Reasons to get to know the little town of Northolt, West London
It is a quiet place to live, a pleasing place to visit and with the intersection of some of London's important arteries it has a good footfall for business. As such, it has some interesting local businesses.
Contents
- Northolts Green Spaces and features
- Farewell To The Plough
- What are your memories of The Plough?
- The Beautiful Northolt And Greenford Country Park
- An RC model Hotspot
- Need an RC Model?
- RAF Northolt
- The Red Arrows
- The Polish War Memorial
- Walking In London
- Local Twittering
- Close to Heathrow
- Walking the Grand Union Canal
- More Information on The Grand Union Canal
- Unique Businesses
- What are your favourite Northolt based businesses?
- Northolt Facts and Figures
- Other internet resources on Northolt
- Love This Lens?
- Snow in Northolt, New Year 2010
- Jan 30th, 2010 - Six Swans!
- Bookmark This Lens
- Your thoughts on Northolt
- About Me
- Picture Sources
Northolts Green Spaces and features
One great thing about Northolt is that while being only 20-30 minutes from Central London on the tube, it has plenty of green space and sights.You can read below about The Grand Union Canal, Northolt and Greenford Country Park, The Golf Clubs (Northolt Golf Club, C & L Golf and Country Club). But in addition to these spaces, there are also a number of greens including the main village green with the Clock Tower, Islip Manor Park, Belvue Park (Leading to the beautiful and historic Saxon Church) and Lime Tree Park.
The sights of Northolt include the man made hills of the Country Park, the clock tower and floral areas, the Polish War Memorial, the White Hart (an old coaching house) and Smiths Farm with its historic record (now part of the country park).
Farewell To The Plough
The Plough was an old style pub in a house with a traditionally thatched roof and Tudor style timbers. It was a beautiful building. As well as serving drinks it incorporated the Zenzi-bar which served Indian food and buffets, and catered for events. Arguably was one of the best looking buildings in the area. The pub was a landmark of Mandeville Road, complementing the small village green and clock tower.In late August of 2009, the building was lost to an accidental fire, thought to have been started by an electrical spark in tinder dry thatching on the roof. The roof was completely destroyed along with most of the upper floor and causing such damage that the building has to be removed. The fire was initially slow, smoke from the roof growing to a fire that took 6 hours for fire crews to control according to local news sources.
I am not sure of the age of it, or if it was listed, but it seems very unlikely that a similar building would replace it. Luckily nobody was hurt or injured in the fire. The building will be sadly missed though.
What are your memories of The Plough?
Now the pub has gone, perhaps a little of it can live on from the memories of those who spent time in it or simply enjoyed seeing it. Of course views may be mixed, and there is no point whitewashing over things. Please add your memories of the place here.
This is moderated - family friendly language only please.
Any general comments on Northolt or this lens should be added below to the main guestbook. This is only for comments on The Plough.
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- Hawkes, Karin Hawkes, Karin Jan 30, 2010 @ 4:48 pm
- My brother-in-law, David used to take me out to the Plough every so often, he always invited me to soda water and some reddish stuff they added to it, it was for free!!!Once we've had no electricity bin the Farmlands, so we went over to the Plough, at least they've had candles, and beer, bottled! To our friend Peter Tyas the Plough was too 'common', and we had to drive for hours on end to get to some posh pub, often enough we ended up back in the Plough!
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- dannystaple dannystaple Jan 30, 2010 @ 2:01 pm
- I am glad that I had the time to enjoy a relaxing afternoon drink there with my wife earlier in 2009, but it will be a shame not to be there again. It made the view across from the clock tower in the village green really special, with its thatched roof and so on, and would have added a nice extra to the beautiful snowy vista there earlier this year.
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- S S Jan 2, 2010 @ 3:04 pm
- No.... wont be the same without it. I remember regularly playing 'boats' with lolly sticks on the stream thats runs through the village (jumping from bank to bank on 'those ones' near the church) and under the Plough. It went into a tunnel at the back of the pub which had an iron railing guard to stop people getting into it. However the rumours of a door way at the end of the tunnel which had loads of crisps and Mars Bars behind it was too much for us kids and entrance was gained. The pub had no worries though, the tunnel was very dark and damp, so if the spiders and creepy-crawlies didn't get ya out (many were foiled at this stage) then the dead dog about two thirds the way along did! (turned out to be a bit of old carpet, but by then young imaginations had already gone wild with what lurked even deeper into the never ending tunnel of doom!).
