Ruislip

Early on a cold Sunday morning I set out to try and visit two stations. Ruislip was the next one on the Metropolitan branch line to Uxbridge. It services both the Piccadilly and the Metropolitan lines. There are five underground stations which include the name Ruislip. West Ruislip, Ruislip Gardens and South Ruislip all on the Central line and Ruislip Manor and Ruislip on the Metropolitan line. 

The word Ruislip first appeared in the Doomsday book, a record of land and ownership, in 1086. It is thought the word is derived from the Old English words for 'rush' and 'leap' refering to a place where the local River Pinn is narrow enough to jump across.  

Although not an enclosed waiting room, it still provides adequate shelter from the wind and rain.

The station is the oldest one on this branch line and originally was the only intermediate station between Harrow-on-the-Hill and Uxbridge. When it opened in 1904 the services were operated by steam trains until the line was electrified the following year. Ruislip was part of Metroland. The area of suburban London where thousands of houses were built alongside the railway land. Metroland was advertised as a 'rural retreat for those who worked in Central London'.

From the end of the platform you have a good view of this old signal box. It was opened in 1905 and closed in August 1990 when signalling passed to Marylebone Integrated Electronic Control Centre. In 2000 the signal box and the footbridge were given Grade II listed status. It looks as though it has recently been painted possibly for the 160th anniversary of the Metropolitan line in 2023. 

 

The footbridge over the platforms dates from 1904 but was moved to its present site in 1928.

Other than the installation of the ticket barriers I doubt this ticket hall has changed much since it was built.

I left the station and followed the road round to the High Street. As it was a Sunday it was very quiet but there were numerous shops.

It was good to see that few had closed down. A number of shops did not survive the Covid lockdown and in many towns it is common place to see a closed down sign, on not just small shops, but a number of the larger department stores as well.

Ruislip's department store still looks to be doing ok. They even have two different bank branches here which is unusual these days.

At the bottom of the High street is St Martin's Church. I was surprised to see the Christmas tree was still there in March.The flint and stone building dates from the 13th cent and the tower along with a bell chamber was added in the 15th cent. The church was restored in the 19th century by Sir Gilbert Scott.

The stained glass windows date back to the 19th and 20th cent

It is known that the church already had a set of bells in 1463 when Thomas Bettz died and left £26 13s 4d in his will for the 'mending of Ruislip bells'. This would have been a vast sum of money in those days. A new bell chamber housing the bells in their present position was added in Tudor times. In 1801 the bells were recast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry at a cost of £149. In 1868 the very heavy six bells were replaced by eight lighter ones. These eight bells are still rung today from here on the ground floor. 

Behind the church and running alongside the High street is the churchyard.

On the north side of the churchyard are the Ruislip almshouses. The old timber framed parish house (priest/clergyman's residence) was converted in 1616 into small two roomed dwellings which were used to provide cheap or free dwellings for the poor. During the 18th century the almshouses were used as a workhouse and in 1776 there were 30 paupers living and working here. In 1838 the workhouse closed and the inmates were moved to another workhouse in nearby Hillingdon. The building was then sold and converted into flats. After it was renovated in the early 20th cent, it became a private house.

Standing on the other side of the High street you can see the blue clock on the tower of the church and in front of the white houses is the village pump.

The pump was placed over a well sunk in 1864. It has been moved a couple of times and was put into this prominent position on the High street in 1982. I imagine the village pump would be a place where the women of the village would meet for a chat and gossip whilst filling their water carriers.

I left the village and decided to walk to Ruislip Lido. A place I had heard about but never seen. On the way. I walked past the Ruislip Woods National Reserve which is an ancient semi natural woodland. Some parts of it are a remnant of the Wildwood that once completely covered England after the last ice age about 8000 years ago.  During the Middle Ages the woods were harvested for timber which was used in the construction of buildings which are still in use today.  The Tower of London in 1339, Windsor Castle in 1344 and the old Palace of Westminster in 1346.

It was a long walk to the Ruislip Lido, much further than I had anticipated, but it was worth it. The information board informed me that: The reservoir was dug in 1811 to feed the Grand Junction Canal and for drinking water for Paddington. In times of drought you can see several dwellings from the former hamlet of Park Hearn, drowned by the lake. In the 1930s the canal company turned the reservoir into 'the Lido' with boating, swimming and fishing. You can no longer swim or boat here but there is still a sandy beach and play areas. In the summer there is a 12 inch gauge  railway which does a round trip of two and a half miles around the lake.

I walked round the lake to the beach area and observed many different water birds.

I was really pleased I had made the effort to see Ruislip Lido and enjoyed the short time I spent there. I decided to get a bus back into the town and visit one of the numerous cafes I had noticed on the High Street.

I liked the look of this one which looked impressive from the outside.

I wasn't disappointed when I went  inside. The staff were very friendly and welcoming. I ordered some buttermilk pancakes and a pot of tea. I had a delightful conversation with a family sitting next to me as they spoke about the joys of living in Ruislip. Sadly, after waiting 25 minutes for a pot of tea and another 35 minutes for the pancakes, I changed my mind about the great choice of venue for lunch. Had it not been for the company of the people on the next table I would have left long before my food arrived. An hour's wait for a simple food order is unacceptable. I did leave a review on their website and received an apology with a shortage of staff being their issue that day. Other than that I enjoyed my visit to Ruislip and decided I still had time to visit the next station before going home.