History
In 939 the area was known as Draegtun, meaning 'farmstead at or near a portage or slope used for dragging Down loads', or 'farmstead where drays or sledges are used'. It is recorded as Draitone in the 1086 Domesday Book, and as Westdrayton in 1465.
In the 1086 Domesday Book, West Drayton was assessed at ten hides with land suitable for six ploughs.
The former RAF West Drayton was host to a military air traffic control (ATC) centre co-located with the civil London Area and Terminal Control Centre (LATCC), but these functions have been relocated to Swanwick), with the last ATC functions ending in January 2008. The former RAF station barracks are currently under redevelopment as an exclusive gated community.
Read more about this topic: West Drayton
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“To a surprising extent the war-lords in shining armour, the apostles of the martial virtues, tend not to die fighting when the time comes. History is full of ignominious getaways by the great and famous.”
—George Orwell (1903–1950)
“Boys forget what their country means by just reading “the land of the free” in history books. Then they get to be men, they forget even more. Liberty’s too precious a thing to be buried in books.”
—Sidney Buchman (1902–1975)
“We aspire to be something more than stupid and timid chattels, pretending to read history and our Bibles, but desecrating every house and every day we breathe in.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)