Southall 830-1982

Coming to the station bridge on the right hand side, Beaconsfield Road had been started but the big change was ‘The Crescent’, leading round to the Gas Factory Strait, with the bridge embankment on the left hand side. On the corner right hand side, the old Coffee Tavern followed by five shops and a flat-faced block of flats which stood back from the road. Then a space where now stands a garage and, in crescent shape, thirteen houses built for railway workers, leads round to the cobbled Gas Factory Strait which is about half a mile long. At its extreme end with the White Lion is White Street, 38 small cottages, Houlders Chemical Works and Naylors Varnish Works at the end of the road.
On the railway side, just inside the Strait, was a beer house the Prince Albert. This was later pulled down and the licence transferred to The Railway Hotel (Glass House). Coming over the bridge, no change much on the left hand side, but on the right hand side Featherstone Farm has given way to Featherstone Hall. Built as a private residence for Mr Alfred Welsh (brother of Mr W. Welsh of the Manor House), this was walled in by a 16 ft. wall from The Green, and had what appeared to be a series of unglazed frames around the top , making allowance for a large pair of iron entrance gates. The wall was the work of one bricklayer, Mr Winter. Together with a small lodge, it took him nearly seven years, and the total cost was £20,000. A large area at the rear of Featherstone Hall became known as the Steamfield Brickfield Estate which opened in 1860.
In 1863 Mr R. W. Baxter had a farmhouse, orchards, stables, barns, roads and control of a gravel pit and nine fields stretching from The Green back to the railway with a total rateable value of £510.0.0d. (Mr Baxter, together with a Mr H. Gosney will feature quite a lot later in the development of Southall.)
In Denmark Road (King Street) 8 shops had been built on the right hand side between Western Road and Dagmar Road. At the rear of these shops runs a small roadway now known as Dagmar Mews, and it was here, in 1879, the Salvation Army had their first headquarters before moving to their new Citadel in Adelaide Road, which was opened in 1883.

1880-1890
Due to the fast development now taking place, we will try and take things one decade at a time. The population – 6,650 in 1880 – increased to 8,500 by 1890. Until 1885 Sir George Hamilton was still our Member of Parliament but, in 1886, Southall was transferred to the Uxbridge Division 1885-86, Mr O.C. Coope (Unionist), he died November 29th, 1886 and a Mr Frederick Hartland (Conservative) served until 1909, 23 years.
There was still very little change along the Oxford Road. The stage coaches had ceased to run but there was still quite a lot of private carriages and farm carts. With premises at the Red Lion a postal service had been started. A Mr W. Hayes was appointed Post Officer with a salary of £90 per year. He had 21 children and, eventually, had to apply for Parish Relief to help keep them. In 1887 Mr H. C. Hanson was appointed Post Master and opened the first shop as a Post Office at the corner of Featherstone Terrace and Featherstone Road