by Dorothee Schröder
Location
Osterley is a prosperous district in west London, forming part of Isleworth within the London Borough of Hounslow.
The Origin of the Name
The name “Osterley” derives from Old English, meaning “sheepfold clearing,” and was first recorded in 1274.
Osterley Park and House
For much of its history, Osterley was a rural area centred on a large Georgian estate, now known as Osterley Park and House, set within extensive parkland.
Robert Adam’s Masterpiece
The main house was redesigned in the late eighteenth century by Robert Adam for the Child family, owners of Child’s Bank, and was famously described by Horace Walpole as “the palace of palaces”.
National Trust Care
Both house and park have been in the care of the National Trust since 1991 and are open to the public.
Open Land Until the Late 19th Century
Much of the area where shops and houses stand today remained open land until the late nineteenth century, with no major roads.
The Great West Road
Around 1920, the Great West Road was constructed, later becoming part of the so-called “Golden Mile” of industry and further shaping the area’s development.
From Countryside to Suburb
By 1945, urbanisation had transformed the area into a suburb.
Wartime Training Ground
In 1940, the grounds of Osterley Park became the first training school for the Home Guard, where recruits were taught modern warfare, including guerrilla tactics and street fighting.
A Film Location
Osterley Park and House have served as filming locations for productions such as Vanity Fair, The Secret Garden and The Dark Knight Rises.
Cover picture: Brayley(1820) p5.059 – Osterley House, Middlesex. Image extracted from page 59 of volume 5 of “A Topographical and Historical Description of London and Middlesex … By Messrs Brayley, Brewer, and Nightingale … Illustrated with one hundred and fifty views, etc”, by Edward Wedlake Brayley. Original held and digitised by the British Library. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
