Hanwell

Hanwell
From top to bottom: Hanwell Broadway looking east-south-east; Elthorne Park
Hanwell Location within Greater London
Population	28,768 (2011 Census[1]
OS grid reference	TQ153802
London borough	Ealing
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LONDON
Postcode district	W7
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
UK Parliament	Ealing North Ealing Southall
London Assembly	Ealing and Hillingdon
List of places UK England London 51°30′32″N 0°20′17″W / 51.509°N 0.338°W / 51.509; -0.338

Hanwell (/ˈhænwɛl/) is a town in the London Borough of Ealing. It is about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of Ealing Broadway and had a population of 28,768 as of 2011.^[2] It is the westernmost location of the London post town.

Hanwell is mentioned in the Domesday Book. St Mary's Church was established in the tenth century and has been rebuilt three times since, the present church dating to 1842. Schools were established around this time in Hanwell; notably Central London District School which Charlie Chaplin attended. By the end of the 19th century there were over one thousand houses in Hanwell. The Great Western Railway came in 1838 and Hanwell railway station opened. Later the trams of London United Tramways came on the Uxbridge Road in 1904, running from Chiswick to Southall. From 1894 it was its own urban district of Middlesex until being absorbed into Ealing Urban District in 1926.^[3]

To its west flows the River Brent, which marks Hanwell's boundary with Southall. There are several green spaces including Brent Valley Park, Elthorne Park and Cuckoo Park; meanwhile, the Hanwell Zoo is a popular local attraction featuring small mammals, birds and other wildlife. Its elevation is approximately 49 feet (15 m). The town holds its own annual Hanwell Carnival, London's oldest carnival.^[4]