Facts about Hanwell
History of Hanwell
Near to the old Rectory and close to Hanwell spring is a large stone of about a ton in weight. In Anglo-Saxon, the word Han denoted a boundary stone. This juxtaposition of these two natural features could have given rise to the name Han-well, which dates back to before the Domesday Book. The original borders of the parish stretched from the bend of the River Brent at Greenford and followed the river down to the River Thames.
The earliest surviving reference is AD 959 when it is recorded as Hanewelle in pledge when Alfwyn (a Saxon) pawned his land for money to go on a pilgrimage. The origin of the name is uncertain; various suggestions have been put forward. Near to the old Rectory and close to Hanwell spring is a large stone of about a ton in weight. In Anglo-Saxon, the word Han denoted a boundary stone.
Gemeral Info
Hanwell is a town in the London Borough of Ealing, in the historic County of Middlesex, England. It is about 1.5 miles west of Ealing Broadway and had a population of 28,768 as of 2011. It is the westernmost location of the London post town. St. Mary’s Church is the original ancient parish church. The present church structure was built in 1841.
As such, it stands as one of George Gilbert Scott’s very early churches, executed in the style of Gothic Revival, and consists of masoned white limestone and gault brickwork, with flint-rubble and mortar panels. Scott himself later condemned his work of this period as “a mass of horrors”. However, the famous painter William Frederick Yeames, who at one time was its churchwarden, is thought to have done the wall paintings in the chancel.
