Recall the year 700. Ealing’s story starts there. The name comes from the Gillingas. They were a Saxon tribe. They were mentioned in a charter by Æthelred of Mercia. The Gillingas took their name from a chief named Gilla.
Now, let’s fast forward to the 12th century. Ealing was a village then. It had a church. It had a priest. It sat amid a vast forest. The forest stretched from southwest to north of London.
Let’s jump to 1599. Ealing had 85 households. A census from January of that year recorded every person’s name, age, relationship, and job.
The 18th century brought maps. These maps showed Ealing as mostly open countryside. Farming was the main job, like centuries before. However, one road was important. It ran from west to east. It was later named Uxbridge Road. It led east to London and west to Oxford.
The 19th century changed everything. The Great Western Railway arrived in the 1830s. A railway station opened on Ealing Broadway in 1838. Speculative building boomed. Semi-detached houses rose for the middle class. Transport improved with trains and horse buses. People could live in the countryside and work in London. Ealing began its transformation.
But what about Ealing becoming a town? Roads were built. Drainage was installed. Schools and public buildings went up. Charles Jones was the Borough Surveyor from 1863 to 1913. He designed Ealing Town Hall. Ealing Broadway became a major shopping center.
Consider 1901. Ealing became a municipal borough. Walpole Park opened. Electric trams ran on Uxbridge Road. Ealing was the first borough in Middlesex with a charter and a mayor. It earned a new title.
The “Queen of the Suburbs” Ealing became known as. It was halfway between city and country. Ealing had greenery. It was a desirable place to live.
Pause for a moment and imagine Ealing Studios in the 1950s. The Ealing comedies were filmed here. These included “The Lavender Hill Mob”. In 1955 the BBC took over the studios.
Let’s not forget the music. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards met Brian Jones at the Ealing Jazz Club in 1962. It was opposite Ealing Broadway station.
Consider Ealing today. It is a blend of leafy suburbs and inner-city life. Ealing Broadway is a bustling center. It has a railway interchange. It has a shopping center.
So, as we stand here, remember the journey. Remember the Saxon tribes. Remember the farms and the trains. Remember the “Queen of the Suburbs.” That’s Ealing’s story.