Ealing Village

{{Short description|1930s Art Deco estate in West London}} {{Infobox historic site | name = Ealing Village | image = Ealing Village 2.jpg | caption = Ealing Village block 5, seen from the courtyard | location = Ealing, London, England | built = 1934–1936 | architecture = Dutch Colonial Revival / Art Deco | designation1 = Grade II | designation1_offname = 1-24, Ealing Village 25-48, Ealing Village 49-72, Ealing Village 73-96, Ealing Village 97-128, Ealing Village 129 and 130, Ealing Village 131-132, Ealing Village Clubroom Swimming Pool with Tiled Surround and Plant Room | designation1_date = 21 March 1991 | designation1_number = 1263526 1079332 1249903 1358802 1249907 1249908 1358803 1079335 1249909 | designation1_free1name = Historic England }}

{{Location map+ | London | caption = Ealing Village's location in London | width = 250 | alt = Location of Ealing Village in London | places = {{Location map~ | London | lat = 51.5160 | long = -0.2948 | mark = Red pog.svg | marksize = 9 }} }}

'''Ealing Village''' is a private residential estate located just off Hanger Lane, North Circular in Ealing, West London. Constructed between 1934 and 1936, the estate comprises five blocks of flats and two porters lodges designed in a blend of Dutch Colonial Revival and Art Deco architectural styles. The development was designed by R. Toms & Partners for the Bell Property Company. Several structures within the estate, including the swimming pool, clubroom, and multiple lamp posts, have been granted Grade II listed status by Historic England.

== History == Ealing Village was developed during the interwar period, a time when Ealing was transitioning into a suburban area.{{sfn|Oates|Hounsell|2014|p=72}} The estate was envisioned as a self-contained community with amenities such as a swimming pool, tennis court, and clubhouse to attract residents, including those associated with the nearby Ealing Studios.{{sfn|Harwood|2019|p=36}} Despite initial marketing efforts targeting film stars, the flats were predominantly occupied by film crew members and technicians.{{sfn|Bull|2022|p=131}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ealinglivingmagazine.co.uk/why-we-love-ealing-village-2/|title=Ealing Village|publisher=Ealing Living|date=19 March 2025|access-date=10 April 2025}}</ref>

The estate was entirely rental-only until 1980, when the flats were first offered for purchase, marking a major shift in its residential structure<ref name="opencity">{{cite web |title=Ealing Village |url=https://open-city.org.uk/films/ealing-village |publisher=Open City |access-date=27 March 2025}}</ref>

In 1991, the estate was granted Grade II status by Historic England for its architectural and historic importance. Its listing helps protect the estate’s original design and character and ensures any alterations preserve its heritage value.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1263526|desc=1–24 Ealing Village|grade=II|access-date=9 April 2025}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1079332|desc=25–48 Ealing Village|grade=II|access-date=9 April 2025}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1249903|desc=49–72 Ealing Village|grade=II|access-date=9 April 2025}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1249906|desc=73–96 Ealing Village|grade=II|access-date=9 April 2025}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1249907|desc=97–128 Ealing Village|grade=II|access-date=9 April 2025}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1249908|desc=129 and 130 Ealing Village|grade=II|access-date=9 April 2025}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1358803|desc=131 and 132 Ealing Village|grade=II|access-date=9 April 2025}}</ref>

Ealing Village is also recognised as a site of local interest by the London Borough of Ealing, which highlights the estate’s architectural and cultural value in its local planning and conservation documents.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ealing Local Heritage and Character Study |url=https://www.ealing.gov.uk/downloads/download/5319/local_character_study |publisher=Ealing Council |access-date=27 March 2025}}</ref>

== Architecture == The architectural style of Ealing Village is a mixture of Dutch Colonial Revival and Art Deco influences.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/photos/item/EFC01/01/05/015/22443|title=Ealing Village|publisher=Historic England|access-date=10 April 2025}}</ref> The estate consists of five main blocks arranged around landscaped open courtyards. The buildings feature curved gables, multi-pane Crittall windows, steep green-tile roofs, and other period details. The estate is described by Bridget Cherry, in her ''London 3: North West'' volume in the Pevsner Buildings of England series, revised and reissued in 2002; "more glamorous aspirations of the inter-war period are represented by the Dutch-Colonial-Baroque frontages of Ealing Village, 1934-36 by R. Toms and Partners".{{sfn|Cherry|Pevsner|2002|p=179}}

