Castelnau, London

Castelnau is a road in Barnes, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, south west London, approximately 5.1 miles (8.2 km) west from Charing Cross on the south side of the River Thames. About 1.1 miles (1.8 km) long, it is the main road south from Hammersmith Bridge and forms part of the A306 road. It was originally named Upper Bridge Road.[1] The name Castelnau is also used informally for Castelnau Estate and the area surrounding the road.

Castelnau

Castelnau, approaching Hammersmith Bridge
Castelnau
Location within Greater London
OS grid referenceTQ226776
London borough
Ceremonial countyGreater London
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLONDON
Postcode districtSW13
Dialling code020
PoliceMetropolitan
FireLondon
AmbulanceLondon
UK Parliament
London Assembly

An area of Barnes including Castelnau was designated a conservation area in 1977.[2]

Etymology

Castelnau takes its name from Castelnau-Valence, near Nimes in France: in 1691, the 10th Baron of Castelnau and St Croix, a Huguenot, fled France for England following persecution, and his son, Charles Boileau, settled in north Barnes and his descendants developed parts of the area. Maurice Boileau, the other son of the 10th Baron, stayed in the Castle and his descendants still live in the castle.

Castelnau means "new castle" in the Occitan language.

Pronunciation

Three different English pronunciations of the word "Castelnau" seem to be in current use, all differing only in the final syllable. /ˈkɑːsəlnoʊ/ KAR-səl-noh is more ancient, and resembles the original French vowel; /ˈkɑːsəlnaʊ/ KAR-səl-now is perhaps used to match with Nassau Road in the area; and /ˈkɑːsəlnɔː/ KAR-səl-nor is favoured by more recent inhabitants.

History

Castelnau was developed after the opening of Hammersmith Bridge in 1827.[3]

Major Charles Lestock Boileau built Castelnau Villas (now 84–122 and 91–125 Castelnau), designed by the architect William Laxton,[3] in 1842, followed by rows of cottages called Castelnau Row, Castelnau Place and Gothic Cottages. After his death in 1889, Upper Bridge Road was renamed Castelnau.[1]

Castelnau Estate, Barnes

Castelnau Estate
LCC Cottage estates 1918–1939
Estate name Area No of dwellings Population 1938 Population density
Pre-1914
Norbury1121886719.8 per acre (49/ha)
Old Oak32736351923 per acre (57/ha)
Totterdown Fields391262—32.4 per acre (80/ha)
Tower Gardens
White Hart Lane		9878359368 per acre (20/ha)
1919–1923
Becontree277025769[lower-alpha 1]1156529.3 per acre (23/ha)
Bellingham25226731200410.6 per acre (26/ha)
Castelnau51644285112.6 per acre (31/ha)
Dover House Estate
Roehampton Estate		147121253838.2 per acre (20/ha)
1924–1933
Downham60070963003211.8 per acre (29/ha)
Mottingham2022337900911.6 per acre (29/ha)
St Helier82590683987711 per acre (27/ha)
Watling38640341911010.5 per acre (26/ha)
Wormholt68783407811.5 per acre (28/ha)
1934–1939
Chingford[lower-alpha 2]2171540—7.1 per acre (18/ha)
Hanwell (Ealing)1401587673211.3 per acre (28/ha)
Headstone Lane142n.a5000
Kenmore Park58654207811.3 per acre (28/ha)
Thornhill
(Royal Borough of Greenwich)		21380159818.1 per acre (45/ha)
Whitefoot Lane (Downham)49n.an.a.
Source:*Yelling, J.A. (1995). "Banishing London's slums: The interwar cottage estates" (PDF). Transactions. London and Middlesex Archeological Society. 46: 167–173. Retrieved 19 December 2016. Quotes: Rubinstein, 1991, Just like the country.
  1. Source says 2589- transcription error
  2. Part of a larger PRC estate around Huntsman Road

In 1926, London County Council built a cottage estate of 640 houses, called Castelnau Estate, on the site of a market garden.[4] In 1971 these passed to ownership of Richmond upon Thames Council. Many are now privately owned. Many of the roads in this estate are named after Deans of St. Paul's who had been Lords of the manor of Barnes between the 14th and 17th centuries: Everdon, Kilmington, Alderbury, Kentwode, Howsman and Stillingfleet.[1]

Classical housing in Castelnau

Notable buildings
Holy Trinity Church Barnes

Castelnau is noted for 20 pairs of exceptional classical villas which were built in 1842 by Major Boileau (see above). There are also two churches:

From around the time of World War II to 1987, the art dealership Abbott and Holder operated a gallery in the house at 73 Castelnau, which was also the home of the founder, Robert Abbott.[5]

References
  1. The History of Castelnau, Holy Trinity Barnes, 1968
  2. "Castelnau Conservation Area" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  3. Bridget Cherry and Nikolaus Pevsner (1983). The Buildings of England – London 2: South. London: Penguin Books. p. 470. ISBN 0-14-0710-47-7.
  4. Maisie Brown: Barnes and Mortlake Past with East Sheen, Historical Publications Ltd, ISBN 0948667 46X
  5. "History of art in Barnes". Barnes Artists. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
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