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Brentford

150px
Full name	Brentford Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Bees
Founded	1889
Ground	Griffin Park Brentford, London (Capacity: 12,763)
Owner	Bees United Supporters' Trust (2006–present)
Chairman	Greg Dyke
Manager	Uwe Rösler
League	League One
2011–12	League One, 9th
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow that play in Football League One.

They were founded in 1889 and play their home games at Griffin Park, their home stadium since 1904. The club has a long-standing rivalry with near neighbours, Fulham. Brentford's most successful spell came during the 1930s, when they achieved consecutive top six finishes in the First Division. Since the War, they have spent most of their time in the third and fourth tiers of English football. Brentford have been FA Cup quarter-finalists on four occasions, and have three times been Football League Trophy runners-up.

History[link]

This article or section may be slanted towards recent events. Please try to keep recent events in historical perspective. (February 2011)

Foundation to 1939[link]

Founded in 1889 to serve as a winter pursuit for the Brentford Rowing Club, the club moved to its present day home ground, Griffin Park, in 1904. In 1920, it was a founder member of the Third Division South. During the late 1920s and 1930s, the club began to make real progress. In the 1929–30 season, the side won all 21 of its home matches in the Third Division South, but still missed out on promotion. They are the last of six teams in English football to amass a perfect home record, and the only one to do so over a season of 42 matches or more. After several more near-misses, promotion to the Second Division was finally achieved in 1932–33. Two years later, Brentford reached the First Division and finished 5th in its debut season – which is still the club's highest ever league position – to complete a remarkable rise for the club. Brentford achieved more impressive placings in the league for the rest of the decade (6th in the following two seasons) before the Second World War interrupted.

1945–1989[link]

League positions since the 1920–21 season.
Note – Dotted horizontal lines indicate league divisions.
Note – From 1920–1958 the 3rd tier was split into North and South divisions, graph indicates Brentford's position in the South division

During the war, Brentford competed in the London War Cup, losing in the 1941 final at Wembley Stadium to Reading and winning in the final against Portsmouth a year later. The club was relegated in the first season after the War, and a downward spiral set in, which culminated in relegation to the Third Division in 1953–54 and the Fourth Division in 1961–62. In the process Brentford became the first team to play the other ninety-one clubs in league football.^[1] The survival of Brentford FC was threatened by a projected takeover by Queens Park Rangers in the late 1960s – a bid that was only narrowly averted with an emergency loan of £104,000 – while the club continued to yo-yo between the third and fourth divisions during the next three decades. The club won promotion in 1962–63, 1971–72 and 1977–78 but only on the final occasion was it able to consolidate its place in English football's third tier. Other bright spots in this period included reaching the final of the Freight Rover Trophy at Wembley in 1985, where the team lost to Wigan, and a run to the FA Cup quarter-finals in 1989 which included wins over three higher-division sides and was only ended by the reigning league champions Liverpool.

1990 to present[link]

After a 45-year absence, Brentford were promoted back to the Second Division (renamed the First Division with the advent of the Premier League in 1992) in the 1991–92 season as Third Division champions, though they were relegated again the following year.

There followed several seasons of the club narrowly missing out on promotion. Former Chelsea FA Cup hero David Webb was appointed manager in 1993 and twice led the side into the play-offs. In 1996–97 he led them to the play-off final at Wembley, but the side were beaten by Crewe Alexandra. The club were then relegated to the Third Division (by then the bottom division of the Football League) the following year. Brentford won promotion as champions again in 1998–99 under manager and chairman Ron Noades.

The club suffered more promotion agony in 2002 under manager Steve Coppell as they lost out to Stoke City in the play-off final having been just minutes away from automatic promotion on the final day of the season, and again under manager Martin Allen in 2004–05, on that occasion losing 3–1 on aggregate to Sheffield Wednesday in the semi-finals after finishing 4th in League One.

Former BBC Director-General and Bees fan Greg Dyke was announced as chairman of Brentford on 20 January 2006 as part of the takeover by Bees United, the Brentford Supporters Trust. On 28 January 2006, Brentford beat Premier League strugglers Sunderland 2–1 in the 4th Round of the FA Cup, but lost 3–1 to another Premier League club Charlton Athletic in the 5th Round. Brentford finished 3rd in the league and lost to Swansea City in the play-off semi-final.

