Brentford
A historic West London town at the confluence of the Brent and Thames.
Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, 8 miles (13 km) west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings which mark the start of the M4 corridor; in transport it also has two railway stations and Boston Manor Underground station on its northwest border with Hanwell. Brentford has a convenience shopping and dining venue grid of streets at its centre. Brentford at the start of the 21st century attracted regeneration of its little-used warehouse premises and docks including the remodelling of the waterfront to provide more economically active shops, townhouses and apartments, some of which comprise Brentford Dock. A 19th- and 20th-century mixed social and private housing locality, New Brentford is contiguous with the Osterley neighbourhood of Isleworth and Syon Park and the Great West Road which has most of the largest business premises.
Quick Facts
- Founded
- 1889
- Ground
- Brentford Community Stadium (since 2020); previously Griffin Park and the old Empire Stadium (Wembley)
- Colours
- Red and white
- Nickname
- The Bees
- Location
- Brentford, West London (London Borough of Hounslow)
Lore & Background
The name is recorded as Breguntford in 705 in an Anglo-Saxon charter and means ford over the River Brent. The river name derives from * brigant-, a Brythonic word meaning 'high' or 'elevated'. The settlement pre-dates the Roman occupation of Britain. Many pre-Roman artefacts have been excavated, including Bronze Age pottery and burnt flints. An Iron Age piece from about 100 BC – AD 50 is the Brentford horn-cap, now held by the Museum of London. An amateur local history and an inscription outside the County Court claim that Julius Cæsar crossed the Thames here in 54 BC, but this is not supported by further excavations. In November 1642 a Royalist army advancing on London overcame a much smaller Parliamentarian force in battle at Brentford; the town was ransacked. A local town fair, the Brentford Festival, has been held every September since 1900. The building of Brentford Dock started in 1855 and it was formally opened in 1859. A notable family from Brentford was the 18th-/19th-century architectural father and son partnership, the Hardwicks.
Reader's Guide
Brentford lies 8 miles (13 km) west of Charing Cross. It has two railway stations and Boston Manor Underground station on its northwest border. The Great West Road (opened 1925) runs through the area. Syon House, the Greater London residence of the Duke of Northumberland, is a large mansion and park in Syon ward. The Brentford Festival is held every September.
More in Clubs
Elsewhere in Premier League
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced