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Benutzer:Valeee04/Acton, London

2021-09-14T19:39:07Z

51.6.7.6: /* Notable people */ citation added for Alan Wilder

{{Short description|Town in Greater London, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2015}}
{{Infobox UK place
|official_name= Acton
|static_image_name = Actontownhall2.jpg
|static_image_caption=[[Acton Town Hall]], built for [[Municipal Borough of Acton|Acton Urban District]] and opened 10 March 1910
|region= London
|country= England
|london_borough= Ealing
|london_borough1 = Hammersmith and Fulham
|constituency_westminster= [[Ealing Central and Acton (UK Parliament constituency)|Ealing Central and Acton]]
|post_town= LONDON
|postcode_area= W
|postcode_district= W3,W4,W12
|postcode_area1= NW
|postcode_district1= NW10
|dial_code= 020
|population=62,480
|population_ref=<ref name=ons>[http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk Key Statistics; Quick Statistics: Population Density] [[United Kingdom Census 2011]] ''[[Office for National Statistics]]'' Retrieved 31 October 2014</ref>
|area_total_km2=9.20
|os_grid_reference= TQ205805
|coordinates = {{coord|51.513519|-0.270661|display=inline,title}}
|charingX_distance_mi= 6.1
|charingX_direction= W
}}
'''Acton''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|k|t|ə|n|}}) is a town and [[list of areas of London|area]] in west [[London]], England, within the [[London Borough of Ealing]]. It is {{convert|6.1|mi|km|0}} west of [[Charing Cross]].

At the [[United Kingdom Census 2011|2011 census]], its four [[Wards of the United Kingdom|wards]], East Acton, Acton Central, South Acton and Southfield, had a population of 62,480, a ten-year increase of 8,791 people.<ref name=ons1>[http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk "Key Statistics; Quick Statistics: Population Density"]. ''[[United Kingdom Census 2011]]''. [[Office for National Statistics]]. Retrieved 31 October 2014.</ref> [[North Acton]], [[West Acton]], [[East Acton]], [[South Acton, London|South Acton]], [[Acton Green, London|Acton Green]], [[Acton Town]], [[Acton Vale, London|Acton Vale]] and [[Acton Central]] are all parts of Acton.

Acton means "oak farm" or "farm by oak trees", and is derived from the [[Old English]] ''āc'' (oak) and ''tūn'' (farm).<ref name="Mills1">{{cite book|title=A Dictionary of London Place-Names|first=A.D.|last=Mills|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2010|isbn=9780199566785|page=2}}</ref><ref name=growth/> Originally an ancient village, as London expanded, Acton was absorbed into the city. Since 1965, Acton equates to the east of the [[London Borough of Ealing]], though some of East Acton is in the [[London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham]] and a small portion of South Acton is in the [[London Borough of Hounslow]].

Central Acton is synonymous with the hub of commerce and retail on the former main road between London and [[Oxford]] ([[Uxbridge Road|the Uxbridge Road]]); a reminder of its history is in its inns, which date back in cases to the late [[Tudor period]] as stopping places for travellers. Nowadays, the principal route linking London and [[Oxford]] (the [[A40 road|A40]] dual carriageway) bypasses central Acton, but passes through East Acton and North Acton.

==Toponymy==
Acton's name derives from the Old English words ''āc'' (oak) and ''tūn'' (enclosed garden, enclosure), meaning "a garden or a field enclosed by oaks". Later, in the Middle Ages ''tūn'' became a synonym for "farm" or "farm by oak trees". For several centuries, its name bore the prefix ''Church'' (hence ''Chirche Acton'', ''Churche Acton'', etc.) to distinguish it from the separate hamlet of East Acton.<ref name="Mills1"/>

==History==
===Origins===
[[File:Stmarysacton2.jpg|thumb|[[St Mary's Church, Acton, London|St Mary's Church]], King Street, Acton Central]]
Different phases of prehistoric settlement are marked by a range of finds. It begins with a cluster of [[Upper Palaeolithic]] and [[Mesolithic]] flint cores,<ref name="AGL">The Archaeology of Greater London, Museum of London Archaeology Service 2000, {{ISBN|1-901992-15-2}}, https://www.mola.org.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/The%20archaeology%20of%20Greater%20London%20an%20assessment%20of%20archaeological%20evidence%20for%20human%20presence%20in%20the%20area%20now%20covered%20by%20Greater%20London_Part1.pdf</ref> flakes<ref name="AGL" /> and artefacts<ref name="AGL" /> mainly to the north of [[Churchfield Road]]. Around the Mill Hill Park area, a [[Neolithic]] axe,<ref name="AGL" /> and a group of [[Bronze Age]] [[Deverel-Rimbury]] urns and cremated bone<ref name="AGL" /> were found, along with an [[Iron Age]] pot shard.<ref name="AGL" /> [[Iron Age]] coins were also found near near Bollo Lane. The [[Roman Britain|Roman]] period is represented by a ditch<ref name="AGL" /> in the same area, and a hoard<ref name="AGL" /> north of Springfield Gardens. In the Middle Ages the northern half of the parish was heavily wooded. Oaks and elms still stood along roads and hedgerows and in private grounds in the early 20th century, but most of the woodland had been cleared by the 17th century, even on the extensive Old Oak common.<ref name=growth>{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22546|title=Acton: Growth|editor1=T F T Baker |editor2= C R Elrington |author1=Diane K Bolton |author2=Patricia E C Croot |author3=M A Hicks|publisher=Institute of Historical Research|date=1982|work=A History of the County of Middlesex |volume=7: Acton, Chiswick, Ealing and Brentford, West Twyford, Willesden|access-date=5 November 2014}}</ref>

===Medieval era===
Landholders figuring in county records were resident by 1222 and houses were recorded from the late 13th century. The main settlement, Church Acton or Acton town, lay slightly west of the centre of the parish along the highway to Oxford (Uxbridge Road) at the 5-mile post out of London. By 1380 some of the tenements, such as ''The Tabard'' and ''The Cock'', along the south side of the road, were inns. The hamlet of East Acton, mentioned in 1294, consisted of farmhouses and cottages north and south of common land known as East Acton green by 1474.<ref name=growth/>

Medieval settlement was mainly around the two hamlets. At Church Acton most of the farmhouses lay along the Oxford road or Horn Lane, with only a few outlying farms. Friars Place Farm at the north end of Horn Lane and the moated site to the west, occupied until the 15th century, were early farms. East of Friars Place farm were commons: Worton or Watton Green and Rush green in the 16th and 17th centuries, and Friars Place in the 18th century, where there was some settlement by 1664. To the north-west were Acton or Old Oak wells, known by 1613. In the parish's extreme south, a few farmhouses on the northern side of Acton common or Acton Green were mentioned as in Turnham Green until the 19th century and were linked more closely with that village than with Acton. ''Gregories'', mentioned in 1551 as a copyhold tenement with 30 a. near Bollo Lane and the Brentford high road, probably lay in Acton.<ref name=growth/>

Londoners were increasingly involved in land sales from the early 14th century but apparently did not live in Acton until the late 15th. The [[Manorialism|manor]], part of Fulham, had no [[demesne|resident (demesne) lord]], and apart from a brief period before c. 1735, when a branch of the landed [[Duke of Beaufort|Somerset (Duke of Beaufort's) family]] lived in Acton, there were no large resident landowners. Many of the tenements without land, including most of the inns, frequently changed hands.<ref name=growth/>

===Early modern period===
By the 17th century Acton's proximity to London had made it a summer retreat for courtiers and lawyers. Sir [[Isle of Wight (UK Parliament constituency)|Richard Sutton]] bought the seat at East Acton known later as Manor House in 1610 and Sir [[Henry Garraway]] probably rebuilt Acton House in 1638. Sir [[John Trevor (1596–1673)|John Trevor]] MP bought several Acton properties in the mid 17th century, including Berrymead/Berrymede, improving it with a lake and stream, home of [[George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax]] and his second son after him, and afterwards of the [[Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull]], with a much-praised landscape.<ref name=growth/>

The parish had 158 [[Holy Communion|communicants]] in 1548. In 1664 it had 72 chargeable households and 59 exempt, with 6 empty houses. Six houses had 10 or more hearths, 16 had from 5 to 9, 33 had 3 or 4, 23 had 2, and 53 had 1. Acton had about 160 families resident in the mid 18th century.<ref name=growth/>

Acton was lauded as "blessed with very sweet air" in 1706 by rector urging a friend in verse to move there. The fashion for medicinal waters brought a brief period of fame, with the exploitation of the wells at Old Oak common, when East Acton and Friars Place were said to be thronged with summer visitors, who had brought about improvement in the houses there. Although high society had left Acton by the mid 18th century, many professional and military men bought houses there, sometimes including a small park, until well into the 19th century. The break-up of the {{convert|800|acres|km2}} Fetherstonhaugh estate, which had had no resident owner, produced four or five small estates whose owners, professional men such as Samuel Wegg, John Winter, and Richard White, were active in parish affairs. Grand early homes included: Heathfield Lodge, West Lodge, and East Lodge by Winter c. 1800, Mill Hill House by White, and Woodlands at Acton Hill soon afterwards. [[Acton Green, London|Acton Green]] also became increasingly popular, being near [[Chiswick High Road]] (the Great West Road). Fairlawn, substantial, on west side of the green, was the home of the botanist [[John Lindley]] (1797–1865) as was the house to the north and Bedford House, another home of Lindley, and Melbourne House further east. A short row of houses had been built on the south side of the green by 1800.<ref name=growth/>

===19th Century development===
[[File:Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths' Alms Houses, Acton.jpg|thumb|Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths' Alms Houses, Acton, 1812.]]
In 1812, twenty [[almshouses]] were built by the [[Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths]] on the former Perryn estate, on land which had been left to the company by [[John Perryn]] in 1657.<ref>[https://www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk/company/history/history-of-the-company/ Official history] Retrieved 18 June 2018</ref>

There were 241 inhabited houses in 1801 and 426 by 1831. Growth took place mainly in the established residential neighbourhoods of Acton town and East Acton, but Acton Green also had acquired a cluster of cottages and houses at the bottom of Acton Lane by 1842. Acton was mostly rural in 1831. The few mansions contrasted sharply with most of the houses, which were described as 'beneath mediocrity of character'. Despite an overall rise in the number of houses, poor rates had to be increased in the 1820s because of a growing number of empty dwellings.<ref name=growth/>

More widespread building [[urban planning|was planned]] and took place in the 1850s. As a result of its soft water sources, Acton became famous for its laundries and at the end of the 19th century there were around 170 establishments in South Acton. These laundries would serve hotels and the rich in London's West End, leading to the nickname "Soapsuds Island" or "Soap Sud City". At least 600 different laundries operated within South Acton;<ref>[http://www.actonhistory.co.uk/acton/page10.html Laundry details and number of sites], actonhistory.co.uk; accessed 14 January 2016.</ref> the last laundry closed in the late 1970s and is now a low redbrick block of flats.{{cn|date=July 2021}}

The parish of Acton formed a [[local board of health]] in 1865 and became an [[Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland)|urban district]] in 1894.

===20th century===
The town was incorporated as the [[Municipal Borough of Acton]] in 1921. This authority combined with the [[municipal boroughs]] of [[Municipal Borough of Ealing|Ealing]] and [[Municipal Borough of Southall|Southall]] to form the London Borough of Ealing, within [[Greater London]], in 1965.<ref name=growth/> An Acton Golf Club was founded in 1896, which closed in 1920 and the area was redeveloped for housing.<ref>[http://www.golfsmissinglinks.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=750 "Acton Golf Club, London"], "Golf’s Missing Links".</ref>

[[Municipal Borough of Acton|Acton]] formed an urban district and, later, municipal borough of [[Middlesex]] from 1894 to 1965. Its former area was used to form part of the London Borough of Ealing in 1965. During the 20th century Acton was a major industrial centre employing tens of thousands of people, particularly in the motor vehicles and components industries. The industries of North Acton merged with the great industrial concentrations of [[Park Royal]] and [[Harlesden]]. One of the most important firms was [[Renault]] of France, which made cars, including the [[Renault 4CV|4CV]] and the [[Renault Dauphine]], at a factory in North Acton from 1926 until 1960.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://londonist.com/2015/11/london-made-motors|title=London's Lost Manufacturing - We Were Once The British Detroit|publisher=Londonist|access-date=16 January 2016}}</ref> Renault has remained on the site continuously since the 1920s and still has its main London showroom on the Park Royal site.