On 30 May 2006 Allen announced his resignation as manager of Brentford^[2] and the club named Leroy Rosenior as his successor on 14 June 2006. On 18 November 2006, following a run of 16 matches without a win – leaving the side in the relegation zone – Rosenior was sacked as manager, after the team lost 4–0 at home to Crewe. Following Rosenior's departure, youth team coach Scott Fitzgerald was appointed manager on a full-time basis on 21 December 2006 with Alan Reeves acting as his assistant.^[3] Fitzgerald was unable to turn around the club's fortunes, and Brentford were relegated to Football League Two – English Football's 4th tier – in April 2007. Fitzgerald left the day following confirmation of Brentford's relegation, with youth team manager Barry Quin due to act as caretaker in the managerial role until the end of the season.^[4]

Ex-England captain Terry Butcher was appointed as manager on 24 April 2007. Butcher's assistant was former Brentford winger Andy Scott, who was appointed on 9 May 2007. Butcher's reign at Griffin Park was, however, not a successful one, and his contract was terminated by mutual consent on 11 December 2007,^[5] after winning just 5 matches in 23. Butcher's assistant Andy Scott was appointed as manager on 4 January 2008 following a successful caretaker spell. (Scott's assistant is the experienced coach Terry Bullivant).

On 25 April 2009 Brentford sealed the Coca-Cola League Two Championship (English Football's 4th tier) with a 3–1 win at Darlington. The Bees were awarded the Trophy in front of 10,223 fans at Griffin Park on 2 May. They were the second team (after Doncaster Rovers) to win the fourth tier three times, and the first to win the tier under its three names (Fourth Division, Division Three and League Two).

Scott's excellent first calendar year in charge was recognised with an award, the BBC London 'Manager of the Year 2008'. Scott was also awarded the 'Coca Cola League Two Manager of the Month' award for April/May 2009, which recognised the above title was won in difficult circumstances; with 4 strikers hospitalised in 8 games.

During the 2008–09 campaign, three players also picked up awards:

• Marcus Bean — 'Powerade Player of the Month' for League Two December 2008
• Charlie MacDonald — 'Powerade Player of the Month' for League Two February 2009
• Jordan Rhodes — League Two 'PFA Fans' Player of the Season 2009' and League Two 'PFA Fans' Player of the Month' March 2009.

2009–10: A total of 13 new players were bought in, mostly on free transfers.

On 5 August 2009, the amalgamation of fans' groups which help run the club – Bees United – announced they had ".. negotiated terms with Matthew Benham that will enable BU to continue in its role of ensuring the club is governed well, of protecting the long term interests of Brentford Football Club, and of giving you, our members, the right of veto over any unreasonable sale of the ground in which Brentford plays, so long as Brentford FC remains solvent".

The 2009–10 season saw the club stabalise in League One – with Brentford finishing 9th.^{[citation needed]} A shaky start led to changes in personnel, notably loanees from Arsenal (Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny) and Tottenham Hotspur (winger John Bostock). While the other promoted teams struggled, Brentford thrived, thanks to good home form, (Brentford only lost four home league games in two years) and some impressive displays against the richer clubs in the division (e.g. Leeds United, Norwich City, Southampton & Huddersfield Town).^{[citation needed]} A new CEO was appointed, Andrew Mills.^{[citation needed]}

The 2010–11 season saw a League Cup run, with Premier League opposition – Everton – beaten at Griffin Park, and Birmingham City taken to a penalty shoot-out. The Bees' league form took a dive in January 2011 however; and manager Scott and assistant Bullivant parted company from the club on 3 February; with senior pro Nicky Forster taking over as manager (with Mark Warburton, a former Watford Academy Coach as his assistant). Brentford reached the final of the Football League Trophy in which they lost 1–0 to Carlisle United.

At the end of the 2010–11 season Nicky Forster was informed that he would not be getting the manager's job on a full time basis and on 10 June 2011 Uwe Rosler was confirmed as the new manager, on a two year contract. The Management structure runs along the 'European model': i.e. a 'Sporting Director' (Mark Warburton) works with the Manager on sourcing players.

Grounds[link]

Griffin Park[link]

Brentford have played at Griffin Park since 1904. The ground is unique in British football in that there is a pub in each corner of Griffin Park, Royal Oak, New Inn, The Griffin – which was used in the film Green Street – and The Princess Royal which is owned by the club.

In 2007 The Ealing Road end of the ground has had a roof installed after a grant by the Football Trust and makes all 4 stands of the ground covered. The Ealing Road remains a terrace but has been "given back" to home supporters and was re-opened for the first game of the season of the 2007/08 season on Saturday 11 August 2007 against Mansfield Town (4,909 watched the game).

The dug-outs were switched from the Braemar Road side of the ground to the Bill Axbey side for the 2010/11 season.

The Braemar Road stand was renamed the 'Bees United' stand for the 2010/11 season. The stand opposite is called The Bill Axbey stand. The away fans' end is known to Brentford fans as 'The Wendy House'.

