A bit of light reading for the summer holidays – the last of three articles by local historian David Shailes on the origins of some West Ealing street names:
‘The Wood family owned a large estate in Ealing and the family’s ancestral home was Culmington Manor, Craven Arms, Shropshire, hence Culmington Road. The family are more associated with roads in other parts of Ealing W3/W5: Aston, Boileau, Corfton, Craven, Hamilton, Madeley, Woodville, Woodfield, Woodgrange all take their names from places or people associated with this family. Broughton Road in W13 also fits in to the above group.
Elers Road in Northfields takes it name from the Elers Family that owned some land here in Victorian times, but did not live in Ealing. They gave land to the local board so that an entrance on to Northfield Avenue to Lammas Park could be built. Nearby Carew Road is also linked with the family.
Robinson Close is built on the site of the old Robinson Nursery which survived until the 60’s as the writer remembers the development of the site.
Not too far away are Amherst Road & Gardens, which are named after Charles Thomas Amherst (1832 – 1909), a jeweller and owner of Castlebar House from 1871.
The only link that at the moment I have found for Argyle Road relates to John Campbell Duke of Argyll who owned Ealing Grove from 1775 until 1791: a house near Grove Road in Ealing Broadway described as a mansion house with 64 acres of land. An alternative explanation is that the developer used a Scottish theme as nearby is Sutherland Road.
Close by is Egerton Gardens for which there are two possible explanations: the 1st Earl of Ellesmere in Shropshire – Francis Egerton (1800 to 1857) or the Bishop of Durham a Dr John Egerton (1721 to 1787) who owned Elm Grove a house near Ealing Common. This latter house was owned by Spencer Perceval (1762 to 1812) who is the only British Prime minister to be assassinated. Ealing Council offices in the Uxbridge Road are named after him.
Montague Road is likely to be named after Sir Montagu Sharpe – 1856 to 1942. Whilst he lived at Hanwell Park in Hanwell he had a greater involvement with Brentford than Ealing. He was a significant individual involved with the Middlesex County Council, which before the London Borough’s were created in 1964, was the County Council responsible for Ealing.
Since starting writing these articles a very chance discovery following a conversation with a relative who happened to mention that she had recently read a book about a Lord Ellesmere saw a cursory internet search reveal a possible explanation for the naming of the road I live in – Erlesmere Gardens. There are a few other Erlesmere street names throughout the UK, but no place name with such a spelling. Nearby are Walmer & Balmoral gardens, which were built at the same time, by the same developer and could be named after castles.
It now looks like it is from a fictional story called “Erlesmere: or, Contrasts of Character” by LS Lavenu first published in 1856. Erlesmere is a village that features in the book.
The two previous articles are:
Street names part two
Street names part one
plus
Victorian West Ealing’s market gardens and nurseries
David Shailes