Further south [[Acton Vale, London|Acton Vale]] had famous names including [[D. Napier & Son]] (engines), H. Bronnley & Co (Soaps), Evershed & Vignoles (electrical equipment), [[Lucas Industries plc#CAV|Lucas CAV]] (automotive electrical), [[Tony Vandervell|Vandervell Products]] (bearings), and [[Wilkinson Sword]] (swords and razors).

==Acton Today==
Acton is now principally residential, though it maintains some light industry, particularly in the northeast Park Royal area, and the south near the border with Chiswick. [[Waitrose]] started in Acton, as Waite, Rose and Taylor - on the High Street near the police station - with its second branch opening in [[Churchfield Road]] in 1913.<ref>Waitrose: seeking to attain perfection by Janet Appleyard-Hobbs 2009 Acton History Society</ref>
[[File:South acton harlech corfe beumaris.JPG|thumb|The South Acton estate]]
Acton is home to the largest housing estate in west London, the South Acton estate, with approximately 2,000 homes and 5,800 residents.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sarag.org|title=South Acton Residents Action Group|publisher=Sarag.org|access-date=28 July 2013}}</ref>

{{citation needed span|date=December 2020|This area is currently in the Phase 2 of a major 15-year phased regeneration which includes near-total demolition of the existing residential units, and the construction of new and more numerous residential units. Since [[World War II]], Acton has had a small but notable population of [[Poland|Polish]] immigrants. In recent years, a number of Antipodean immigrants have settled there; there are several [[Australia]]n and [[South Africa]]n pubs concentrated in a small area. A [[Japan]]ese school has also attracted a Japanese community to West Acton. East Acton's King Fahd Academy also attracting [[Arab]] and mainly [[Saudi people|Saudi]] immigrants to the area. The [[Somali people|Somali]] community is concentrated around Church Road, and there are two mosques near the High Street. The [[Irish people|Irish]] community has diminished somewhat in recent years, but there are still a number of Irish pubs in the area.}}

Acton will host the starting point of the 25 kilometre [[Thames Tideway Scheme|Thames Tideway Tunnel]] (also known as the "Super Sewer") at the Acton Storm Tanks<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thameswater.co.uk/about-us/18037.htm|title=404|website=www.thameswater.co.uk|access-date=31 March 2018}}</ref> in Canham Road. This will be built to avoid the discharge of sewage from [[Combined sewer#Combined sewer overflows (CSOs)|Combined Sewer Overflow]] into the [[River Thames]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thamestunnelconsultation.co.uk|title=Thames Tunnel | Creating a cleaner, healthier River Thames|publisher=Thamestunnelconsultation.co.uk|date=27 March 2013|access-date=28 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730062359/http://www.thamestunnelconsultation.co.uk/|archive-date=30 July 2013|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==Leisure==
The Acton High Street has a range of pubs which vary in theme and clientele.
[[File:Acton Farmers Market.JPG|thumb|right|Pilot of Acton Farmers' Market, December 2006]]
The recently refurbished 'Mount' on Acton High Street hosts a Market on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Visitors can shop at stalls selling a range of produce. Acton's library, swimming baths (built in 1904) and [[Acton Town Hall|Town Hall]] are examples of tall Victorian municipal buildings that can be found along the High Street. Acton Swimming Baths closed in December 2011 for a three-year development project, replacing the existing pools with a 25m 8-lane pool and a smaller teaching pool. The site reopened in April 2014<ref>[http://www.ealing.gov.uk/info/200940/sports_centres/1091/everyone_active_acton_centre Everyone Active Acton Centre], ealing.gov.uk; 19 April 2014; accessed 14 January 2016.</ref>
An indoor climbing wall has recently opened on the high street, housed in a building originally constructed in the 1920s as an Art Deco cinema. The building was later used as a bingo hall before being refurbished into the bouldering centre there today.<ref>[http://www.actonw3.com/default.asp?section=info&page=actclimb001.htm Arch Climbing Wall], actonw3.com; 13 September 2017; accessed 26 May 2019.</ref>

On the east end of Acton High Street is Acton Park, which features mini golf, bar and pizza restaurant operated by Putt in the Park.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.puttinthepark.com/courses/acton-park/|title=Acton Park Mini Golf Course|website=Putt in the Park|language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-04}}</ref> The South Eastern corner of the park includes tennis courts, outdoor fitness equipment and a multi-purpose basketball and 5-a-side football court. The park also features a large children's play area including an adventure playground partially created from local trees felled during a storm, a pond, an art block and Acton Skate Park, run by the Ealing Skatepark Association,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ealingskateparkassociation.com/|title=Home|website=www.ealingskateparkassociation.com|access-date=2019-05-04}}</ref> which opened in April 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ealing.gov.uk/news/article/1876/a_warm_welcome_to_acton_skate_park|title=A warm welcome to Acton Skate Park|last=Stephens|first=Daniel|website=www.ealing.gov.uk|language=en|access-date=2019-05-04}}</ref>

==Education==
[[File:Acton High School, Middlesex, London, AHS.jpg|thumb|[[Acton High School, 2008]]]]

=== Primary schools ===
There are six state-funded primary schools in Acton, Berrymede Junior School, Derwentwater Primary School, East Acton Primary School, St Vincent's RC Primary School, West Acton Primary School, West Twyford Primary School. The [[Ark (charity)]] has opened two primary academies in Acton, Ark Priory Primary Academy in 2013 and Ark Byron Primary Academy in 2015, the latter is based in Acton Park.

===Secondary schools===
Acton has three state-funded secondary high schools, [[Ark Acton Academy]], [[Twyford Church of England High School]] and [[The Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls]], and an [[independent school]], the [[Barbara Speake Stage School]]. Acton was once home to another independent school, [[Haberdashers' Aske's School for Girls]] before it changed its site to Elstree, the Acton site becoming the Cardinal Newman Roman Catholic High School. Acton also hosts the [[King Fahad Academy]], an [[independent school|independent]] Muslim school.{{citation needed|date=January 2016}}

===International schools===
[[File:Japanese School in London-000.jpg|thumb|right|[[Japanese School in London]]]]
The [[Japanese School in London]] is in Acton.<ref>[http://www.thejapaneseschool.ltd.uk/nihonjingakko/index.html Profile] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102192812/http://www.thejapaneseschool.ltd.uk/nihonjingakko/index.html |date=2 January 2014 }}, thejapaneseschool.ltd.uk; retrieved 1 January 2014.</ref>

==Acton in popular culture==
{{in popular culture|section|date=April 2018}}
* The 1971 film ''[[Villain (1971 film)|Villain]]'' starring [[Richard Burton]] and [[Ian McShane]] clearly features Acton Central railway station in one of its sequences. Similarly another sequence in the same film shows the characters Danny and Inspector Matthews talking while on a train which they caught at Acton
*Acton was the birthplace of [[The Who]], of which all members except [[Keith Moon]] went to Acton County Grammar School, on the site of what is now Ark Acton Academy.
*Acton was the location of external shots of the Sunshine Foods office building in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin. The building was located at 32-36 Telford Way but is no longer standing.
*[[Pete Townshend]]'s 1982 solo album, ''[[All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes]]'', contained the track "Stardom in Acton" in reference to his home town, while the accompanying video was filmed on and around Acton High Street.
*In the episode of Alan Partridge ''[[Alan Attraction|Towering Alan]]'', the character Mike Sampson is from Acton. He is a socially inept character who describes Acton as having "a few too many blacks."
*[[Leo Sayer]]'s 1983 single [[Orchard Road (song)|Orchard Road]] refers to Acton's [[Churchfield Road]].<ref>The [[Bob Rogers (disc jockey)|Bob Rogers]] Show, [[Radio]] [[2CH]], 10:31:30 [[AEST]] 31 July 2008.</ref>
*In the TV series ''[[Minder (TV series)|Minder]]'', [[Arthur Daley]]'s car lot was by the railway bridge in The Vale<ref>{{cite web|author =Staff|url=http://www.minder.org/locations/loc_carlot.htm|title=Minder Locations|publisher=Minder.org|date=1 February 2013|access-date=28 July 2013}}</ref> with the door of the Winchester Club in Newburgh Road<ref>{{cite web|author =Staff|url=http://www.minder.org/locations/loc_winchester.htm|title=Minder Locations|publisher=minder.org|date=1 February 2013|access-date=28 July 2013}}</ref> off [[Churchfield Road]]. The lock up was on the Bush Industrial Estate.<ref>{{cite web|author =Staff|url=http://www.minder.org/locations/loc_arthurslockups.htm|title=Minder Locations|publisher=Minder.org|date=24 July 2013|access-date=28 July 2013}}</ref> Minder locations in Acton featured throughout series 7 to 10.
*Acton Park often hosted filming for programmes such as ''Rose & Macaulay'' and ''[[The Deal (BET TV series)|The Deal]]''. Other parts of Acton were used for ''[[The Sweeney]]'' and early episodes of ''[[The Bill]]''.
*The first [[Waitrose]] store in the UK was in Acton. Originally called "Waite, Rose and Taylor", it opened in 1904, at number 263 Acton Hill. A metal plate commemorating this has been inserted into the pavement outside these premises<ref>https://www.londonremembers.com/memorials/first-waitrose</ref> as it was not possible to obtain permission from the current owners of the building to affix a plaque onto it.
*Scenes from the 1986 movie ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]]'' and the 1989 movie ''[[Batman (1989 film)|Batman]]'' were shot inside the disused [[Acton Lane Power Station]].
*The Ken Loach film ''[[Ladybird Ladybird (film)|Ladybird Ladybird]]'' was filmed at many sites around Acton including The Mount, the Town Hall, Vyner Road, Cumberland Park and parts of South Acton.
* Playwright/Composer [[Lionel Bart]] lived the latter part of his life in an apartment on [[Churchfield Road]].
*The film ''[[Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel]]'' (2009) was partly set in the Talbot pub on Mill Hill road, Acton.
* Many scenes of TV series ''[[Silent Witness]]'' are filmed around Acton and Park Royal. Silent Witness's production offices and sets are at BBC Park Western in [[North Acton]].
* The TV series [[Motherland (TV series)|Motherland]] used locations in Acton and [[Chiswick]] including Southfield Primary School,<ref>{{cite news |title=TV Show On 'Yummy Mummys' Filmed in Chiswick |url=http://www.chiswickw4.com/default.asp?section=info&page=motherland001.htm |access-date=23 November 2020 |work=www.chiswickw4.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Motherland, BBC2 |url=https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/comedy/motherland-bbc2/5124030.article |website=Broadcast |access-date=23 November 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sharon Horgan on mean mums and Motherland's return |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/oct/12/sharon-horgan-on-mean-mums-and-motherland-season-two |website=The Guardian |access-date=23 November 2020 |language=en |date=12 October 2019}}</ref> Southfield Park (episode ''Good Job'' [[Motherland (TV series)#Series 2|Series 2]]) and Acton Park (Christmas Special 2020).

