Pitshanger
Coordinates: 51°31′35″N 0°18′46″W / 51.526313°N 0.312734°W
Pitshanger (sometimes referred to as Pitshanger Village) is a small but busy local suburb, centred on the shops in Pitshanger Lane, located about 1 mile north of Ealing Broadway in west London. First mentioned in 1493,[1] possibly meaning an area of sloped woodland frequented by birds. It contains numerous small shops, several cafes, two pubs, two churches, a school, and a park (Pitshanger Park), and is often taken to also include parts of the nearby Brentham Garden Suburb. It is served by buses E2 and E9 and night bus N7.
Pitshanger Today
Today, Pitshanger Lane (originally Pitshanger Road[2]) is one of the busiest roads in Ealing, and provides a wide range of shops. The Pitshanger Village Library has recently been improved and is now very popular in the area, and the Lane is also furnished with touch-screen computers, which are free to use. A Methodist and an Anglican church are both located at the end of the Lane. St. Barnabas' (Church of England) is the venue for, besides the usual services, a series of classical music concerts given by local musicians and others. These include regular recitals every Friday lunchtime. Attendance is free with a retiring collection. Away from Pitshanger Lane, the Pitshanger area features Pitshanger Park, which includes allotments for locals' use. Featuring two children's playground areas, football goalposts, a bowling green and several tennis courts, Pitshanger Park caters for both children and adults.
Schooling also exists on Pitshanger Lane, with North Ealing Primary School located at one end of the Lane. The school is a comprehensive, co-education school for pupils up to the age of eleven. St. Gregory's R.C. School is located just off Pitshanger Lane and offers a co-educational, Catholic education
In TV & Media
Pitshanger Lane was featured in an episode of Only Fools and Horses in 1981, where at the end of the episode characters Del and Rodney are driving home from a nightclub.[3]
The Lane was also used in a 2008 commercial for Churchill Insurers, where a car is seen driving down the Lane with the well-known Churchill Dog.
Pitshanger Lane was the setting of Travis's music video for Walking in the Sun.
Pitshanger Lane's fishmongers was the setting of a Jerry Springer commercial.
Pitshanger Lane was featured In Peep Show, predominantly in series 7 and 8.
See also
- Pitzhanger Manor is not actually in Pitshanger Village, but is near the centre of Ealing.
- Pitshanger is also the name of a typeface designed by Rian Hughes.
References
Further reading
- Hounsell, Peter (1991). Ealing and Hanwell Past (Hardback). London UK: Historical Publications Ltd. pp. 65, 75, 76, 131. ISBN 0-948667-13-3.
- Ealing and Brentford: Manors, A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 7: Acton, Chiswick, Ealing and Brentford, West Twyford, Willesden (1982), pp. 123–28. Date accessed: 11 May 2007.
External links
- Pitshanger Village on hidden-london.com
- Pitshanger Community Association
- Pitshanger Allotments Conservation Association
- Pitshanger Football Club
- Pitshanger Stories - an AV record of Pitshanger Life
- ealingtontoday.co.uk