Lionel Road[link]

Brentford, with the aim of securing a more financially sustainable future, have been considering relocation since 2002. Plans were announced in October 2002 for a new 20,000 capacity stadium at a state-of-the-art arena complex in Lionel Road, Brentford. It was announced on 7 December 2007 that the club had secured an option to purchase the site – a major breakthrough in the club's plans to relocate.^[6]

The new stadium moved another step closer on 22 February 2008 when it was announced that Brentford's development partner, Barratt Homes, had acquired a 7.6-acre (31,000 m²) regeneration site in Lionel Road, Brentford.^[7] Following this news, it was anticipated that the stadium would be completed in time for the 2012/13 season, and be used as a training venue for teams participating in the 2012 Olympic Games in London. However, due to the on-going economic downturn and fall in property prices, the club and Barratt Homes admitted in early 2009 that this date would no longer be feasible.^{[citation needed]}

Current squad[link]

First-team squad[link]

As of 8 May 2012 (2012 -05-08)^[update]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Richard Lee (vice-captain) 2 MF Kevin O'Connor (captain) 3 DF Craig Woodman 6 DF Pim Balkestein 7 MF Sam Saunders 8 MF Jonathan Douglas 9 FW Clayton Donaldson 11 MF Myles Weston 14 DF Shaleum Logan

No. Position Player 19 MF Harry Forrester 20 MF Toumani Diagouraga 21 GK Antoine Gounet 31 GK Simon Moore 32 DF Leon Legge 40 MF Jake Reeves — MF Stuart Dallas — DF Harlee Dean — MF Adam Forshaw

Development squad[link]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 27 MF Emmanuel Oyeleke 28 FW Antonio German 30 DF Alfie Mawson 33 FW Luke Norris[8] — DF Aaron Pierre

No. Position Player — DF Samuel Griffiths — MF Charlie Adams — MF Michael Kamau — MF Liam Bellamy

Coaching staff[link]

As of 15th July 2011

Name	Role
Uwe Rösler	Manager
Mark Warburton	Sporting Director
Peter Farrell	First Team Coach
Alan Kernaghan	First Team Coach
Simon Royce	Goalkeeping Coach
Chris Haslam	Fitness Coach
Ben Wood	Physiotherapist
Neil Greig	Head of Medical
Bob Oteng	Kit Man

Managers[link]

As of 11th May 2012. Only competitive matches are counted.

Name	Nat	From	To	Record
				P	W	D	L	Win %
William Lewis		August 1900	May 1903
Dick Molyneux		August 1903	May 1906
W G Brown		August 1906	May 1908
Jack McMahon		August 1908	May 1912
Ephraim Rhodes		August 1912	May 1915
Andy Gallagher		August 1915	August 1921
Archie Mitchell		August 1921	December 1922	60	22	13	25	37
Fred Halliday		December 1924	May 1926	68	22	12	34	32
Harry Curtis		May 1926	February 1949	705	305	157	243	43
Jackie Gibbons		February 1949	August 1952	150	53	40	57	35
Jimmy Blain		August 1952	January 1953	23	7	5	11	30
Tommy Lawton		January 1953	September 1953	33	8	10	15	24
Bill Dodgin, Sr.		October 1953	May 1957	182	65	57	60	36
Malky MacDonald		May 1957	January 1965	379	160	94	125	42
Tommy Cavanagh		January 1965	March 1966	46	16	10	20	35
Billy Gray		1 August 1966	30 August 1967	48	19	13	16	40
Jimmy Sirrel		1 September 1967	30 November 1969	111	45	26	40	41
Frank Blunstone		1 December 1969	11 July 1973	164	67	35	62	41
Mike Everitt		1 September 1973	15 January 1975	70	21	22	27	30
John Docherty		20 January 1975	7 September 1976	69	23	20	26	33
Bill Dodgin, Jr.		16 September 1976	1 March 1980	166	71	35	60	43
Fred Callaghan		1 March 1980	2 February 1984	176	59	52	65	32
Frank Blunstone		2 February 1984	9 February 1984	1	0	0	1	0
Frank McLintock		9 February 1984	1 January 1987	151	51	43	57	34
Steve Perryman		1 January 1987	15 August 1990	182	71	48	63	39
Phil Holder		24 August 1990	11 May 1993	158	66	33	59	41
David Webb		17 May 1993	4 August 1997	216	85	65	66	39
Eddie May		5 August 1997	5 November 1997	20	5	5	10	25
Micky Adams		5 November 1997	1 July 1998	33	7	15	11	21
Ron Noades		1 July 1998	20 November 2000	130	51	33	46	39
Ray Lewington		20 November 2000	7 May 2001	37	14	11	12	38
Steve Coppell		8 May 2001	5 June 2002	54	27	12	15	50
Wally Downes		28 June 2002	14 March 2004	97	29	22	46	30
Garry Thompson[9]		14 March 2004	18 March 2004	1	0	1	0	0
Martin Allen		18 March 2004	31 May 2006	124	54	36	34	44
Leroy Rosenior		14 June 2006	18 November 2006	23	3	10	10	13
Scott Fitzgerald[10]		18 November 2006	10 April 2007	24	4	5	15	17
Barry Quinn[9]		10 April 2007	7 May 2007	4	1	0	3	25
Terry Butcher		7 May 2007	11 December 2007	23	5	5	13	22
Andy Scott[10]		11 December 2007	3 February 2011	168	64	55	49	38
Nicky Forster[10]		3 February 2011	7 May 2011	21	9	5	7	43
Uwe Rösler		10 June 2011	Present	53	21	15	17	40

