St Marks and Canal Conservation Area Appraisal - Ealing Council

St. Mark’s and Canal Conservation AreaCharacter Appraisal3. Historic development andarchaeology3.1. Historic developmentIn the 18 th Century much of this area was still part ofHanwell Heath, with small village settlements clusteredalong and around Uxbridge Road. The character of thearea was mainly rural and the principal activities werefarming and agriculture. (See Hanwell Map in 1800 Andthe Enclosure Map of 1837)Towards the end of the 18th Century and during the 19 thCentury, major changes to this area occurred, thusgradually transforming its rural nature into a moresuburban character.Firstly, the construction of the Grand Junction Canalbetween 1793 and 1814 was a major event thatcontributed to this transition. The Grand Junction Canalwas London's principal link with the rest of the UK's canalsystem. It provided the transport infrastructure to bringgoods from the industrial conurbations of the north andmidlands to the capital. The Act of Parliament toauthorise its construction was passed in 1793 and workstarted in the same year. The construction of The GrandJunction Canal brought labourers into the parish frommany parts of the country, leading to the intensification ofconstruction activity in the area and the building of workercottages as well as larger houses.The building of Middlesex County Asylum on thesouthern section of St Marks CA also contributed to thetransformation of the character of the area. Work on thenew asylum started in 1829 on land to a major part (44acres) purchased from the Earl of Jersey. The architectwas William Alderson.The neo-classical design consisted of a central octagonalpanoramic tower with a basement and two floors. Thewindows have a tall aspect with semicircular bondedgauge brick arches at the top. The east side of thecentral tower was intended for the male and the westernfor the female patients. The newer extensions whichwere added in 1859 are readily identifiable by their flatbonded arches to the tops of the windows 2 . Hanwell waschosen for its position outside of centres of population,but not too far for the occasional visit from London.Brent Bridge in the 19 th CenturyUxbridge Road passing over BrentBridge (now Hanwell Bridge) in the early20 th CenturyBrent Bridge in the early 20 th Century2 Roberts, A; Cracknell, P.; Piddock, S.; Rutherford, S.(1981). Asylum architecture. The asylumsindex. Middlesex University, London, England. Retrieved on 2006-09-26.Ealing Borough Council 2006 9Windmill portrayed by J.W.M Turner in1810