Greenford
Encyclopedia
Greenford is a large suburb in the London Borough of Ealing
in west London
, UK. It was historically an ancient parish in the former county of Middlesex
. The most prominent landmarks in the suburb are the A40
, a major dual-carriageway; Horsenden Hill
, 85 metres (278.9 ft) above sea level; the small Parish Church
of Holy Cross (14th century); and Betham House, built by Edward Betham (c. 1780). The Greenford post town covers a very large area.
. The affixes 'Magna' and 'Parva' have also been used to denote the difference.
, that the world's first aniline
dye was discovered in March 1856. Perkin called his amazing discovery 'mauveine
'. Today there is a blue plaque
marking the spot in Oldfield Lane North, just south of the Black Horse Public House
. Greenford is home to the Hovis
factory. The former Rockware glassworks
on the canal is commemorated by Rockware Avenue. Greenford formed part of Greenford Urban District
from 1894 to 1926 and was then absorbed by the Municipal Borough of Ealing
.
group called the Detours, who met a drummer there called Keith Moon
. On Thursday 20 February 1964 they were introduced to the audience of the Oldfield Tavern as The Who
. (The Tavern has not survived, however, and has since been replaced by a small block of flats and a Texaco
petrol station.)
, on the Central line
.
, on the First Great Western
.
South Greenford station
, on the First Great Western
.
, E3
, E5, E6
, E7, E9 and E10.
Until 1910, the land that formed Ravenor Farm / Ravenor Park was a detached part of Northolt
parish, with the tithes to the land going to St. Mary's Church, Northolt
and not the Greenford parish of Holy Cross.
The former Ravenor Farm buildings in Oldfield Lane South are now home to the London Motorcycle Museum
.
venue and open meetings were staged 1928–1930 . The track would be called a long track now, as it was of the order of half a mile/800 metres per lap. The trotting park was situated on what is now Birkbeck Avenue, just north of the A40
Western Avenue.
The London Motorcycle Museum
is housed in the row of converted milking sheds in front of the Heritage Centre.
, IBM
, GlaxoSmithKline
(GSK, pharmaceutical research and development), Panavision
, Panalux, P&O
(Distribution Centre) and Royal Mail
(Regional distribution centre). KBR has an office in Greenford.
ary constituency, represented since 1997 by Labour
MP
Stephen Pound.
Greenford is made up of three and a half electoral wards for local council
election
s: Greenford Broadway, Greenford Green, North Greenford and half of the Lady Margaret ward, which is situated on the south side of Greenford Broadway. These wards all elect councillors to Ealing Council
. Ealing Council is currently run by a Labour administration.
Political status of Ealing Council:
Greenford is in the London Assembly
constituency of Ealing and Hillingdon which has one assembly member: Richard Barnes (Conservative), who was re-elected in May 2008.
London Borough of Ealing
The London Borough of Ealing is a borough in west London.-Location:The London Borough of Ealing borders the London Borough of Hillingdon to the west, the London Borough of Harrow and the London Borough of Brent to the north, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham to the east and the London...
in west London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, UK. It was historically an ancient parish in the former county of Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
. The most prominent landmarks in the suburb are the A40
A40 road
The A40 is a major trunk road connecting London to Fishguard, Wales and officially called The London to Fishguard Trunk Road in all legal documents and Acts...
, a major dual-carriageway; Horsenden Hill
Horsenden Hill
Horsenden Hill is a hill and open space, located in the Perivale, Sudbury, and Greenford areas of London, UK. It is in the London Borough of Ealing, close to the boundary with the London Borough of Brent. It is one of the higher eminences in the local area, rising to 85m / 276 ft above sea level,...
, 85 metres (278.9 ft) above sea level; the small Parish Church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of Holy Cross (14th century); and Betham House, built by Edward Betham (c. 1780). The Greenford post town covers a very large area.
Toponymy
The name is first recorded in 848 as Grenan forda. It is formed from the Old English 'grēne' and 'ford' and means 'place at the green ford'. Greenford was known as Great Greenford in order to distinguish it from Little Greenford, which is now known as PerivalePerivale
Perivale is a small suburb in the London Borough of Ealing, west of Charing Cross, central London. Landmarks in the suburb include the A40, a large road that connects Central London with the M40 motorway, and the large Art Deco Hoover Building, as well as St Mary's Church , the River Brent and...
. The affixes 'Magna' and 'Parva' have also been used to denote the difference.
