Heston is a suburban area and part of the Hounslow district in the London Borough of Hounslow. 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 Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Clockwise from north these are: the east side of Trafalgar Square leading to St Martin's Place and then Charing Cross Road; the Strand leading to the City ...

and adjoins the

M4 motorway The M4, originally the London-South Wales Motorway, is a motorway in the United Kingdom running from west London to southwest Wales. The English section to the Severn Bridge was constructed between 1961 and 1971; the Welsh element was largely ...

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 Hounslow, 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 c ...

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 Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, 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 The Anglo-Saxons were a cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo-Saxons happened wit ...

''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, American magician, podcaster, author and c ...

farm or settlement". Before 1229, Heston was part of the parish of Gistleworth (

Isleworth Isleworth ( ) is a town located within the London Borough of Hounslow in West London, England. It lies immediately east of the town of Hounslow and west of the River Thames and its tributary the River Crane. Isleworth's original area of se ...

) before being taken by Henry III, who subsequently granted it to the Earl 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 London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down ...

, 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, and later by the wardens of

St Giles' Hospital St Giles' Hospital was a hospital located in Camberwell, London. History The hospital had its origins in the Camberwell Workhouse Infirmary which was completed in 1875. A large circular tower was added in 1890 and further ward blocks were complet ...

, until it was surrendered to

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...

granted Heston to Sir Thomas Gresham, 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" 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 Hounslow 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 Arthur Neville Chamberlain (; 18 March 18699 November 1940) was a British politician of the Conservative Party who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. He is best known for his foreign policy of appeaseme ...

, 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 Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and the ...

, and he returned to Heston from the Munich Conference 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 Disra ...

" speech from

10 Downing Street 10 Downing Street in London, also known colloquially in the United Kingdom as Number 10, is the official residence and executive office of the first lord of the treasury, usually, by convention, the prime minister of the United Kingdom. Along w ...

.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 sect ...

) 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), Brabazon Road ( Lord Brabazon), Bleriot Road (

Louis Blériot Louis Charles Joseph Blériot ( , also , ; 1 July 1872 – 1 August 1936) was a French aviator, inventor, and engineer. He developed the first practical headlamp for cars and established a profitable business manufacturing them, using much of th ...

), Cobham Road (Sir Alan Cobham), De Havilland Road ( Geoffrey de Havilland), Norman Crescent ( Nigel Norman), Phoenix Way ( Heston Phoenix), Sopwith Road ( Thomas Sopwith), Spitfire Way (

Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Gri ...

), Whittle Road ( Frank Whittle), 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 A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

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 ...

Community

There are three active community groups 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 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 Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and F ...

–

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings wh ...

border, forms the southern border of Heston and then reaches Henlys Roundabout by Hounslow West from which two routes leave. A WNW route passes

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 ...

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,

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a Historic counties of England, historic county and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people ...

. The

is north; its nearest junction is J3, accessed from Hyde Lane or Southall Lane, crossing over the

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 or north to Harrow passing Waggoners' Roundabout ( WNW of Henlys Roundabout in Hounslow West),

Hayes Hayes may refer to: * Hayes (surname), including a list of people with the name ** Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th president of the United States * Hayes (given name) Businesses * Hayes Brake, an American designer and manufacturer of disc brakes * Hay ...

, Yeading and Northolt. 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 into a northwest road to Southall (the A3005) and into the A4127 that passes by Hanwell, briefly using the A4020 west before bypassing Dormers Wells, 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 Sudbury may refer to: Places Australia * Sudbury Reef, Queensland Canada * Greater Sudbury, Ontario (official name; the city continues to be known simply as Sudbury for most purposes) ** Sudbury (electoral district), one of the city's federal el ...

, 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. For longer journeys north, the M4 then M25 provide the best routes. For longer journeys south, Hanworth Road in Hounslow leads to the A316 which becomes the M3 motorway.

Nearest places

Notable people

* Oarsman Don Allum (1937–1992), first man to row the Atlantic Ocean in both directions, lived in Heston. * Guitarist

Jimmy Page James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Page is prolific in creating guitar riffs. His style involves various alternative ...

, of rock 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 ...

, was born in Heston. * Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, of rock bands

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Originally formed as ...

and Rainbow, grew up in Heston. * Anthony Collins (1676–1729), philosopher friend of

John Locke John Locke (; 29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the "father of liberalism". Considered one of ...

, was born in Heston. * Composer Ernest John Moeran (1894–1950) was born in Heston. * Horticulturist Ellen Willmott (1858–1934) was born in Heston. * Lynwood Palmer (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 motorcycle ...

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 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