The Beautiful Northolt And Greenford Country Park
At the heart of the area Northolt and Greenford Country Park now has four conical man made hills, built using recycled rubble and building materials. They mean the rest of the park is shielded from the nearby A40 sounds. These hills give an excellent vantage point, from where among other sights Canary Wharf and Wembley National Stadium can be seen on a clear day.The country park has a number of lakes, which are frequented by Wildlife including swans, ducks, moorhens and geese. It has wetland areas to encourage other wildlife as well. Another shallower lake is designated as a model boating lake - with easy wading depth. The hills offer a natural shield to RF interference making this a great spot for model boating or flying model planes - more on this below.
There are a number of playing fields for football, three playgrounds for younger children, a skatepark and play areas for older children.
Also there are some natural woodland areas left from when Northolt was urbanised - so at the right time of the year, you will see plenty of woodland flowers - including the Bluebell show. It is not hard to spot squirrels and if you are lucky the odd fox.
A natural meandering stream runs through the park, augmented by a new channel built to deal with the run off from the lakes. Invertebrate refuges have been set up in some parts encouraging bees and other beneficial animals to stay in the park.
Crossing over from the main park takes you into the Smiths Farm part where new (10 year old) forests have been planted, giving some deep dark woods, as well as natural grasslands and access to the Grand Union canal. These are dotted with plaques showing the history of the area - how it was once used for brick making, and later for builders waste with the canal a major thoroughfare for business. See below for more information on the Canal.
Also in the park is a golf club ensuring there is no lack of things to see and do here.
An RC model Hotspot
The first feature are the large conical hills. These offer a natural RF shield limiting the interference in the area. Also, they are good launching points for Gliders and lighter RC aircraft. Not too high, but high enough, with large flat plains below - ample landing room as long as you miss the lakes.
One of the lakes in the park is designated as a model boating lake, with a depth shallow enough to wade in should a boat be in trouble. Other lakes have fishing stands which are useful for launching the boats, but try not to upset the local wildlife or other lake users with them.
For aircraft enthusiasts, the presence of the nearby RAF means that while flying their own light RC craft they have the added excitement if the Red Arrows are doing something in London and fly overhead.
Because the hills and the lakes are so close, model RC seaplanes would be great in this space too.
There are plenty of walkways both smooth and rugged for RC cars or tanks, and it could even be used to test drive robots.
I personally have a boat I take out on the lakes and a car I take out at other times.
Need an RC Model?
RAF Northolt
Northolt has a local RAF airbase - it is a little out of town, being more Ruislip than Northolt but its effects are still very much positive on Northolt. This gives it a number of advantages. For those living, setting up their business or visiting the area, this means that they rarely have the constant overhead noise from Heathrow that other nearby suburbs experience.
The airspace is controlled, so normally only RAF and occasionally radio, traffic or police helicopters come overhead.
Another great advantage is that when there are spectacular fly overs in London, or state visits, they pass overhead. You can see them from the country park, or for local residents, from your window.
Locals including myself have seen The Red Arrows, and other formation displays a number of times. The Queens Birthday is generally a great day to be in Northolt as you will see the planes flying out and back.
This also means you may glimpse air force one and other presidential jets, or important flights as this is normally the main stop for non-civilian or other important flights to London. Heathrow is avoided as it may be difficult to protect important figures in the bustle of one of the worlds busiest commuter airports.
RAF Northolt is a Royal Air Force station located east by northeast of Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon, in West London, UK. Approximately north of London Heathrow Airport, it also handles a large number of private civilian flights.
RAF Northolt is actually situated in neighbouring South Ruislip; most early RAF airfields were named after the nearest railway station, in this case South Ruislip which at the time of the airfield's commissioning was called Northolt junction (later Northolt Halt).
