The Vanishing Village:

A Legacy Lost to Heathrow's Third Runway

This book is an updated edition of “Longford: A Village in Limbo”. It tells the history of the area in West Middlesex that will be demolished if the third runway is built at Heathrow airport. The plans, drawn up in 2018, would totally demolish 783 homes in the villages of Longford and Harmondsworth and with them will go all the ancient listed buildings and their associated history. The expansion plans were paused during the pandemic of 2020, but now the Government have revived the project. For the residents the future is uncertain, but the villages have a fascinating past, and this book is the story of 300 years of village life and its links to national and international events. The village of Longford was a haven for non-conformists and a refuge for highwaymen. There are stories of human frailty as well as enterprise and survival. The buildings may be threatened now, but the history will be forever remembered in these stories. These villages are living history. History might be the study of the past, but events pervade the present and remain captured forever in the ambiance and fabric of a village. This book safeguards the history of the community for future generations - whatever its ultimate destiny.

306 pages

  ISBN 978-1-7390822-2-22