Place Name
Directional. Originally Gunnersbury Lane leading from Gunnersbury to Ealing. Today it is part of the North Circular. Gunnersbury has its roots in an old Scandinavian name. It is believed to be named after a woman called Gunylde, Gunnhildr, or even Gunnhild. Some sources say that it is a reference to Gunhilda, a niece or even daughter, of King Canute and Emma of Normandy. However, there is no evidence to support this, although the woman herself was probably from an Anglo-Danish background. Whatever the case it means Gunnhildr’s fortified manor. It was first mentioned in records in 1334 as Gounyldebury and went through several mutations (Gunnyldesbury (1348) and Gonelsbury (1487)) before taking the modern spelling by 1593.
