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A bit of History

The parish of Ruislip was recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086 so it has been here a very long time although it has changed a lot since. Where does the name "Ruislip" (pronounced rice-lip) come from? Well, according to the Hillingdon Local Studies & Archives, the name probably derives from the Old English words for "rush" and "leap". These apply to the place where the river Pinn was narrow enough to leap across. Some medieval buildings survive such as the Great Barn that was built in about 1280. There is a 16th century "Little Barn" that became a library in 1937. Manor Farm House was built around 1500. St. Martin's church at the North end of the High Street dates from the 13th century and further additions were made in the late 15th century. In the churchyard are Almshouses that date from the early 1600s.

For many centuries, Ruislip existed as a quiet village around which there was farmland. In 1801, there were just over 1,000 inhabitants. The major change came with the opening of the Metropolitan Railway. Ruislip station opened on 4th July 1904 and Ruislip became part of "Metroland". The first trains were drawn by steam engines but the line was electrified a year later. This resulted in the building of many new houses for city workers and the population increased 5 fold in 30 years.

More about Ruislip

The High Street contains most of the principal shops of the area although there is another shopping street in Ruislip Manor (Victoria Road). There are the usual high street shops, banks, building societies and estate agents and also a department store (John Sanders) and a furniture store (Quilters). There are quite a lot of eating places including the usual MacDonalds, KFC, Wimpy's, Pizza Hut and Subway. However, there are other restaurants also including Indian, Nepalise, Chinese, Thai and Lebanese. There are several pubs and coffee bars also. To the north of the High Street, there is the Manor Farm complex in which there are some of the oldest buildings in Middlesex. There, you can find the Great Barn (now used to house craft exhibitions and other functions), a library, a bowling green, a duck pond, the War Memorial and the Winston Churchill Hall (built in 1965 and used as a public hall for conferences, wedding receptions etc).

A bit beyond to the North, there are extensive woodlands collectively known as Ruislip Woods comprising 4 separate woods: Park Wood, Copse Wood, Mad Bess Wood and Bayhurst Wood. This is the largest block of ancient semi-natural woodland in Greater London and is a national nature reserve. In these woods can be found a large variety of tree, plant and animal species. In this area is the Ruislip Lido built in 1811 as a reservoir. The Lido buildings were constructed in 1936 and water sports were held here including water skiing. The buildings were demolished in 1994. Now, there is a pub & restaurant, a children's play area, a sandy beach by the water and a miniature railway that runs round most of the lake.

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