This alphabetical history was compiled by the late Gillian Clegg, author of Chiswick Past (1995), The Chiswick Book (2004), Brentford and Chiswick Pubs (2005) and Chiswick House and Gardens: A History (2011). The B&CLHS is pleased to be able to add it to this web-site, which would not have been possible unless Adam Watson of Doric Design had preserved the content after her death. We are grateful to him and to Gill’s husband, Patrick McHugh, for permission to transfer the content to this site.
Please note that the text remains as it was in 2012 and will not be updated or changed. It has not, however, proved practicable to retain all the small images which appeared on Gill Clegg’s original web-site
This was Gill’s introduction to her web-site:
Where was the first Royal Navy torpedo boat built? Where was the floor covering linoleum invented? Where did the Royal Horticultural Society set up its first experimental gardens? Where did the first V2 rocket explode in World War II? Chiswick is where all these events occurred, and they are just some of Chiswick’s many ‘firsts’. Electric trams were inaugurated here, Cherry Blossom Boot Polish launched; and the prototype garden suburb, Bedford Park, built. Chiswick was also the scene of a decisive skirmish in the English Civil War and the place where the 3rd Earl of Burlington built Chiswick House, his Palladian villa. It was also home to many famous people, including William Hogarth, Alexander Pope and W B Yeats”.
These pages contain a brief run-through of Chiswick down the centuries as well as separate sections for different topics. The people, pubs, buildings, firms and so on mentioned in the sections listed below are arranged alphabetically for easy reference.
Business
Education
Entertainment
Events
Grand Houses
Housing
Listed Buildings
People
Places to Visit
Pubs
Religion
Street names
Travel
