Ealing was divided into two halves, 'Upper Side'
and 'Lower side'. Lower side included the crowded
township at Old Brentford whose rough and ready
nature contrasted sharply with the refined village
of Ealing (Upper Side). There were constant complaints
of drinking swearing and gambling in Lower Side and
many of the problems dealt with by the Vestry of St
Mary's, Ealing related to Old Brentford. Unfortunately
early records for St Mary's vestry were destroyed by
the fire that destroyed most of its church in the early
18th century. Old Brentford became more independent
when it established a chapel of its own which became
a separate ecclesiastical district in 1828 but many
of its affairs were still controlled by St Mary's,
Ealing until 1863. In that year Ealing formed its
own Local board of health which excluded old
Brentford'. The feeling locally in those days',
wrote Ealing surveyor Charles Jones,' was that
Brentford with its much larger population over
whelmed the voting power of Ealing and prevented
the growth of the place'.
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Last Updated: 21st NOVEMBER 2005
