Its origin coincides with the 12th century arch in its chapel, the date when it is first recorded. Reflecting its mid-19th century agrarian nature it remained below church status in Hayes parish until 1859.
It often lends its name to an electoral ward of around 12,500 people.[2] It today forms the southern part of larger Southall, named after the main manor which lay in the north of its area which is south of Northolt parish.
Norwood Green is the modern name for the old hamlet called Norwood in the manor of Norwood; this name in turn derives from the Saxon settlement name recorded in contemporary orthographyNorthuuda which suggests a different final syllable, at least in some modes or among some speakers.[3]
The manor (and near-identical chapelry) of Norwood was for more than eight centuries in the parish of Hayes until 1859 when the large chapel of St Mary became on paper a church and was upgraded to have a surrounding parish. This new parish encompassed also the main clusters of cottages named after their manors of Southall and Northcotte.[4][5]
Norwood Green is bounded by the Grand Union Canal to the north and its continuation the canalised Brent,[8] east and North Hyde Lane and the line of a former brook south of that to the west.
Current Amenities
The village retains its green, church and two pubs: one by the canal, and one by Wolf Fields park.[n 1]. There is a primary school in Norwood Green. The roadsides are lined with trees and there are several open spaces and wooded areas. Residential property consists of a mix of bungalows, large and small detached, semi-detached and terraced houses.
A public house, The Plough, is grade II, (i.e. in the initial category) its hand drawn beers have been mentioned in an annual CAMRA selection.[9]
Friars Lawn, a Georgian house, overlooks the Green, once a home of Gordon Selfridge of the retail family, and of the actress Hayley Mills.[10]
Former amenities
Its own Metropolitan Police station and Post Office closed in 2008. Beside the Plough, a stables and bowling green were demolished in 2013.
July village fair
The second Saturday of July is when the Norwood Green Residents' Association hold Village Day on the green - a fair and activities day - and the church is decorated and opened to visitors.
Three Bridges (a transport intersection, designed and built by the Victorian engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel) in the north-east corner, is claimed as an icon of worldwide engineering heritage. Here north-south Windmill Lane goes over the Grand Union Canal (locally fed by the Welsh Harp Reservoir) on a gentle west–east reach towards the Thames at Brentford in turn above a single-track, freight, railway running from the main Great Western Main Line to just north of the major A4 road at Brentford. Two bridges exist at "Three Bridges" (the road over the canal bridge and the canal over the railway bridge) but they are stacked one above another with the road on top of the canal which is on top of the railway which is in a deep cutting at this point. The road bridge has weight and width restrictions.
The nearest underground station is Osterley tube station on the Piccadilly line, which is 30–40 minutes walk from the central area; allowing 20-minute connection with Heathrow Airport; 40 minutes to Central London.
The M4 motorway is accessed 2 miles (3.2 km) east for Central London the same distance west for Heathrow and western destinations. The A40 "Western Avenue" to the north and the A4 to the south are the nearest trunk roads and are east–west.
Norwood Green or as "Norwood" the place has long given its name to the local electoral ward (for local council elections) electing councillors to Ealing Council. Norwood Green ward has three Labourcouncillors. Ealing Council having had a Labour administration since 2010.
Norwood Green ward is in the London Assembly constituency of Ealing and Hillingdon which has one assembly member: Onkar Sahota (Labour), who was elected in May 2012. The Norwood Green Ward Forum (formerly the Area committee) is held in the main hall of St Mary's Church, Norwood Green.[11]
Demographics
According to the 2001 census, the population of the Norwood Green ward stood at 12,650.[12] 67% of ward are in ethnic groups other than British. Indian/Pakistani is the largest ethnic group, making up 49.8% of the population of the Norwood Green ward.[12][13]
Notes
^The pubs to the North of the Green are The Wolf, and further on, by the canal, The Lamb
^The Place-names of Middlesex Apart from the City of London:By John Eric Bruce Gover, Allen Mawer, Frank Merry Stenton, Sidney Joseph Madge, English Place-Name Society. Published by The University press, 1942
