Editing Ruislip (section)

==History==

===Toponymy===
At the time of [[Edward the Confessor]], the manors of Ruislip and [[Ickenham]] belonged to a [[Saxon]] named Wulfward White,<ref name="OD"/> a [[Thegn|thane]] of the king who owned land in 11 counties. Ruislip parish included what are now Ruislip, [[Northwood, London|Northwood]], [[Eastcote]], [[Ruislip Manor]] and [[South Ruislip]].<ref>Bowlt 1994, p.8</ref> Wulfward lost much of his land during the [[Norman conquest of England]]; [[Ernulf de Hesdin|Arnulf de Hesdin]] took control of Ruislip – his ownership is recorded within the 1086 ''[[Domesday Book]]''.<ref>Bowlt 1994, p.11</ref><ref name="OD"/>

Ruislip appears in ''Domesday Book'' as ''Rislepe'',<ref name="OD">{{cite web |title=Ruislip {{!}} Domesday Book |url=https://opendomesday.org/place/TQ0986/ruislip/ |website=opendomesday.org |publisher=Anna Powell-Smith |access-date=22 November 2021}}</ref> thought to mean 'leaping place on the river where rushes grow', in reference to the [[River Pinn]].<ref>Mills 2001, p.196</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Middlesex/Ruislip/|title = Key to English Place-names}}</ref> It is formed from the [[Old English]] 'rysc' and 'hlȳp'. Translated from [[Latin]], an entry reads:
{{blockquote|M. Arnulf [Ernulf] of Hesdin holds Rislepe [Ruislip]. It is assessed for 30 [[Hide (unit)|hides]].{{efn|A hide was originally an amount of land suitable for supporting a household, but became a measure for assessing land for tax in Anglo-Saxon England.}} Land for 20 [[plough]]s. In lordship 11 hides; 3 ploughs there. There are 12 ploughs between the Frenchmen and the villagers; a further 5 possible.

A priest, ½ hide; 2 villagers with 1 hide; 17 villagers, 1 [[virgate]]{{efn|A virgate was a unit of land area measurement used in medieval England, and was held to be the amount of land that a team of two oxen could plough in a single annual season.}} each; 10 villagers, ½ virgate each; 7 smallholders, 4 acres each; 8 cottagers; 4 [[Slavery_in_Britain#Norman_and_medieval_England|slaves]]; 4 Frenchmen with 3 hides and 1 virgate.

[[Pasture]] for the village livestock; a park for woodland beasts; woodland, 1500 pigs, and 20[[Pence|d]] too.

Total value £20; when acquired £12; before 1066 £30.

Wulfward White,<ref name="OD"/> a [[Thegn|thane]] of King Edward's, held this manor; he could sell it to whom he would.<ref>Morris 1975, p.10</ref>}}

Under Edward the Confessor, Ruislip had been valued at £30, though the reduction to £12 by the time Ernulf de Hesdin took possession is believed to have been caused by a passing unit of the [[Normans|Norman]] Army taking crops. This led to the construction of buildings at [[Manor Farm, Ruislip|Manor Farm]] to protect produce.<ref name="Bowlt p.12">Bowlt 1994, p.12</ref>

Before leaving England to fight in the Holy Lands, Ernulf de Hesdin gave ownership of Ruislip to the [[Benedictine]] [[Bec Abbey]] in 1087. He died fighting and is commemorated in annual masses held in June at Sacred Heart Church and on the remains of the [[motte-and-bailey]] at Manor Farm.<ref name="Bowlt p.12"/>

It was an [[Civil Parish#Ancient parishes|ancient parish]] in the historic county of [[Middlesex]], part of the [[Hundred (country subdivision)|hundred]] of [[Elthorne Hundred|Elthorne]].

===Early developments===
[[File:St.Martins Church, Ruislip - geograph.org.uk - 306559.jpg|thumb|right|St Martin's Church was built in the 13th century.]]
The parish church, [[St Martin's Church, Ruislip|St Martin's]], has been dated to the mid-13th century. An earlier church is believed to have been built during the Norman period, as a stone was found within the grounds with markings from that time. The name St. Martin is believed to have been given to the church by the monks of the Bec Abbey, after [[Martin of Tours]], a saint in [[Normandy]]. Before 1245, references to the church only name it as "Ruislip church".<ref>Bowlt 2007, p.10</ref>

