Bradbury’s Warehouse, South of High Street. c.1870. Very good red brickwork with white brick arches and cast iron window frames. Originally owned by local Brentford family & traders, The Bradburys. BRENTFORD HERITAGE ASSETS September 2013 Compiled by Catriona Berry Drawing on historical research by Janet McNamara & additional research by Val Bott. Commissioned by Brentford Community Council All photographs © Catriona Berry 2013, unless otherwise marked. E-mail [email protected] Brentford Heritage List Acknowledgements: With special thanks to Janet McNamara, Val Bott, Paul Velluet, Robin Nugent, Andrew Dakers, Hazel Dakers, Denis Browne and David Bright, who have all contributed their time and expertise to this valuable report. Thanks also to Susie Barson from English Heritage whose ‘Report on the Waterside Area at Brentford, 2000’ has been useful as reference when compiling this more detailed study. Catriona Berry 2 Brentford Heritage List CONTENTS: Page 4 Area ‘A’: Brentford High Street and Waterfront Area. Via Pump Lane, Ferry Lane, Town Meadow, Dock Rd, Catherine Wheel Rd, Brent Way, Boars Head Yard, The Ham, Commerce Rd, Brentford Lock, Green Dragon Lane. Page 69 Area ‘B’: The Butts and surrounds Including The Butts Estate, Upper Butts, Church Walk, Somerset Rd (west) and Market Place. Page 100 Area ‘C’: St Faith’s Area and Windmill Rd down to Half Acre Via Hamilton Rd, Clifden Rd and St Paul’s Rd. Page 123 Area ‘D’: Griffin Park Area Page 143 Area ‘E’: Boston Manor and surrounds Page 155 Area ‘F’: Great West Rd Page 167 Area ‘G’: Brentford End Page 173 Area ‘H’: Syon Park Page 181 Area ‘I’: Gunnersbury Park Page 190 Section ‘J’: Churches Page 201 Section ‘K’: Schools Page 207 Section ‘L’: Pubs 3 Brentford Heritage List Area ‘A’: Brentford High Street and Waterfront Area Via Pump Lane, Ferry Lane, Town Meadow, Dock Rd, Catherine Wheel Rd, Brent Way, Boars Head Yard, The Ham, Commerce Rd, Brentford Lock, Green Dragon Lane. 4 Brentford Heritage List Kew Bridge Original Use Bridge Current Use Bridge Construction 1903 Date/Period Already Grade II Listed? Statutory Listed Group Value? No Conservation Area? Kew Conservation Area Thames Policy Area Brief Description: EH Listing Description: Road bridge. 1903, by Sir John Wolfe Barry and Cuthbert Breveton. Three elliptical arches over the river Thames with a series of small arches under the long approaches. Granite, with rustic voussoirs and bracketed cornice below the parapet. Has cartouches bearing the coats of arms of Surrey and Middlesex in the spandrels either side of the centre arch. This replaced a stone arched bridge of 1784-9 by James Paine , which itself followed a bridge with seven arches of 1758-9 by John Barnard. Part in the London Borough of Richmond. (qv.) [See Pevsner London 2: South p715.] Other information: This is the third bridge on the site. The coats of arms of Middlesex and Surrey on the upstream parapet were damaged by shrapnel during WW2. It was opened in 1903 by King Edward VII and King Edward VII Bridge is its correct title. Winter 2009 local historian & heritage guide Janet McNamara was told by a neighbour that it’s not shrapnel marks as officially reported but that a German fighter plane flew along the river firing a machinegun. 5 Brentford Heritage List O’Riordans Pub (previously The Royal Tar / The Jolly Tar), 3 Brentford High Street, Brentford Original Use Pub Current Use Pub Construction 1888 Date/Period Already No Listed? Group No Conservation Area? Thames Policy Area Value? Brief Description: See Pubs. Other information: 6 Brentford Heritage List Watermans Park, Brentford Original Use Park (previously part of the gas works) Current Use Park Construction ? Date/Period Already Listed? No Group Value? No Conservation Thames Policy Area Area? Brief Description: Cobbles from the Gas Works at the west end, which closed in 1963. Other information: 7 Brentford Heritage List Lots Ait, Brentford Original Use Island/Dock Current Use Island/Dock Construction ? Date/Period Already No Listed? Group Value? No Conservation Area? Thames Policy Area Brief Description: Remains of boat building and repair wharves with dry dock. 2012 restoration with moorings and new bridge. Other information: 8 Brentford Heritage List The Old Fire Station, 55 High Street, Brentford Original Use Fire Station Current Use Bar/Restaurant Construction 1897 Date/Period Already Grade II Listed? Statutory Listed Group No Conservation Area? St Paul’s Conservation Value? Area, Thames Policy Area Brief Description: EH Listing description: Fire station, now office. 1897 by T H Nowell Parr for Brentford District Council,converted late C20. Red brick in Flemish bond with terracotta dressings; imitation Welsh slate roof with crested terracotta ridge tiles. 