EALING COMMON District Line, Piccadilly

As you come up to the ticket hall in this station notice the splendid seven-sided ticket hall constructed in Portland stone, with windows containing theTube logo (Charles Holden 1931).On leaving, turn left and walk through leafy Ealing Common.At the end cross the road and turn right. Very soon you will see the sign for St Matthew’s Road. This is a delightful cul-de-sac of Victorian artisan cottages with tiny front gardens Next comes its twin, St. Mark’s, where the temptation to put in bay windows has been better resisted. Retracing your steps, pass the Grange Tavern in Warwick Road (a lot of very large Victorian houses). Follow to the end (ten minutes) when St. Mary’s church will become immediately apparent on the left.


Do not be put off by its rather ugly exterior, reminiscent of a water tower – inside it is quite magical (though I suppose that’s not the right word for a Christian building). The spacious interior has a golden glow , the splendid roof having been painted a warm cream while the windows have ochre and red striped brick arches. A demure, grey, parish church it is not. All this colour and light is the result of an ambitious restoration and renovation project completed in 2003, nearly twenty years after the initial decision to refurbish. Financing such a dream must at times have seemed nigh impossible. In spite of the efforts of the congregation, the fund-raising was still way off target in 2000, but then a huge legacy turned up unexpectedly. The money has been well spent and not surprisingly there is a happy atmosphere in the church. When I visited, the BBC had just finished filming Songs of Praise, so naturally the mood was cheerful – but I suspect this is always a place of joy – after all not many congregations have their prayers for funds answered quite so spectacularly! Do go and see this uplifting place. Because the parish office is on site, the church can be usually visited during the week ( 9.30-4.00) (but check if making a special journey).





Opposite the church are two tall brick buildings covered in creeper (no. 72 and 74 St. Mary’s Road). These were once part of the old Work House. To the left of the church is tiny St. Mary’s Square. Here are some pretty Georgian cottages. The plain brick building with the big red doors was part of the old Fire House, built in 1888.




If you wish you can continue your exploration by walking up St. Mary’s Road towards Ealing Green and pick up the Ealing Broadway walk.

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!

©DR2006