== Notable people ==
* [[Peter Ackroyd]], writer, grew up in [[East Acton]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01hw633|title=Desert Island Discs, Peter Ackroyd, BBC Radio 4|publisher=Bbc.co.uk|date=25 May 2012|access-date=4 April 2013}}</ref>
* [[Karl Dallas]], music journalist and peace campaigner, was born and lived in Acton<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jun/27/karl-dallas-obituary|title=Karl Dallas obituary|last=Denselow|first=Robin|date=2016-06-27|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-05-04|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
* [[Jamal Edwards]], founder of [[SB.TV]] grew up on the South Acton estate<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/jamal-edwards-the-acton-kid-and-his-media-empire-6445541.html|title=Jamal Edwards ... the Acton kid and his media empire|work=Evening Standard|access-date=2018-05-17|language=en-GB}}</ref>
* [[John Entwistle]], musician, was brought up and went to school in Acton
*[[Adam Faith]], singer, actor and financial journalist was born and grew up in Acton.
* [[Emilia Fox]], actor, lives in Acton.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theresident.co.uk/london-culture-events/emilia-fox-on-silent-witness-motherhood-life-in-acton/|title=EMILIA FOX ON SILENT WITNESS, MOTHERHOOD & LIFE IN ACTON|website=www.theresident.co.uk|access-date=2018-05-17}}</ref>
* [[Kit Harington]], actor, was born in Acton<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theresident.co.uk/london-culture-events/local-people/game-thrones-stars-londoners/|title=GAME OF THRONES STARS IN LONDON|website=www.theresident.co.uk|access-date=2018-05-17}}</ref>
*[[Bill Owen (actor)|Bill Owen]], actor best known for starring as Compo in the BBC's [[Last of the Summer Wine]] was born in Acton<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0654089/bio|title=Bill Owen|website=IMDb|access-date=2019-07-02}}</ref>
* [[Hannah Reid]], lead singer of [[London Grammar]] grew up in Acton<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/local-news/london-grammar-lead-singer-chiswicks-6728065|title=The BRITs: Chiswick's Hannah Reid hoping to grab an award with London Grammar|last=Culbertson|first=Alix|date=2014-02-19|work=getwestlondon|access-date=2018-05-17}}</ref>
* [[Alan Rickman]], actor, lived in Acton<ref>{{Citation|title=Obituary: Alan Rickman|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35313578}}</ref>
* [[Mark Smith (actor)|Mark Smith]], bodybuilder and actor, who starred as 'Rhino' in [[Gladiators (1992 UK TV series)|Gladiators]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mylondon.news/news/west-london-news/heres-what-gladiator-rhino-looks-17050860|title=My London news}}</ref>
* [[Pete Townshend]], musician, [[Pete Townshend#Early life and education|grew up and attended school in Acton]]
* [[Alan Wilder]], former member of the band [[Depeche Mode]] was [[Alan Wilder#Early years|born and raised in Acton]]<ref>https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=UKgKEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA15&lpg=PA15&dq=alan+wilder+acton&source=bl&ots=V-8X36GhU4&sig=ACfU3U27-mrzDuf2yS08H2wJANy2Ayubfg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiFkdOKm__yAhVvhf0HHeDnDH44PBDoAXoECAEQAQ#v=onepage&q=alan%20wilder%20acton&f=false</ref>
* [[Robin Friday]], former footballer, was born and lived in Acton.
* [[Robert Spall]], recipient of the Victoria Cross was born in Spencer Road, Acton.
* [[Asma al-Assad]], [[First Lady]] of [[Syria]], grew up in Acton.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/president-assads-wife-banned-from-europe-770546 |title=President Assad's wife banned from travelling to Europe... but not Britain |work=The Mirror |date=23 March 2012 |access-date=17 July 2015}}</ref>

==Transport==

===Tube/Rail===
Stations in the area are:
* [[Acton Central railway station]] ([[London Overground]] and [[North London Line]])
* [[Acton Main Line railway station]] ([[TfL Rail]])
* [[Acton Town tube station|Acton Town Underground station]] ([[District line]] and [[Piccadilly line]])
* [[East Acton tube station|East Acton Underground station]] ([[Central line (London Underground)|Central line]])
* [[North Acton tube station|North Acton Underground station]] (Central line)
* [[South Acton railway station (England)|South Acton railway station]] (North London Line, and formerly District line)
* [[West Acton tube station|West Acton Underground station]] [Central line ([[Ealing Broadway station|Ealing Broadway]] branch)]

Acton has seven railway stations bearing its name, more than any other place in the United Kingdom other than London itself. Acton is also the only place in London to have stations named after all four of its cardinal points, north, south, east, and west.<ref>See details at [https://londonpostcodewalks.wordpress.com/tag/acton/ London Postcode Walks].</ref> The widespread provision of train services reflects a long railway history, particularly associated (historically) with [[Transport for London|London Transport]] and the [[Great Western Railway]].

North Acton has a large Great Western Railway housing estate (now privately owned),<ref>See section "The Railway Expansion" at [http://www.actonhistory.co.uk/acton/page6.html Acton History] website.</ref> and the [[Old Oak Common TMD]] railway depot is within the usual boundary, as is the [[London Transport Museum#The depot (Acton)|London Transport Museum Depot]] which houses an extensive collection of historic and heritage rolling stock. Acton Main Line station has a busy freight yard (operating ballast and container trains).

===Buses===
London Buses routes [[London Buses route 7|7]], [[London Buses route 70|70]], [[London Buses route 72|72]], [[London Buses route 94|94]], [[London Buses route 95|95]], [[London Buses route 207|207]], [[London Buses route 218|218]], [[London Buses route 228|228]], [[London Buses route 260|260]], [[London Buses route 266|266]], [[London Buses route 272|272]], [[London Buses route 283|283]], [[London Buses route 306|306]], [[London Buses route 427|427]], [[London Buses route 440|440]], [[London Buses route 487|487]], [[London Buses route 607|607]], [[London Buses route E3|E3]], [[London Buses route N7|N7]], [[London Buses route N11|N11]] and [[London Buses route N207|N207]] serve Acton.<ref>Central Acton [http://content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-route-maps/actoncentral-a4.pdf bus routes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315055446/http://content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-route-maps/actoncentral-a4.pdf |date=15 March 2016 }}.</ref><ref>East Acton [http://www.iaeng.org/WCE2012/images/Hammersmith_bus_services_2012.pdf bus routes].</ref>

===Shelved tram proposals===
[[Transport for London]], led by then Mayor of London, [[Ken Livingstone]], proposed to build a [[West London Tram]] between Shepherd's Bush and Uxbridge town centre.<ref name="mayor-announcement">{{cite web|url=http://www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=1135|title=Mayor says yes to new trams and busways|date=29 May 2002|publisher=Mayor of London/Greater London Authority|access-date=15 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030418014756/http://www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=1135|archive-date=18 April 2003}}</ref> It would have run along the A4020, the [[Uxbridge Road]], through Acton, Ealing, West Ealing, Hanwell, Southall and Hayes End. This proposed scheme was highly controversial and resulted in strong differences in opinion between TfL, who supported the scheme, and local councils throughout the proposed route, who all took a 'no tram' stance.<ref name="bbc-majority">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4308321.stm|title=Majority say 'no' to tram scheme|date=1 March 2005|work=BBC News|access-date=15 January 2016}}</ref>

The West London Tram was finally scrapped when former Prime Minister [[Gordon Brown]] agreed that the long-awaited [[Crossrail]] would go ahead in October 2007. [[Acton Main Line railway station]] is to be part of the Crossrail network once it is completed, with 4 trains an hour servicing each route.<ref name="tfl-2008">{{cite web|url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/networkandservices/3223.aspx|title=West London Tram|date=10 April 2008|publisher=Transport for London (archived page)|access-date=15 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080410070044/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/networkandservices/3223.aspx|archive-date=10 April 2008}}</ref>

==Neighbouring places==
* [[Chiswick]]
* [[Ealing]]
* [[Harlesden, London, England|Harlesden]]
* [[Park Royal]]
* [[Shepherd's Bush]]
* [[North Acton]]
* [[South Acton, London|South Acton]]
* [[East Acton]]
* [[West Acton]]

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:South acton.JPG|View of South Acton from Barwick House, showing Jerome Tower and Berrymede Junior School
File:Acton Park1.jpg|Acton Park
File:Barwick house.JPG|Barwick House, on the South Acton estate
File:South acton harlech corfe beumaris.JPG|Blocks of flats on the South Acton estate
File:Acton High Street Railway Bridge With Illuminated Sign.jpg|Nighttime view of Acton sign on the railway bridge at the bottom of Acton High Street in London.
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Acton, London}}
*[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.asp?pubid=89 British History Online - Acton]
*[http://www.ActonW3.com ActonW3.com] - a digital local newspaper for the area

{{LB Ealing}}
{{London Districts}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Acton, London| ]]
[[Category:Districts of the London Borough of Ealing]]
[[Category:Areas of London]]
[[Category:Spa towns in England]]
[[Category:Places formerly in Middlesex]]

Benutzer:Valeee04/Acton, London

2021-09-14T19:32:32Z

51.6.7.6: /* Notable people */ John Entwistle added

{{Short description|Town in Greater London, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2015}}
{{Infobox UK place
|official_name= Acton
|static_image_name = Actontownhall2.jpg
|static_image_caption=[[Acton Town Hall]], built for [[Municipal Borough of Acton|Acton Urban District]] and opened 10 March 1910
|region= London
|country= England
|london_borough= Ealing
|london_borough1 = Hammersmith and Fulham
|constituency_westminster= [[Ealing Central and Acton (UK Parliament constituency)|Ealing Central and Acton]]
|post_town= LONDON
|postcode_area= W
|postcode_district= W3,W4,W12
|postcode_area1= NW
|postcode_district1= NW10
|dial_code= 020
|population=62,480
|population_ref=<ref name=ons>[http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk Key Statistics; Quick Statistics: Population Density] [[United Kingdom Census 2011]] ''[[Office for National Statistics]]'' Retrieved 31 October 2014</ref>
|area_total_km2=9.20
|os_grid_reference= TQ205805
|coordinates = {{coord|51.513519|-0.270661|display=inline,title}}
|charingX_distance_mi= 6.1
|charingX_direction= W
}}
'''Acton''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|k|t|ə|n|}}) is a town and [[list of areas of London|area]] in west [[London]], England, within the [[London Borough of Ealing]]. It is {{convert|6.1|mi|km|0}} west of [[Charing Cross]].

At the [[United Kingdom Census 2011|2011 census]], its four [[Wards of the United Kingdom|wards]], East Acton, Acton Central, South Acton and Southfield, had a population of 62,480, a ten-year increase of 8,791 people.<ref name=ons1>[http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk "Key Statistics; Quick Statistics: Population Density"]. ''[[United Kingdom Census 2011]]''. [[Office for National Statistics]]. Retrieved 31 October 2014.</ref> [[North Acton]], [[West Acton]], [[East Acton]], [[South Acton, London|South Acton]], [[Acton Green, London|Acton Green]], [[Acton Town]], [[Acton Vale, London|Acton Vale]] and [[Acton Central]] are all parts of Acton.

Acton means "oak farm" or "farm by oak trees", and is derived from the [[Old English]] ''āc'' (oak) and ''tūn'' (farm).<ref name="Mills1">{{cite book|title=A Dictionary of London Place-Names|first=A.D.|last=Mills|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2010|isbn=9780199566785|page=2}}</ref><ref name=growth/> Originally an ancient village, as London expanded, Acton was absorbed into the city. Since 1965, Acton equates to the east of the [[London Borough of Ealing]], though some of East Acton is in the [[London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham]] and a small portion of South Acton is in the [[London Borough of Hounslow]].

Central Acton is synonymous with the hub of commerce and retail on the former main road between London and [[Oxford]] ([[Uxbridge Road|the Uxbridge Road]]); a reminder of its history is in its inns, which date back in cases to the late [[Tudor period]] as stopping places for travellers. Nowadays, the principal route linking London and [[Oxford]] (the [[A40 road|A40]] dual carriageway) bypasses central Acton, but passes through East Acton and North Acton.

