Facts about West Drayton
West Drayton History
From 1525 St Paul’s began leasing West Drayton Manor to tenants. From 1537 the lessee of the manor was William Paget who held the high office of the state in the court of Henry VIII. On 1 April 1546, the Dean and Chapter of St Paul’s released the Manor of West Drayton to the Crown, and two weeks later Henry granted the manor to the now knighted Sir William Paget.
While he was leasing the manor William Paget used the existing building of St Pauls which was situated near St Martin’s Parish church. Paget described the building as his “cotage at Drayton”. Once owning the manor he built a new manor house, completed by 1549, which occupied the western end of the churchyard. The Manor grounds contained the Church, ornamental gardens, stables, a dovecote, and other outbuildings and were enclosed by a high brick wall and two gatehouses.
General Info
West Drayton is a suburban town in the London Borough of Hillingdon. It was an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex and from 1929 was part of the Yiewsley and West Drayton Urban District, which became part of Greater London in 1965. The settlement is near the Colne Valley Regional Park and its center lies 1.9 miles north of Heathrow Airport.
Traditionally the Parish of West Drayton covers 3.4 square kilometers. In 1901 the population of the civil parish was 984. In the 2011 Census, 14,370 people were living in the West Drayton electoral ward. The ward has three councilors in the Hillingdon Borough Council. The vast majority of the housing in West Drayton is mid-20th century.