See also:Category:Brentford F.C. managers – a list of all Brentford F.C. managers with a Wikipedia article

Players with most appearances[link]

as at 5 November 2011

Name	Appearances in League and Cup	Career at Brentford
Ken Coote	559 (514 lge 35 FAC 10 LC)	1949–1964
Jamie Bates	524 (419 lge 21 FAC 40 LC 44 Other)	1986–1999
Peter Gelson	516 (471 lge 28 FAC 17 LC)	1960–1975
Kevin O'Connor	471 (399 lge 29 FAC 16 LC 27 other)	2000 – present
Tommy Higginson	435 (388 lge 27 FAC 20 LC)	1959–1970
Jackie Graham	409 (374 lge 21 FAC 14 LC)	1970–1980
Keith Millen	379 (305 lge 18 FAC 26 LC 30 other)	1984–1992
Gerry Cakebread	374 (348 lge 20 FAC 6 LC)	1955–1964
Danis Salman	371 (325 lge 17 FAC 19 LC 10 other)	1975–1986
Alan Nelmes	350 (316 lge 19 FAC 15 LC)	1967–1976

Highest goalscorers[link]

as at 1 October 2009

Name	Goal Scorers in League and Cup	Career at Brentford
Jim Towers	163 (153 lge 9 FAC 1 LC)	1951–1961
George Francis	136 (124 lge 12 FAC)	1953–1962
Jack Holliday	122 (119 lge 3 FAC)	1932–1939
Gary Blissett	105 (79 lge 7 FAC 9 LC 10 other)	1987–1993
Dave McCulloch	90 (85 lge 5 FAC)	1935–1938
Bill Lane	89 (79 lge 10 FAC)	1929–1932
Billy Scott	88 (83 lge 3 FAC)	1932–1947
Lloyd Owusu	87 (76 lge 4 FAC 3 LC 4 other)	1998–2002; 2005–2007
Steve Midmer	86 (74 lge 12 FAC)	1975–1979
Idris Hopkins	80 (77 lge 3 FAC)	1932–1947

Capped international players[link]

The following players earned international caps whilst playing for Brentford (number of caps awarded whilst at Brentford FC in brackets, if known and confirmed):

Full International

U-21 International

Youth International

Schoolboy International

England

• Paul Walker

Amateur Internationals to have played whilst at Brentford FC are:

Martin Woosnam, Kevin O'Flanagan, Jackie Burns, Alec Barclay, Vivian Gibbins, T.H. Robinson, Maurice Edelston, A.H. Gibbons, Bill Slater

Victory International (Matches played soon after WWI)

England

• Patsy Hendren (1)

War Time International (Matches played from 1939–1945)

Honours[link]

• Football League First Division
  • Best finish: 5th – 1935–36

• Football League Second Division
  • Champions: 1934–35

• Football League Third Division
  • Champions: 1932–33 (South), 1991–92

• Football League Fourth Division
  • Champions: 1962–63, 1998–99, 2008–09

• London War Cup
  • Winners: 1941–42

• Supporters Direct Cup
  • Winners: 2004, 2008

Records[link]

• FA Cup
  • Best performance: Sixth Round/Quarter-Final – 1937–38, 1945–46, 1948–49, 1988–89

• Football League Cup
  • Best performance: Fourth Round – 1982–83, 2010–11

• Football League Trophy
  • Best performance: Finalists – 1984–85, 2000–01, 2010–11

Rivalry[link]

Brentford’s main rivals are Fulham and Queens Park Rangers.^[11]