==Toponymy==
Acton's name derives from the Old English words ''āc'' (oak) and ''tūn'' (enclosed garden, enclosure), meaning "a garden or a field enclosed by oaks". Later, in the Middle Ages ''tūn'' became a synonym for "farm" or "farm by oak trees". For several centuries, its name bore the prefix ''Church'' (hence ''Chirche Acton'', ''Churche Acton'', etc.) to distinguish it from the separate hamlet of East Acton.<ref name="Mills1"/>

==History==
===Origins===
[[File:Stmarysacton2.jpg|thumb|[[St Mary's Church, Acton, London|St Mary's Church]], King Street, Acton Central]]
Different phases of prehistoric settlement are marked by a range of finds. It begins with a cluster of [[Upper Palaeolithic]] and [[Mesolithic]] flint cores,<ref name="AGL">The Archaeology of Greater London, Museum of London Archaeology Service 2000, {{ISBN|1-901992-15-2}}, https://www.mola.org.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/The%20archaeology%20of%20Greater%20London%20an%20assessment%20of%20archaeological%20evidence%20for%20human%20presence%20in%20the%20area%20now%20covered%20by%20Greater%20London_Part1.pdf</ref> flakes<ref name="AGL" /> and artefacts<ref name="AGL" /> mainly to the north of [[Churchfield Road]]. Around the Mill Hill Park area, a [[Neolithic]] axe,<ref name="AGL" /> and a group of [[Bronze Age]] [[Deverel-Rimbury]] urns and cremated bone<ref name="AGL" /> were found, along with an [[Iron Age]] pot shard.<ref name="AGL" /> [[Iron Age]] coins were also found near near Bollo Lane. The [[Roman Britain|Roman]] period is represented by a ditch<ref name="AGL" /> in the same area, and a hoard<ref name="AGL" /> north of Springfield Gardens. In the Middle Ages the northern half of the parish was heavily wooded. Oaks and elms still stood along roads and hedgerows and in private grounds in the early 20th century, but most of the woodland had been cleared by the 17th century, even on the extensive Old Oak common.<ref name=growth>{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22546|title=Acton: Growth|editor1=T F T Baker |editor2= C R Elrington |author1=Diane K Bolton |author2=Patricia E C Croot |author3=M A Hicks|publisher=Institute of Historical Research|date=1982|work=A History of the County of Middlesex |volume=7: Acton, Chiswick, Ealing and Brentford, West Twyford, Willesden|access-date=5 November 2014}}</ref>

===Medieval era===
Landholders figuring in county records were resident by 1222 and houses were recorded from the late 13th century. The main settlement, Church Acton or Acton town, lay slightly west of the centre of the parish along the highway to Oxford (Uxbridge Road) at the 5-mile post out of London. By 1380 some of the tenements, such as ''The Tabard'' and ''The Cock'', along the south side of the road, were inns. The hamlet of East Acton, mentioned in 1294, consisted of farmhouses and cottages north and south of common land known as East Acton green by 1474.<ref name=growth/>

Medieval settlement was mainly around the two hamlets. At Church Acton most of the farmhouses lay along the Oxford road or Horn Lane, with only a few outlying farms. Friars Place Farm at the north end of Horn Lane and the moated site to the west, occupied until the 15th century, were early farms. East of Friars Place farm were commons: Worton or Watton Green and Rush green in the 16th and 17th centuries, and Friars Place in the 18th century, where there was some settlement by 1664. To the north-west were Acton or Old Oak wells, known by 1613. In the parish's extreme south, a few farmhouses on the northern side of Acton common or Acton Green were mentioned as in Turnham Green until the 19th century and were linked more closely with that village than with Acton. ''Gregories'', mentioned in 1551 as a copyhold tenement with 30 a. near Bollo Lane and the Brentford high road, probably lay in Acton.<ref name=growth/>

Londoners were increasingly involved in land sales from the early 14th century but apparently did not live in Acton until the late 15th. The [[Manorialism|manor]], part of Fulham, had no [[demesne|resident (demesne) lord]], and apart from a brief period before c. 1735, when a branch of the landed [[Duke of Beaufort|Somerset (Duke of Beaufort's) family]] lived in Acton, there were no large resident landowners. Many of the tenements without land, including most of the inns, frequently changed hands.<ref name=growth/>

===Early modern period===
By the 17th century Acton's proximity to London had made it a summer retreat for courtiers and lawyers. Sir [[Isle of Wight (UK Parliament constituency)|Richard Sutton]] bought the seat at East Acton known later as Manor House in 1610 and Sir [[Henry Garraway]] probably rebuilt Acton House in 1638. Sir [[John Trevor (1596–1673)|John Trevor]] MP bought several Acton properties in the mid 17th century, including Berrymead/Berrymede, improving it with a lake and stream, home of [[George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax]] and his second son after him, and afterwards of the [[Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull]], with a much-praised landscape.<ref name=growth/>

The parish had 158 [[Holy Communion|communicants]] in 1548. In 1664 it had 72 chargeable households and 59 exempt, with 6 empty houses. Six houses had 10 or more hearths, 16 had from 5 to 9, 33 had 3 or 4, 23 had 2, and 53 had 1. Acton had about 160 families resident in the mid 18th century.<ref name=growth/>

Acton was lauded as "blessed with very sweet air" in 1706 by rector urging a friend in verse to move there. The fashion for medicinal waters brought a brief period of fame, with the exploitation of the wells at Old Oak common, when East Acton and Friars Place were said to be thronged with summer visitors, who had brought about improvement in the houses there. Although high society had left Acton by the mid 18th century, many professional and military men bought houses there, sometimes including a small park, until well into the 19th century. The break-up of the {{convert|800|acres|km2}} Fetherstonhaugh estate, which had had no resident owner, produced four or five small estates whose owners, professional men such as Samuel Wegg, John Winter, and Richard White, were active in parish affairs. Grand early homes included: Heathfield Lodge, West Lodge, and East Lodge by Winter c. 1800, Mill Hill House by White, and Woodlands at Acton Hill soon afterwards. [[Acton Green, London|Acton Green]] also became increasingly popular, being near [[Chiswick High Road]] (the Great West Road). Fairlawn, substantial, on west side of the green, was the home of the botanist [[John Lindley]] (1797–1865) as was the house to the north and Bedford House, another home of Lindley, and Melbourne House further east. A short row of houses had been built on the south side of the green by 1800.<ref name=growth/>

===19th Century development===
[[File:Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths' Alms Houses, Acton.jpg|thumb|Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths' Alms Houses, Acton, 1812.]]
In 1812, twenty [[almshouses]] were built by the [[Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths]] on the former Perryn estate, on land which had been left to the company by [[John Perryn]] in 1657.<ref>[https://www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk/company/history/history-of-the-company/ Official history] Retrieved 18 June 2018</ref>

There were 241 inhabited houses in 1801 and 426 by 1831. Growth took place mainly in the established residential neighbourhoods of Acton town and East Acton, but Acton Green also had acquired a cluster of cottages and houses at the bottom of Acton Lane by 1842. Acton was mostly rural in 1831. The few mansions contrasted sharply with most of the houses, which were described as 'beneath mediocrity of character'. Despite an overall rise in the number of houses, poor rates had to be increased in the 1820s because of a growing number of empty dwellings.<ref name=growth/>

More widespread building [[urban planning|was planned]] and took place in the 1850s. As a result of its soft water sources, Acton became famous for its laundries and at the end of the 19th century there were around 170 establishments in South Acton. These laundries would serve hotels and the rich in London's West End, leading to the nickname "Soapsuds Island" or "Soap Sud City". At least 600 different laundries operated within South Acton;<ref>[http://www.actonhistory.co.uk/acton/page10.html Laundry details and number of sites], actonhistory.co.uk; accessed 14 January 2016.</ref> the last laundry closed in the late 1970s and is now a low redbrick block of flats.{{cn|date=July 2021}}

The parish of Acton formed a [[local board of health]] in 1865 and became an [[Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland)|urban district]] in 1894.

===20th century===
The town was incorporated as the [[Municipal Borough of Acton]] in 1921. This authority combined with the [[municipal boroughs]] of [[Municipal Borough of Ealing|Ealing]] and [[Municipal Borough of Southall|Southall]] to form the London Borough of Ealing, within [[Greater London]], in 1965.<ref name=growth/> An Acton Golf Club was founded in 1896, which closed in 1920 and the area was redeveloped for housing.<ref>[http://www.golfsmissinglinks.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=750 "Acton Golf Club, London"], "Golf’s Missing Links".</ref>

[[Municipal Borough of Acton|Acton]] formed an urban district and, later, municipal borough of [[Middlesex]] from 1894 to 1965. Its former area was used to form part of the London Borough of Ealing in 1965. During the 20th century Acton was a major industrial centre employing tens of thousands of people, particularly in the motor vehicles and components industries. The industries of North Acton merged with the great industrial concentrations of [[Park Royal]] and [[Harlesden]]. One of the most important firms was [[Renault]] of France, which made cars, including the [[Renault 4CV|4CV]] and the [[Renault Dauphine]], at a factory in North Acton from 1926 until 1960.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://londonist.com/2015/11/london-made-motors|title=London's Lost Manufacturing - We Were Once The British Detroit|publisher=Londonist|access-date=16 January 2016}}</ref> Renault has remained on the site continuously since the 1920s and still has its main London showroom on the Park Royal site.

Further south [[Acton Vale, London|Acton Vale]] had famous names including [[D. Napier & Son]] (engines), H. Bronnley & Co (Soaps), Evershed & Vignoles (electrical equipment), [[Lucas Industries plc#CAV|Lucas CAV]] (automotive electrical), [[Tony Vandervell|Vandervell Products]] (bearings), and [[Wilkinson Sword]] (swords and razors).

==Acton Today==
Acton is now principally residential, though it maintains some light industry, particularly in the northeast Park Royal area, and the south near the border with Chiswick. [[Waitrose]] started in Acton, as Waite, Rose and Taylor - on the High Street near the police station - with its second branch opening in [[Churchfield Road]] in 1913.<ref>Waitrose: seeking to attain perfection by Janet Appleyard-Hobbs 2009 Acton History Society</ref>
[[File:South acton harlech corfe beumaris.JPG|thumb|The South Acton estate]]
Acton is home to the largest housing estate in west London, the South Acton estate, with approximately 2,000 homes and 5,800 residents.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sarag.org|title=South Acton Residents Action Group|publisher=Sarag.org|access-date=28 July 2013}}</ref>

{{citation needed span|date=December 2020|This area is currently in the Phase 2 of a major 15-year phased regeneration which includes near-total demolition of the existing residential units, and the construction of new and more numerous residential units. Since [[World War II]], Acton has had a small but notable population of [[Poland|Polish]] immigrants. In recent years, a number of Antipodean immigrants have settled there; there are several [[Australia]]n and [[South Africa]]n pubs concentrated in a small area. A [[Japan]]ese school has also attracted a Japanese community to West Acton. East Acton's King Fahd Academy also attracting [[Arab]] and mainly [[Saudi people|Saudi]] immigrants to the area. The [[Somali people|Somali]] community is concentrated around Church Road, and there are two mosques near the High Street. The [[Irish people|Irish]] community has diminished somewhat in recent years, but there are still a number of Irish pubs in the area.}}

Acton will host the starting point of the 25 kilometre [[Thames Tideway Scheme|Thames Tideway Tunnel]] (also known as the "Super Sewer") at the Acton Storm Tanks<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thameswater.co.uk/about-us/18037.htm|title=404|website=www.thameswater.co.uk|access-date=31 March 2018}}</ref> in Canham Road. This will be built to avoid the discharge of sewage from [[Combined sewer#Combined sewer overflows (CSOs)|Combined Sewer Overflow]] into the [[River Thames]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thamestunnelconsultation.co.uk|title=Thames Tunnel | Creating a cleaner, healthier River Thames|publisher=Thamestunnelconsultation.co.uk|date=27 March 2013|access-date=28 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730062359/http://www.thamestunnelconsultation.co.uk/|archive-date=30 July 2013|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==Leisure==
The Acton High Street has a range of pubs which vary in theme and clientele.
[[File:Acton Farmers Market.JPG|thumb|right|Pilot of Acton Farmers' Market, December 2006]]
The recently refurbished 'Mount' on Acton High Street hosts a Market on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Visitors can shop at stalls selling a range of produce. Acton's library, swimming baths (built in 1904) and [[Acton Town Hall|Town Hall]] are examples of tall Victorian municipal buildings that can be found along the High Street. Acton Swimming Baths closed in December 2011 for a three-year development project, replacing the existing pools with a 25m 8-lane pool and a smaller teaching pool. The site reopened in April 2014<ref>[http://www.ealing.gov.uk/info/200940/sports_centres/1091/everyone_active_acton_centre Everyone Active Acton Centre], ealing.gov.uk; 19 April 2014; accessed 14 January 2016.</ref>
An indoor climbing wall has recently opened on the high street, housed in a building originally constructed in the 1920s as an Art Deco cinema. The building was later used as a bingo hall before being refurbished into the bouldering centre there today.<ref>[http://www.actonw3.com/default.asp?section=info&page=actclimb001.htm Arch Climbing Wall], actonw3.com; 13 September 2017; accessed 26 May 2019.</ref>

