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. It joins Church Road at is southern end, which then runs westwards beside Barnes Green until it meets Barnes High Street.

Castelnau
Castelnau, approaching Hammersmith Bridge
Castelnau is located in Greater London
Castelnau
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
List of places
UK
England
London
51°29′10″N 0°13′59″W / 51.486°N 0.233°W / 51.486; -0.233

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

Etymology

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Castelnau takes its name from Castelnau-Valence, near Nîmes in France: in 1691, the 10th Baron of Castelnau and St Croix, a Huguenot, fled France for England following persecution, [citation needed] 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.[citation needed]

History

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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

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LCC Cottage estates 1918–1939
Estate name Area No of dwellings Population 1938 Population density
Pre-1914
Norbury 11 218 867 19.8 per acre (49/ha)
Old Oak 32 736 3519 23 per acre (57/ha)
Totterdown Fields 39 1262 32.4 per acre (80/ha)
Tower Gardens
White Hart Lane
98 783 5936 8 per acre (20/ha)
1919–1923
Becontree 2770 25769[a] 115652 9.3 per acre (23/ha)
Bellingham 252 2673 12004 10.6 per acre (26/ha)
Castelnau 51 644 2851 12.6 per acre (31/ha)
Dover House Estate
Roehampton Estate
147 1212 5383 8.2 per acre (20/ha)
1924–1933
Downham 600 7096 30032 11.8 per acre (29/ha)
Mottingham 202 2337 9009 11.6 per acre (29/ha)
St Helier 825 9068 39877 11 per acre (27/ha)
Watling 386 4034 19110 10.5 per acre (26/ha)
Wormholt 68 783 4078 11.5 per acre (28/ha)
1934–1939
Chingford[b] 217 1540 7.1 per acre (18/ha)
Hanwell (Ealing) 140 1587 6732 11.3 per acre (28/ha)
Headstone Lane 142 n.a 5000
Kenmore Park 58 654 2078 11.3 per acre (28/ha)
Thornhill
(Royal Borough of Greenwich)
21 380 1598 18.1 per acre (45/ha)
Whitefoot Lane (Downham) 49 n.a n.a.
  1. ^ Source says 2589 – transcription error
  2. ^ Part of a larger PRC estate around Huntsman Road

Source:

  • Yelling, J. A. (1995). "Banishing London's slums: The interwar cottage estates" (PDF). Transactions. 46. London and Middlesex Archeological Society: 167–173. Retrieved 19 December 2016. Quotes: Rubinstein, 1991, Just like the country.

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

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Holy Trinity Church Barnes

Castelnau is noted for 20 pairs of exceptional classical villas, 91-125 Castelnau, which were built in 1842 by Major Boileau (see above) and are Grade II listed.[5]

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.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b 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. ^ "91-125 Castelnau". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  6. ^ "History of art in Barnes". Barnes Artists. Retrieved 8 February 2019.