Isleworth

Although now a part of London's suburbs. Isleworth was formerly a small village on the banks of the Thames, surrounded by orchards and market gardens.

Far-reaching changes over the last century and a half have altered the way of life in Iselworth for ever but this pictorial record, spanning the years from 1850 to 1960, shows how much of this vanished village and something of the life of its people. This collection of over 220 old photographs recalls sailing barges working on the Thames and at the wharves, the brewery in St John's Road and the Pears Soap Factory, both of the latter with memorable smells. We also see tea on the vicarage lawn and Empire Day celebrations in the schools, barefotted children playing in the Twickenham Road and the rejoicing at the end of the First World War.

In this nostalgic collection we also see people and scenes from some of the districts surrounding Isleworth, including Osterley, Spring Grove, Mogden, Worton Wyke and St Margarets.