The present church is said to have been built upon the insistence of the Proctor-General, William de Guineville, under the ownership of Bec Abbey, to serve the growing population. He used the priory at Manor Farm as his main residence<ref>Bowlt 2007, p.11</ref> The first recorded vicar was William de Berminton in 1327.<ref>Bowlt 1994, p.17</ref> The building itself has been remodelled in parts over the centuries and was substantially restored by [[George Gilbert Scott]] in 1870.<ref name="Newbery 28">Newbery et al 1996, p.28</ref> It received [[Listed building|Grade B]] listed status as an [[Anglican]] church in 1950, corresponding as Grade II.<ref name="Hillingdon listed">{{cite web | url=http://www.hillingdon.gov.uk/media/pdf/j/s/Listed_Buildings.pdf | title=Listed buildings | publisher=London Borough of Hillingdon | access-date=29 March 2011 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608193253/http://www.hillingdon.gov.uk/media/pdf/j/s/Listed_Buildings.pdf | archive-date=8 June 2011 | df=dmy-all }}</ref>

Under the ownership of the Bec Abbey, timber from the woods around Ruislip – Park Wood, Mad Bess Wood and Copse Wood – was used in the construction of the [[Tower of London]] in 1339, [[Windsor Castle]] in 1344, the [[Palace of Westminster]] in 1346 and the manor of the [[Black Prince]] in [[Kennington]].<ref name="Bowlt p.25">Bowlt 1994, p.25</ref> The woods were coppiced on rotation throughout the years with the timber sold to local tanneries. By the time King's College took ownership of the manor, the woods were let for sport, with pheasants kept for shooting.<ref name="Bowlt p.25"/>

===Urban development===
In 1812, Bishop Winnington Ingram School was established by the vestry of St Martin's church in Eastcote Road. The school had 111 pupils by 1845 but fell into a state of disrepair until its rebuilding in 1931.<ref>Newbery et al 1996, p. 49.</ref>

[[File:High Street Ruislip - geograph.org.uk - 306550.jpg|thumb|left|Looking towards St Martin's Church from the Oaks]]
Ruislip came under the jurisdiction of the [[Metropolitan Police]] in 1845. By 1869, the police were renting a house in the High Street to serve as the local police station, the copyhold of which was purchased in 1873. A new station was built in The Oaks in 1961.<ref>Newbery 1996, p. 35.</ref>

In 1863, the White Bear public house came under the ownership of the Harman's Brewery in Uxbridge. It had been built close to Primrose Hill Farm near the junction of the Ickenham Road and Kings End. Kings End was a hamlet, with one building dating back to the 16th century. It was named after a family who had lived there at that time.<ref>Newbery et al 1996, p. 43.</ref>

A well was sunk in 1864 in the High Street at the junction with Bury Street, constructed by Mr Charles Page from Uxbridge. The first {{convert|15|foot|adj=on}} were dug, before {{convert|90.75|foot|adj=on}} was bored through the [[London clay]] and the final {{convert|30|foot|adj=on}} was cut through chalk. A drought in 1898 led to the parish council requesting a well be created on what are now the Pinn Meadows, to make use of the natural spring there. The Colne River Water Company agreed, upon the guarantee of £45 per year, and the service was established.<ref>Bowlt 1994, p. 79.</ref>

A report had been prepared for the parish council in 1903 which noted the population in Northwood – 2,700 by that time, with 530 houses – compared with the largely rural character of the rest of Ruislip parish. At a meeting of the Ruislip parish council on 28 October 1903, the forthcoming extension of the [[Metropolitan Railway]] from [[Harrow on the Hill]] to [[Uxbridge]] was also discussed as it was known that a station would be opened in Ruislip on the new line. Councillors were also aware that [[King's College, Cambridge]], owners of much of the land in the parish and lords of the manor, were planning to sell some for development. With this in mind, a vote was cast which went in favour of becoming an urban district. The new district was designed to better reflect to increase in development, as councillors felt a parish council would work slower than an urban district.<ref>Bowlt 1994, p. 90.</ref>

[[File:Ruislip station - geograph.org.uk 2475091.jpg|thumb|Railway station opened on 4 July 1904.]]
The first train on the new railway line ran on 30 June 1904, and the new station at Ruislip opened on 4 July. The area became popular with ramblers, who would head to the [[Ruislip Lido]], and general day-trippers who sought out the countryside. Local residents in Ruislip established their own tea gardens, which they advertised for the visitors. In particular, the Poplars, a [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]] house built in 1774 on the corner of the High Street and Ickenham Road, opened a tea garden in the grounds. It was eventually demolished in 1929 to make way for shops. A similar establishment was opened in light of the new railway on the corner of Sharps Lane, known as the Orchard Bungalow. It was eventually expanded and became The Orchard Hotel.<ref name="Newbery 44">Newbery et al 1996, p. 44.</ref>

