (the ...

, in Hillingdon. The building officially opened in 1998. Prior to the opening of Waterside, the airline's head office was the Speedbird House at

London Heathrow Airport Heathrow Airport (), called ''London Airport'' until 1966 and now known as London Heathrow , is a major international airport in London, England. It is the largest of the six international airports in the Airports of London, London airport sys ...

. An office of

American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...

is located at the Orient House (HAA3) within Waterside. In 2007

Cadbury Schweppes Cadbury, formerly Cadbury's and Cadbury Schweppes, is a British multinational confectionery company fully owned by Mondelez International (originally Kraft Foods) since 2010. It is the second largest confectionery brand in the world after Mars ...

announced it would be moving to

from

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...

to cut costs. The company later split and

Cadbury plc Cadbury, formerly Cadbury's and Cadbury Schweppes, is a British multinational confectionery company fully owned by Mondelez International (originally Kraft Foods) since 2010. It is the second largest confectionery brand in the world after Mars ...

moved to its new head office in Cadbury House in the Uxbridge Business Park in June 2008. Guoman Hotel Management (UK) Limited has its head office in the

Thistle Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles can also occur all over the planton the stem and on the flat parts of the leaves ...

London Heathrow in

. British Midland International had its training centre in Stockley Close, West Drayton.

Hellenic Imperial Airways Hellenic Imperial Airways was an airline which had its head office in Ellinikon, South Athens, Greece. It operated charter and scheduled flights. The company slogan was ''Your direct flight around the globe!'' History The airline was incorpo ...

had its United Kingdom offices in the Axis House in Harlington in the London Borough of Hillingdon.Contact Us
." Hellenic Imperial Airways. Retrieved 10 May 2011. "London / United Kingdom Hellenic Imperial Airways Axis House 242 Bath Road Harlington UB3 5AY"

China Airlines China Airlines (CAL; ) is the state-owned flag carrier of the Republic of China (Taiwan), and one of its two major airlines along with EVA Air. It is headquartered in Taoyuan International Airport and operates over 1,400 flights weekly (in ...

had its UK office in the Hyde Park Hayes 3 (HPH3) in Hayes in the borough. One of the predecessor organisations of British Airways,

British Overseas Airways Corporation British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was the British state-owned airline created in 1939 by the merger of Imperial Airways and British Airways Ltd. It continued operating overseas services throughout World War II. After the passi ...

had its head office in the Speedbird House."World Airline Directory." ''Flight International''. 28 September 1967.
530
The other predecessor,

British European Airways British European Airways (BEA), formally British European Airways Corporation, was a British airline which existed from 1946 until 1974. BEA operated to Europe, North Africa and the Middle East from airports around the United Kingdom. The a ...

had its headquarters in

South Ruislip South Ruislip is an area of west London in the London Borough of Hillingdon, south-east of Ruislip, south of Eastcote, north-west of Northolt, and west of South Harrow. A 2017 estimation put the population of South Ruislip ward as 13,150 resident ...

, as did BEA Helicopters. During its existence the airline

British Eagle British Eagle International Airlines was a major British independentindependent from government-owned corporations airline that operated from 1948 until it went into liquidation in 1968. It operated scheduled and charter services on a domestic ...

had its head office on the grounds of Heathrow Airport. A 2017 study b
Trust for London
an
New Policy Institute
found that there is a 22% poverty rate in Hillingdon, slightly below the London-wide figure of 27%. It also found that 24% of Hillingdon's local employees are low-paid, narrowly above the London average of 21%.

Government facilities

London - Heathrow (LHR - EGLL) AN1572653

London Heathrow airport is located in this borough and is one of the busiest airports in the world. It was originally used by the Royal Air Force. The British Government's

UK Visas and Immigration UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) is a division of the Home Office responsible for the United Kingdom's visa system. It was formed in 2013 from the section of the UK Border Agency that had administered the visa system. History The then Home Secre ...

has two immigration removal centres: Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre and

Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre is an immigration detention facility in Harmondsworth, London Borough of Hillingdon, near London Heathrow Airport run by Mitie. Harmondsworth, which neighbours the Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre, h ...

. The borough includes

RAF Northolt ("Ready to carry or to fight") , pushpin_map = Greater London , pushpin_label = RAF Northolt , pushpin_map_caption = Shown within Greater London , coordinates = , type = Royal Air Force station , code = , site_area = , height = , owner ...

and the former sites of

RAF Eastcote RAF Eastcote, also known over time as RAF Lime Grove, HMS ''Pembroke V'' and Outstation Eastcote, was a UK Ministry of Defence site in Eastcote, Middlesex. The British government first used the site during the Second World War, constructing a ...