On the east end of Acton High Street is Acton Park, which features mini golf, bar and pizza restaurant operated by Putt in the Park.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.puttinthepark.com/courses/acton-park/|title=Acton Park Mini Golf Course|website=Putt in the Park|language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-04}}</ref> The South Eastern corner of the park includes tennis courts, outdoor fitness equipment and a multi-purpose basketball and 5-a-side football court. The park also features a large children's play area including an adventure playground partially created from local trees felled during a storm, a pond, an art block and Acton Skate Park, run by the Ealing Skatepark Association,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ealingskateparkassociation.com/|title=Home|website=www.ealingskateparkassociation.com|access-date=2019-05-04}}</ref> which opened in April 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ealing.gov.uk/news/article/1876/a_warm_welcome_to_acton_skate_park|title=A warm welcome to Acton Skate Park|last=Stephens|first=Daniel|website=www.ealing.gov.uk|language=en|access-date=2019-05-04}}</ref>

==Education==
[[File:Acton High School, Middlesex, London, AHS.jpg|thumb|[[Acton High School, 2008]]]]

=== Primary schools ===
There are six state-funded primary schools in Acton, Berrymede Junior School, Derwentwater Primary School, East Acton Primary School, St Vincent's RC Primary School, West Acton Primary School, West Twyford Primary School. The [[Ark (charity)]] has opened two primary academies in Acton, Ark Priory Primary Academy in 2013 and Ark Byron Primary Academy in 2015, the latter is based in Acton Park.

===Secondary schools===
Acton has three state-funded secondary high schools, [[Ark Acton Academy]], [[Twyford Church of England High School]] and [[The Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls]], and an [[independent school]], the [[Barbara Speake Stage School]]. Acton was once home to another independent school, [[Haberdashers' Aske's School for Girls]] before it changed its site to Elstree, the Acton site becoming the Cardinal Newman Roman Catholic High School. Acton also hosts the [[King Fahad Academy]], an [[independent school|independent]] Muslim school.{{citation needed|date=January 2016}}

===International schools===
[[File:Japanese School in London-000.jpg|thumb|right|[[Japanese School in London]]]]
The [[Japanese School in London]] is in Acton.<ref>[http://www.thejapaneseschool.ltd.uk/nihonjingakko/index.html Profile] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102192812/http://www.thejapaneseschool.ltd.uk/nihonjingakko/index.html |date=2 January 2014 }}, thejapaneseschool.ltd.uk; retrieved 1 January 2014.</ref>

==Acton in popular culture==
{{in popular culture|section|date=April 2018}}
* The 1971 film ''[[Villain (1971 film)|Villain]]'' starring [[Richard Burton]] and [[Ian McShane]] clearly features Acton Central railway station in one of its sequences. Similarly another sequence in the same film shows the characters Danny and Inspector Matthews talking while on a train which they caught at Acton
*Acton was the birthplace of [[The Who]], of which all members except [[Keith Moon]] went to Acton County Grammar School, on the site of what is now Ark Acton Academy.
*Acton was the location of external shots of the Sunshine Foods office building in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin. The building was located at 32-36 Telford Way but is no longer standing.
*[[Pete Townshend]]'s 1982 solo album, ''[[All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes]]'', contained the track "Stardom in Acton" in reference to his home town, while the accompanying video was filmed on and around Acton High Street.
*In the episode of Alan Partridge ''[[Alan Attraction|Towering Alan]]'', the character Mike Sampson is from Acton. He is a socially inept character who describes Acton as having "a few too many blacks."
*[[Leo Sayer]]'s 1983 single [[Orchard Road (song)|Orchard Road]] refers to Acton's [[Churchfield Road]].<ref>The [[Bob Rogers (disc jockey)|Bob Rogers]] Show, [[Radio]] [[2CH]], 10:31:30 [[AEST]] 31 July 2008.</ref>
*In the TV series ''[[Minder (TV series)|Minder]]'', [[Arthur Daley]]'s car lot was by the railway bridge in The Vale<ref>{{cite web|author =Staff|url=http://www.minder.org/locations/loc_carlot.htm|title=Minder Locations|publisher=Minder.org|date=1 February 2013|access-date=28 July 2013}}</ref> with the door of the Winchester Club in Newburgh Road<ref>{{cite web|author =Staff|url=http://www.minder.org/locations/loc_winchester.htm|title=Minder Locations|publisher=minder.org|date=1 February 2013|access-date=28 July 2013}}</ref> off [[Churchfield Road]]. The lock up was on the Bush Industrial Estate.<ref>{{cite web|author =Staff|url=http://www.minder.org/locations/loc_arthurslockups.htm|title=Minder Locations|publisher=Minder.org|date=24 July 2013|access-date=28 July 2013}}</ref> Minder locations in Acton featured throughout series 7 to 10.
*Acton Park often hosted filming for programmes such as ''Rose & Macaulay'' and ''[[The Deal (BET TV series)|The Deal]]''. Other parts of Acton were used for ''[[The Sweeney]]'' and early episodes of ''[[The Bill]]''.
*The first [[Waitrose]] store in the UK was in Acton. Originally called "Waite, Rose and Taylor", it opened in 1904, at number 263 Acton Hill. A metal plate commemorating this has been inserted into the pavement outside these premises<ref>https://www.londonremembers.com/memorials/first-waitrose</ref> as it was not possible to obtain permission from the current owners of the building to affix a plaque onto it.
*Scenes from the 1986 movie ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]]'' and the 1989 movie ''[[Batman (1989 film)|Batman]]'' were shot inside the disused [[Acton Lane Power Station]].
*The Ken Loach film ''[[Ladybird Ladybird (film)|Ladybird Ladybird]]'' was filmed at many sites around Acton including The Mount, the Town Hall, Vyner Road, Cumberland Park and parts of South Acton.
* Playwright/Composer [[Lionel Bart]] lived the latter part of his life in an apartment on [[Churchfield Road]].
*The film ''[[Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel]]'' (2009) was partly set in the Talbot pub on Mill Hill road, Acton.
* Many scenes of TV series ''[[Silent Witness]]'' are filmed around Acton and Park Royal. Silent Witness's production offices and sets are at BBC Park Western in [[North Acton]].
* The TV series [[Motherland (TV series)|Motherland]] used locations in Acton and [[Chiswick]] including Southfield Primary School,<ref>{{cite news |title=TV Show On 'Yummy Mummys' Filmed in Chiswick |url=http://www.chiswickw4.com/default.asp?section=info&page=motherland001.htm |access-date=23 November 2020 |work=www.chiswickw4.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Motherland, BBC2 |url=https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/comedy/motherland-bbc2/5124030.article |website=Broadcast |access-date=23 November 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sharon Horgan on mean mums and Motherland's return |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/oct/12/sharon-horgan-on-mean-mums-and-motherland-season-two |website=The Guardian |access-date=23 November 2020 |language=en |date=12 October 2019}}</ref> Southfield Park (episode ''Good Job'' [[Motherland (TV series)#Series 2|Series 2]]) and Acton Park (Christmas Special 2020).

== Notable people ==
* [[Peter Ackroyd]], writer, grew up in [[East Acton]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01hw633|title=Desert Island Discs, Peter Ackroyd, BBC Radio 4|publisher=Bbc.co.uk|date=25 May 2012|access-date=4 April 2013}}</ref>
* [[Karl Dallas]], music journalist and peace campaigner, was born and lived in Acton<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jun/27/karl-dallas-obituary|title=Karl Dallas obituary|last=Denselow|first=Robin|date=2016-06-27|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-05-04|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
* [[Jamal Edwards]], founder of [[SB.TV]] grew up on the South Acton estate<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/jamal-edwards-the-acton-kid-and-his-media-empire-6445541.html|title=Jamal Edwards ... the Acton kid and his media empire|work=Evening Standard|access-date=2018-05-17|language=en-GB}}</ref>
* [[John Entwistle]], musician, was brought up and went to school in Acton
*[[Adam Faith]], singer, actor and financial journalist was born and grew up in Acton.
* [[Emilia Fox]], actor, lives in Acton.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theresident.co.uk/london-culture-events/emilia-fox-on-silent-witness-motherhood-life-in-acton/|title=EMILIA FOX ON SILENT WITNESS, MOTHERHOOD & LIFE IN ACTON|website=www.theresident.co.uk|access-date=2018-05-17}}</ref>
* [[Kit Harington]], actor, was born in Acton<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theresident.co.uk/london-culture-events/local-people/game-thrones-stars-londoners/|title=GAME OF THRONES STARS IN LONDON|website=www.theresident.co.uk|access-date=2018-05-17}}</ref>
*[[Bill Owen (actor)|Bill Owen]], actor best known for starring as Compo in the BBC's [[Last of the Summer Wine]] was born in Acton<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0654089/bio|title=Bill Owen|website=IMDb|access-date=2019-07-02}}</ref>
* [[Hannah Reid]], lead singer of [[London Grammar]] grew up in Acton<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/local-news/london-grammar-lead-singer-chiswicks-6728065|title=The BRITs: Chiswick's Hannah Reid hoping to grab an award with London Grammar|last=Culbertson|first=Alix|date=2014-02-19|work=getwestlondon|access-date=2018-05-17}}</ref>
* [[Alan Rickman]], actor, lived in Acton<ref>{{Citation|title=Obituary: Alan Rickman|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35313578}}</ref>
* [[Mark Smith (actor)|Mark Smith]], bodybuilder and actor, who starred as 'Rhino' in [[Gladiators (1992 UK TV series)|Gladiators]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mylondon.news/news/west-london-news/heres-what-gladiator-rhino-looks-17050860|title=My London news}}</ref>
* [[Pete Townshend]], musician, [[Pete Townshend#Early life and education|grew up and attended school in Acton]]
* [[Alan Wilder]], former member of the band [[Depeche Mode]] was [[Alan Wilder#Early years|born and raised in Acton]]
* [[Robin Friday]], former footballer, was born and lived in Acton.
* [[Robert Spall]], recipient of the Victoria Cross was born in Spencer Road, Acton.
* [[Asma al-Assad]], [[First Lady]] of [[Syria]], grew up in Acton.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/president-assads-wife-banned-from-europe-770546 |title=President Assad's wife banned from travelling to Europe... but not Britain |work=The Mirror |date=23 March 2012 |access-date=17 July 2015}}</ref>

==Transport==

===Tube/Rail===
Stations in the area are:
* [[Acton Central railway station]] ([[London Overground]] and [[North London Line]])
* [[Acton Main Line railway station]] ([[TfL Rail]])
* [[Acton Town tube station|Acton Town Underground station]] ([[District line]] and [[Piccadilly line]])
* [[East Acton tube station|East Acton Underground station]] ([[Central line (London Underground)|Central line]])
* [[North Acton tube station|North Acton Underground station]] (Central line)
* [[South Acton railway station (England)|South Acton railway station]] (North London Line, and formerly District line)
* [[West Acton tube station|West Acton Underground station]] [Central line ([[Ealing Broadway station|Ealing Broadway]] branch)]

Acton has seven railway stations bearing its name, more than any other place in the United Kingdom other than London itself. Acton is also the only place in London to have stations named after all four of its cardinal points, north, south, east, and west.<ref>See details at [https://londonpostcodewalks.wordpress.com/tag/acton/ London Postcode Walks].</ref> The widespread provision of train services reflects a long railway history, particularly associated (historically) with [[Transport for London|London Transport]] and the [[Great Western Railway]].