Industrial
Greenford is considered to be birthplace of the modern organic chemical industry, as it was at William Perkin's chemical factory in North Greenford, by the Grand Union CanalGrand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks...
, that the world's first aniline
Aniline
Aniline, phenylamine or aminobenzene is an organic compound with the formula C6H5NH2. Consisting of a phenyl group attached to an amino group, aniline is the prototypical aromatic amine. Being a precursor to many industrial chemicals, its main use is in the manufacture of precursors to polyurethane...
dye was discovered in March 1856. Perkin called his amazing discovery 'mauveine
Mauveine
Mauveine, also known as aniline purple and Perkin's mauve, was the first synthetic organic chemical dye.Its chemical name is3-amino-2,±9-dimethyl-5-phenyl-7-phenazinium acetate...
'. Today there is a blue plaque
Blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker....
marking the spot in Oldfield Lane North, just south of the Black Horse Public House
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
. Greenford is home to the Hovis
Hovis
Hovis is a UK brand of flour and bread, owned by Premier Foods. The brand, which began in 1886, ended up as part of Rank Hovis McDougall in 1962 after a succession of mergers. RHM, whose bread making division has been known as British Bakeries since 1955, also owns the Mother's Pride and Nimble...
factory. The former Rockware glassworks
Rockware Glass
Rockware Glass is a UK company manufacturing glass containers.The company has a works at Doncaster, South Yorkshire, Worksop, Nottinghamshire, Knottingley West Yorkshire and Irvine, Scotland...
on the canal is commemorated by Rockware Avenue. Greenford formed part of Greenford Urban District
Greenford Urban District
Greenford Urban District was an urban district of Middlesex, England from 1894 to 1926.It was formed from the parishes of Greenford, Perivale and West Twyford. It replaced the Brentford rural sanitary district, which covered these parishes....
from 1894 to 1926 and was then absorbed by the Municipal Borough of Ealing
Municipal Borough of Ealing
Ealing was a local government district from 1863 to 1965 around the town of Ealing.A local board of health was formed for the southern part of the parish of Ealing, Middlesex, in 1863. In 1873 the board's area was extended to the rest of the parish....
.
Art and culture
Five hundred yards north east from William Perkin's dye factory was a triangular field in which he kept horses. On this ground was built the Oldfield Tavern public house, which became a popular venue for a rockRock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
group called the Detours, who met a drummer there called Keith Moon
Keith Moon
Keith John Moon was an English musician, best known for being the drummer of the English rock group The Who. He gained acclaim for his exuberant and innovative drumming style, and notoriety for his eccentric and often self-destructive behaviour, earning him the nickname "Moon the Loon". Moon...
. On Thursday 20 February 1964 they were introduced to the audience of the Oldfield Tavern as The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
. (The Tavern has not survived, however, and has since been replaced by a small block of flats and a Texaco
Texaco
Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....
petrol station.)
Expansion
| 1881 | 538 |
|---|---|
| 1891 | 545 |
| 1901 | 672 |
| 1911 | 843 |
| 1921 | 1,199 |
| Absorbed by Ealing parish ► Ealing Ealing is a suburban area of west London, England and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Ealing. It is located west of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a rural village... |
|
| source: UK census | |
Education
- The Cardinal Wiseman SchoolThe Cardinal Wiseman SchoolThe Cardinal Wiseman Roman Catholic School, commonly known as The Cardinal Wiseman School, is a Roman Catholic school comprising a comprehensive secondary school and The Cardinal Wiseman School Sixth Form located in Greenford, London...
- Coston Primary School
- Edward Betham Primary School
- Greenford High SchoolGreenford High SchoolGreenford High School is a mixed 11-19 secondary school with a comprehensive intake located in the London Borough of Ealing.-History:When it was built, in 1939, the then Greenford County School was a grammar school for boys and girls...
- Oldfield Primary School
- Our Lady Of The Visitation Catholic Primary School
Tube
Greenford stationGreenford station
Greenford station is a London Underground and National Rail station in Greenford, Greater London, and is owned and managed by LUL. It is the terminus of the National Rail Greenford Branch Line, and is in Travelcard Zone 4.-History:...
, on the Central line
Central Line
The Central line is a London Underground line, coloured red on the tube map. It is a deep-level "tube" line, running east-west across London, and, at , has the greatest total length of track of any line on the Underground. Of the 49 stations served, 20 are below ground...
.
