Turnham Green

Turnham Green is former common land and is of particular historical interest as the place where the Earl of Essex collected his forces from the London area in the Civil War and drew them up in great numbers here, although there was little active fighting and Essex later took possession of Brentford. Turnham Green is now a triangular open space bisected by roadway that runs from north to south past the west end of Christ Church, which was built on the east part of the Green in 1841-3, designed by Scott and Moffatt, to serve the newly expanding Victorian suburbs. The north side of the churchyard was planted with lime trees, as was the boundary to Chiswick High Road and part of the enclosure around the churchyard remained until the C20th, but the church now sits directly on the Green although the gate piers remain. The Arts and Crafts style Church Hall was built in 1913 at the south west corner adjacent to the Green when objections prevented it from being built on the Green itself.

Near Christ Church and along the north boundary with Chiswick High Road are flower beds with a war memorial to the east, but otherwise the Green is simply laid out with grass, paths and a few mature trees. Some planting of trees took place post WWII including cherry trees planted along the path from the church to the north west corner of the Green. In 1873 a pond is shown on the west side of the Green but this was filled in by 1948. Also by 1948 a triangle of land at the eastern end was cut off by the widening of the road accessing Heathfield Terrace overlooking the south side of the Green, and likewise at the eastern end a footpath was upgraded to a road to access the Terrace.