Turnham Green


Turnham Green is a public park situated on Chiswick High Road, Chiswick, London. It is divided by a small road. Christ Church, a neo-Gothic building designed by George Gilbert Scott and built in 1843, stands on the eastern half of the green. A war memorial stands on the eastern corner. On the south side is the old Chiswick Town Hall.
The green is the site of local community events, including a travelling funfair, church events and charity table-top sales.
The nearest London Underground station is Chiswick Park on the District line. Confusingly, the eponymous Turnham Green tube station is actually situated on Chiswick Common, some to the east, on a street named Turnham Green Terrace which does not touch the park it is named after.

History

Turnham Green was a village on the main road between London and the west. It was recorded as 'Turneham' in 1235 and 'Turnhamgrene' in 1369.
On 13 November 1642, the Battle of Turnham Green was fought nearby during the First English Civil War resulting in the Parliamentarians blocking the King's advance on London.
In 1680 the homicidal Philip Herbert, 7th Earl of Pembroke murdered a watchman, William Smeeth, after a drunken evening in the local tavern. A similar but far less serious episode in the tavern, the Old Packhorse Inn, in 1795 saw the young Daniel O'Connell arrested for drunken and riotous behaviour.

War memorial

At the eastern end of Turnham Green stands Chiswick war memorial. It is in the form of a stone obelisk at the top of a flight of five steps, encircled by a metal fence and a yew hedge. It was unveiled on 13 November 1921 by the 9th Duke of Devonshire and Arthur Winnington-Ingram, the Bishop of London. It is made of Cornish granite. It was designed by a local architect, Edward Willis. It was given Grade II listed status in 2015.

In culture

Highwayman

The 18th century highwayman broadside ballad "Alan Tyne of Harrow" includes the couplet:
The novel A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens mentions "that magnificent potentate, the Lord Mayor of London, was made to stand and deliver on Turnham Green, by one highwayman, who despoiled the illustrious creature in sight of all his retinue."

Other mentions

The song "Suite In C" on the eponymous album McDonald and Giles, which alludes to places in London, includes the line "The sun shone 'til Turnham Green".
The song "Junkie Doll" by Mark Knopfler includes the line "Turnham green, Turnham green, You took me high as I've ever been"

Residents