Hounslow began to develop in the 1200’s and one of the main economies of the town has always been transport. In the middle ages travellers rested in the village and between the 17th and 19th centuries the stagecoaches brought wealth and growth to the town.
Hounslow Heath was a popular hunting ground for Royalty including Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and William III. It was also infamous for its highwaymen including Dick Turpin whose horse Bess is said to have been buried on the Heath.
The town flourished when the Great West Road was built in the 1920’s and factories lined the road bringing jobs to the area although nowadays there are more offices than factories.
Hounslow is a multiethnic Borough with one-third of its residents being of an ethnic minority, South Asians constitute one-fifth of the towns’ total population.
The centre of Hounslow town is the High Street and the Treaty Centre shopping areas. A large number of small shops and larger stores trade here including Primark, WH Smiths, Boots and Marks and Spencer together with Woolworths and Littlewoods in the High Street, whilst undercover in the Treaty Centre there are cafes and stores such as Debenhams, River Island and Dorothy Perkins together with opticians, mobile phone shops and jewellers.
The town is, at present, undergoing a huge redevelopment to include flats, an Asda supermarket and a cinema. Large areas have been demolished for this and ongoing plans to develop the town further are soon to be submitted.
Hounslow has a National Rail Station on the outskirts of the main town centre and also is on the Piccadilly Underground Line at Hounslow Central, Hounslow West, and Hounslow East Stations.
Heathrow Airport is some six miles away and the town has benefited from employment and passing trade, with travellers using Hounslow to do their shopping rather than going into London.
There are always plenty of flats and houses to rent in Hounslow and expect to pay for a l bed flat £560-£800pm, a 2 bed flat £750-£900pm whereas a 4 bed house could cost around £1650pm.
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