Brentford have a long standing rivalry with Fulham.^[12] The two local rivals competed regularly until recent years when Fulham were taken over by Egyptian millionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed. In the past this fixture has been marred by crowd violence.^[13] Fulham are considered to be Brentford's traditional rivals and vice versa.^[11]

QPR are also considered to be rivals. Brentford and QPR clashed regularly until 1966 when QPR spent many years in higher divisions. It wasn't until 2001 that they met again. The rivalry intensified in 1967 when QPR failed in an attempted takeover of Brentford which would have spelled the end for Brentford and seen QPR move into Griffin Park. As with the Fulham rivalry, this fixture sees passions run high amongst both sets of supporters with local pride at stake.^[14]

Club songs[link]

Brentford's club song is "Hey Jude" by The Beatles. This is played at every home game and sung by the Brentford supporters throughout the game.^{[citation needed]} In 1993 the band One Touch To Go recorded the song Red On White for the team. The track can be found on the album Greatest Hits 1983/1999. The song has been played at the ground till at least 2002. In 2001 Status Quo bassist John 'Rhino' Edwards recorded a track called Brentford's Big Day Out after the Bees reached the final of the LDV Trophy at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.^{[citation needed]} Lloyd Owusu, on his short comeback to Brentford recorded a track about himself and his connections with the club.^{[citation needed]} Surprisingly, this spent a short while being downloaded rapidly off music websites.^{[citation needed]} The track's main word is Owusu as during his time at the club Lloyd was a fan favourite and whenever his name was read out the fans shouted back his surname as well as raised their hands. This referred to how he liked to 'raise the roof'.^{[citation needed]}

Celebrity connections[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2011)

Celebrity supporters include:

• Comedian Dominic Holland
• Ex-EastEnders actor Dean Gaffney
• Hollywood actor Jim Carrey
• Hollywood actress Cameron Diaz^[15]
• Sky Sports News presenter Natalie Sawyer
• Hard-Fi lead singer/guitarist Richard Archer
• The Bluetones guitarist Adam Devlin
• Status Quo bassist John 'Rhino' Edwards
• Author Robert Rankin
• The Who guitarist Pete Townshend
• Zatopeks-frontman Will DeNiro
• Yes keyboard player Rick Wakeman

Actor and comedian, Bradley Walsh was a professional at the club in the late 1970s but never made the first team squad.^[16]

Late Jazz Band Leader, Billy Cotton, who hosted the long-running Billy Cotton's Band Show on Radio and TV, played for Brentford as an amateur in his youth.^{[citation needed]}

Singer/pop icon Rod Stewart is often reported to be a former player, but this is believed to be a myth. Stewart admitted to not have been signed by Brentford in a 1995 issue of Q Magazine, but possibly had trials in 1961 and left before being offered any 'deal' to stay on.

Club records[link]

• Record Victory: 9–0 v Wrexham, Division 3, 15 October 1963
• Record Defeat: 0–7 on three occasions, most recently v Peterborough United, Coca Cola League Two, 24 November 2007
• Most League Points (2 for a win): 62, Division Three South, 1932–33
• Most League Points (3 for a win): 85, Division 2, 1994–95 & Division 3, 1998–99, League 2 2008–09
• Most League Goals Scored in a season: 98, Division 4, 1962–63
• Most League Goals Conceded in a season: 94, Division Three South, 1925–26
• Highest League Scorer in a season: Jack Holliday, 39, 1932–33
• Most League Goals in Total Aggregate: Jim Towers, 153, 1954–1961
• Most Capped Player: John Buttigieg, gained 22 caps whilst at Brentford for Malta (awarded 97 full caps in total for Malta)
• Most League Appearances: Ken Coote, 514, 1949–1964
• Record Transfer Fee Received: £2,500,000 from Wimbledon for Hermann Hreiðarsson, October 1999
• Record Transfer Fee Paid: £500,000 to Crystal Palace for Hermann Hreiðarsson, September 1998
• Highest home attendance: 38,678 v Leicester City, 26 February 1949
• Most league games without a defeat: 26, 20 February 1999 to 16 October 1999
• Most league games without a win: 18, 9 September 2006 to 26 December 2006

Team colours and badge[link]

Brentford's predominant home colours are a red and white shirt, black shorts and red or black socks.^[17] Away kits have varied over the years, with the current colours being yellow and black stripes.

In 2011 Russell Grant claimed to have designed the badge in a BBC interview,^[18] however it was in fact designed in 1993 for two season tickets by supporter Andrew Henning, following a request from Keith Loring the then Chief Executive.^[19] Russell's involvement was that Keith Loring had asked him to ensure the accuracy of the Middlesex arms prior to the badge's release.