The Red Arrows
The Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force, based at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire, UK (soon to be RAF Waddington). They were formed in late 1964 as an all-RAF team, replacing a number of unofficial teams that had been sponsored by RAF commands.
The Red Arrows badge shows the aircraft in their trademark diamond nine formation, with the motto Éclat, meaning "brilliance" or "excellence".
The Red Arrows were equipped with seven Folland Gnat trainers which were inherited from the RAF Yellowjacks display team. This aircraft was chosen because it was less expensive to operate than front-line fighters. In their first season, they flew at 65 shows across Europe. In 1966, the team was increased to nine members, enabling them to develop their Diamond Nine formation. In late 1979, they switched to the BAE Hawk trainer. The Red Arrows have performed over 4,000 displays worldwide in 53 countries.Official Red Arrows website. "Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, The Red Arrows". Retrieved 3 April 2008.
At a charity auction, a British woman paid £1,500,000 to fly with them.
The Polish War Memorial
Bordering Northolt and South Ruislip is the Polish War Memorial, a place worth visiting to pay respects for the Poles who gave their lives to defend the Allies in their time of need.
Category: File - :Polish War Memorial 1.jpg|thumb|right|The names at the rear of the memorial.
The Polish War Memorial is a memorial erected to remember the contribution of airmen from Poland who helped the Allied cause during World War II.
It is situated beside the A40/A4180 roundabout junction near RAF Northolt between Ruislip and Northolt, formerly in the English county of Middlesex, now in the London Borough of Hillingdon. The Polish War Memorial is often used by locals as a landmark when giving directions, as it is prominently situated by a major road junction on one of the main routes into London. Other Polish war memorials exist within the United Kingdom, including those at Invergordon, Scotland.
The Polish Air Forces in France and Great Britain supported the Allied powers during World War II. A group of Polish officers who remained in Britain after the war formed the Polish Air Force Association and decided to erect a memorial. A committee, led by Air Vice Marshal Izycki, raised the necessary funds mostly from British people, and the memorial was unveiled on 2 November 1948 by Lord Tedder, Chief of the Air Staff, after a speech by Viscount Portal of Hungerford in which he said that it was a sad blow that many Polish veterans were unable to return home, as their country had been occupied by the Soviet Union. He added that it would be to the mutual advantage of Britons and Poles that the latter were to make their home in Britain.
The memorial was designed by Mieczys?aw Lubelski, who had been interned in a Nazi German concentration camp during the war. The memorial is made from Portland stone with bronze lettering and a bronze eagle - the symbol of the Polish air force. The names of 1,243 Poles who died during the war were inscribed on the memorial, and a further 659 names added between 1994 and 1996, when the memorial was refurbished and rededicated.
Polish presidents Lech Wa??sa and Aleksander Kwa?niewski have both visited the war memorial to lay a wreath, in 1991 and 2004 respectively[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3684897.stm]
Walking In London
While I enjoy walking in Northolt, I also like to walk and see much of the rest of London. Which other good walks are there to take?-
Routes and Advice for Walking In London
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Collected here are some of London's sights that can be best enjoyed on foot, and why enjoying them on foot is by far the best way. With tips on preparation so that you are not left high and dry and kept comfortable, as well as list of tour route maps...
Local Twittering
Do you live in or often visit Northolt?
I say...
What others are saying...
Close to Heathrow
The A312 shares a junction, the Target Roundabout, with the A40, so much of the traffic coming from closer to London out to Heathrow will be passing through this roundabout. This makes this a great spot for businesses to gain passing trade.
Also a local bus, the 140, offers a 24 hours service to Heathrow, which for locals is door to door. If you fly regularly - this really makes it a simple journey.
And yet, because of the proximity of the RAF base, we do not get overhead domestic flight traffic from Heathrow, giving Northolt the best of both worlds.
Walking the Grand Union Canal
As it fairly seamlessly blends with the Smiths Farm area of Northolt Country Park, it can become part of a walk starting in the country park. Living in Northolt, the park is quite literally next door to me.
It is not uncommon to see plenty of water birds, including ducks, swans, geese and moorhens on the Canal. If you keep your eyes open, you may even catch swans nesting as I have. It is also a fishing spot frequented fairly often. There are pleasing wild flowers, and walking along you will also see other golf courses and Northolts large Mosque.