North Acton has a large Great Western Railway housing estate (now privately owned),<ref>See section "The Railway Expansion" at [http://www.actonhistory.co.uk/acton/page6.html Acton History] website.</ref> and the [[Old Oak Common TMD]] railway depot is within the usual boundary, as is the [[London Transport Museum#The depot (Acton)|London Transport Museum Depot]] which houses an extensive collection of historic and heritage rolling stock. Acton Main Line station has a busy freight yard (operating ballast and container trains).

===Buses===
London Buses routes [[London Buses route 7|7]], [[London Buses route 70|70]], [[London Buses route 72|72]], [[London Buses route 94|94]], [[London Buses route 95|95]], [[London Buses route 207|207]], [[London Buses route 218|218]], [[London Buses route 228|228]], [[London Buses route 260|260]], [[London Buses route 266|266]], [[London Buses route 272|272]], [[London Buses route 283|283]], [[London Buses route 306|306]], [[London Buses route 427|427]], [[London Buses route 440|440]], [[London Buses route 487|487]], [[London Buses route 607|607]], [[London Buses route E3|E3]], [[London Buses route N7|N7]], [[London Buses route N11|N11]] and [[London Buses route N207|N207]] serve Acton.<ref>Central Acton [http://content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-route-maps/actoncentral-a4.pdf bus routes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315055446/http://content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-route-maps/actoncentral-a4.pdf |date=15 March 2016 }}.</ref><ref>East Acton [http://www.iaeng.org/WCE2012/images/Hammersmith_bus_services_2012.pdf bus routes].</ref>

===Shelved tram proposals===
[[Transport for London]], led by then Mayor of London, [[Ken Livingstone]], proposed to build a [[West London Tram]] between Shepherd's Bush and Uxbridge town centre.<ref name="mayor-announcement">{{cite web|url=http://www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=1135|title=Mayor says yes to new trams and busways|date=29 May 2002|publisher=Mayor of London/Greater London Authority|access-date=15 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030418014756/http://www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=1135|archive-date=18 April 2003}}</ref> It would have run along the A4020, the [[Uxbridge Road]], through Acton, Ealing, West Ealing, Hanwell, Southall and Hayes End. This proposed scheme was highly controversial and resulted in strong differences in opinion between TfL, who supported the scheme, and local councils throughout the proposed route, who all took a 'no tram' stance.<ref name="bbc-majority">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4308321.stm|title=Majority say 'no' to tram scheme|date=1 March 2005|work=BBC News|access-date=15 January 2016}}</ref>

The West London Tram was finally scrapped when former Prime Minister [[Gordon Brown]] agreed that the long-awaited [[Crossrail]] would go ahead in October 2007. [[Acton Main Line railway station]] is to be part of the Crossrail network once it is completed, with 4 trains an hour servicing each route.<ref name="tfl-2008">{{cite web|url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/networkandservices/3223.aspx|title=West London Tram|date=10 April 2008|publisher=Transport for London (archived page)|access-date=15 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080410070044/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/networkandservices/3223.aspx|archive-date=10 April 2008}}</ref>

==Neighbouring places==
* [[Chiswick]]
* [[Ealing]]
* [[Harlesden, London, England|Harlesden]]
* [[Park Royal]]
* [[Shepherd's Bush]]
* [[North Acton]]
* [[South Acton, London|South Acton]]
* [[East Acton]]
* [[West Acton]]

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:South acton.JPG|View of South Acton from Barwick House, showing Jerome Tower and Berrymede Junior School
File:Acton Park1.jpg|Acton Park
File:Barwick house.JPG|Barwick House, on the South Acton estate
File:South acton harlech corfe beumaris.JPG|Blocks of flats on the South Acton estate
File:Acton High Street Railway Bridge With Illuminated Sign.jpg|Nighttime view of Acton sign on the railway bridge at the bottom of Acton High Street in London.
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Acton, London}}
*[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.asp?pubid=89 British History Online - Acton]
*[http://www.ActonW3.com ActonW3.com] - a digital local newspaper for the area

{{LB Ealing}}
{{London Districts}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Acton, London| ]]
[[Category:Districts of the London Borough of Ealing]]
[[Category:Areas of London]]
[[Category:Spa towns in England]]
[[Category:Places formerly in Middlesex]]

Benutzer:Valeee04/Acton, London

2021-09-14T17:32:29Z

51.6.7.6: /* Acton in popular culture */ citation added

{{Short description|Town in Greater London, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2015}}
{{Infobox UK place
|official_name= Acton
|static_image_name = Actontownhall2.jpg
|static_image_caption=[[Acton Town Hall]], built for [[Municipal Borough of Acton|Acton Urban District]] and opened 10 March 1910
|region= London
|country= England
|london_borough= Ealing
|london_borough1 = Hammersmith and Fulham
|constituency_westminster= [[Ealing Central and Acton (UK Parliament constituency)|Ealing Central and Acton]]
|post_town= LONDON
|postcode_area= W
|postcode_district= W3,W4,W12
|postcode_area1= NW
|postcode_district1= NW10
|dial_code= 020
|population=62,480
|population_ref=<ref name=ons>[http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk Key Statistics; Quick Statistics: Population Density] [[United Kingdom Census 2011]] ''[[Office for National Statistics]]'' Retrieved 31 October 2014</ref>
|area_total_km2=9.20
|os_grid_reference= TQ205805
|coordinates = {{coord|51.513519|-0.270661|display=inline,title}}
|charingX_distance_mi= 6.1
|charingX_direction= W
}}
'''Acton''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|k|t|ə|n|}}) is a town and [[list of areas of London|area]] in west [[London]], England, within the [[London Borough of Ealing]]. It is {{convert|6.1|mi|km|0}} west of [[Charing Cross]].

At the [[United Kingdom Census 2011|2011 census]], its four [[Wards of the United Kingdom|wards]], East Acton, Acton Central, South Acton and Southfield, had a population of 62,480, a ten-year increase of 8,791 people.<ref name=ons1>[http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk "Key Statistics; Quick Statistics: Population Density"]. ''[[United Kingdom Census 2011]]''. [[Office for National Statistics]]. Retrieved 31 October 2014.</ref> [[North Acton]], [[West Acton]], [[East Acton]], [[South Acton, London|South Acton]], [[Acton Green, London|Acton Green]], [[Acton Town]], [[Acton Vale, London|Acton Vale]] and [[Acton Central]] are all parts of Acton.

Acton means "oak farm" or "farm by oak trees", and is derived from the [[Old English]] ''āc'' (oak) and ''tūn'' (farm).<ref name="Mills1">{{cite book|title=A Dictionary of London Place-Names|first=A.D.|last=Mills|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2010|isbn=9780199566785|page=2}}</ref><ref name=growth/> Originally an ancient village, as London expanded, Acton was absorbed into the city. Since 1965, Acton equates to the east of the [[London Borough of Ealing]], though some of East Acton is in the [[London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham]] and a small portion of South Acton is in the [[London Borough of Hounslow]].

Central Acton is synonymous with the hub of commerce and retail on the former main road between London and [[Oxford]] ([[Uxbridge Road|the Uxbridge Road]]); a reminder of its history is in its inns, which date back in cases to the late [[Tudor period]] as stopping places for travellers. Nowadays, the principal route linking London and [[Oxford]] (the [[A40 road|A40]] dual carriageway) bypasses central Acton, but passes through East Acton and North Acton.

==Toponymy==
Acton's name derives from the Old English words ''āc'' (oak) and ''tūn'' (enclosed garden, enclosure), meaning "a garden or a field enclosed by oaks". Later, in the Middle Ages ''tūn'' became a synonym for "farm" or "farm by oak trees". For several centuries, its name bore the prefix ''Church'' (hence ''Chirche Acton'', ''Churche Acton'', etc.) to distinguish it from the separate hamlet of East Acton.<ref name="Mills1"/>

==History==
===Origins===
[[File:Stmarysacton2.jpg|thumb|[[St Mary's Church, Acton, London|St Mary's Church]], King Street, Acton Central]]
Different phases of prehistoric settlement are marked by a range of finds. It begins with a cluster of [[Upper Palaeolithic]] and [[Mesolithic]] flint cores,<ref name="AGL">The Archaeology of Greater London, Museum of London Archaeology Service 2000, {{ISBN|1-901992-15-2}}, https://www.mola.org.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/The%20archaeology%20of%20Greater%20London%20an%20assessment%20of%20archaeological%20evidence%20for%20human%20presence%20in%20the%20area%20now%20covered%20by%20Greater%20London_Part1.pdf</ref> flakes<ref name="AGL" /> and artefacts<ref name="AGL" /> mainly to the north of [[Churchfield Road]]. Around the Mill Hill Park area, a [[Neolithic]] axe,<ref name="AGL" /> and a group of [[Bronze Age]] [[Deverel-Rimbury]] urns and cremated bone<ref name="AGL" /> were found, along with an [[Iron Age]] pot shard.<ref name="AGL" /> [[Iron Age]] coins were also found near near Bollo Lane. The [[Roman Britain|Roman]] period is represented by a ditch<ref name="AGL" /> in the same area, and a hoard<ref name="AGL" /> north of Springfield Gardens. In the Middle Ages the northern half of the parish was heavily wooded. Oaks and elms still stood along roads and hedgerows and in private grounds in the early 20th century, but most of the woodland had been cleared by the 17th century, even on the extensive Old Oak common.<ref name=growth>{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22546|title=Acton: Growth|editor1=T F T Baker |editor2= C R Elrington |author1=Diane K Bolton |author2=Patricia E C Croot |author3=M A Hicks|publisher=Institute of Historical Research|date=1982|work=A History of the County of Middlesex |volume=7: Acton, Chiswick, Ealing and Brentford, West Twyford, Willesden|access-date=5 November 2014}}</ref>

===Medieval era===
Landholders figuring in county records were resident by 1222 and houses were recorded from the late 13th century. The main settlement, Church Acton or Acton town, lay slightly west of the centre of the parish along the highway to Oxford (Uxbridge Road) at the 5-mile post out of London. By 1380 some of the tenements, such as ''The Tabard'' and ''The Cock'', along the south side of the road, were inns. The hamlet of East Acton, mentioned in 1294, consisted of farmhouses and cottages north and south of common land known as East Acton green by 1474.<ref name=growth/>

Medieval settlement was mainly around the two hamlets. At Church Acton most of the farmhouses lay along the Oxford road or Horn Lane, with only a few outlying farms. Friars Place Farm at the north end of Horn Lane and the moated site to the west, occupied until the 15th century, were early farms. East of Friars Place farm were commons: Worton or Watton Green and Rush green in the 16th and 17th centuries, and Friars Place in the 18th century, where there was some settlement by 1664. To the north-west were Acton or Old Oak wells, known by 1613. In the parish's extreme south, a few farmhouses on the northern side of Acton common or Acton Green were mentioned as in Turnham Green until the 19th century and were linked more closely with that village than with Acton. ''Gregories'', mentioned in 1551 as a copyhold tenement with 30 a. near Bollo Lane and the Brentford high road, probably lay in Acton.<ref name=growth/>

Londoners were increasingly involved in land sales from the early 14th century but apparently did not live in Acton until the late 15th. The [[Manorialism|manor]], part of Fulham, had no [[demesne|resident (demesne) lord]], and apart from a brief period before c. 1735, when a branch of the landed [[Duke of Beaufort|Somerset (Duke of Beaufort's) family]] lived in Acton, there were no large resident landowners. Many of the tenements without land, including most of the inns, frequently changed hands.<ref name=growth/>

===Early modern period===
By the 17th century Acton's proximity to London had made it a summer retreat for courtiers and lawyers. Sir [[Isle of Wight (UK Parliament constituency)|Richard Sutton]] bought the seat at East Acton known later as Manor House in 1610 and Sir [[Henry Garraway]] probably rebuilt Acton House in 1638. Sir [[John Trevor (1596–1673)|John Trevor]] MP bought several Acton properties in the mid 17th century, including Berrymead/Berrymede, improving it with a lake and stream, home of [[George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax]] and his second son after him, and afterwards of the [[Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull]], with a much-praised landscape.<ref name=growth/>

