London Transpot Museum

[Derek R.]

Only a few, but I've not seen them before. Most are of the Thames, but a few around Uxbridge and Brentford.

The Swan and Bottle seems to have changed - a bit!

http://www.ltmcollection.org/photos/themes...=1&IXpage=1

 

Derek

[David Schweizer]

Only a few, but I've not seen them before. Most are of the Thames, but a few around Uxbridge and Brentford.

The Swan and Bottle seems to have changed - a bit!

http://www.ltmcollection.org/photos/themes...=1&IXpage=1

 

Derek

 

It certainly has, but the photo would appear to have been taken from the other side of the river which runs close to the canal at that point behind the pub.

 

If it had been taken from "...near Uxbridge canal" as the caption suggests, there would have been a towpath running between the pub and the water.

[Derek R.]

Agreed. Closer to "Near the Swan & Bottle" might be more accurate. I wonder if it might not have been a long gone building 'opposite' the pub. Hard to say, so much has changed.

 

Derek

[David Schweizer]

Only a few, but I've not seen them before. Most are of the Thames, but a few around Uxbridge and Brentford.

The Swan and Bottle seems to have changed - a bit!

http://www.ltmcollection.org/photos/themes...=1&IXpage=1

 

Derek

I am pretty certain that it is (what would now be) the back of the the Swan and Bottle, and the "slipway" into the river could be the old Denham road into Uxbridge before they built the bridge. Somewhere I have some old maps of the area, I will look them out to see if they confirm any of my assumptions.

[Derek R.]

Ah yes - So the site of the bridge would be just to the right, and the towpath the other side of the building and the canal beyond that.

If you suggest that the slip might have been a Ford across the river, then the building, or at least the one depicted, may pre-date the canal - canal and bridge being built at the same time.

 

Interesting all this piecing together.

 

Derek

[David Schweizer]

Ah yes - So the site of the bridge would be just to the right, and the towpath the other side of the building and the canal beyond that.

If you suggest that the slip might have been a Ford across the river, then the building, or at least the one depicted, may pre-date the canal - canal and bridge being built at the same time.

 

Interesting all this piecing together.

 

Derek

The earliest map I can find is 1923 ( about the same date as the photo) and the Road bridge is shown quite clearly. I have also found a reference to A saxon bridge over the river Colne dating back to the 7th century, named after the Local Wuxen tribe. it is believed that Uxbridge derives it's name from "Wuxen Bridge"

 

Back in the 1960's, I used to be a regular at the Swan and Bottle, before it became a swanky Eating House. It dates back to the 17th Century when it used to be two pubs, the Olde Swan and the Leather Bottle. I do not know when they were united, but it explains it's unique name. We always assumed that being on the main route fron Oxford to London that it was probably an old coaching Inn. Perhaps the ramp down to the river was used to water the horses.

 

I have just found a couple of current photos of the pub taken from more or less the same position as the early photo :-

 

http://img01.beerintheevening.com/6f/6fd5d...590d6bb2197.jpg

http://www.pub-explorer.com/gtlondon/photo...tleuxbridge.jpg

 

With a bit of imagination you can tell it is the same building, albeit much altered. The area in front of the pub which used to go down to the river is now part of the car park/outside eating area..

 

Just found this photo a few hendred yards from the Swan and Bottle, it is our old mooring (on the offside)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3569/382644..._7a24f44ed0.jpg

 

I have a photo of Ernie Kendall and Rose Bray on Roger and Raymond in almost exactly the same position as the boat in the photo, taken by Hugh Mcknight in the mid 1960's. I was there when he took it.

 

Here endeth the History lesson.

Edited September 28, 2009 by David Schweizer

[Derek R.]

Thanks David, The oldest map of the area I have found on the web is from:

http://www.old-maps.co.uk/indexmappage2.aspx

 

Put Uxbridge in the search window, and by manipulation, the area around the pub can be seen - albeit not very clear. Oldest map visible here 1881.

The canal and bridge are well established.

 

I'll be chasing the Wuxen's now!

 

Derek

 

PS I'm sure that shot of below Uxbridge lock is what appears in Painted Boats where young Alfie goes off into the 'Toll' office.

We used to tie above occasionally, but that was in the eighties.

Edited September 29, 2009 by Derek R.