EALING BROADWAY (Central Line, District Line)
Pitshanger Manor and Ealing Studios

A walk down the Broadway, which has some good small shops, brings you to Bond Street (not the smart one). At the end is a green. Look right and you will see Pitshanger Manor, the curving entrance forming a notable white stone war memorial. This Grade 1 listed house was bought in 1800 by John Soane, at that time architect and surveyor to the Bank of England. He re-designed it over the next few years, planning it as an escape from the noise and bustle of London life. It was here that he brought his collection of antiquities and architectural drawings that is now housed in the Sir John Soane Museum in Lincoln’s Inn Fields. There have been substantial alterations, as the building was sold to Ealing District Council in 1901 and was in use as a Public Library until the1980’s. However, some of the décor has been returned to its original Soane state as far as possible, using evidence obtained from contemporary drawings, contractors’ bills, paint scrapes, etc., and the house is now open to the public once more. (Check website for times.)

Pitshanger has a fascinating collection of stone-glazed pottery known as Martinware. There were four Martin brothers who in the late nineteenth century were pioneers in studio pottery, producing some eccentric and bizarre pieces, of which the most famous are the bird jars. In addition to the Martinware collection there is the PM Art Gallery, where the work of young people in the borough of Ealing can be displayed.




Behind the house is Walpole Park, which has a small lake with a stone bridge (designed by Soane). There are swathes of open grass as well as flowerbeds and trees (including some cedars dating back to the eighteenth century) - nothing special, but very pleasant , and quite large, considering its urban location.
After wandering round here, go back to Ealing Green and turn right. Just past a modern college you will see an attractive Victorian brick building (once a school, now a Jehovah's Witness church).




Turn right to find the working entrance of Ealing Studios - not much glamour here! To find that, return to the Green, noticing the handsome houses on the right-hand side. At the end of the row you will see the imposing white building that is the ‘front door’ of the studios. Among the much-loved films produced in Ealing are: Passport to Pimlico, Kind Hearts and Coronets , Whisky Galore! (all 1949), The Man in the White Suit (1951), and The Ladykillers (1955).

In case you need reviving, a little further down on the opposite side of the road is the Red Lion pub advertising ‘Fuller & Co’s Fine Chiswick Ales’ in huge black letters. This splendid traditional London pub has been a Fullers house since 1845,and is the watering hole for the studios.

If you like you can extend the walk and end up at Ealing Common Station (see that entry)
MAP

This is just one walk from the many to be found at London Tube Rambles. There are architectural gems, beautiful country views, historic places and whacky buildings to be found, even in the most unpromising areas covered by the Greater London Underground stations. Usually the places listed are within a mile of the Tube - often only five minutes walk away. If you reached this as an individual page via a search engine, you might like to go to www.londontuberambles.co.uk to see the other destinations explored . You'll be amazed at what's out there!

©DR2008