The Chimes, Uxbridge

The Chimes, Uxbridge is a shopping centre in Uxbridge, within the London Borough of Hillingdon, owned in a joint venture between the Malaysian pension fund Kumpulan Wang Persaraan and Intu Properties. Opened in February 2001, the centre includes 71 stores, cafes and restaurants, including Currys Digital, Boots, BHS, Debenhams, Gap, H&M and Next as anchor stores. A multi-screen Odeon cinema, with the only IMAX screen in West London, is also a major part of the centre. A number of existing old buildings in Uxbridge High Street were restored and incorporated into the new shopping centre, which was designed with the intention of it blending into its surroundings.

History

Planning for the shopping centre began in the 1990s, under the proposed name of St George's, although a development in Harrow on the Hill subsequently took the name.

The new development, bordered by the High Street and Chippendale Waye was built beside Uxbridge tube station and incorporated many of the existing buildings on one side of the High Street. The George Street car park, a joinery works, builders' yard, garages and a row of houses on Chippendale Waye were demolished to make way for the construction, Chippendale Waye was widened to become a dual carriageway to support the extra traffic expected once the centre opened.Bronze Age remains were found during initial excavations as part of an archaeological investigation of the site, dating from before 700 BC.

The Chimes

The Chimes: A Goblin Story of Some Bells that Rang an Old Year Out and a New Year In, a short novel by Charles Dickens, was written and published in 1844, one year after A Christmas Carol and one year before The Cricket on the Hearth. It is the second in his series of "Christmas books": five short books with strong social and moral messages that he published during the 1840s.

Development history

The book was written in late 1844, during Dickens' year-long visit to Italy.John Forster, his first biographer, records that Dickens, hunting for a title and structure for his next contracted Christmas story, was struck one day by the clamour of the Genoese bells audible from the villa where they were staying.

Two days later Forster received a letter from Dickens which read simply: ""We have heard THE CHIMES at midnight, Master Shallow!", and the writing of the book began. Forster describes Dickens' intentions in writing The Chimes as striking "a blow for the poor".

Dickens returned to London for a week in December 1844 and gave readings of the finished book to friends prior to publication, to judge its impact. The artist Daniel Maclise, who had contributed two illustrations to The Chimes and attended two of these events, portrayed the reading of 3 December 1844 in a well-known sketch.

The Chimes (US band)

The Chimes (later Lenny Cocco & the Chimes) were an American doo wop group from Brooklyn.

The group came together under the direction of lead singer Lenny Cocco in the mid-1950s. Their first single was a version of Tommy Dorsey's "Once in a While", released on Tag Records. The song became a hit in the U.S., peaking at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961. The follow-up single was "I'm in the Mood for Love", a song from the 1930s. This hit #38 later that year. In 1962, they began recording as Lenny & the Chimes, and moved to Metro Records and then to Laurie Records in 1963. In 1964, they released the single "Two Times" on Vee-Jay, but broke up shortly after.

In subsequent decades they have re-formed for the doo-wop revival circuit, usually under the name Lenny Cocco and the Chimes.

Members

Original

The Chimes (disambiguation)

The Chimes is a short 1844 novel by Charles Dickens.

The Chimes may also refer to:

See also

Uxbridge

Coordinates: 51°32′25″N 0°28′40″W / 51.5404°N 0.4778°W / 51.5404; -0.4778

Uxbridge (/ˈʌksbrɪdʒ/) is a town in west London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. Fifteen miles (24.1 km) west-northwest of Charing Cross, it is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Uxbridge historically formed part of the parish of Hillingdon in the county of Middlesex, and was a significant local commercial centre from an early time. As part of the suburban growth of London in the 20th century it expanded and increased in population, becoming a municipal borough in 1955, and has formed part of Greater London since 1965. It is a significant retail and commercial centre, and is the location of Brunel University and the Uxbridge campus of Buckinghamshire New University. The town is close to the boundary with Buckinghamshire, which is locally the River Colne.

Several historical events have taken place in and around the town, including attempted negotiations between King Charles I and the Parliamentary Army during the English Civil War. The public house at the centre of those events, since renamed the Crown & Treaty, still stands. Uxbridge also houses the Battle of Britain Bunker, from where the air defence of the south-east of England was coordinated during the Battle of Britain. Situated in RAF Uxbridge, the No. 11 Group Operations Room within the bunker played a crucial rule during the battle and was later used during the D-Day landings.

Uxbridge (UK Parliament constituency)

Uxbridge was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) using the first-past-the-post voting system, from 1885 until it was abolished at the 2010 general election.

Boundaries

1885-1918: The parliamentary constituency of Uxbridge was created as the westernmost county division of the historic county of Middlesex. The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 defined the seat as comprising the parishes of Ashford*, Bedfont, Cowley, Cranford, Feltham, Hampton, Hampton Wick, Hanworth, Harefield, Harlington, Harmondsworth, Hayes, Hillingdon East, Hillingdon West, Ickenham, Laleham*, Littleton*, Northolt, Ruislip, Shepperton*, Staines*, Stanwell*, Sunbury*, Teddington, Uxbridge, West Drayton, and Yiewsley.

The parishes marked * were, from 1965, included in the administrative county of Surrey. The other parishes, in the above list, were at the same time incorporated in Greater London. In 1974 the south-west Middlesex communities, which had been transferred to Surrey, were linked to become the Borough of Spelthorne.

Uxbridge, Massachusetts

Uxbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts first settled in 1662, incorporated in 1727, originally part of Suffolk County, and Mendon, and named for the Earl of Uxbridge. The town (population 13,648, estimate) is located 36 mi (58 km) southwest of Boston and 15 mi (24 km) south-southeast of Worcester, at the midpoint of the Blackstone Valley National Park. Two Uxbridge Quakers served as national leaders in the anti-slavery movement. Uxbridge "weaves a tapestry of early America"

Indigenous Nipmuc people near 'Wacentug" (river bend), deeded land to 17th century settlers. Uxbridge granted rights to America's first woman voter, Lydia Chapin Taft. The first hospital for mental illness in America was established here.Deborah Sampson posed as an Uxbridge soldier, and fought in the American Revolution. A 140-year legacy of manufacturing military uniforms and clothing began with 1820 power looms. The Board of Selectmen approved Massachusetts's first women jurors. Uxbridge became famous for woolen cashmeres. "Uxbridge Blue", was the first US Air Force Dress Uniform.BJ's Wholesale Club distribution warehouse looms large here today.