Place Name
In Scottish it literally means the moorland field. However, to golfing fans the world over it is not a reference to a boggy patch of land but home to one of the sport’s great courses. For Muirfield is a privately owned links which is the home of The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers where sometime around 1795 the rules of the game began to be codified. It is also one of the courses for the Open Championships. It features here as one of a cluster of streets whose names were inspired by golfing references after they were laid out on the site of the former Acton Golf Course, which was founded in 1896 on land belonging to the King-Church family. In 1919 Acton Urban District Council made a compulsory purchase order for the acquisition of 59 acres of land owned by Major F W King-Church to be developed for housing. Over the years development expanded and eventually the course was completely built over. In early March 1920 it was reported: “Sunday marked the closing down of Acton Golf Links after 24 years. There was a big muster of members for the final days sport in ideal conditions. Afterwards, members were seen packing up their belongings and taking them home. It was estimated that over 200 removed their clubs on Sunday. On Saturday night a final dinner was held to mark the occasion, the chair being occupied by the captain G W Hall. About 58 members thoroughly enjoyed the items of an excellent menu provided by Mr & Mrs Hitchings, club stewards. During an interval the whole party adjourned to the links to vent their feelings. Effigies representing the ‘Superior Landlords’ were lit amid cheering. The party then returned to enjoy a capital programme of music.”