The new urban district was formed on 30 September 1904, covering the parish, which had previously been part of the [[Uxbridge Rural District]]. At the time the parish incorporated [[Ruislip Manor]], [[South Ruislip]], [[Eastcote]] and [[Northwood, Hillingdon|Northwood]]. The new urban district council held its first meeting at Northwood School on 1 October, the day after forming.<ref name="Bowlt 93">Bowlt 1994, p. 93.</ref>

King's End was developed as a residential road in the early 1900s. By 1907, the first of the new homes were completed and residents began to move into them. The road was named King's End Avenue, though reverted to the original name of King's End later in the century.<ref>Newbery et al 1996, p. 42.</ref>

[[File:Manor Farm Great Barn Ruislip - geograph-1872739.jpg|thumb|left|Great Barn was built around 1280.]]
The district experienced a sharp rise in population, from 6,217 in 1911 to 72,791 in 1961, caused by the extension of the Metropolitan Railway, termed ''[[Metro-land]]'', which brought with it an increase in suburban house building. As a consequence, the district was one of the first in England to devise a statutory planning scheme in 1914, following the [[Housing and Town Planning Act 1909]].<ref name=delafons>{{cite book|title=Politics and preservation|last=Delafons|first=John|year=1997|page=37|publisher=Routledge|location=London|isbn=978-0-419-22400-6}}</ref> The council had been prompted to follow this new act by the chairman of the council, Mr. Elgood, an architect, and the clerk to the council, Mr. Abbot.  Members of the council had already raised concerns over some of the new building work around Eastcote and South Ruislip, and the new development near [[Northwood station]] which they described as "badly arranged and {{sic|hide=y|closely|-}}packed".<ref name="Bowlt 93"/>

Together with King's College, the urban district council worked to establish plots of land for development around Ruislip and Ruislip Manor. A town planning competition was held and A & J Soutar from [[Wandsworth]] won. They plan to create a symmetrical design spreading across Ruislip parish. Many of the woods and historic sites including [[Manor Farm, Ruislip|Manor Farm]] were to be demolished and cleared as part of the plan, making way for a projected total of 7,642 homes, enough for 35,000 residents. Only St. Martin's Church would have been spared. An outline map was made public on 30 November 1910 with few objections recorded. A Local Board{{Clarify|date=November 2020}} inquiry followed on 17 February 1911 which required negotiations with landowners to allow for a full planning scheme to be compiled.  This was presented in February 1913 with an adaptation of the original Soutars plan, receiving approval from the Local Government Board in September 1914.  Three roads with residential housing, Manor Way, Windmill Way and Park Way were completed before the outbreak of the [[First World War]] when all construction work was halted. It did not resume until 1919.<ref>Bowlt 1994, p. 115.</ref>

[[File:Pathway through Park Wood, Ruislip.JPG|thumb|Park Wood and Manor Farm were bought by the local council in 1931.]]
Manor Farm and the local woods eventually avoided demolition in January 1930, after the visit by a member of the [[Royal Society of Arts]] to choose the buildings that should be conserved. The Great Barn and Little Barn were singled out from the site, together with the old post office, the Old Bell [[public house]] and the Priest's House of the local church. The woods were included in a sale by King's College to the district in February 1931. Park Wood was sold for £28,100 with Manor Farm and the old post office included as a gift to the people of Ruislip.<ref name="Bowlt p.35">Bowlt 2007, p. 35.</ref> King's had wished to also present the wood as a gift but was required by the University and Colleges Act to receive payment as it was the trustee of the land. [[Middlesex County Council]] contributed 75% of the cost as the urban district council argued that many of those who would make use of the land would be recreational day-trippers from outside the district. Under a 999-year lease, the council agreed to maintain the wood and ensure no new building was constructed without the permission of the county council. An area of the wood to the south was not included in the lease agreement and three residential roads were later constructed on it.<ref name="Bowlt p.35"/>

