Acton Green, London facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Acton Green |
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 Acton Green
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| OS grid reference | TQ205805 |
| • Charing Cross | 5.9 mi (9.5 km) WNW |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | W4 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| EU Parliament | London |
| UK Parliament |
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| London Assembly |
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Acton Green is a friendly neighbourhood in West London, England. It's part of Chiswick and the London Borough of Ealing. The area gets its name from the nearby Acton Green common, which is a public park. Long ago, Acton Green had many small laundry businesses. Because of this, people sometimes called it "Soapsuds Island"!
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A Look Back in Time
Acton Green common is a public park next to Chiswick Back Common. A long time ago, these two areas were connected. They were even part of a big battle during the English Civil War, called the Battle of Turnham Green. Later, a railway line was built, separating the two commons. This railway now carries the District line and Piccadilly line trains.
Soapsuds Island: The Laundry Business
The Acton Green area, especially South Acton, was once famous for its many laundries. This is why it earned the nickname "Soapsuds Island." In 1873, there were about 60 laundries here. By 1890, this number grew to over 170! Most of the washing was done by hand back then.
In 1901, records show that 568 men and 2,448 women worked in these laundries. By 1956, the number of laundries dropped to 50. However, by this time, all of them used machines. It was still the largest group of laundries in Britain at that time. These businesses also supported other small factories. These factories made things needed for laundry, like baskets, washing machines, and wringers.
Early Buildings and Orchards
Two important buildings, St Michael and All Angels, Bedford Park church and The Tabard Inn, were built in 1880. They stand facing the east side of Acton Green common. A map from 1894 shows that Acton Green was bordered by railway lines to the west. To the east, it met the Bedford Park area. At that time, both the west of Bedford Park and the east of Acton Green had many fruit orchards.
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A painting from 1882 showing Acton Green common looking towards St Michael's church and The Tabard Inn. The Bedford Park area is on the left, and the London Underground railway is on the right.
Homes and Shops
Most of the homes in Acton Green are located to the northwest of the common. To the east, you'll find the Bedford Park area. This area was built for artists around the same time as St Michael's church and The Tabard Inn.
Acton Green used to have many small shops in the center, especially on Cunnington Street and Kingswood Road. These included sweet shops, fish and chip shops, grocery stores, and places to buy drinks. The area also had several schools, but they are all closed now.
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A corner house with fancy decorations on Church Path
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Providence Villa on Cunnington Street
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A building that used to be a corner shop on Antrobus Road
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The Gothic House on Rothschild Road
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The Mosaic House on Fairlawn Grove
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Red brick houses in a row on South Parade
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A decorative design on a house on South Parade
St Alban's Church
On the north side of the common, facing South Parade, is St Alban's Church, Acton Green. This church was built in 1888. It has red bricks with stone details and is designed in a style called neo-Gothic, which was popular in the Victorian era. The church building is considered very important and is a "Grade II listed" building. This means it's protected because of its special history and architecture. The old house where the church's vicar lived is nearby. It uses the same red brick and stone designs as the church.
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The Old Vicarage on South Parade, with similar designs to the church
Buildings on the West Side
Facing the west side of the common are the large apartment buildings of Fairlawn Court. These four-storey red brick buildings were built around 1900. They are also considered important locally.
Just north of Fairlawn Court are the Chiswick Green Studios. These are modern apartments that used to be industrial buildings. From 1930 to 1950, they were a factory for military electronics parts called Evershed & Vignoles. Later, they were turned into apartments, including new penthouses with curved roofs. Another building kept its original frame and was made into more affordable "loft style" apartments.
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A close-up of Fairlawn Court on Acton Lane
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Chiswick Green Studios, which used to be an Evershed & Vignoles factory
Local Pubs
Acton Green has a few interesting public houses, also known as pubs.
Duke of Sussex
The Duke of Sussex pub is near the north side of the common. It was built in 1898, replacing an older pub from 1842. The current building is very decorative and is also a "Grade II listed" building. It has two main floors, plus attic rooms and cellars. The front of the pub faces Beaconsfield Road. Its walls are covered in white plaster, and the first floor has flat red tiles. The ground floor has large arched windows and a fancy corner entrance. Parts of the original inside walls are still there, showing what a pub looked like around 1900.
- Duke of Sussex public house, 1898
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Fancy metalwork at the Duke of Sussex
Other Pubs in the Area
- The Bollo: This pub is on the corner of Bollo Lane and Montgomery Road. It opened around 1900 as 'The Railway Hotel' and even had a painting of a train on its wall! Over the years, it changed its name several times, becoming 'The Railway Tavern', 'The Orange Kipper', 'The Bollo House', and finally 'The Bollo'. Today, it's known as a "gastropub," meaning it serves good food.
- The Swan: Located on the corner of Evershed Walk and Acton Lane, The Swan opened in 1871. Its outside was even featured in a TV show in the 1980s! It's described as a "lovely panelled pub" with a nice garden and good food.
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The Bollo pub on Bollo Lane
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The Swan pub on Acton Lane
Getting Around
Acton Green is well-connected by public transport.
- Chiswick Park tube station and Turnham Green tube station are both close by. They are on the District line, and Turnham Green also serves the Picadilly line.
- South Acton is the closest National Rail station, on the North London Line.
- Chiswick railway station is also nearby for trains going to London Waterloo.
- The London Buses route 94 bus, which goes to Piccadilly Circus, starts its journey at the northwestern corner of Acton Green common.