The design of the new badge is based on a previous Brentford badge of the late 60s/early 70s that featured quadrants and included the hive and Middlesex arms (without the crown). The "Founded 1889" was included as the design exercise coincided with Graham Haynes's research into verifying the actual formation of the club to 1889 rather than 1888 as previous thought.

The badge was introduced initially onto the away kit for the 1993/94 season. It also featured on the programme for that season. For the 1994/95 season it was added to the home kit.

See also[link]

• List of Fan Owned Teams

References[link]

External links[link]

• Brentford FC – the club's website
• Bees United – The Brentford Supporters' Trust and owners of the majority of shares in BFC
• BIAS – Brentford Independent Association of Supporters
• Brentford on BBC Sport: Club news – Recent results – Upcoming fixtures – Club statistics

Coordinates: 51°29′10″N 0°18′36″W / 51.4861°N 0.3101°W / 51.4861; -0.3101

Brentford
Skyline over Brentford town centre
Brentford  Brentford shown within Greater London
OS grid reference	TQ177778
- Charing Cross	8 mi (12.9 km)  WNW
London borough	Hounslow
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BRENTFORD
Postcode district	TW8
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
EU Parliament	London
UK Parliament	Brentford & Isleworth
London Assembly	South West
List of places: UK • England • London

Brentford is a suburban town in west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located at the confluence of the River Thames and the River Brent, 8 miles (13 km) west-southwest of Charing Cross. Its former ceremonial county was Middlesex.

History[link]

Toponymy[link]

The name is recorded as Breguntford in 705 in an Anglo-Saxon charter and means 'ford over the River Brent'. The name of the river is Celtic and means 'holy one' and the '-ford' suffix is Old English.^[1] The ford was most likely located where the main road crossed the river. New Brentford is recorded as Newe Braynford in 1521 and was previously known as Westbraynford. Old Brentford is recorded as Old Braynford in 1476 and was previously known as Estbraynford.^[1]

Urban development[link]

The settlement pre-dates the Roman occupation of Britain, and thus pre-dates the founding of London itself. Many pre-Roman artifacts have been excavated in and around the area in Brentford known as 'Old England'. Bronze Age pottery and burnt flints have been found in separate sites in Brentford. The quality and quantity of the artefacts suggests that Brentford was a meeting point for pre-Romanic tribes. One well known Iron Age piece from about 100 BC - AD 50 is the Brentford horn-cap^[2] - a ceremonial chariot fitting that formed part of local antiquarian Thomas Layton's collection,^[3] now held by the Museum of London. The Celtic knot pattern (the 'Brentford Knot') on this item has been copied for use on modern jewellery.

The Thames Lock on the Grand Union Canal at Brentford.

Brentford Dock lock gates and Justin Close Brentford Dock is a basin off the Thames, with modern housing around it.

The former Brentford GWR Station view eastward on Brentford High St. The station, on a branch from Southall to Brentford Docks, had been on the left. The passenger station and the service from Southall were closed on 4/5/42, but although Brentford Dock was closed in 1964, goods trains ran to Brentford Town Goods until 7/12/70.

Confluence of Rivers Thames and Brent at Brentford The photograph was taken from the redeveloped docklands at Brentford. In the foreground is the River Brent, and in the background is the River Thames with carpark at Kew Gardens.

Brentford is the first point which was easily fordable by foot on the tidal portion of the River Thames (this was before dredging took place). Partly for this reason it has been suggested that Julius Cæsar crossed the Thames here during his invasion of Britain in 54 BC. In his own account, he writes that he crossed the river 80 miles (130 km) from the sea and Brentford is also this distance from his supposed landing beach. He further states that the river bank was protected by sharp stakes. During the building of Brentford Dock many such oak stakes were discovered. Dredging the river uncovered so many more that they had to be removed, for they were a hazard to navigation.^[4] Although his descriptions are compelling, there is as yet, no archaeological proof that this was indeed the spot where he and his army had to fight to cross. It must also be kept in mind that Julius Cæsar's own accounts suffered in some part, to his embellishment of the facts. Nevertheless, outside the local County Courts there now stands the Brentford Monument, hewn from solid pink granite, whereupon it is asserted, that a documented battle took place here at this time between Cæsar's forces and Cassivellaunus.^[5] There are, however, two other historically accredited battles of Brentford in 1016 and 1642.