[[File:War Memorial, Ruislip - geograph.org.uk - 1438124.jpg|thumb|left|Ruislip War Memorial moved to its present position in 1976.]]
Copse Wood was later purchased by Middlesex County Council and [[London County Council]] in 1936 for £23,250, later joined by Mad Bess Wood in the same year. The urban district council purchased the {{convert|186|acre}} wood together with Middlesex and London County Councils for £28,000 in a [[Compulsory purchase order|compulsory purchase]] from Sir Howard Stransom Button.<ref>Bowlt 1994, p. 119.</ref> Sir Howard became [[High Sheriff of Middlesex]] in 1937.<ref>{{London Gazette| issue = 34381 |page=1819 | date = 19 March 1937 }}</ref>

On 19 December 1946 a [[Railway Air Services]] Dakota 3 airliner taking-off from Northolt Aerodrome [[1946 Dakota Crash|crashed into a house]] in Angus Drive, Ruislip, fortunately with no serious injuries to anyone, either in the aircraft or on the ground.

On 6 January 1948 a [[British European Airways]] [[Vickers VC.1 Viking]] flying from [[Renfrew Airport]] to [[RAF Northolt]] crashed in a ploughed field approximately five miles from the runway. The crew had tried to land the aircraft twice unsuccessfully when the aircraft struck a tree on the third approach attempt. Of the 18 passengers and crew on board, one crew member was killed in the crash.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19480106-1 |title=Accident description |year=2011 |publisher=Aviation Safety Network |access-date=1 November 2011}}</ref>

In 1961, the [[Portland spy ring]] was uncovered. [[Morris Cohen (spy)|Peter]] and [[Lona Cohen|Helen Kroger]] were found to have been involved whilst living in Ruislip. They were visited each Saturday evening by [[Gordon Lonsdale]] and were eventually placed under police surveillance. The Krogers were eventually arrested and found to have codes, a microdot reader and film of the [[Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment]] in [[Portland Harbour]] concealed within ordinary household items. A radio transmitter hidden in the garden was not retrieved until 1977.<ref>Bowlt 1994, p. 138.</ref>

Primrose Hill Farm was demolished to make way for housing in 1965. Field End Farm, covering {{convert|50|acre}} at the junction of Wood Lane and West End Road, was demolished in 1966. The farmhouse had been owned by the manor of Northolt under the name of Berrengers. Bishop Winnington Ingram School moved to Southcote Rise in 1968 and the original school building was demolished. In 1976, the war memorial dedicated to those killed during the First World War was moved from the graveyard of St Martin's to the entrance of Manor Farm.<ref name="Newbery 28"/> Bury Street Farm near the Plough was demolished in 1980.<ref>Newbery et al 1996, p. 48.</ref>

[[File:High Street Ruislip - geograph.org.uk - 306566.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|High Street, 2006]]
In 1984, the [[Battle of Britain House]], built within Copse Wood in 1905, was destroyed by fire and the ruins demolished. The house became a college in 1948 and included plaques with the crests of all Royal Air Force squadrons involved in the [[Battle of Britain]] as a memorial.<ref>Bowlt 1994, p. 136.</ref>

In April 2007, restoration work began on the Manor Farm site using funding from the [[Heritage Lottery Fund]]. The work was completed in June the following year,<ref name="RNELHS">{{cite web |url=http://www.rnelhs.flyer.co.uk/news.htm |title=Manor Farm, Ruislip |publisher=Ruislip, Northwood & Eastcote Local History Society |access-date=12 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110207024919/http://www.rnelhs.flyer.co.uk/news.htm |archive-date=7 February 2011  }}</ref> and included the renovation of the Grade II listed library.<ref>{{cite news |title=Speak up! Libraries turn new page |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7625917.stm |newspaper=BBC News |date=19 September 2008 |access-date=14 March 2011}}</ref> The Duck Pond Market began in the Great Barn in December 2008, following the refurbishment, and runs on the first and third Sunday of every month.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.duckpondmarket.co.uk/ |title=Artisan Food & Craft Market |publisher=Duck Pond Market |access-date=5 December 2011}}</ref> Winston Churchill Hall on the site received a £370,000 grant from Hillingdon Council in March 2011 to enable its refurbishment.<ref>{{cite news |title=Churchill's theatre shows fighting spirit |last=Cracknell |first=James |url=http://ruislip.uxbridgegazette.co.uk/2011/03/churchills-theatre-shows-fight.html |newspaper=Uxbridge Gazette |date=14 March 2011 |access-date=15 May 2011}}</ref>
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