Uxbridge is a part of outer London's "surburban sprawl" and is comprised of a collection of communities in Ickenham, Cowley, Hillingdon, Colham, Yiewsley and West Drayton.
These were once individual villages and have kept some of their character, but the passage of time and housing development has inevitably merged them into one and other. Many of the constituents think of themselves as living in Middlesex, rather than in west London.
Uxbridge houses one of Brunel University’s sites, it is a large and modern campus - with the River Pinn flowing though its grounds - and is also the university’s administrative base. There are also several nature reserves to be found in this seat; Muntjac deer graze only half a mile from Uxbridge town centre.
The first by-election after the 1997 general election was held here, caused by the death of Sir Michael Shersby just a week after the election.
Sir Michael had only held onto the seat for the Tories by fewer than 800 votes, so campaigning for the by-election in July 1997 was fervent. However, in the event the Tories managed to return their candidate John Randall with a far greater majority of over 3,700 votes.