Communal facilities were a central part of the estate's original vision.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://historicengland.org.uk/education/schools-resources/educational-images/1-24-ealing-village-4596|title=1-24 Ealing Village|publisher=Historic England|access-date=10 April 2025}}</ref> These included: * swimming pool, which features yellow tiles, a covered walkway and a central pedestal with a lion's head fountain (water slide and diving board featured in the original layout too, but were subsequently removed for safety reasons) * tennis court * private clubhouse with a grand piano, billiard tables, and social areas.

All of the communal facilities have separate Grade II listings,<ref>{{NHLE|num=1249909|desc=Swimming Pool with Tiled Surround and Plant Room|grade=II|access-date=9 April 2025}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1079335|desc=Clubroom at Ealing Village|grade=II|access-date=9 April 2025}}</ref> as do all of the lamp posts in the estate.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1079333|desc=Lamp Post outside Nos. 97–128 at Left End|grade=II|access-date=9 April 2025}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1079336|desc=Lamp Post outside Nos. 25–48 at Centre of Block|grade=II|access-date=9 April 2025}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1249935|desc=Lamp Post between Nos. 25–48 and 49–72|grade=II|access-date=9 April 2025}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1263503|desc=Lamp Post approx. 6m SW of Nos. 1–24|grade=II|access-date=9 April 2025}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1079337|desc=Lamp Post outside Numbers 1-24 (consecutive) at Centre of Block|grade=II|access-date=14 June 2025}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1358804|desc=Lamp Post Outside Numbers 49-72 (Consecutive) at Right End|grade=II|access-date=14 June 2025}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1079334|desc=Lamp Post to South of Numbers 73-96 (Consecutive) at Left End|grade=II|access-date=14 June 2025}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1249905|desc=Lamp Post to South of Numbers 97-128 (Consecutive), at Centre of Block|grade=II|access-date=14 June 2025}}</ref>

Concrete lids by the roadway indicate the site of wartime air raid shelters.

== Gallery == <gallery> File:Swimming pool, Ealing Village - geograph.org.uk - 251533.jpg|Swimming pool, Ealing Village File:Ealing Village Aereal.jpg|Ealing Village Aerial View File:Ealing Village birdeye.jpg|Ealing Village Bird's-eye View File:Ealing Village Block 2.jpg|Ealing Village Block 2 File:Ealing Village Lamp Post.jpg|Ealing Village Lamp Post with block 3 & 4 behind File:Ealing Village newspaper ad.jpg|Ealing Village 1930's newspaper ad </gallery>

== References == {{reflist}}

== Sources == * {{cite book |last=Bull |first=Andy |title=A-Z of Ealing: Places-People-History |year=2022 |publisher=Amberley Publishing |location=Stroud |isbn=978-1-398-11065-6 |oclc=1314284573 }} * {{cite book|last1=Cherry|first1=Bridget|author1-link=Bridget Cherry|first2=Nikolaus|last2=Pevsner|author2-link=Nikolaus Pevsner |title=London 3: North West|series=Pevsner Buildings of England |year=2002|location=New Haven, US and London|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0-300-09652-1 |oclc=844442257 }} * {{cite book |last=Harwood |first=Elain|author-link=Elain Harwood|title=Art Deco Britain: Buildings of the Interwar Years |year=2019 |publisher=Batsford Books|location=London |isbn=978-1-849-94527-1 |oclc=1109860012 }} * {{cite book |last1=Oates |first1=Jonathan |last2=Hounsell |first2=Peter |title=Ealing: A Concise History|year=2014 |publisher=Amberley Publishing |location=Stroud |isbn=978-1-445-63369-5 |oclc=890393896 }}

== External links == * [https://ealingvillage.com/ Official website of Ealing Village]

Category:Districts of the London Borough of Ealing