A book that was 10 years in the making has been published telling the story of an American president who made Ealing his home.

John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States and son of the nation’s second president, John Adams, arrived in the borough two centuries ago in 1815 to serve as US minister to the UK - and resided happily in the area for two years.

He lived with his family at Little Boston House in Windmill Lane (now Road) which was part of the Boston Manor Estate, having desired to live outside of the bustle of London.

After being recalled to the US in 1817 to take up the position of Secretary of State he noted in his diary: “I have seldom perhaps never in the course of my life resided more comfortably than at that house.”

Those diaries, written in small, sometimes hard to decipher handwriting, have formed the basis of a new book written by members of the Little Ealing History Group as part of a project that has taken a decade to complete.

The group came about after members of Ealing Field Residents Association led some guided walks for Open House weekends in the 1990s, visiting local buildings and sites of historic interest.

There was so much interest that they decided to produce their first book, based on the walk, as a project for the Millennium and were fortunate enough to receive a Millennium Festival Award to finance it.

They formed a writing group and published Little Ealing: A Walk Through History in 2002, which sold 2,000 copies and provided funds for the second book.

Little Ealing History Group

Rita Smith, a member of the close-knit eight-person writing team, said: “We all have a passionate interest in local history and like to share it. We don’t aim to make a profit and all our time and incidental expenses are given for free.

“While researching the first book we had discovered that John Quincy Adams had kept very detailed diaries during the two years he lived in Little Boston House in Windmill Road.

“One of our group visited the Bodleian Library in Oxford and made copies of microfiched pages of the diaries. We then all transcribed the sections of text we thought would be of interest – not an easy task as his handwriting was very small and sometimes difficult to read.

“Each member of the group then took on a particular theme to research and write up, including relevant extracts from the diaries, and sourced illustrations.”

The group received some help from American researchers over the internet, local historians and the public.

Once the chapters were put together, the book went through several drafts until the group was happy that it was as good as it could be. They have had praise from Dr Jonathan Oates, Ealing borough archivist and local history librarian, and Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, chairman of Pitshanger Manor Trust among others.

While in Ealing, John Quincy Adams attended a local church and noted in his diary that the service was read by an old clergyman Dr Carr, father of Col Sir Henry Carr who married Mrs Perceval, widow of England’s only assassinated prime minister Spencer Perceval.

John Quincy Adams received invitations to visit various personalities in the area as well as the Lord Mayor of London and the Duke of Kent, father of the future Queen Victoria.

He did not have his own carriage and walked everywhere.

In one diary anecdote from the book, he tells of visiting the Brentford Fair with his wife and son, George, where they watched a magic lantern show before leaving after a pickpocket tried and failed to rob him.

His three sons attended the Presbyterian Chapel in Boston Manor Road.

On another walk John Quincy Adams said he walked with George to Brentford on the Richmond Road in 45 minutes, passed by 19 stage coaches on the way to and from London loaded with passengers.

Some of the more formal invitations to attend functions as a US representative were tiresome but he describes one most enjoyable trip with his wife on the Lord Mayor of London’s barge, travelling upstream to near Richmond Bridge when they all sat down to enjoy an elegant cold dinner.

Rita Smith noted that John Quincy Adams had been able to enjoy quality family time in Ealing that may have made the years at Little Boston all the more special.

After returning to the United States, he was elected to the presidency in 1825 and served a four-year term, later becoming a member of the House of Representatives. He was an ardent opponent of slavery and died in 1848, aged 78.

An American President in Ealing: The John Quincy Adams Diaries 1815-1817 is on sale at Ealing Waterstones, The Pitshanger Bookshop, Paperback Coffee Shop, Kaboodles and Boston Manor Park café, priced £10.

It can also be purchased via www.littleealinghistory.org.uk and delivery is free in W5 and W13.

Little Ealing History Group is giving a series of illustrated talks about the book. The next one is at the Log Cabin, 259 Northfield Avenue on Wednesday July 8, 7.30pm (admission £2).