The Grand Union Canal is also still in use by river boats and barges, which you will occasionally see chugging along. It is not unusual to see houseboats moored in designated mooring spots, some with facilities only easily accessible from the river. If you are looking for somewhere to moor a houseboat in London, Northolt is a beautiful spot with all the local amenities and a welcoming atmosphere.
Further south from the country park, there is a marina situated in the new Grand Union Village development in Northolt.
More Information on The Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 220 km (137 miles) with 166 locks.Canal Junction: The Grand Union Canal It has arms to places including Leicester, Slough, Aylesbury, Wendover and Northampton.
The Grand Union Canal was also the original name for part of what is now part of the Leicester Line of the modern Grand Union: this latter is now generally referred to as the Old Grand Union Canal where necessary to avoid ambiguity.
Unique Businesses
Jedi-Robe
Among my favourites has to be Jedi-Robe.com.
Jedi-Robe.com is a shop specializing in Star Wars memorabelia, and while carrying a large range of all kinds of kit like figures and models, its main focus is on costumes. They carry costumes for many of the different characters as well as a number of replica weapons, kit and light-sabres.
If you are considering attending a star wars/sci fi convention, a fancy dress party or have another reason to want Star Wars costume, then this shop, just South of the Target Roundabout in Northolt is an ideal place to look. They have an extensive and well put together online presence too.
Full contact details at Jedi-Robe.com.
The White Hart
Another great place in Northolt is the historic White Hart Public House. This has been a landmark in the area for many years, having been a coaching house before.
The pub, now associated with the local London Fullers brewery, is pleasant, with a small inn and a number of friendly local characters. This pub is a hub for some parts of the local community.
It has a garden suitable for Children to play in, a beer garden out front with a shelter for drinking outside that has been sculpted to look a little like a jet from above in reference to the local RAF.
A pool room houses a table and a number of seats for observing the game. There is a traditional bar area and saloon area as a number of older pubs in Britain do. Great Food is served, and events are run from time to time.
The White Hart has a number of pictures and plaques showing it historic links with the town and presence adorning its walls. If you are looking for a traditional British pub, with bar staff who will remember your face, and local regulars who are friendly and will get to know you, this is a great pub to remember.
West End, Northolt, Middlesex, UB5 5AX
Pepitas Dog Parlour
Yes - Northolt has a pet grooming Salon. Why not give your pet an occasional pampering - they will love you for it. This local business will treat your pet like a VIP.
216 Church Rd
Northolt, UB5 5AE
020 88451899
Cafe Dream
Okay - there is nothing that unique about a All-Day-Breakfast cafe, beyond that the customer service and staff are always friendly, and we have never been disappointed. This Cafe, situated near the White Hart Roundabout, has a range of food throughout the day, be it a full English Breakfast, Sunday Roasts, Pies and other things.
474 Church Rd, Northolt, UB5 5AU
Bridal Affairs
This shop on station parade provides dresses and accessories to ensure a bride will be stunning on their big day. Definitely worth a visit.
1a Station Parade
Ealing Road
Northolt
Middlesex
UB5 5HR
Telephone: 020 8841 1801
Fax: 020 8841 1801
Calypso property Services
Calypso Property Services serve Northolt and surrounding areas with excellent and well priced cleaning, maintenance, paint & decorating services. While not strictly based in Northolt, some of their staff are.
Their decorating services are able to tile bathrooms, deal with scratches, sort out badly hung doors, fill holes, repaint walls and ceilings (without making a mess) and importantly7 get rid of disgusting black mould.
Their cleaning services can clean up after builders, prepare rental properties between tenants
, clean up after parties, remove really difficult stains from carpets, curtains and upholstery and remove waste and other mess.
Because this service is comprehensive, they can be basically be trusted with a messed wreck of a flat and turn it into a shining finished product. I have personally used this service, and have been very impressed with the result.
- Website: http://www.calypso4you.co.uk/
- Phone: 0208 995 9021
- Mobile: 07706863656, 07912100992
- Email: office@calypso4you.co.uk
What are your favourite Northolt based businesses?
