This ancient Ealing town was mentioned in the Domesday Book, but there's far more to Hanwell than its history.

It's where, "The Father of Loud" and founder of Marshall amps, Jim Marshall OBE, had his first ever shop and now holds a free annual music festival in his honour.

As well as its iconic Clock Tower, Viaduct bridge and beautiful Bunny Park, many Hanwellites would argue that it's their strong sense of community that makes the place so special.

To celebrate all that is great about the town, we've come up with a list of nine things that make Hanwell residents most proud.

Hanwell Hootie

The Hanwell Hootie is a family-friendly event free to all

Hanwell Hootie was first held in 2013 and showcased 13 bands at three different pubs to mark the unveiling of a plaque to honour Hanwell-made Jim Marshall OBE, Founder and Chairman of Marshall Amplification plc.

It has since morphed into London's largest free music festival and will be celebrating its sixth year on Saturday (May 12.)

Hanwell Hootie's 2018 line-up includes a comedy stage as well as over 90 bands at 15 different venues.

At a time when London day festivals can charge up to £50 for a ticket - Hanwell Hootie's free for all attitude is surely something to celebrate.

Bunny Park

Hanwell Zoo in the Bunny Park is home to exotic animals and birds

Mention "Brent Lodge Park" in Hanwell and nobody will know what you're talking about - the neighbourhood's favourite green space is known to all locally as the "Bunny Park."

It has a zoo with exotic birds, reptiles and of course bunnies, a maze made up of 2,000 yews, a huge children's play area and a popular park cafe.

The Hermitage

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"Doff" Tyler was one of Hanwell's oldest and most inspirational residents

The Hermitage is "a peach of an early 19th Century Gothic thatched cottage" that was built by rector George Glasse in 1809.

It's located just outside the Bunny Park and is a grade II listed building which has a spring, a small lake and a barn in the garden behind it.

Its former resident, Dorothy Tyler, or "Doff", was the founder of Brent River and Canal Society. She would let anyone who knocked on her door and asked, down the garden to the see the spring.

She died aged 99 in 2011.

The Clock Tower

Murder victim Alice Gross' family requested that flowers should be left at Hanwell Clock Tower

Hanwell's Art Deco Clock Tower sits at the heart of the town and has been a point of controversy over the years. It was unveiled in 1937 to celebrate the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (later known as the Queen Mother). It was branded a "dreadful concrete eyesore" in the 1970s by a Hanwell estate agent, Mr Parish, who campaigned and failed to have it knocked down.

Residents left flowers for Hanwell murder victim Alice Gross at the foot of the clock tower following her tragic death in August 2014.

Jim Marshall OBE

The plaque to commemorate Marshall Amps founder Jim Marshall, who died in 2012

The creater of Marshall amps, Jim Marshall, may have been born in Southall but he was arguably "made" in Hanwell where he set up his first ever music shop.

Following his death in 2012, a blue plaque was revealed in Uxbridge Road at the site of his old shop.

Jimi Hendrix famously visited the shop after Marshall began selling the world famous music systems there in 1962.

Marshall developed a special amp just for Eric Clapton in 1964.

Hanwell Community Centre

Charlie Chaplin's ghost is said to haunt the Hanwell Community Centre

Charlie Chaplin's ghost is said to haunt the Hanwell Community Centre but that doesn't put residents off using it.

The hub puts on a packed programme of activities for children and adults alike.

From badminton, boxing and five-a side-football to pottery and upholstery, it caters to a wide range of community needs.

Hanwell Carnival

Hanwell Carnival is held annually and attracts up to 50,000 visitors - making it the second largest carnival in west London after Notting Hill.

The community-run event includes a procession through Hanwell from the community centre to Elthorne Park.

Locals also put on live music and dance performances on the day.

Wharncliffe Viaduct Bridge

Historic picture of Wharncliffe Viaduct

The Wharncliffe Viaduct carries the Great Western Railway (GWR) line across the Brent Valley between Hanwell and Southall. It was built in 1836-37 and was the first major GWR engineering project to be completed. Civil engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel designed the viaduct which now has a colony of bats living in its arches.

In 1993 the word "The Hanwellites" was graffitied onto the bridge.

The Hanwell spirit

Proud Hanwellites would argue their neighbourhood is the "most community-spirited" in west London and there may be some truth behind this bold claim. Whether it's coming together to organise a carnival or the hundreds of flowers left for Alice Gross at the clock tower, the people of Hanwell seem to take pride in taking care of one another.