Driving along the elevated section of the M4 there may be time to contemplate the view when traffic is at a standstill.
Often one lane is closed because of a broken down vehicle. A hazard of being a Lord in Waiting sent to greet a Head of State at Heathrow was that the ancient but magnificent limo reserved for such journeys was prone to break down along this stretch. But I digress. You will notice a tower around North Acton with University of West London written across the top. Your mind probably doesn’t stretch beyond, Imperial, SOAS, and King’s College as universities in London. There are now at least forty some of which are upgraded (or not according to opinion) from polytechnic.
University of West London (UWL) traces its roots back to the founding of the Lady Byron School in 1860 and since then there have been a few changes.
1928: The institution becomes known as the Ealing Technical College and School of Art. 1975: It is renamed Ealing College of Higher Education. 1991: Following mergers with other institutions, it becomes the Polytechnic of West London. 1992: The institution is granted university status and becomes Thames Valley University (TVU). 2004: TVU merges with Reading College and Ealing School of Art and Design. 2010: After several more mergers and acquisitions, the university is renamed the University of West London.
It has around 18,000 students and has three main campuses: two in West London (Ealing and Brentford) and one in Reading (Berkshire Institute for Health). Students study in areas like music, film, media, and performing arts, as well as hospitality and tourism, which the university is known for. Other fields of study include social sciences, engineering, and biosciences and creative writing. So plenty to think about as you are on the elevated section of the M4 at a standstill.