Pitshanger Village
Encyclopedia
Pitshanger Village is a small but busy local centre, centred around the shops in Pitshanger Lane, located about 1 mile north of Ealing Broadway
in West London
. It contains numerous small shops, several cafes, two pubs, two churches, a school, and a park (Pitshanger Park), and is often taken to also include parts of the nearby Brentham Garden Suburb
. It is served by buses E2
and E9 and night bus N7.
, and provides a wide range of shops. The Pitshanger Village Library has recently been improved and is now very popular in the area, and the Lane is also furnished with touch-screen computers, which are free to use. A Methodist Church and Anglican Church are both located at the end of the Lane. St.Barnabas' (Church of England), besides the usual services, is the venue for a series of classical music concerts given by local musicians and others. These include regular recitals every Friday lunchtime which attract a sizeable audience. Attendance is free with a retiring collection. Highlights in 2009 included all 32 of Beethoven's Piano Sonatas played by 32 different soloists in the space of a single weekend. Away from Pitshanger Lane, the Pitshanger area features Pitshanger Park, a popular park in Ealing. Featuring two children's playground areas, football goalposts, a bowling green and several tennis courts, Pitshanger Park caters for both children and adults.
Schooling also exists in Pitshanger Lane, with North Ealing Primary School
located at one end of the Lane. The school is a comprehensive, co-education school
for pupils up to the age of eleven. St. Gregory's R.C. School is located just off Pitshanger Lane and offers a co-educational, Catholic education
s and tradespeople to describe the area attractively. However the absence of the main retail chains, coupled with the small frontages of most of the shop buildings (which are all concentrated along the one thoroughfare), does give Pitshanger Lane a distinctive identity.
The area was indeed a village historically and shows on old maps, before west London sprawl swallowed it up, and the model Brentham Estate was developed in the early 20th century. The area was known as 'Pitshanger', 'Pitshanger Lane' and 'the Lane' by residents of the area during the 1960s and 70s. The name Pitshanger Village was never used until after the 1980s.
in 1981, where at the end of the episode characters Del and Rodney are driving home from a nightclub
.
The Lane was also used in a 2008 commercial
for Churchill Insurers, where a car is seen driving down the Lane with the well-known Churchill Dog.
Pitshanger Lane was the setting of Travis
's music video for Walking Along in the Sun
Ealing
Ealing is a suburban area of west London, England and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Ealing. It is located west of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a rural village...
in West London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It contains numerous small shops, several cafes, two pubs, two churches, a school, and a park (Pitshanger Park), and is often taken to also include parts of the nearby Brentham Garden Suburb
Brentham Garden Suburb
Brentham Garden Suburb near Pitshanger in Ealing was the first garden suburb in London to be built in cooperative principles, predating the larger and better-known Hampstead Garden Suburb by some years...
. It is served by buses E2
London Buses route E2
London Buses route E2 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Metroline.-History:...
and E9 and night bus N7.
Pitshanger Today
Today, Pitshanger Lane is one of the busiest roads in EalingEaling
Ealing is a suburban area of west London, England and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Ealing. It is located west of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a rural village...
, and provides a wide range of shops. The Pitshanger Village Library has recently been improved and is now very popular in the area, and the Lane is also furnished with touch-screen computers, which are free to use. A Methodist Church and Anglican Church are both located at the end of the Lane. St.Barnabas' (Church of England), besides the usual services, is the venue for a series of classical music concerts given by local musicians and others. These include regular recitals every Friday lunchtime which attract a sizeable audience. Attendance is free with a retiring collection. Highlights in 2009 included all 32 of Beethoven's Piano Sonatas played by 32 different soloists in the space of a single weekend. Away from Pitshanger Lane, the Pitshanger area features Pitshanger Park, a popular park in Ealing. Featuring two children's playground areas, football goalposts, a bowling green and several tennis courts, Pitshanger Park caters for both children and adults.
Schooling also exists in Pitshanger Lane, with North Ealing Primary School
North Ealing Primary School
North Ealing Primary School is a community primary school situated on Pitshanger Lane, Ealing, London.-Pupils:It takes in students of both genders, from ages 4 to 11. It has around 450 students in total and also includes a nursery...
located at one end of the Lane. The school is a comprehensive, co-education school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
for pupils up to the age of eleven. St. Gregory's R.C. School is located just off Pitshanger Lane and offers a co-educational, Catholic education
Naming
There is some debate as to whether the area is more accurately called just "Pitshanger", as some assert that the name "Pitshanger Village" is simply dreamt up by estate agentEstate agent
An estate agent is a person or business that arranges the selling, renting or management of properties, and other buildings, in the United Kingdom and Ireland. An agent that specialises in renting is often called a letting or management agent...
s and tradespeople to describe the area attractively. However the absence of the main retail chains, coupled with the small frontages of most of the shop buildings (which are all concentrated along the one thoroughfare), does give Pitshanger Lane a distinctive identity.
The area was indeed a village historically and shows on old maps, before west London sprawl swallowed it up, and the model Brentham Estate was developed in the early 20th century. The area was known as 'Pitshanger', 'Pitshanger Lane' and 'the Lane' by residents of the area during the 1960s and 70s. The name Pitshanger Village was never used until after the 1980s.
In TV & Media
Pitshanger Lane was featured in an episode of Only Fools and HorsesOnly Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
in 1981, where at the end of the episode characters Del and Rodney are driving home from a nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
.
The Lane was also used in a 2008 commercial
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
for Churchill Insurers, where a car is seen driving down the Lane with the well-known Churchill Dog.
Pitshanger Lane was the setting of Travis
Travis (band)
Travis are a post-Britpop band from Glasgow, Scotland, comprising Fran Healy , Dougie Payne , Andy Dunlop and Neil Primrose...
's music video for Walking Along in the Sun
See also
- Pitzhanger ManorPitzhanger ManorPitzhanger Manor House, in Ealing , was owned from 1800 to 1810 by the architect John Soane, who radically rebuilt it. Soane intended it as a country villa for entertaining and eventually for passing to his elder son. He demolished most of the existing building except the two-storey south wing...
is not actually in Pitshanger Village, but is near the centre of Ealing. - Pitshanger is also the name of a typefaceTypefaceIn typography, a typeface is the artistic representation or interpretation of characters; it is the way the type looks. Each type is designed and there are thousands of different typefaces in existence, with new ones being developed constantly....
designed by Rian HughesRian HughesRian Hughes is a British graphic designer, illustrator and comics artist, noted for his work on 2000AD, where he illustrated Robo-Hunter, Tales from Beyond Science, Really and Truly and Dan Dare, among others...
.
Further reading
- Ealing and Brentford: Manors, A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 7: Acton, Chiswick, Ealing and Brentford, West Twyford, Willesden (1982), pp. 123–28. Date accessed: 11 May 2007.