St Marks and Canal Conservation Area Appraisal - Ealing Council

St. Mark’s and Canal Conservation AreaCharacter Appraisal5.1.3. Sub Area no 2: The stretch of theRiver Brent from Hanwell Bridge tothe Canal.The main interest of the second sub-area is the tranquiland unspoiled character of the short stretch of the RiverBrent, despite in parts being visually disturbed by moderndevelopments. The way the river curves adds to theheightened sense of interest, complexity and scale. Butas it moves beyond the Wharncliffe Viaduct and HanwellBridge, the new hospital is a prominent feature thatdominates the valley and eliminates the axial dynamismof the river curving around this part of Hanwell.Fitzherbert Walk running along the western bank of theRiver Brent is the link between this part of the CA withthe Flight of Locks on the southern side, thus offering theopportunity to enjoy two of the most pleasantlyconstructed and natural environments of the Brent RiverPark and St. Marks and Canal CA. Along the Fitzherbertfootpath it is possible to gain visual access to Billet Hartallotments that occupy a good portion of the eastern bankof the Brent. Further south, the walk leads to theattractive Fox public house neighbourhood.5.1.4. Sub Area no 2 architectural interestThe Fox public house (Locally Listed) originally built in1820 has strong connotations for Hanwell’s inhabitants.The pub – initially called The Fox and Goose – was stillused as the meeting place for the local fox hunt at theturn of the 20 th century.As it appears now the attractive yellow brick building withdetailing in red brick creates visual interest and diversityin this section of the CA where 14 early cottages arenicely arranged around it. The two-storey cottages inyellow bricks were originally known as Oak Cottages andwere built sometime prior to 1875 which makes themprobably amongst the earliest in the area. Some of thecottages have been rendered and so create a pleasantcontrast with the yellow brick surfaces of the remainingunrendered ones. The cottages bear clear signs ofalterations and joinery replacements but in general thosechanges have been executed in a sensitive mannerreflecting the traditional context.The River BrentHanwell Bridge from Fitzherbert WalkAllotments at the rear of Green Laneseen from the Fitzherbert Walk10 Pevsner, N. op.cit. 1991Ealing Borough Council 2006 28