Hanwell
One of the seven towns of the London Borough of Ealing.
About Hanwell
The council describes Hanwell as well connected, with the Elizabeth line, the Grand Union Canal and the River Brent running through it, a community-managed library and Hanwell Zoo. It says the area reaches into West Ealing, north of Uxbridge Road.
Source: Ealing Council's Hanwell town page. Last checked: 10 November 2026.
From Ealing Council's website: Hanwell town page on the council's website
Groups listed in Hanwell
- Hanwell Community Library Library and community space
Groups that cover the whole borough are on the groups page.
The canal and the Hanwell flight of locks
The Grand Union Canal runs through Hanwell, and its flight of locks is where the canal connects to the River Brent. Canal & River Trust says the towpath is always open, that there is no charge to visit, and that there are no toilets on site. It gives the address as Green Lane, Hanwell, W7 2PJ.
The Trust's leaflet says engineer William Jessop designed the flight and that it was built in 1794. It says there are side ponds to supply the locks with water. Historic England's scheduled monument entry covers the flight of locks and the brick boundary wall of St Bernard's Hospital. It was first listed on 24 February 1975. The Trust asks visitors to look out for lock keepers' cottages and a ramp that helped horses out of the canal, and advises staying away from the water's edge.
Sources: Canal & River Trust: Hanwell Lock Flight; Canal & River Trust: Hanwell leaflet (PDF); Historic England: Hanwell flight of locks, scheduled monument 1001963; Canal & River Trust: A guide to London's waterways (PDF). Last checked: 10 November 2026.
Wharncliffe Viaduct
Wharncliffe Viaduct is a railway viaduct on the Great Western Railway between Hanwell and Southall. Historic England lists it at Grade I and says it was built in 1836 and 1837 to a design by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, with Grissell and Peto as contractors. It is brown brick with eight arches, each spanning 70 feet. It is 886 feet (about 270 metres) long and 81 feet (about 25 metres) high to the parapet, and was widened on the north side in 1877.
The list entry calls it the first railway viaduct to use hollow piers, and says it was the first major engineering work completed on the Great Western Railway. Ealing Council's Brent Lodge Park page describes a footpath from Ealing Hospital that passes under the viaduct.
Sources: Historic England: Wharncliffe Viaduct, list entry 1358811; Ealing Council: Hanwell parks, Brent Lodge Park and Churchfields. Last checked: 10 November 2026.
Brent Lodge Park and Hanwell Zoo
Brent Lodge Park and Churchfields lie at the end of Church Road, north of Uxbridge Road, in the Brent River Park. The River Brent borders them on the west and south. Ealing Council lists a playground, a millennium maze, tennis courts, a multi-use games area, a café and public toilets. It says the river banks have hay meadows and old trees. Ealing Council says the park has a Grade II listed stable block, which it describes as all that is left of a manor house destroyed by fire in the 1930s. We have not checked that grade on Historic England's list.
The council names the Brent River and Canal Society, formed in 1973, as a local contact, and says it still holds work days and walks.
Hanwell Zoo is on Church Road, W7 3BP. The zoo's website calls it a community zoo that relies on volunteers. It gives opening hours of 10am to 5pm from 1 April to 11 September (last entry 4pm) and 10am to 4pm from 12 September to 31 March (last entry 3pm). Tickets can be booked on its website, which also has current prices. Opening times can change, so check the zoo's website before you go.
Sources: Ealing Council: Hanwell parks, Brent Lodge Park and Churchfields; Hanwell Zoo website. Last checked: 10 November 2026.
More green spaces
Elthorne Park is part of the Brent River Park, with an old bandstand, a large sarsen stone just inside the main entrance, tennis courts and a playground. Its entrances are on Boston Road and from Elthorne Waterside.
Cuckoo Park is shaped like a horseshoe around Hanwell Community Centre, with playgrounds on different levels, an activity trail and a registered village green. The council says a small statue of Charlie Chaplin recalls his time at a nearby school, now the community centre.
FitzHerbert Walk is a riverside walk through woodland that links Brent Meadow with the canal towpath at the Hanwell flight.
Sources: Ealing Council: Hanwell parks, Other parks in Hanwell. Last checked: 10 November 2026.
Hanwell Clock Tower
Ealing Council's local history page dates the clock tower to 7 May 1937. It says the tower was unveiled at noon that day on Hanwell Broadway, during Ealing's coronation celebrations. The council's Hanwell town page calls it iconic.
Sources: Ealing Council: Hanwell Clock Tower; Ealing Council's Hanwell town page. Last checked: 10 November 2026.
Library, music and community
The council's Hanwell page describes a community-managed library, a strong focus on music and a carnival. Our listing for Hanwell Community Library is on the groups page.
Sources: Ealing Council's Hanwell town page. Last checked: 10 November 2026.
Getting there
Hanwell station is visited by Elizabeth line services. TfL's Elizabeth line station information (September 2025) lists it with step-free access to all platforms. For live times and any changes, use TfL's own journey planner.
Sources: Transport for London: Elizabeth line station information (September 2025). Last checked: 10 November 2026.
Links and sources
From Ealing Council's website: Hanwell town page on the council's website
From Ealing Council's website: Hanwell parks
From Ealing Council's website: Hanwell Clock Tower
Other sites that carry the details we refer to:
Checked by the About Ealing team. Last checked: 10 November 2026. Details can change. Please check the linked source before you travel or visit. To report a mistake, use our corrections page.