SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES.
There were inns from an early date, due to
Acton's position on the Oxford road. The
Tabard on the Hope was mentioned in 1377 and
1505, the Cock on the Hoop from 1485, the Star
and Hartshorn in 1505, and the White Lion in
1520. (fn. 93) The George existed by 1539. (fn. 94) The Cock
and the Bell were listed among taverns around
London by John Taylor, the 'water poet', in
1636 (fn. 95) and the vestry met at the King's Head in
1674. (fn. 96) Thirteen alehouse keepers were licensed
in 1716. The number had increased to 21 by
1751, probably because of trade generated by
Acton wells, when inns included the Bull's Head
and the Horse and Groom in East Acton and the
King's Arms by the turnpike gate near East field.
By 1801 the number had dropped to 9 (fn. 97) but it
rose again with the spread of housing and in 1873
there were 19, in addition to 24 beer retailers. (fn. 98)
Almost all the older inns were rebuilt during the
19th century, the exception being the George and
Dragon hotel in High Street: three-storeyed and
with a projecting upper storey, partly timberframed and partly refronted in brick, it was
probably built early in the 17th century as two
houses. (fn. 99)
There was a 'bowling place' in 1622 next to the
highway from London to Brentford, probably at
Acton Green, (fn. 1) and a Bowling Alley field on the
south side of Manor House at East Acton by the
late 17th century. (fn. 2)
Acton wells, known as Old Oak wells in 1695, (fn. 3)
a group of three wells on the western edge of Old
Oak common, were mentioned in 1612 and
widely known by 1699. The water, reputed to be
one of the strongest purgatives around London,
was whitish and sweet rather than salty, with a
little of the bitterness of Epsom. By 1746 it was
sold in large quantities in London, besides being
drunk at the springs, especially in May and June.
Public breakfasts were held c. 1775 and assemblies during the season. An assembly room was
built, with a race course in the grounds, but
by the end of the 18th century the wells were
no longer in fashion and the assembly room
became successively a school, a private dwelling, and a farmhouse, being pulled down in
1908. (fn. 4)
A short-lived successor to the wells was
opened near by on the northern part of Old Oak
common in 1870. Known as Willesden Gardens
or the People's Garden, it was run by the German
Club of Foley Street, London, c. 1876 as a
summer biergarten, with a large dancing platform. It disappeared soon after 1885, the site
becoming part of the extensive G.W.R. sidings
and sheds. (fn. 5)
Friendly societies existed from 1800, meeting
at public houses. The Ancient or Independent
Britons met at the Blue Anchor in the Steyne
from 1800 and the Young Britons also met there
from 1817. The Acton friendly society met at the
George and the Acton United friendly society at
the King's Head, both from 1841. A court of the
Ancient Order of Foresters met at the Duke of
Sussex, Acton Green, from 1862 and a lodge of
the Independent Order of Oddfellows of
Manchester met at the Prince of Wales in Church
Road from 1863. (fn. 6) The lodge built its own hall in
Acton Lane in 1930. (fn. 7)
South Acton Working Men's Club, started
in 1872, provided an important meeting place for
the working class, despite some censure when
one member died after a drinking bout. (fn. 8) When
South Acton was rebuilt after the Second World
War, the club was housed in a new building in
Strafford Road.
