Northolt, mentioned in the Domesday Book, was described in 1845 as one of the most remote areas in Middlesex. The twentieth century brought some dramatic changes to the parish. However, much of the village’s character and identity has been retained; the village greens, the moated manor house site, and the beautiful 13th century church of St. Mary’s, which crowns the hill above Belvue Park.

Amazingly, over the years, Northolt Village has retained its rural character through the efforts of the local community who remain determined to cherish this gem of old Middlesex.

In 1969 the London Borough of Ealing designated Northolt Village Green as one of the borough’s first conservation areas. Traffic was prevented from passing through the village, the greens protected by the memorial trust in whose ownership they lie.

In 1995, Ealing Council allocated up to £40, 000 for environmental improvements to the village green and to the shopping area. Together, they provide a ‘district center’, meeting the shopping and community needs of a wide area.

In 1997, various local organisations with a stake in Northolt Village came together to form the Northolt Village Forum. As a result of a local questionnaire sent out to all the addresses within the village and the shopping area, the Forum has carried out the following improvements:

• Village signs displaying the shield of the former county of Middlesex
• New ‘Northolt Village’ litter bins, also with the Middlesex shield
• Floodlighting of the clock tower
• Heritage lamps on the village green and by the churchyard gate and Memorial Hall
• Brighter lighting along Ealing Road
• New street trees along the shopping parades on Church Road and Mandeville Road.

Transport improvements have also been carried out:

• Short term car parking spaces for those wishing to visit the shops
• Improvements to Northolt Tube Station
• New low-floor double deck buses on the 140 Harrow-Northolt-Heathrow route
• Parking restrictions on the A312 road to ease the flow of buses and other traffic.

There’s still more to come:

• Restoration of St. Mary’s Church
• Refurbishment of the clock tower
• Possible controlled parking zone to prevent all day commuters parking in the roads around Northolt Tube Station
• A direct bus link from Northolt to Ealing Broadway
• Footpath improvements, pedestrian and cycle crossings, and landscape improvements to enhance Northolt Village as the northern gateway to the new Northolt and Greenford Countryside Park.