RAF South Ruislip RAF South Ruislip, also known as South Ruislip Air Station, was a non-flying Air Force station located in South Ruislip near London, England. Located close to RAF Northolt, the station was used by the United States Air Force's Third Air Force f ...

RAF West Drayton RAF West Drayton was a non-flying Royal Air Force station in West Drayton, within the London Borough of Hillingdon, which served as the main centre for military air traffic control in the United Kingdom. It was co-located with the civilian Lond ...

, RAF Ruislip 4MU,

RAF West Ruislip RAF West Ruislip was a Ministry of Defence site, located in Ickenham within the London Borough of Hillingdon. The base was originally built as a depot for the Royal Air Force (RAF), split by what is now the Chiltern Main Line. North of the rail ...

and

RAF Uxbridge RAF Uxbridge was a Royal Air Force (RAF) station in Uxbridge, within the London Borough of Hillingdon, occupying a site that originally belonged to the Hillingdon House estate. The British Government purchased the estate in 1915, three years ...

Education

The borough maintains seventeen libraries: Charville, Eastcote, Harefield, Harlington, Hayes End, Hayes, Ickenham, Manor Farm, Northwood Hills, Northwood, Oak Farm, Ruislip Manor, South Ruislip, Uxbridge, West Drayton, Yeading, and Yiewsley. Hillingdon has undertaken the largest school expansion programme in London, ensuring that all children within the Borough can go to a school close to where they live. In May 2011, Hillingdon Council received the Library Innovation of the Year award at the 2011 Bookseller Industry Awards. Also within the borough is

and

Uxbridge College Uxbridge College is a large general further education college in the London Borough of Hillingdon. Since 2017 the college has been merged with Harrow College, although it retains its individual identity. It has two campuses, in Uxbridge and in Hay ...

's Uxbridge and Hayes campuses.

Transport

National Rail National Rail (NR) is the trading name licensed for use by the Rail Delivery Group, an unincorporated association whose membership consists of the passenger train operating companies (TOCs) of England, Scotland, and Wales. The TOCs run the p ...

and

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...

stations in the borough are: * Eastcote tube station *

Hatton Cross tube station Hatton Cross is a combined London Underground station and bus station. It is located on the Heathrow branch of the Piccadilly line. It is in Travelcard Zones 5 and 6 and stands between the Great South West Road ( A30) and the Heathrow Airport ...

* Hayes and Harlington railway station *

Heathrow Central railway station Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 railway station (also known as Heathrow Central) serves Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 (and formerly Terminal 1 before its closure and replacement by Terminal 2 in 2015) at London Heathrow Airport. It is served by Heat ...

Heathrow Terminals 1, 2, 3 tube station Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 is a London Underground station at Heathrow Airport on the Heathrow branch of the Piccadilly line, which serves Heathrow Terminal 2 and Terminal 3. It was named Heathrow Terminals 1, 2, 3 until January 2016, when Hea ...

Heathrow Terminal 4 railway station Heathrow Terminal 4 is a railway station at Terminal 4 of London Heathrow Airport served by the Elizabeth line. The separate Heathrow Terminal 4 Underground station on the Piccadilly line is adjacent to this station. Journeys to and from He ...

Heathrow Terminal 4 tube station Heathrow Terminal 4 is a London Underground station at Heathrow Airport on the Heathrow branch of the Piccadilly line. The station is situated in Travelcard Zone 6. History The station opened on 12 April 1986 to serve the then recently opened ...

Heathrow Terminal 5 station Heathrow Terminal 5 is a shared railway and London Underground station serving Heathrow Terminal 5. It serves as a terminus for Heathrow Express services to Paddington, and for Elizabeth line and London Underground Piccadilly line services to ...

Hillingdon tube station Hillingdon tube station is a London Underground station in North Hillingdon in the London Borough of Hillingdon, West London. Located between Uxbridge and Ickenham, it is in Travelcard Zone 6. It is the penultimate station on the Uxbridge branc ...

Ickenham tube station Ickenham is a London Underground station located in Ickenham in the London Borough of Hillingdon. The station is on the Uxbridge branch of both the Metropolitan line and Piccadilly line, between Ruislip and Hillingdon stations. It is in Travel ...

Northwood Hills tube station Northwood Hills is a London Underground station on the Metropolitan line in the area of Northwood, between Northwood and Pinner stations and is in Travelcard Zone 6. History The station opened on 13 November 1933. There was a competition for ...

