Ickenham

Ickenham is a suburban area centred on an old village in Greater London, part of the London Borough of Hillingdon.

While no major historical events have taken place in Ickenham, settlements dating back to the Roman occupation of Britain have been discovered during archaeological surveys, and the area appears in the Domesday Book. Buildings from the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries remain standing and have been restored in recent years.

The village was originally split into four manors, which became two: Ickenham and Swakeleys. The old manorial home of Swakeleys, a 17th century Jacobean mansion Swakeleys House still exists for corporate use. Ickenham's manorial home, Manor Farm, now forms part of Long Lane Farm. A military station, RAF West Ruislip, was opened in 1917. Its final use was for the Navy Exchange of the U.S. Naval Activities, United Kingdom command between 1975 and 2006.

According to the 1901 Census, Ickenham at that time had a population of 329, which by the 2001 Census had reached 9,933, although census figures show a marked population decline during the 1960s and 1970s. By 2008, the population had reached 10,133. When Ickenham obtained a railway station on the Metropolitan Railway's line between Harrow and Uxbridge, it brought with it a rail link to London. A great deal of residential development commenced in the village and it gradually became part of the London commuter belt. Ickenham expanded with the sale and development of much of the Swakeleys estate in 1922 and became part of what was later termed "Metro-land".