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Ealing, labelled as the ‘Queen of the Suburbs’ in the 1880s has always been a favoured place with its busy town centre and famous film studios, and is due to undergo even further improvement with the arrival of the Crossrail. Ealing’s charm lies in its leafy streets and large Victorian homes, coupled with good transport links to central London and some of the best bars and restaurants outside the West End.

After the First World War, Ealing began to expand and fortunately, after the Second World War the bomb damage was less severe here than elsewhere in London. After the War, the remaining rural areas of Ealing and Northolt were built upon as council housing in order to house the local residents. Another key moment of the post War period was the large-scale immigration of people from India, Pakistan, Poland and the Caribbean. In 1965, the old, separate boroughs of Ealing, Acton and Southall were abolished and merged into one local authority now known as the London Borough of Ealing.

Shopping and Culture

Ealing has a very busy town centre based around the well-known Broadway. The Broadway shopping centre has a range of budget and mid-market brands. There is also a wide range of restaurants along the High Street, Bond Street and New Broadway. Alongside the selection of chain restaurants, there are independents in the area including an organic café, a delicatessen and cookery school. As well as a great range of eateries, there is also the option to have cultural outings. The Questors is one of the largest amateur theatres in Europe with around 1500 members, staging around 20 productions annually. The Open Ealing Centre has also injected vitality into the Ealing arts community, with exhibitions and performances by established and up and coming artists.

Sport and Leisure

Ealing has a great variety of local parks, including Walpole Park in Ealing town centre, where John Soane’s Pitzhanger Manor House can be found. The park itself hosts events during the Ealing Summer festivals and has a new learning centre. Pitshanger Park in north Ealing borders the River Brent and Ealing Golf Club and has a play area, tennis courts, football pitches, a bowling green and allotments. Lammas Park in Northfields has tennis courts, a bowling green, croquet pitch and a play area. For those who want gym and pool access, there is a Virgin Active in the Broadway shopping centre and the nearest council owned swimming pool is Gurnell Leisure Centre in Ruislip Road East, Greenford.

Primary and Secondary Education,

1. Christ the Saviour CofE Primary School opened in September 2011 and expanded in 2012 to include another Reception class. The school exceeds the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupil’s attainment and progress.

2. Montpelier Primary School is located on Montpelier Road and has approximately 682 pupils in attendance. The school holds the Healthy Schools award, the International Schools Award and has also been awarded an Activemark.

3. Twyford Church of England High School is a mixed gender school and has a specialist status in music and modern languages.

4. Drayton Manor High School became an academy in August 2011. The school’s specialism is in the humanities.

Transport

Ealing is well served by both Tube and train. Ealing Broadway is on both the Central and District and Ealing Common is on the District and Piccadilly lines, North Ealing, Park Royal, South Ealing and Northfields are on the Piccadilly line, with Hanger Lane and West Acton on the Central Line. Trains from Ealing Broadway to Paddington take around 10 minutes and a few minutes more from West Ealing, Drayton Green and Castle Bar Park.