How much do you know about local history?

Discover some amazing facts at Gillan Clegg's Chiswick History Website

Where was the first Royal Navy torpedo boat built? Where was the floor covering linoleum invented? Where did the Royal Horticultural Society set up its first experimental gardens? Where did the first V2 rocket explode in World War II?

Chiswick is where all these events occurred, and they are just some of Chiswick’s many `firsts’. Electric trams were inaugurated here, Cherry Blossom Boot Polish launched; and the prototype garden suburb, Bedford Park, built.

Chiswick was also the scene of a decisive skirmish in the English Civil War, the place where the 3rd Earl of Burlington built Chiswick House, his Palladian villa. It was also home to many famous people, including William Hogarth, Alexander Pope and W B Yeats.

Want to know more? Renowned local historian and author Gillan Clegg has produced a new website which provides information on Chiswick’s rich history. It contains a brief run through of Chiswick down the centuries and separate sections for different topics. The people, pubs, buildings, firms etc mentioned in each section are arranged alphabetically for easy reference.

A Chiswick resident for over 30 years, Gillan Clegg became interested in local history through amateur involvement with archaeology. As an enthusiastic member of the West London Archaeological Field Group she excavated many sites in west London during the 1970s and 1980s. She has edited the Brentford & Chiswick Local History Journal for the last 11 years and is the author of a number of books including How to Start and Run your Own Business; How to Maintain a Positive Cash Flow; The Archaeology of Hounslow; Landmarks of the Past; Clues from Names; Chiswick Past; Clapham Past; Brentford Past; The Chiswick Book; Brentford and Chiswick Pubs.