Please add local Northolt Business to this list. It can be your own business or your favourite business. You can also vote for those already in the list.
This list is moderated, so it may take some time to appear. I will accept businesses from surrounding areas.
STAR WARS : Jedi-Robe.com - Star Wars Costumes - Star Wars Toys - Star Wars Shop - Star Wars Action Figures - Star Wars Vehicles - London, UK
Welcome to www.Jedi-Robe.com - The Star Wars Shop, more...0 points
Northolt Facts and Figures
Northolt is a suburb in the London Borough of Ealing, West London, UK. It spreads across both sides of the A40. The name Northolt means northern wood and separates it from Southolt (Southall).
Other internet resources on Northolt
- Northolt and Greenford Countryside Park Society
- A local community society for the preservation and improvement of our beautiful country park.http://www.squidoo.com/lensmaster/new_workshop/why-northolt-is-great#
- Northala Fields
- Local government information on the site which has now become Northolt and Greenford Country Park.
- Northolt Leisure And Culture
- Northolt is often an overlooked suburb but it has several parks, a gym, golf practice range and community centres. There are various churches, including the marvellous Saxon church of St. Mary's, set on a green slope in Northolt Village, a Conservation Area. This is a hidden gem with a village green, and a brook running through it, a large thatched pub and restaurant.
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Snow in Northolt, New Year 2010
Between the end of 2009 and throughout the start of 2010, there was a large amount of snow fall on Northolt. We had a good few inches.However, it lead to surprisingly little disruption, and some really beautiful pictures, which I will put up here as soon as I have uploaded them.
The village green and clock tower looked especially picturesque, although it is a shame that the plough is missing form those pictures. The main roads were kept clear - with Church Road, aka the A312, and the A40 well gritted. The bus services and tubes kept running. Which in one way was great, but also meant that there were no "snow days" to spend at home with my family and play in it.
The pavements were another story, there was deep snow, which was enjoyable to stomp around in if you are still a big kid at heart like me. It became a little dangerous as ice though. Our beautiful lakes froze over, and I had a little fun there with my family skimming pieces of snow over them - this makes quite an unusual noise. There were at least a few snowmen in the park, and people sledding in the weekend.
As the lakes began to thaw, the swans and geese returned, restricted to part of the lake that was not frozen. We entertained our daughter by throwing bread to them as they probably need it in these colder months.
Another thing I have noted in the beginning of this year is that the new apartments built just past the parade on Church road are now up for sale, and they look great to me.
Jan 30th, 2010 - Six Swans!
Our relatively new park - Northolt and Greenford Country park (which used to be Northala Fields, Smiths Park and Rectory Park), has been home to 2 swans, 1 couple, for some time.However, going out in the icy weather today (a freezing -3 brrr), we spotted six swans in the lakes. Some so young they still have their grey feathers. We spotted some getting into a bit of a flap over one of the lakes (sibling turf war perhaps?). They join the other geese and Ducks that reside there now.
The lakes were mostly free of ice, although the little brook was iced over and the wetland areas were a little icy too. there were plenty of people out having a walk with their young ones like we did. Also, I spotted my first squirrel back out this week - perhaps it is a bit early for them still with this weather, but it is good to see them in the woods there.
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Your thoughts on Northolt
What do you think of Northolt?
Have you been are you thinking of going?
Are you a resident? It would be great to hear from other Northolt residents.
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- Laddoo Laddoo May 22, 2009 @ 7:54 am
- Looks very beautiful and inviting. A lot of effort has gone into this lens! 5 * and a fave!
About Me
Lensmaster dannystaple has been a member since July 5 2008, has rated 430 lenses, favorited 127, and has created 44 lenses from scratch. This member's top-ranked page is "OpenTTD vs Simutrans | The Linux Transport Simulation Showdown". See all my lenses
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I build stuff, grow stuff, read stuff and like to write about it. I like to philosophise, research and learn, and then go the next step and apply, do and build. I love reading How-to's and will experiment with things to see what else I can learn. Read more about me and my lenses here.
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Picture Sources
The Polish War Memorial, Northolt. Wikipedia Commons - Freely Distributable.
