Southall, UB1

Southall is a London suburb in the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated 10.7 miles (17.2 km) west of Charing Cross. The name Southall (Southolt) means "southern wood" and separates it from Northolt.

Southall is located on the historic Grand Union Canal (formerly the Grand Junction Canal) which first linked London with the rest of the growing canal system. It was one of the last canals to carry significant commercial traffic (through the 1950s), and is still open to traffic and is used by pleasure craft.

The opening of the canal in 1796 began a commercial boom, intensified by the arrival of the Great Western Railway in 1839, leading to the establishment and growth of brick factories, flour mills and chemical plants which formed the town's commercial base. In 1877, the Martin Brothers set up a ceramics factory in an old soap works next to the canal, and until 1923 produced distinctive ceramics now known and collected as Martinware.

A collection of Martinware - salt-glazed stoneware, grotesque faces, and birds - is on display at Southall Library. The largest collection, however, can be seen at Pitshanger Manor in nearby Ealing and Southall Library.

Southall was also the home of one of the earliest British film studios, Southall Film Studios which played a historic role in film-making from its creation in 1924 to its closure in 1959.

Southall is primarily an Asian residential district, with also the biggest influx of Somalis the whole of the UK. Over 90% of Southall's population of 70,000 is Indian/Pakistani. One of the Sikh Gurdwaras in Southall won the Ealing Civic Society Architectural Award in 2003. The Sri Guru Sing Sabah Gudwara, which opened in 2003, is the largest Sikh temple outside of India. There are a few Christian churches and there are three mosques{fact}. The main street in Southall is called The Broadway. Southall contains the largest Asian shopping centre in the London area. Southall was the main location for the film Bend It Like Beckham. Southall is also the location of the Glassy Junction, which serves several Indian draught beers and was the first pub in the UK to accept payment in Indian rupees.

In 1979 Southall was the scene of severe troubles when the National Front staged a provocative rally which was opposed by many anti-racist organisations. Severe over-reaction by the SPG led to the death of Blair Peach and the crippling of Clarence Baker, while the cover-up that followed left scars on the community.

Nearest places :
Yeading
Hayes
Hanwell
Heston
Ealing
Hounslow
Greenford
Northolt

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Real estate agents in Southall, UB1

Properties listed on eleflat.co.uk

(1) Southall, UB1
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