The parish had 158 [[Holy Communion|communicants]] in 1548. In 1664 it had 72 chargeable households and 59 exempt, with 6 empty houses. Six houses had 10 or more hearths, 16 had from 5 to 9, 33 had 3 or 4, 23 had 2, and 53 had 1. Acton had about 160 families resident in the mid 18th century.<ref name=growth/>

Acton was lauded as "blessed with very sweet air" in 1706 by rector urging a friend in verse to move there. The fashion for medicinal waters brought a brief period of fame, with the exploitation of the wells at Old Oak common, when East Acton and Friars Place were said to be thronged with summer visitors, who had brought about improvement in the houses there. Although high society had left Acton by the mid 18th century, many professional and military men bought houses there, sometimes including a small park, until well into the 19th century. The break-up of the {{convert|800|acres|km2}} Fetherstonhaugh estate, which had had no resident owner, produced four or five small estates whose owners, professional men such as Samuel Wegg, John Winter, and Richard White, were active in parish affairs. Grand early homes included: Heathfield Lodge, West Lodge, and East Lodge by Winter c. 1800, Mill Hill House by White, and Woodlands at Acton Hill soon afterwards. [[Acton Green, London|Acton Green]] also became increasingly popular, being near [[Chiswick High Road]] (the Great West Road). Fairlawn, substantial, on west side of the green, was the home of the botanist [[John Lindley]] (1797–1865) as was the house to the north and Bedford House, another home of Lindley, and Melbourne House further east. A short row of houses had been built on the south side of the green by 1800.<ref name=growth/>

===19th Century development===
[[File:Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths' Alms Houses, Acton.jpg|thumb|Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths' Alms Houses, Acton, 1812.]]
In 1812, twenty [[almshouses]] were built by the [[Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths]] on the former Perryn estate, on land which had been left to the company by [[John Perryn]] in 1657.<ref>[https://www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk/company/history/history-of-the-company/ Official history] Retrieved 18 June 2018</ref>

There were 241 inhabited houses in 1801 and 426 by 1831. Growth took place mainly in the established residential neighbourhoods of Acton town and East Acton, but Acton Green also had acquired a cluster of cottages and houses at the bottom of Acton Lane by 1842. Acton was mostly rural in 1831. The few mansions contrasted sharply with most of the houses, which were described as 'beneath mediocrity of character'. Despite an overall rise in the number of houses, poor rates had to be increased in the 1820s because of a growing number of empty dwellings.<ref name=growth/>

More widespread building [[urban planning|was planned]] and took place in the 1850s. As a result of its soft water sources, Acton became famous for its laundries and at the end of the 19th century there were around 170 establishments in South Acton. These laundries would serve hotels and the rich in London's West End, leading to the nickname "Soapsuds Island" or "Soap Sud City". At least 600 different laundries operated within South Acton;<ref>[http://www.actonhistory.co.uk/acton/page10.html Laundry details and number of sites], actonhistory.co.uk; accessed 14 January 2016.</ref> the last laundry closed in the late 1970s and is now a low redbrick block of flats.{{cn|date=July 2021}}

The parish of Acton formed a [[local board of health]] in 1865 and became an [[Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland)|urban district]] in 1894.

===20th century===
The town was incorporated as the [[Municipal Borough of Acton]] in 1921. This authority combined with the [[municipal boroughs]] of [[Municipal Borough of Ealing|Ealing]] and [[Municipal Borough of Southall|Southall]] to form the London Borough of Ealing, within [[Greater London]], in 1965.<ref name=growth/> An Acton Golf Club was founded in 1896, which closed in 1920 and the area was redeveloped for housing.<ref>[http://www.golfsmissinglinks.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=750 "Acton Golf Club, London"], "Golf’s Missing Links".</ref>

[[Municipal Borough of Acton|Acton]] formed an urban district and, later, municipal borough of [[Middlesex]] from 1894 to 1965. Its former area was used to form part of the London Borough of Ealing in 1965. During the 20th century Acton was a major industrial centre employing tens of thousands of people, particularly in the motor vehicles and components industries. The industries of North Acton merged with the great industrial concentrations of [[Park Royal]] and [[Harlesden]]. One of the most important firms was [[Renault]] of France, which made cars, including the [[Renault 4CV|4CV]] and the [[Renault Dauphine]], at a factory in North Acton from 1926 until 1960.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://londonist.com/2015/11/london-made-motors|title=London's Lost Manufacturing - We Were Once The British Detroit|publisher=Londonist|access-date=16 January 2016}}</ref> Renault has remained on the site continuously since the 1920s and still has its main London showroom on the Park Royal site.

Further south [[Acton Vale, London|Acton Vale]] had famous names including [[D. Napier & Son]] (engines), H. Bronnley & Co (Soaps), Evershed & Vignoles (electrical equipment), [[Lucas Industries plc#CAV|Lucas CAV]] (automotive electrical), [[Tony Vandervell|Vandervell Products]] (bearings), and [[Wilkinson Sword]] (swords and razors).

==Acton Today==
Acton is now principally residential, though it maintains some light industry, particularly in the northeast Park Royal area, and the south near the border with Chiswick. [[Waitrose]] started in Acton, as Waite, Rose and Taylor - on the High Street near the police station - with its second branch opening in [[Churchfield Road]] in 1913.<ref>Waitrose: seeking to attain perfection by Janet Appleyard-Hobbs 2009 Acton History Society</ref>
[[File:South acton harlech corfe beumaris.JPG|thumb|The South Acton estate]]
Acton is home to the largest housing estate in west London, the South Acton estate, with approximately 2,000 homes and 5,800 residents.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sarag.org|title=South Acton Residents Action Group|publisher=Sarag.org|access-date=28 July 2013}}</ref>

{{citation needed span|date=December 2020|This area is currently in the Phase 2 of a major 15-year phased regeneration which includes near-total demolition of the existing residential units, and the construction of new and more numerous residential units. Since [[World War II]], Acton has had a small but notable population of [[Poland|Polish]] immigrants. In recent years, a number of Antipodean immigrants have settled there; there are several [[Australia]]n and [[South Africa]]n pubs concentrated in a small area. A [[Japan]]ese school has also attracted a Japanese community to West Acton. East Acton's King Fahd Academy also attracting [[Arab]] and mainly [[Saudi people|Saudi]] immigrants to the area. The [[Somali people|Somali]] community is concentrated around Church Road, and there are two mosques near the High Street. The [[Irish people|Irish]] community has diminished somewhat in recent years, but there are still a number of Irish pubs in the area.}}

Acton will host the starting point of the 25 kilometre [[Thames Tideway Scheme|Thames Tideway Tunnel]] (also known as the "Super Sewer") at the Acton Storm Tanks<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thameswater.co.uk/about-us/18037.htm|title=404|website=www.thameswater.co.uk|access-date=31 March 2018}}</ref> in Canham Road. This will be built to avoid the discharge of sewage from [[Combined sewer#Combined sewer overflows (CSOs)|Combined Sewer Overflow]] into the [[River Thames]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thamestunnelconsultation.co.uk|title=Thames Tunnel | Creating a cleaner, healthier River Thames|publisher=Thamestunnelconsultation.co.uk|date=27 March 2013|access-date=28 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730062359/http://www.thamestunnelconsultation.co.uk/|archive-date=30 July 2013|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==Leisure==
The Acton High Street has a range of pubs which vary in theme and clientele.
[[File:Acton Farmers Market.JPG|thumb|right|Pilot of Acton Farmers' Market, December 2006]]
The recently refurbished 'Mount' on Acton High Street hosts a Market on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Visitors can shop at stalls selling a range of produce. Acton's library, swimming baths (built in 1904) and [[Acton Town Hall|Town Hall]] are examples of tall Victorian municipal buildings that can be found along the High Street. Acton Swimming Baths closed in December 2011 for a three-year development project, replacing the existing pools with a 25m 8-lane pool and a smaller teaching pool. The site reopened in April 2014<ref>[http://www.ealing.gov.uk/info/200940/sports_centres/1091/everyone_active_acton_centre Everyone Active Acton Centre], ealing.gov.uk; 19 April 2014; accessed 14 January 2016.</ref>
An indoor climbing wall has recently opened on the high street, housed in a building originally constructed in the 1920s as an Art Deco cinema. The building was later used as a bingo hall before being refurbished into the bouldering centre there today.<ref>[http://www.actonw3.com/default.asp?section=info&page=actclimb001.htm Arch Climbing Wall], actonw3.com; 13 September 2017; accessed 26 May 2019.</ref>

On the east end of Acton High Street is Acton Park, which features mini golf, bar and pizza restaurant operated by Putt in the Park.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.puttinthepark.com/courses/acton-park/|title=Acton Park Mini Golf Course|website=Putt in the Park|language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-04}}</ref> The South Eastern corner of the park includes tennis courts, outdoor fitness equipment and a multi-purpose basketball and 5-a-side football court. The park also features a large children's play area including an adventure playground partially created from local trees felled during a storm, a pond, an art block and Acton Skate Park, run by the Ealing Skatepark Association,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ealingskateparkassociation.com/|title=Home|website=www.ealingskateparkassociation.com|access-date=2019-05-04}}</ref> which opened in April 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ealing.gov.uk/news/article/1876/a_warm_welcome_to_acton_skate_park|title=A warm welcome to Acton Skate Park|last=Stephens|first=Daniel|website=www.ealing.gov.uk|language=en|access-date=2019-05-04}}</ref>

==Education==
[[File:Acton High School, Middlesex, London, AHS.jpg|thumb|[[Acton High School, 2008]]]]

=== Primary schools ===
There are six state-funded primary schools in Acton, Berrymede Junior School, Derwentwater Primary School, East Acton Primary School, St Vincent's RC Primary School, West Acton Primary School, West Twyford Primary School. The [[Ark (charity)]] has opened two primary academies in Acton, Ark Priory Primary Academy in 2013 and Ark Byron Primary Academy in 2015, the latter is based in Acton Park.

===Secondary schools===
Acton has three state-funded secondary high schools, [[Ark Acton Academy]], [[Twyford Church of England High School]] and [[The Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls]], and an [[independent school]], the [[Barbara Speake Stage School]]. Acton was once home to another independent school, [[Haberdashers' Aske's School for Girls]] before it changed its site to Elstree, the Acton site becoming the Cardinal Newman Roman Catholic High School. Acton also hosts the [[King Fahad Academy]], an [[independent school|independent]] Muslim school.{{citation needed|date=January 2016}}

===International schools===
[[File:Japanese School in London-000.jpg|thumb|right|[[Japanese School in London]]]]
The [[Japanese School in London]] is in Acton.<ref>[http://www.thejapaneseschool.ltd.uk/nihonjingakko/index.html Profile] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102192812/http://www.thejapaneseschool.ltd.uk/nihonjingakko/index.html |date=2 January 2014 }}, thejapaneseschool.ltd.uk; retrieved 1 January 2014.</ref>