The churches organized many social activities
in the late 19th century: Baptists, for example,
founded Acton Baptist cricket club and a literary
society. (fn. 9) Different denominations also joined
together to promote temperance. In 1878 the
rector, the Congregational minister, and five
residents formed the Acton Coffee PublicHouse Co., to serve non-intoxicating drinks in
a public house atmosphere. (fn. 10) In 1899 the various
temperance societies were loosely united with the
founding of Acton Temperance Federation, to
which they and the churches sent delegates. (fn. 11)
The non-sectarian Acton Adult Schools, started
c. 1894, also worked for temperance and against
Sunday business, providing bible study and a
savings bank. A women's adult school was started
in 1900 and the institution was soon said to be
influential. (fn. 12)
Acton Literary Institution met regularly
between 1868 and 1889, (fn. 13) and Acton Scientific
Society and Field Club from 1901. (fn. 14) Acton
Scientific and Literary Society in the 1920s (fn. 15) may
have been an amalgam of those two societies and
still met in 1963, at the public library. (fn. 16) A
photographic society was formed in 1904 and met
until 1924, (fn. 17) an art society met at the library
between 1955 and 1963, (fn. 18) and Acton Piscatorial
Society held its 20th annual dinner in 1901. (fn. 19) A
chess club, which met at Beauchamp's, no. 160
High Street, was founded in 1881. (fn. 20)
Acton lecture hall, built in Church Road in
1866, (fn. 21) was used by many religious and secular
bodies. A lecture association, which existed in
1901, met there ten times during the winter of
1908-9. (fn. 22) In winter the larger swimming pool in
the public baths was boarded over and, as the
Grand Hall, used for political and social functions and dances. (fn. 23)
A cinema in Horn Lane was licensed in 1910, (fn. 24)
followed by the Crown cinema c. 1913 in Mill
Hill Terrace. (fn. 25) In 1921 a third cinema, the Globe
at no. 128 High Street, was opened by Vesta
Tilley and was said to be the largest in Britain,
accommodating 3,000. (fn. 26) By 1939 the Dominion
in Uxbridge Road, the Odeon in King Street, and
the Savoy in West Way, East Acton, had also
been opened. The Dominion was bought by
Granada in 1946 and renamed, (fn. 27) becoming a
bingo club by 1977. The Globe was renamed the
Gaumont and in the early 1960s made way for the
shopping precinct. (fn. 28) The Crown and the
Kinema, Horn Lane, had both been converted to
other uses by 1964 (fn. 29) and the Odeon was a shop in
1979.
The Y.W.C.A. opened the first part of its
centre in East Acton Lane in 1931, intended to
serve Acton, Hammersmith, and Chiswick. (fn. 30)
Flying displays were given at the London
Aviation Co.'s airfield in North Acton c. 1910,
and the Ruffy-Baumann flying school moved to
Acton from Hendon in 1917 and operated there
for two years. (fn. 31)
Acton golf club was formed in 1896, with an
18-hole course on land owned by the King
Church family. The club house was Glendun
House, on the north side of East Acton green, and
a separate club and club house were formed for
ladies. (fn. 32) The club ceased when the course was
bought by the council in 1919 for a housing
estate.
Much of the Goldsmiths' Company's charity
estate at East Acton was used for sports grounds,
leased to private clubs. Many came from elsewhere around London, such as Shepherd's Bush
cricket club and West Kensington athletic club.
Some local companies had sports grounds, including CAV, Eastman's, S.T.D., and Lowe &
Bydone. The Gas Light & Coke Co. had a large
ground on the former Elms estate and other
private sports grounds were in East Acton Lane,
Gunnersbury Lane, Friars Place Lane, and
Willesden Lane. In 1924 there were some 17
athletic clubs and grounds, 4 cricket clubs, and
15 lawn tennis clubs. Acton bowling club met in
Acton park and the council ran a badminton
club. (fn. 33)
The Acton Press was founded in 1869, when it
won notoriety for publishing criticism of the
local board, (fn. 34) and may not have continued after
1871. A new series began c. 1898 but after 1900
was incorporated into the County of Middlesex
Independent. The Acton Gazette and General
District Advertiser was founded in 1871, published weekly, and continued as the Acton,
Chiswick and Turnham Green Gazette from 1880
and the Acton and Chiswick Gazette from 1892.
From 1900 it was known chiefly as the Acton
Gazette. In 1918 it became the Acton Gazette and
Express, incorporating the Acton and Chiswick
Express which had been founded in 1900 as the
Acton Express. Known from 1939 as the Acton
Gazette and West London Post, it still appeared
weekly in 1980. The District Post was founded in
1911 and renamed the Acton and Chiswick District Post and then the Acton District Post in the
same year. In 1921 it was renamed the Acton
Borough Post but in 1925 it was incorporated in
the Acton Gazette and Express. (fn. 35)