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Brentford is a place in in the London Borough of Hounslow on the River Thames in west London. Nearest places: Nearest tube stations: Nearest railway stations:
Brief historyBrentford, as the name suggests, was built on a fording point on the River Brent. The town is named as Bregentforda at the time of the Council of Brentford 781 and as 'Bregentforda' and 'Brentforda' in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle of 1016. The root 'Bregent-', naming the river is thought to originate from the name of the Celtic goddess 'Brigantia', tutelary goddess of the Brigantes tribe (who didn't live in Brentford). The settlement pre-dates the Roman occupation of Britain, and thus pre-dates the founding of London itself. Many pre-Roman artefacts have been excavated in and around the area in Brentford known as 'Old England'. The quality and quantity of the artefacts suggests that Brentford was a meeting point for pre-Romanic tribes where part of tribal rituals included the ceremonial casting of weapons into the river. It has been suggested that Brentford was also a main fording point on the River Thames, and was the point where Julius Caesar crossed the Thames during his invasion of Britain. It has been asserted, without strong evidence, that a documented battle fought at this time between Caesar's forces and Cassivellaunus took place at Brentford. There are, however, two other historically accredited battles of Brentford in 1016 and 1642 Timeline
The main road to the South West of Britain passed through Brentford for many centuries, and even now, the M4 motorway passes approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the original main road through Brentford. Places of interestSyon House, the London residence of the Duke of Northumberland. Syon Abbey, now rased to the ground, was the largest abbey church in England. Syon House is built upon part of the site of Syon Abbey. The exact location of Syon Abbey was unknown until archeological investigations in the grounds of Syon House (Syon Park) in 2003 and 2004 revealed the foundations of the abbey church. It was larger than Westminster Abbey is now, but no above-ground structure remains. For more details on the abbey and the reasons for its destruction, see its own entry - Syon Abbey Boston Manor House, built in 1622, is a Jacobean manor house, noted for its fine plasterwork ceilings. The Wier, public house, formerly 'The White Horse' was where the artist J. M. W. Turner lived for one-year at the age of ten. He is regarded as having started his interest in painting while living there. Syon Park House (demolished in 1953), not to be confused with Syon House, housed the 'Syon Park Academy' where the poet Shelley was educated between the ages of 10 and 12 before moving on to Eton. A Royal Mail depot stands on the site now. Brentford Dock, a freight terminus of the Great Western Railway, built at the confluence of the River Thames and River Brent, designed by Brunel, and built between 1855 and 1859. A spur line from the GWR at Southall was constructed to the dock to facilitate easy transferral of freight from lighters and barges on the Thames to GWR served destinations in the west of the United Kingdom. The dock was redeveloped as residential accommodation in the early 1970s, and little industrial archeology remains. Brentford Dock was built alongside previous important transport infrastructure as Brentford is the terminus of the Grand Union Canal, originally the Grand Junction Canal. This waterway is still in use for leisure traffic. Missing image Carnegie_Library(2),_Brentford,_20050123.jpg Brentford Public Library Brentford Public Library is a Carnegie library. Brentford Public Baths (1896) are a Grade II listed example of late Victorian architecture. Kew Bridge Steam Museum houses the world's largest working beam engine. The Musical Museum houses a large collection of mechanical musical instruments, such as player pianos Brentford is home to a football club Brentford F.C.. The ground is named Griffin Park. Sources
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