Rail
Greenford stationGreenford station
Greenford station is a London Underground and National Rail station in Greenford, Greater London, and is owned and managed by LUL. It is the terminus of the National Rail Greenford Branch Line, and is in Travelcard Zone 4.-History:...
, on the First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
.
South Greenford station
South Greenford railway station
South Greenford station is in the London Borough of Ealing in west London, and is on the Greenford branch in Travelcard Zone 4. It and the trains serving it, are operated by First Great Western.-History:...
, on the First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
.
Buses
Greenford has the following bus routes travelling through it: 92, 95, 282, E1London Buses route E1
London Buses route E1 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. The service is currently contracted to First Centrewest.-History:...
, E3
London Buses route E3
London Buses route E3 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to First Centrewest.-History:...
, E5, E6
London Buses route E6
London Buses route E6 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Metroline.-History:...
, E7, E9 and E10.
Recreation
The grounds of the former Ravenor Farm has become Greenford's largest park. It is the venue for the annual Greenford Carnival, which is held every July.Until 1910, the land that formed Ravenor Farm / Ravenor Park was a detached part of Northolt
Northolt
Northolt is a town in the London Borough of Ealing, England. The town has London Underground and Network Rail stations and is on the A40 road...
parish, with the tithes to the land going to St. Mary's Church, Northolt
St Mary the Virgin, Northolt
St Mary the Virgin is a 13th century Anglican parish church in Northolt, London. Located on Ealing Road, it stands on a slope that originally overlooked the old village of Northolt and is situated adjacent to the site of a 15th century manor house. It is one of London's smallest churches, with a...
and not the Greenford parish of Holy Cross.
The former Ravenor Farm buildings in Oldfield Lane South are now home to the London Motorcycle Museum
London Motorcycle Museum
The London Motorcycle Museum opened in May 1999 at Oldfield Lane South, Greenford, Middlesex. A charitable trust, it displays a range of over 150 classic and British motorcycles. Notable exhibits include the last Triumph Bonneville T140 out of the Meriden gates in 1983.-History:Bill Crosby, the...
.
Sport
The trotting track at Greenford was a pioneer speedwayMotorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
venue and open meetings were staged 1928–1930 . The track would be called a long track now, as it was of the order of half a mile/800 metres per lap. The trotting park was situated on what is now Birkbeck Avenue, just north of the A40
A40 road (London)
The A40 in London is an A road in Central and West London. It runs from outside St. Paul's Cathedral to Fishguard. The A40 in London is an A road in Central and West London. It runs from outside St. Paul's Cathedral to Fishguard. The A40 in London is an A road in Central and West London. It runs...
Western Avenue.
Places of interest
The Heritage Centre: a cornucopia of British-made domestic paraphernalia of 20th century is on display - a variety of household items that were commonly found in British homes and gardens in the past.The London Motorcycle Museum
London Motorcycle Museum
The London Motorcycle Museum opened in May 1999 at Oldfield Lane South, Greenford, Middlesex. A charitable trust, it displays a range of over 150 classic and British motorcycles. Notable exhibits include the last Triumph Bonneville T140 out of the Meriden gates in 1983.-History:Bill Crosby, the...
is housed in the row of converted milking sheds in front of the Heritage Centre.
Economy
Significant local businesses include: British BakeriesBritish Bakeries
British Bakeries is the bread making arm of Rank Hovis McDougall, manufacturing Hovis, Nimble and Mothers Pride as well as supermarket's own brand bread for shops such as Tesco, Asda and The Co-operative Group. British Bakeries parent company is Premier Foods...
, IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline plc is a global pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...
(GSK, pharmaceutical research and development), Panavision
Panavision
Panavision is an American motion picture equipment company specializing in cameras and lenses, based in Woodland Hills, California. Formed by Robert Gottschalk as a small partnership to create anamorphic projection lenses during the widescreen boom in the 1950s, Panavision expanded its product...
, Panalux, P&O
Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company
The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, which is usually known as P&O, is a British shipping and logistics company which dated from the early 19th century. Following its sale in March 2006 to Dubai Ports World for £3.9 billion, it became a subsidiary of DP World; however, the P&O...
(Distribution Centre) and Royal Mail
Royal Mail
Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...
(Regional distribution centre). KBR has an office in Greenford.
Political representation
Greenford is part of the Ealing North UK parliamentParliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
ary constituency, represented since 1997 by Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Stephen Pound.
