Feltham
Feltham is a suburban town in the London Borough of Hounslow.[1] It is located 13 miles (21 km) west-southwest of central London at Charing Cross, 4 miles (7 km) from Heathrow Airport.[2] and 4 miles (7 km) from the towns of Sunbury and Staines in Surrey. It is the location of Feltham Young Offenders' Institution.[3], situated on the town's border with Surrey.
Etymology
The name is first recorded in 969 as Feltham, although in the Domesday Book of 1086 it is recorded as Felteham.[4] Its meaning is either homestead where mullein grows or it may be formed from feld, meaning open land.[4]
History
Feltham formed an ancient parish in the Spelthorne hundred of Middlesex.[5] In 1831 it occupied an area of 2,620 acres (11 km2) and had a population of 924.[6] From 1894 to 1904 the Felham parish was included in the Staines Rural District.[5] In 1901 the parish had a population of 4,534[6] and in 1904 it was split from the rural district to form the Feltham Urban District.[7] The former area of Feltham Urban District became part of Greater London in 1965 as part of the London Borough of Hounslow.[8]
In 1784 General William Roy set out the baseline of what would become the Ordnance Survey across Hounslow Heath, passing through Feltham.[9] General Roy is commemorated by a local pub. The MOD Defence Geographic Centre still has a base in Feltham.
Feltham F.C. is a semi-professional football team from the area. London Air Park is a lost piece of history, now a cinema and out of town shopping complex. After service as a fighter repair works and wartime aircraft factory during World War II the Air Park closed down in 1946 to avoid air traffic conflicts with the new airport at Heathrow. Feltham District Council purchased the park in 1956.
Local government and politics
The town forms part of Feltham and Heston Parliament constituency and the South West London Assembly constituency.[10]. There are two Council wards in Feltham - Feltham North and Feltham West - though locals may include sections of the Hanworth Park ward, part of which begins to the south of the railway line to the east of the high street, and even parts of Bedfont as being "Feltham". [11]
Suburbs
North Feltham, Lower Feltham, Hatton, Bedfont Gate, Felthamhill (actually just inside Surrey and officially part of Sunbury).
Nearby Bedfont and Hanworth are considered sub-towns in themselves and not part of Feltham.
Redevelopment
The town is a focus for redevelopment within Hounslow.[1] The Centre, Feltham, opened in 2006, is a mixed use development of a hotel, 800 homes, 50 shops, a library and medical centre.[1]
Famous People
- Freddie Mercury of the band Queen.
- Brian May of the band Queen.
- Amatigol, Chairman of the Black Dukes.
- Indie rock band Hard-Fi wrote a song called 'Feltham is Singing Out', about a friend who was sent to the Feltham Young Offenders' Institution. The song is on their Stars of CCTV album.
- Indie rock band Oasis filmed the video to Stand By Me in The Centre, where the new flats are now situated.
Transport
The town is served by Feltham railway station with rail service to Waterloo, Windsor and Eton Riverside and Reading, and London Buses services to Kingston upon Thames, Richmond, Brentford, Heathrow and Staines.[12] The nearest places are Hounslow, East Bedfont, Ashford, Hanworth, Cranford and Sunbury.[2]
References
- ^ a b c Hounslow London Borough Council. New future for Feltham'. 14 July 2006.
- ^ a b Hounslow London Borough Council - Borough map
- ^ politics.co.uk - politics.co.uk - What is a Young Offender Institution?]
- ^ a b Mills, A., Dictionary of London Place Names, (2001)
- ^ a b Vision of Britain - Feltham parish history (historic map)
- ^ a b Vision of Britain - Feltham parish area and population
- ^ Vision of Britain - Feltham UD
- ^ Vision of Britain - Hounslow UD
- ^ J.B.Harley 1969, cartographical notes to Reprint of the first edition of the one-inch Ordnance Survey of England and Wales, Sheet 71 London, David and Charles, ISBN 0-7153-4615-6
- ^ Hounlsow London Borough Council - GLA Member
- ^ Hounlsow London Borough Council - Your Councillors by Ward
- ^ Transport for London - Buses from Feltham
External links
- British History Online - Spelthorne Hundred - Feltham. (1911)
