Although not mentioned in the Doomsday book, Ealing is mentioned in the Bishop of London's estates in the 12th Century and there was a church dating from 1130.

The village of Ealing grew around the church along a road (now St. Mary's Road) which ran from Brentford in the South to the Ealing Road (which is now Ealing's main thoroughfare running East/West). By the 18th Century Ealing, being rural but conveniently close to London, had become a fashionable location for country houses. North of Ealing Road remained predominantly agricultural land with some sizeable farms however, a number of elegant houses were built around Ealing Green. It was South of Ealing Road that was mainly being built up.

The Great Western Union Railway was built running to the West of England and a station was opened at Haven Green, Ealing in 1838. In 1879, the Metropolitan District line was extended with stations at Ealing Broadway and Ealing Common. District line stations were later opened at Northfields in South Ealing and later one at North Ealing.

It was to be at the turn of the century that Ealing was to be substantially developed.

In 1901, trams started running through Ealing along the Uxbridge Road from Southall to Shepherds Bush

Ealing is well known to filmgoers for the "Ealing Comedies" made by Ealing Studios at The Green Ealing during the 1940s and 1950s. The Ealing complex was sold off to the BBC in 1955.