(pronounced "rye-slip"
{Link without Title} ) is a place in the
London Borough of
Hillingdon , in northwest
London ,
England , immortalised in
Leslie Thomas 's
1974 novel of suburbia, ''Tropic of Ruislip''. (The book was actually based on nearby Carpenders Park.)
Nearby attractions include Ruislip Lido, a converted reservoir with an artificial sand beach, surrounded by woodlands through which runs the
Ruislip Lido Railway , a miniature 12"-
Gauge Railway with diesel and steam locomotives. Ruislip Lido was established as a reservoir to feed the
Grand Union Canal by damming and flooding the lower part of the valley between Park Wood and Copse Wood, including the hamlet of Park Hearn. Work began in
1811 ; the reservoir began feeding the Canal in
1816 .
To the North of Ruislip High Street stand the Grade II listed Manor Farm House; a 13th-century Grade II Great Barn; and the 16th-century Little Barn, which houses Ruislip library. The 20-
Acre (8-
Hectare ) site includes the remains of an 11th-century fortification that is a scheduled ancient monument. A working farm until the
1930s , the farm was let by
King's College ,
Cambridge , the owners of the land from
1500 to the mid 20th century.
Nearby is
RAF Northolt , with the Northolt Aerodrome, where a Polish War Memorial memorializes the numerous
Polish airmen stationed, along with airmen of other nations, in the area during the
World War II .
Ruislip, together with the adjacent areas of
Northwood and
Eastcote , is named after an 11th-century parish.