==Acton in popular culture==
{{in popular culture|section|date=April 2018}}
* The 1971 film ''[[Villain (1971 film)|Villain]]'' starring [[Richard Burton]] and [[Ian McShane]] clearly features Acton Central railway station in one of its sequences. Similarly another sequence in the same film shows the characters Danny and Inspector Matthews talking while on a train which they caught at Acton
*Acton was the birthplace of [[The Who]], of which all members except [[Keith Moon]] went to Acton County Grammar School, on the site of what is now Ark Acton Academy.
*Acton was the location of external shots of the Sunshine Foods office building in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin. The building was located at 32-36 Telford Way but is no longer standing.
*[[Pete Townshend]]'s 1982 solo album, ''[[All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes]]'', contained the track "Stardom in Acton" in reference to his home town, while the accompanying video was filmed on and around Acton High Street.
*In the episode of Alan Partridge ''[[Alan Attraction|Towering Alan]]'', the character Mike Sampson is from Acton. He is a socially inept character who describes Acton as having "a few too many blacks."
*[[Leo Sayer]]'s 1983 single [[Orchard Road (song)|Orchard Road]] refers to Acton's [[Churchfield Road]].<ref>The [[Bob Rogers (disc jockey)|Bob Rogers]] Show, [[Radio]] [[2CH]], 10:31:30 [[AEST]] 31 July 2008.</ref>
*In the TV series ''[[Minder (TV series)|Minder]]'', [[Arthur Daley]]'s car lot was by the railway bridge in The Vale<ref>{{cite web|author =Staff|url=http://www.minder.org/locations/loc_carlot.htm|title=Minder Locations|publisher=Minder.org|date=1 February 2013|access-date=28 July 2013}}</ref> with the door of the Winchester Club in Newburgh Road<ref>{{cite web|author =Staff|url=http://www.minder.org/locations/loc_winchester.htm|title=Minder Locations|publisher=minder.org|date=1 February 2013|access-date=28 July 2013}}</ref> off [[Churchfield Road]]. The lock up was on the Bush Industrial Estate.<ref>{{cite web|author =Staff|url=http://www.minder.org/locations/loc_arthurslockups.htm|title=Minder Locations|publisher=Minder.org|date=24 July 2013|access-date=28 July 2013}}</ref> Minder locations in Acton featured throughout series 7 to 10.
*Acton Park often hosted filming for programmes such as ''Rose & Macaulay'' and ''[[The Deal (BET TV series)|The Deal]]''. Other parts of Acton were used for ''[[The Sweeney]]'' and early episodes of ''[[The Bill]]''.
*The first [[Waitrose]] store in the UK was in Acton. Originally called "Waite, Rose and Taylor", it opened in 1904, at number 263 Acton Hill. A metal plate commemorating this has been inserted into the pavement outside these premises<ref>https://www.londonremembers.com/memorials/first-waitrose</ref> as it was not possible to obtain permission from the current owners of the building to affix a plaque onto it.
*Scenes from the 1986 movie ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]]'' and the 1989 movie ''[[Batman (1989 film)|Batman]]'' were shot inside the disused [[Acton Lane Power Station]].
*The Ken Loach film ''[[Ladybird Ladybird (film)|Ladybird Ladybird]]'' was filmed at many sites around Acton including The Mount, the Town Hall, Vyner Road, Cumberland Park and parts of South Acton.
* Playwright/Composer [[Lionel Bart]] lived the latter part of his life in an apartment on [[Churchfield Road]].
*The film ''[[Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel]]'' (2009) was partly set in the Talbot pub on Mill Hill road, Acton.
* Many scenes of TV series ''[[Silent Witness]]'' are filmed around Acton and Park Royal. Silent Witness's production offices and sets are at BBC Park Western in [[North Acton]].
* The TV series [[Motherland (TV series)|Motherland]] used locations in Acton and [[Chiswick]] including Southfield Primary School,<ref>{{cite news |title=TV Show On 'Yummy Mummys' Filmed in Chiswick |url=http://www.chiswickw4.com/default.asp?section=info&page=motherland001.htm |access-date=23 November 2020 |work=www.chiswickw4.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Motherland, BBC2 |url=https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/comedy/motherland-bbc2/5124030.article |website=Broadcast |access-date=23 November 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sharon Horgan on mean mums and Motherland's return |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/oct/12/sharon-horgan-on-mean-mums-and-motherland-season-two |website=The Guardian |access-date=23 November 2020 |language=en |date=12 October 2019}}</ref> Southfield Park (episode ''Good Job'' [[Motherland (TV series)#Series 2|Series 2]]) and Acton Park (Christmas Special 2020).

== Notable people ==
* [[Peter Ackroyd]], writer, grew up in [[East Acton]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01hw633|title=Desert Island Discs, Peter Ackroyd, BBC Radio 4|publisher=Bbc.co.uk|date=25 May 2012|access-date=4 April 2013}}</ref>
* [[Karl Dallas]], music journalist and peace campaigner, was born and lived in Acton<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jun/27/karl-dallas-obituary|title=Karl Dallas obituary|last=Denselow|first=Robin|date=2016-06-27|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-05-04|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
* [[Jamal Edwards]], founder of [[SB.TV]] grew up on the South Acton estate<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/jamal-edwards-the-acton-kid-and-his-media-empire-6445541.html|title=Jamal Edwards ... the Acton kid and his media empire|work=Evening Standard|access-date=2018-05-17|language=en-GB}}</ref>
*[[Adam Faith]], singer, actor and financial journalist was born and grew up in Acton.
* [[Emilia Fox]], actor, lives in Acton.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theresident.co.uk/london-culture-events/emilia-fox-on-silent-witness-motherhood-life-in-acton/|title=EMILIA FOX ON SILENT WITNESS, MOTHERHOOD & LIFE IN ACTON|website=www.theresident.co.uk|access-date=2018-05-17}}</ref>
* [[Kit Harington]], actor, was born in Acton<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theresident.co.uk/london-culture-events/local-people/game-thrones-stars-londoners/|title=GAME OF THRONES STARS IN LONDON|website=www.theresident.co.uk|access-date=2018-05-17}}</ref>
*[[Bill Owen (actor)|Bill Owen]], actor best known for starring as Compo in the BBC's [[Last of the Summer Wine]] was born in Acton<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0654089/bio|title=Bill Owen|website=IMDb|access-date=2019-07-02}}</ref>
* [[Hannah Reid]], lead singer of [[London Grammar]] grew up in Acton<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/local-news/london-grammar-lead-singer-chiswicks-6728065|title=The BRITs: Chiswick's Hannah Reid hoping to grab an award with London Grammar|last=Culbertson|first=Alix|date=2014-02-19|work=getwestlondon|access-date=2018-05-17}}</ref>
* [[Alan Rickman]], actor, lived in Acton<ref>{{Citation|title=Obituary: Alan Rickman|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35313578}}</ref>
* [[Mark Smith (actor)|Mark Smith]], bodybuilder and actor, who starred as 'Rhino' in [[Gladiators (1992 UK TV series)|Gladiators]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mylondon.news/news/west-london-news/heres-what-gladiator-rhino-looks-17050860|title=My London news}}</ref>
* [[Pete Townshend]], musician, [[Pete Townshend#Early life and education|grew up and attended school in Acton]]
* [[Alan Wilder]], former member of the band [[Depeche Mode]] was [[Alan Wilder#Early years|born and raised in Acton]]
* [[Robin Friday]], former footballer, was born and lived in Acton.
* [[Robert Spall]], recipient of the Victoria Cross was born in Spencer Road, Acton.
* [[Asma al-Assad]], [[First Lady]] of [[Syria]], grew up in Acton.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/president-assads-wife-banned-from-europe-770546 |title=President Assad's wife banned from travelling to Europe... but not Britain |work=The Mirror |date=23 March 2012 |access-date=17 July 2015}}</ref>

==Transport==

===Tube/Rail===
Stations in the area are:
* [[Acton Central railway station]] ([[London Overground]] and [[North London Line]])
* [[Acton Main Line railway station]] ([[TfL Rail]])
* [[Acton Town tube station|Acton Town Underground station]] ([[District line]] and [[Piccadilly line]])
* [[East Acton tube station|East Acton Underground station]] ([[Central line (London Underground)|Central line]])
* [[North Acton tube station|North Acton Underground station]] (Central line)
* [[South Acton railway station (England)|South Acton railway station]] (North London Line, and formerly District line)
* [[West Acton tube station|West Acton Underground station]] [Central line ([[Ealing Broadway station|Ealing Broadway]] branch)]

Acton has seven railway stations bearing its name, more than any other place in the United Kingdom other than London itself. Acton is also the only place in London to have stations named after all four of its cardinal points, north, south, east, and west.<ref>See details at [https://londonpostcodewalks.wordpress.com/tag/acton/ London Postcode Walks].</ref> The widespread provision of train services reflects a long railway history, particularly associated (historically) with [[Transport for London|London Transport]] and the [[Great Western Railway]].

North Acton has a large Great Western Railway housing estate (now privately owned),<ref>See section "The Railway Expansion" at [http://www.actonhistory.co.uk/acton/page6.html Acton History] website.</ref> and the [[Old Oak Common TMD]] railway depot is within the usual boundary, as is the [[London Transport Museum#The depot (Acton)|London Transport Museum Depot]] which houses an extensive collection of historic and heritage rolling stock. Acton Main Line station has a busy freight yard (operating ballast and container trains).

===Buses===
London Buses routes [[London Buses route 7|7]], [[London Buses route 70|70]], [[London Buses route 72|72]], [[London Buses route 94|94]], [[London Buses route 95|95]], [[London Buses route 207|207]], [[London Buses route 218|218]], [[London Buses route 228|228]], [[London Buses route 260|260]], [[London Buses route 266|266]], [[London Buses route 272|272]], [[London Buses route 283|283]], [[London Buses route 306|306]], [[London Buses route 427|427]], [[London Buses route 440|440]], [[London Buses route 487|487]], [[London Buses route 607|607]], [[London Buses route E3|E3]], [[London Buses route N7|N7]], [[London Buses route N11|N11]] and [[London Buses route N207|N207]] serve Acton.<ref>Central Acton [http://content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-route-maps/actoncentral-a4.pdf bus routes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315055446/http://content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-route-maps/actoncentral-a4.pdf |date=15 March 2016 }}.</ref><ref>East Acton [http://www.iaeng.org/WCE2012/images/Hammersmith_bus_services_2012.pdf bus routes].</ref>

===Shelved tram proposals===
[[Transport for London]], led by then Mayor of London, [[Ken Livingstone]], proposed to build a [[West London Tram]] between Shepherd's Bush and Uxbridge town centre.<ref name="mayor-announcement">{{cite web|url=http://www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=1135|title=Mayor says yes to new trams and busways|date=29 May 2002|publisher=Mayor of London/Greater London Authority|access-date=15 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030418014756/http://www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=1135|archive-date=18 April 2003}}</ref> It would have run along the A4020, the [[Uxbridge Road]], through Acton, Ealing, West Ealing, Hanwell, Southall and Hayes End. This proposed scheme was highly controversial and resulted in strong differences in opinion between TfL, who supported the scheme, and local councils throughout the proposed route, who all took a 'no tram' stance.<ref name="bbc-majority">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4308321.stm|title=Majority say 'no' to tram scheme|date=1 March 2005|work=BBC News|access-date=15 January 2016}}</ref>

The West London Tram was finally scrapped when former Prime Minister [[Gordon Brown]] agreed that the long-awaited [[Crossrail]] would go ahead in October 2007. [[Acton Main Line railway station]] is to be part of the Crossrail network once it is completed, with 4 trains an hour servicing each route.<ref name="tfl-2008">{{cite web|url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/networkandservices/3223.aspx|title=West London Tram|date=10 April 2008|publisher=Transport for London (archived page)|access-date=15 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080410070044/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/networkandservices/3223.aspx|archive-date=10 April 2008}}</ref>

==Neighbouring places==
* [[Chiswick]]
* [[Ealing]]
* [[Harlesden, London, England|Harlesden]]
* [[Park Royal]]
* [[Shepherd's Bush]]
* [[North Acton]]
* [[South Acton, London|South Acton]]
* [[East Acton]]
* [[West Acton]]

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:South acton.JPG|View of South Acton from Barwick House, showing Jerome Tower and Berrymede Junior School
File:Acton Park1.jpg|Acton Park
File:Barwick house.JPG|Barwick House, on the South Acton estate
File:South acton harlech corfe beumaris.JPG|Blocks of flats on the South Acton estate
File:Acton High Street Railway Bridge With Illuminated Sign.jpg|Nighttime view of Acton sign on the railway bridge at the bottom of Acton High Street in London.
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Acton, London}}
*[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.asp?pubid=89 British History Online - Acton]
*[http://www.ActonW3.com ActonW3.com] - a digital local newspaper for the area

{{LB Ealing}}
{{London Districts}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Acton, London| ]]
[[Category:Districts of the London Borough of Ealing]]
[[Category:Areas of London]]
[[Category:Spa towns in England]]
[[Category:Places formerly in Middlesex]]