Local fair[link]

A local town fair, called the Brentford Festival, has been held in Brentford every September since 1900.^[6][7]

Brentford Dock[link]

The building of Brentford Dock was started in 1855^[8] and it was formally opened in 1859. The dock yard is now a Marina and housing estate.^[9]

The Hardwick family[link]

A notable family from Brentford was the 18th/19th century architectural father and son partnership, the Hardwicks. Thomas Hardwick Senior (1725–1798) and Thomas Hardwick Junior (1752–1829) were both from Brentford and are buried in the old church of St Laurence. Hardwick Senior was the master mason for the Adam Brothers during the construction of Syon House. Hardwick Junior assisted in the building of Somerset House and was known for his designs of churches in the capital. He was also a tutor of J.M.W Turner whom he helped start Turner's illustrious career in art. Both father and son did a great deal of remodelling and rebuilding on the church of St Laurence.

Timeline[link]

• 54 BC Brentford is a likely site of a battle recorded by Julius Cæsar between Julius Cæsar and local king, Cassivellaunus.
• 781 Council of Brentford recording settlement of a dispute between King Offa of Mercia, and the Bishop of Worcester
• 1016 Battle of Brentford between the invading Canute and Edmund Ironside
• 1431 Relocation of Syon Abbey to Brentford from Twickenham
• 1539 Destruction of Syon Abbey by King Henry VIII
• 1616 - 1617 Pocahontas, the Native American 'Princess', lived in Brentford
• 1642 Battle of Brentford during the English Civil War
• 1682 A very violent storm of rain, accompanied with thunder and lightning, caused a sudden flood, which did great damage to the town of Brentford. The whole place was overflown ; boats rowed up and down the streets, and several houses and other buildings were carried away by the force of the waters.^[10]
• 1717 Brentford Turnpike Trust founded to maintain the road between Kensington and Hounslow
• 1805 Start of operations of the Grand Junction Canal (later the Grand Union Canal)
• 1815 - 1817 John Quincy Adams, sixth President of the USA, lived in Brentford
• 1828 William Corder was arrested on Wednesday April 23 at Everley Grove House, Ealing Lane in Brentford, for the notorious Red Barn Murder.
• 1841 Brentford was flooded, caused by the Brent Reservoir becoming overfull so that the overflow cut a breach in the earth dam. Several lives lost.^[11]
• 1849 Start of operations of the Hounslow Loop line, providing service to Kew Bridge, Brentford Central and Syon Lane stations in the Brentford area.
• 1859 Start of operations of the Great Western & Brentford Railway company linking Brentford Dock to the Great Western Railway main line at Southall. Additional passenger station named 'Brentford Town' later constructed just north of Brentford High Street.
• 1884 Start of operations of Boston Manor Underground station (then known as Boston Road).
• 1889 Brentford Football Club founded by a rowing club seeking a winter sport.
• 30 May 1925 - Great West Road officially opened by King George V. Later the Brentford section became known as the Golden Mile due to the large number of factories that relocated there to take advantage of the good communications. The factories provided high employment and stimulation to the local economy.
• 1 January 1929 - Grand Junction Canal bought by the Regent's Canal and amalgamated with other canals to form the Grand Union Canal.
• 1965 Opening of elevated section of M4 motorway

The road which is now Brentford High Street served as the main road to the South West of Britain for many centuries, and even now, the M4 motorway and the Great West Road pass approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the original main road through Brentford.

Local government[link]

Brentford developed around the ancient boundary between the parishes of Ealing and Hanwell. It was divided between the chapelry of Old Brentford to the east in Ealing and the chapelry of New Brentford in Hanwell to the west. Of the two areas, Old Brentford was significantly larger.

New Brentford was first described as the county town of Middlesex in 1789, on the basis that it was the location of elections of knights for the shire (or Members of Parliament) from 1701.^[12][13] In 1795 New Brentford (as it was then) was "considered as the county-town; but there is no town-hall or other public building" causing confusion that remains to this day.^[14]

The borough of Hounslow was formed in 1965, under the London Government Act 1963, by the merger of the area of the former Brentford and Chiswick Urban District, Feltham Urban District and the Heston and Isleworth Urban District (which held borough status as did Brentford and Chiswick) of Middlesex.

Geography[link]

Nearest places:

	NW: Osterley	Hanwell & Ealing	NE: Gunnersbury
	Isleworth		Chiswick
		Brentford    East
	SW: Syon Park	Richmond	SE: Kew

Economy[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2011)

• Allianz Cornhill Animal Health
• Audi is currently building its European headquarters in Brentford on the site of the old Lucozade building.
• Best Foods, food importer and distributor
• Barratt Homes
• Brompton Bicycle (Headquarters), manufacturer of folding bicycles
• Carillion
• Datapoint (Headquarters)
• GlaxoSmithKline (Headquarters)
• Global Blue (previously Global Refund) Global Blue
• EMC (London offices)
• E.M.Tool Designs (Ltd) (Headquarters)
• Heidelberg Graphic Equipment Ltd (subsidiary of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG)^[15]
• JCDecaux UK^[16]
• Kraft Foods International (European Union)
• MapMechanics - GIS firm^[17]
• Miniweb
• Sega Europe has its head office in Brentford^[18]
• Sky
• Tie Rack Corporate Neckwear
• Waterstones, book retailer
• WorleyParsons (London offices)

Landmarks[link]

Syon House

Syon House, the London residence of the Duke of Northumberland.