2 storeys with 3-storey bay at rear. 3 bays below paired gables. Chamfered plinth; moulded cornices and strings; moulded buttresses with decorative finials, to angles rising from ground floor impost level, and to gables which are set with decorative tiles. Openings have late C20 glazing with glazing bars and quoined round arches; the 2 ground floor engine entrances have pilaster jambs with fluted capitals; quoined jambs to the three windows above; the outer windows linked to entrances below by broad, swept, corbels; foundation stone between entrances and plaque above with the legend 'Fire Station', and District's coat of arms. Truncated lateral stack to right return, left bay, rising above 3-light mullioned and transomed window with segmental pediment; on the right is window and door with 4 sashes over and another to taller rear bay; parapet with moulded strings and parapet. Left return: taller rear bay has full-height round-arched window with keyed archivolt; round-arched doorway to its right, and two lst floor sashes; 2 truncated stacks breaking parapet. Rear: central corbelled lateral stack (truncated) flanked by sashes which are segmental-arched on ground and 1st floors. Interior: late C20 partitioning and mezzanine floor. At top of rear left bay (the escape and hose tower) are 12 rings in the ceiling from which hoses would have been hung. Other information: Opened on 22 February 1898 with much pomp and celebration; ticket-holders were able to see inside. It was designed by Nowell Parr, surveyor to Brentford Urban District Council, and cost about £3,000. Built 1896 on land bought from the Parish to a design of Nowell Parr by Barnes of Brentford who apparently offered to withdraw as they had underestimated by £300. Faced with red terracotta Doulton tiles. Drill yard was to the east and the hose tower where leather hoses were hung to dry is still evident. A horse-drawn steam pump was purchased by the Urban District Council in 1890, and was housed in the new fire station. The firemen used an escape, an extended ladder system, which they had to drag to the site of a fire, leaving them exhausted and unable to perform a rescue. A horse-drawn escape replaced it in 1906 and the first motor fire engine was bought in 1924. 9 Brentford Heritage List The Fire Station was altered and refitted many times between the 1920s and 1950s until it closed in 1965; then it was used by the ambulance service until the 1980s. In 1990 it was Listed and it became a restaurant “The Old Fire Station” in 2003. 10 Brentford Heritage List Waterman’s Arms, Ferry Lane, Brentford Original Use Pub Current Use Pub Construction Rebuilt 20th Date/Period century. Possibly designed by Nowell Parr. Already Locally Listed Listed? as “1-3 Ferry Lane” Group Yes Conservation Area? Thames Policy Area Value? Brief Description: In existence since 1751. Rebuilt in 20th century. See Pubs Section. Other information: 11 Brentford Heritage List Peerless Pumps, Ferry Lane, Brentford Original Use Residential Current Use Offices Construction C1720 with Date/Period additions Already Grade II Listed? Statutory Listed Group No Conservation Area? Thames Policy Area Value? Brief Description: EH Listing Description: Circa 1720 with later wing, C20 alterations. Purple brick, hipped tiled roof, large square central brick chimney, deep eaves. Main front to river of three storeys, six bays, the windows 3 and 3, so possibly originally a pair. Roof of three parallel ridges with short projection to rear, probably to accommodate staircase. The late C18 extension runs out from this. Gauged flat brick arches to windows in flush moulded wood architraves, mostly early C19 sashes with glazing bars, but a few later casements. Some windows blocked. Bonds at floor levels. Openings of extension have new brickwork and sashes with glazing bars. Ground floor of this and of back of house now rendered with modern openings. Other modern extensions not of interest. Other information: Home of the Rowe family, prosperous soap manufacturers, from 1806. They traded as Thames Soap works through the 18th & 19th centuries. Brentford was a centre for hard soap manufacturing, and it involved the use of a good deal of fat and lye, which had to be boiled; they had warehouses for the ingredients and soap boiling workshops with chimneys. The Thames Panorama of 1829/30 shows these with an enormous chimney just upstream. Water inlet is traditionally called Soap House Creek. The building has been called after the company who manufactured pumps. In the 1970s they supplied fire fighting pumps to North Sea oil rigs. Prior to Peerless it had been Varley Pumps. Gate and moorings installed 2011. “Peerless Pumps 1704, House on the site of the former Thames Soap Works (Messrs T B Rowe) of Ferry Lane, Brentford” Building currently showing signs of brickwork being over-cleaned. 12 Brentford Heritage List 57-59 High Street, Brentford Original Use Residential/Shop Current Use Offices Construction First mention of Date/Period occupants in 1801, although may be earlier Already No Listed? Group Yes Conservation Area? St Paul’s Conservation Area Value? Thames Policy Area Brief Description: Row of c18th century houses with shop fronts.