Local history
We have a rich local history: From daredevil pilots to royal molecatchers, and from manor houses to once rural villages. Our borough has had more than its fair share of fascinating characters, interesting tales, and also has towns recorded in the Domesday book. Curious about the area's past and its role in various national or international events? Then read on. We have collated years of history articles for you from Around Ealing magazine and included others that have appeared online more recently, which will be added to regularly as we go along, including a serialisation of a diary from the 1930s. Thanks must go to the borough's archivist Dr Jonathan Oates - because many of the stories are written or researched by him - and to the local history section of Ealing Central Library.
First World War: Women and the war
Women were debarred from serving in the armed forces in any capacity in the First World War, writes Dr Jonathan...
First World War: Air raids
The invention of the zeppelins and aeroplanes meant that war could be carried on from the air as well as...
Remembering a local hero for his ‘conspicuous bravery’
On 13 August a paving stone will be laid in Spencer Road, Acton W3 commemorating the Victoria Cross awarded to...
First World War: Refugees
As we draw closer to the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War, in November, we will...
A century of suffrage in Ealing: Fact and fiction 100 years on
It is often said that 1918 marked a milestone in suffrage, as the year when some British women first had...
Acton Gazette and the Ripper
The recent publicity given to a postcard sent in the autumn of 1888 to Ealing Police Station and signed ‘Jack...
Northolt’s place in RAF’s 100 years of history
This April marks the centenary anniversary of the formation of the Royal Air Force (RAF). During the Second World War,...
Murder conspiracy in Ealing in 1939
Crimes of passion. Love triangles. Hiring hitmen. These are all enduring themes of films and books over the years. But...
Emily Taylor: One of our first female councillors
In this year, which marks the centenary of women being allowed to vote for MPs, as well as to stand...
Holocaust: Survivors share wartime experiences
Each year, Holocaust Memorial Day is marked in the borough in late January, as it is around the world. Last...
The adventures of an Ealing lecturer
Following on from our serialisation of an Ealing man’s 1930s diary, Dr Jonathan Oates looks at another local man’s life...
Local history discovered during clear out
As plans progress to redevelop the council’s Perceval House site in Uxbridge Road, its staff have been preparing for the...