Borough of Hillingdon
Hillingdon is London's westernmost
borough. It is the second biggest, after Bromley, but also the least
populated, having roughly a quarter of a million inhabitants. The
borough was originally part of the county of Middlesex, being formed in
1965 as an amalgamation of the Municipal Borough of Uxbridge, the urban
district of Hayes and Harlington, Ruislip-Northwood urban district and
Yiewsley & West Drayton urban district. Uxbridge is Hillingdon's
principal town.
Hillingdon's main feature is Heathrow Airport, which occupies a large
chunk of the south end of the borough. Heathrow is Europe's busiest
airport and handles more international passemger traffic than any other
in the world; it can therefore lay claim to being the largest airport
in the world. The remainder of Hillingdon is a mixture of residential
areas and open country. Around half the area of the borough is
undeveloped and Hillingdon is responsible for 239 parks and open spaces.
The western edge of the borough is formed by the valley of the river
Colne, much of which defines the boundary with Buckinghamshire. The
Colne valley historically saw a great deal of sand and gravel
extraction and these old quarries have since become lakes and ponds
surrounded by ribbons of woodland. The Grand Union Canal also runs
along the Colne valley.
Uxbridge is the seat of Brunel University.
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Links
Borough
of Hillingdon website
This page last updated 24th December 2007
