N is for Norwood Green

LONDON A-Z N is for Norwood Green Not Upper Norwood, West Norwood or South Norwood, indeed nothing to do with the leftovers of the Great North Wood in south London. Instead Norwood Green is a hamlet-cum-suburb on the Ealing/Hounslow borders, not far from Heston Services, sandwiched between the Grand Union Canal and the M4. Officially it's part of Southall but has been a separate entity for centuries, thus has a few impressively old bits and also retains an impressively rural fringe. How had I never stopped off before? The heart of Norwood Green is its village green, a 10-acre tree-lined triangle with houses facing all sides. It used to have a pond in one corner but that's now a playground which probably excites the local six year-olds more than a few ducks. Even at the start of the 19th century there were 40 "respectable villas" here, an ideal country bolthole for an upcoming merchant or distinguished gentleman. A particularly fine pair are The Grange and Friars Lawn on the northern…