What is "osterley"

Osterley is an affluent district of the historic parish of Isleworth in west London approximately west south-west of Charing Cross and is part of the London Borough of Hounslow. Most of its land use is mixed agricultural and aesthetic parkland at Osterley House ( National Trust), charity-run, much of which is open to paying visitor access.

Osterley is on the most elevated soil of the parish, dissected by A4 (The Great West Road) and extends further north than the M4 Motorway. Syon Lane forms the border to the east, while the border with the town of Heston is to the west. Osterley extends to the south of the A4 to at least Church Road based on house deeds, much housing existed before mid 1930's and before the A4, St Marys Church south of the A4 is also in Osterley. Historic map 1

Most of the land of Osterley is the large ancestral private estate of Osterley Park (one of the largest open spaces in west London) and its mansion. These were formerly owned by the Jersey family and were used during World War II as the home for Tom Wintringham's Home Guard training school. They are now National Trust property. During the inter-war period of the 1930s when the Great West Road was completed ribbon development housing appeared, and this gradually expanded to form the comparatively small residential sections within Osterley.

Besides Osterley House and Park, the district is also known for embracing one of the London residences of The Sultan of Brunei (The Aviary Farm in Windmill Lane).

The electoral ward of Osterley and Spring Grove now has its own dedicated Police team as part of the Metropolitan Police Safer Neighbourhoods programme.

Three ships with the name Osterley served the British East India Company (EIC) as an East Indiaman between 1758 and 1800:

• Osterley, a ship of 642 tons ( bm) launched in October 1757 by Perry, Blackwall. She made four voyages for the company. In 1770 her owners sold her into the North American timber trade. On 12 October 1771 she was returning from Piscataqua with a cargo of masts when she stranded at Hurst Castle, on the Solent. She was refloated and taken to Portsmouth where she was surveyed. On 20 October sh was condemned and sold for breaking up.
• Osterley, a ship of 758 tons (bm) launched on 9 October 1771 by Wells, Deptford. She made two voyages for the company before the French frigate Pourvoyeuse captured her on 21 February 1779 while she was on her third voyage.
• Osterley a ship of 775 tons (bm) launched in 1780 that made seven voyages for the EIC, and though the French captured her in 1799 on her last voyage, the British recaptured her, allowing her in 1800 to return to Britain.

Osterley was originally named for Osterley Park, the home of the Child family, owners of Child & Co., a private bank that financed EIC voyages and ships. Francis Child III was an investor in the first Osterley. At least one other notable later vessel, the Osterley (1909 ship), has also born the name.