Syon Abbey, now razed to the ground, was the largest abbey church in England.

Syon House is built upon part of the site of Syon Abbey. The exact location of Syon Abbey was unknown until archeological investigations in the grounds of Syon House (Syon Park) in 2003 (by Time Team) and 2004 revealed the foundations of the abbey church. It was larger than Westminster Abbey is now, but no above-ground structure remains. For more details on the abbey and the reasons for its destruction, see its own entry - Syon Abbey.

The London Butterfly House in Syon Park was an insectarium like a large glasshouse containing a butterfly zoo. Visitors could see butterflies and moths flying about, feeding, and emerging from Chrysalises. There was also a colony of large ants (kept with the butterflies), a small tropical bird aviary, and a small gallery of reptiles, amphibians, insects and spiders. The lease on the current site expired in Oct 07 and the Butterfly House closed on 28 October 2007.

Front of Boston manor House

Boston Manor House, built in 1622, is a Jacobean manor house, noted for its fine plasterwork ceilings.

Gunnersbury Park Museum is the local museum for the Boroughs of Ealing and Hounslow and situated in Gunnersbury House. It contains many archaeological finds including hundreds of flints, plus Roman and Viking weapons found in Brentford. It also has displays of costumes and changing displays on other subjects of local interest. The house was formerly occupied by the Rothschild family and although they did not leave any contemporary furniture or fittings, some of the decorative schemes have been well preserved.

The Weir, public house, formerly 'The White Horse' was where the artist J. M. W. Turner lived for one year at the age of ten. He is regarded as having started his interest in painting while living there. Later on in life, he lived nearby in Isleworth and Twickenham.

The Pool of Brentford Lock with new developments and GSK building in background

Syon Park House (demolished in 1953), not to be confused with Syon House, housed the 'Syon Park Academy' where the poet Shelley was educated between the ages of 10 and 12 before moving on to Eton. A Royal Mail depot stands on the site now. This may also be the site of the dwelling where Pocahontas lived in Brentford End between 1616 and 1617.

Brentford Dock, a freight terminus of the Great Western Railway, built at the confluence of the River Thames and River Brent, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and built between 1855 and 1859. A spur line from the GWR at Southall was constructed to the Brentford Dock railway station to facilitate easy transferral of freight from lighters and barges on the Thames to GWR-served destinations in the west of the United Kingdom. The dock was redeveloped as residential accommodation in the early 1970s, and little industrial archeology remains. However, Dock Road still retains some of its original fan pattern cobblestone road bed and examples of Brunel's broad-gauge 'bridge section' rail can be seen there.

The Brentford Dock flats (Originally named the Tiber Estate^[19])were built alongside formerly important transport infrastructure as Brentford is the terminus of the Grand Union Canal, originally the Grand Junction Canal. This waterway is still in use for leisure traffic.

The 1000 Great West Road Building, an office building located in Brentford on the M4 motorway featured in Hard-Fi's Living for the Weekend Music Video

Brentford Public Library

Brentford Public Library is a Carnegie library.

Brentford Public Baths (1896) are a Grade II listed example of late Victorian architecture.

Kew Bridge Steam Museum houses the world's largest working beam engine.

The Musical Museum houses a large collection of mechanical musical instruments, such as player pianos and a Wurlitzer organ.

Houseboats on the Thames at Brentford, from Kew Bridge

Sports[link]

Griffin Park is home to Brentford Football Club and Chelsea Football Club Reserves (from 2002 until 23 September 2005 it was the home of the London Broncos rugby league club - subsequently they were renamed Harlequins Rugby League and transferred to The Stoop).

Brentford F.C. are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One.

They were founded in 1889 by members of the Brentford Rowing Club and play their home games at Griffin Park, their home stadium since 1904. The club has a long-standing rivalry with near neighbours, Fulham.^[20]

Transport[link]

Nearest tube stations:

• Northfields tube station
• Boston Manor tube station
• South Ealing tube station
• Gunnersbury tube station

Nearest railway stations:

• Brentford railway station
• Kew Bridge railway station
• Syon Lane railway station

See also[link]

London portal

• List of people from Hounslow
• List of schools in Hounslow

References[link]

Notes