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Chiswick, Middlesex

Historical Description

Chiswick, a village and a parish in Middlesex. The village stands on Stane Street and on the river Thames, adjacent to the loop-line of the L. & S.W.R., on which it has a station, 7½ miles WSW of St Paul's, London. It is in the W suburban metropolitan postal district. It is a pleasant picturesque place, amid charming environs, with many elegant mansions. It is governed by a local board of nineteen members, is lighted with gas, and is supplied with water by the W Middlesex and Grand Junction Water Companies. The church was rebuilt and enlarged in 1884, and it and the churchyard contain the ashes of Sir Thomas Chaloner the courtier of Elizabeth's time, Holland the actor, Hogarth the painter, Rose the translator of Sallust, Loutherburg the painter, Kent the landscape-gardener, Ralph the Dunciad hero, Griffiths the first editor of the Monthly Revieiu. Dr Morell, Earl Macartney, Mary the third daughter of Cromwell, Lady Russell, also a daughter of the Protector, the stern Duchess of Cleveland, and some other celebrities. Ugo Foscolo was buried there in 1827, but the body was removed by the Italian Government to Florence in 1871. An old-fashioned red brick house, in a lane not far from the church, belonged to Hogarth's father-in-law, Sir James Thorn-hill; was for many years Hogarth's summer residence; and was inhabited from 1814 till 1826 by Cary, the translator of Dante. There are three stations here on the L. & S.W.R. — one for Bedford Park, one for Gunnersbury, and one for Chiswick and Grove Park, and one on the Metropolitan District line called Chiswick Park and Acton Green. The parish includes the ecclesiastical parishes of Turnham-Green with Gunnersbury, Grove Park, St James', and Bedford Park (St Michael and All Angels). Turnham-Green was constituted an ecclesiastical parish in 1845. The church, a building of flint, was erected in 1843-44. Grove Park was formed in 1872. The church, erected in 1872, is a building of stone in the Early Decorated style. St James' was formed in 1888, and comprises the area between Kew Bridge and Gunnersbury stations. The church, which was consecrated in 1887, is a building of stone in the Early English style. The living of the mother parish is a vicarage in the diocese of London; net yearly value, £501. Patrons, the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's. The living of Turnham-Green is a vicarage; gross yearly value, £380, in the gift of the Bishop of London. That of Grove Park is a vicarage; gross yearly value, £750, in the gift of the Vicar of Chiswick. St James' is a vicarage; gross yearly value, £450, in the gift of the Vicar of St George, Old Brentford. St Michael and All Angels, Bedford Park, is a vicarage; gross yearly value, £300, in the gift of the Bishop of London. In addition to the churches already mentioned, there is a chapel of ease in Chiswick New Town, erected in 1848, and there are Roman Catholic, Congregational, Wesleyan, and two Baptist chapels, and a Reformed Episcopal church, founded in 1883. The manor belongs to the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's, and part of it is leased by the Duke of Devonshire. Chiswick House, on the duke's part of the manor, occupies the site of a previous mansion, the seat of Carr, the favourite of James; was built by the architectural Earl Burlington in imitation of one by Palladio near Vicenza; is adorned with a portico rising from two flights of steps, and crowned by an eight-sided dome; has wings, which were added by Wyatt; contains a rich collection of pictures; and was the deathplace of Fox and Canning. The grounds connected with it are extensive, were laid out by Kent in the most ornate Italian style, and contain many architectural and sculptural ornaments. Grove House and Grove End are also chief residences. The gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society are adjacent; possess great wealth of both indigenous and exotic plants, and have contributed greatly to the advancement of horticulture. The third daughter of Cromwell, Lady Falkenberg, lived at Sutton Court, the mansion of the parochial manor; Earl Macartney died at Corney House, a seat of the Russells, now demolished; Zoffany the painter, and Joseph Miller, the true* "Joe" of facetious memory, lived at Strand-on-thc-Green, a. small place close to Kew Bridge, on the bank of the Thames, and Sir John Chardin, the oriental traveller, and Lord Heathfield, the defender of Gibraltar, lived at Turnham-Green. Owing-to its pleasant situation and its proximity to London, Chiswick is rapidly increasing in size and importance, and much of the land is laid out for building purposes. There are extensive market-gardens, and brewing and malting are carried on. On the bank of the river there are also the extensive marine engineering and steam launch building works of Messrs. Thorneycroft. The entire area of the parish is 124;'> acres of land and 104 of water; population, 21,963.

Transcribed from The Comprehensive Gazetteer of England & Wales, 1894-5

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Ancient CountyMiddlesex 
Ecclesiastical parishChiswick St. Nicholas 
HundredOssulstone 
Poor Law unionBrentford 

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.


Civil Registration

For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.


Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Chiswick from the following:


Land and Property

A full transcript of the Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Middlesex is online.


Maps

Online maps of Chiswick are available from a number of sites:

DistrictHounslow
CountyGreater London
RegionLondon
CountryEngland
Postal districtW4
Post TownLondon

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