Northwood tube station Northwood is a station on the Watford branch of the Metropolitan line, in Travelcard Zone 6. The station is located just off the main road through the town, Green Lane. The line serves as the sole continuous link between the town of Northwood a ...

Ruislip Gardens tube station Ruislip Gardens is a London Underground station. It lies on the Central line (London Underground), Central line, between West Ruislip station, West Ruislip and South Ruislip station, South Ruislip, in Travelcard Zone 5. The closest stations on t ...

Ruislip Manor tube station Ruislip Manor is a London Underground station in Ruislip Manor in west London. The station is on the Uxbridge branch of both the Metropolitan line and Piccadilly line, between Eastcote and Ruislip stations. The station is located on Victoria R ...

Ruislip tube station Ruislip is a London Underground station in Ruislip in west London. The station is on the Uxbridge branch of both the Metropolitan line and Piccadilly line, between Ruislip Manor and Ickenham stations. The station is located on Station Approac ...

South Ruislip station South Ruislip is a station served by London Underground and Chiltern Railways in South Ruislip in North-West London. The station is owned, managed and staffed by London Underground. The station is in Travelcard Zone 5. History The GWR/GCR ...

Uxbridge tube station Uxbridge is a London Underground station in Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon, West London. The station is the terminus of the Uxbridge branches of both the Metropolitan line and the Piccadilly line. The next station towards London ...

West Ruislip station West Ruislip is a station on Ickenham High Road on the borders of Ickenham and western Ruislip in the London Borough of Hillingdon in Greater London, formerly in Middlesex. It is served by London Underground (LU) and National Rail trains on ind ...

West Drayton railway station West Drayton railway station serves West Drayton and Yiewsley, western suburbs of London. It is served by local trains operated by the Elizabeth line. It is down the line from and is situated between to the east and to the west. The statio ...

In March 2011, the main forms of transport that residents used to travel to work were: driving a car or van, 34.5% of all residents aged 16–74; underground, metro, light rail, tram, 7.9%; bus, minibus or coach, 7.9%; on foot, 4.6%; train, 2.8%; work mainly at or from home, 2.6%; passenger in a car or van, 2.0%.

Proposals

The council announced in June 2011 that it would be lobbying Transport for London to have the Central line extended from West Ruislip station to Uxbridge station. Such a project would require a business case approved by TfL and the completion of signal upgrade work on the

Metropolitan line The Metropolitan line, colloquially known as the Met, is a London Underground line between in the City of London and and in Buckinghamshire, with branches to in Hertfordshire and in Hillingdon. Printed in magenta on the tube map, the line i ...

. The

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

station,

, is situated in South Ruislip near the A40 and the tube station. Most early RAF airfields were named after the nearest railway station; in this case Northolt Junction, the original name of South Ruislip station. The station has been redeveloped in recent years to house a number of additional military capabilities besides the RAF operations, and is popular with business people and politicians for private flights.

Town twinning

Hillingdon is twinned with: *

Mantes-la-Jolie Mantes-la-Jolie (, often informally called Mantes) is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region of north-central France. It is located to the west of Paris, from the centre of the capital. Mantes-la-Jolie is a subprefe ...

, France *

Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig (, , ; da, Slesvig; South Jutlandic: ''Sljasvig''; nds, Sleswig; archaic English: ''Sleswick'') is a town in the northeastern part of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the capital of the '' Kreis'' (district) Schleswig-Flensburg. It ...

, Germany The borough has been twinned with the French town of

and the German town of

Schleswig The Duchy of Schleswig ( da, Hertugdømmet Slesvig; german: Herzogtum Schleswig; nds, Hartogdom Sleswig; frr, Härtochduum Slaswik) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km ...

since the Hayes & Harlington Urban District created the link in 1958. The twinning programme was reviewed in 2011 and it was suggested that the link with Schleswig be ended owing to a lack of contact between the towns. In December 2011, the borough decided instead to end the link with a second German town, Emden, citing administrative problems.

Notes and references

;Notes ;References ;Bibliography * Cotton, Carolynne. (1994) ''Uxbridge Past''. London: Historical Publications

External links

*
Hillingdon Association of Voluntary Services

Index to all Hillingdon streets

List of parks and open spaces
* {{DEFAULTSORT:London Borough of Hillingdon

Hillingdon Hillingdon is an area of Uxbridge within the London Borough of Hillingdon, centred 14.2 miles (22.8 km) west of Charing Cross. It was an ancient parish in Middlesex that included the market town of Uxbridge. During the 1920s the civ ...

1965 establishments in the United Kingdom