Greenford is made up of three and a half electoral wards for local council
Local government in the United Kingdom
The pattern of local government in England is complex, with the distribution of functions varying according to the local arrangements. Legislation concerning local government in England is decided by the Parliament and Government of the United Kingdom, because England does not have a devolved...
election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
s: Greenford Broadway, Greenford Green, North Greenford and half of the Lady Margaret ward, which is situated on the south side of Greenford Broadway. These wards all elect councillors to Ealing Council
London Borough of Ealing
The London Borough of Ealing is a borough in west London.-Location:The London Borough of Ealing borders the London Borough of Hillingdon to the west, the London Borough of Harrow and the London Borough of Brent to the north, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham to the east and the London...
. Ealing Council is currently run by a Labour administration.
Political status of Ealing Council:
- Labour: 40 seats
- ConservativesConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
: 24 seats - Liberal DemocratsLiberal DemocratsThe Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
: 5 seats
Greenford is in the London Assembly
London Assembly
The London Assembly is an elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds majority, to amend the mayor's annual budget. The assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at City Hall on the south...
constituency of Ealing and Hillingdon which has one assembly member: Richard Barnes (Conservative), who was re-elected in May 2008.
Nearest places
Notable people
- Sculptor C.J. AllenC.J. AllenCharles John Allen was a British sculptor, a figure in the New Sculpture movement.Born in Greenford, Middlesex, Allen studied at the Lambeth School of Art and then apprenticed with the London architectural sculpture firm Farmer & Brindley in 1879 and became the assistant to Hamo Thornycroft for...
(1862-1956), a figure in the New SculptureNew SculptureThe New Sculpture refers to a movement in late 19th-century British sculpture.The term "New Sculpture" was coined by the first historian of the movement, the critic Edmund Gosse, who wrote a four-part series for the Art Journal in 1894...
movement, was born in Greenford
- Tennis player Blanche BingleyBlanche BingleyBlanche Bingley was an English tennis player.Born in Greenford in the London Borough of Ealing, Blanche Bingley was a member of the "Ealing Lawn Tennis & Archery Club." In 1884, she competed in the first ever Wimbledon championships for women and two years later captured the first of her six...
(1863-1946), six times women's singles champion at Wimbledon, was born in Greenford
- Comedian Freddie FrintonFreddie FrintonFreddie Frinton, born Frederick Bittiner Coo was an English comedian who remains a household name in Germany and Scandinavia because of his performance in Dinner for One....
(1909-1968), who remains a household name in Germany and Scandinavia, lived in Greenford
- Jack GoodJack Good (producer)Jack Good is a pioneering former TV television producer, musical theatre producer, record producer, musician and painter of icons.-Career:...
, pioneering music TV producerTelevision producerThe primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
with links to artists including The BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
and The MonkeesThe MonkeesThe Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
, was born in Greenford
- Nineteenth-century actor Charles KeanCharles KeanCharles John Kean , was born at Waterford, Ireland, the son of the actor Edmund Kean.After preparatory education at Worplesdon and at Greenford, near Harrow, he was sent to Eton College, where he remained three years...
(1811-1868) grew up partly in Greenford
- Singing sisters The NolansThe NolansThe Nolans are an Anglo-Irish all-female band consisting of a group of sisters. The group, best known for their song "I'm In the Mood for Dancing", gained prominence as guest performers on numerous television shows in the United Kingdom...
attended the Cardinal Wiseman SchoolThe Cardinal Wiseman SchoolThe Cardinal Wiseman Roman Catholic School, commonly known as The Cardinal Wiseman School, is a Roman Catholic school comprising a comprehensive secondary school and The Cardinal Wiseman School Sixth Form located in Greenford, London...
in Greenford
- Drummer Doug SandomDoug SandomDoug Sandom is a British drummer who was the original drummer for the English rock band The Who. During the infancy of the band's career, while they were playing as The Detours , Sandom, a bricklayer, joined as drummer...
, Keith MoonKeith MoonKeith John Moon was an English musician, best known for being the drummer of the English rock group The Who. He gained acclaim for his exuberant and innovative drumming style, and notoriety for his eccentric and often self-destructive behaviour, earning him the nickname "Moon the Loon". Moon...
's predecessor in rockRock musicRock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band The WhoThe WhoThe Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, lives in Greenford
- Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant GeneralLieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Sir William ThorntonWilliam Thornton (British Army officer)Lieutenant General Sir William Thornton KCB was a British Army officer who served as Lieutenant Governor of Jersey.-Military career:...
(1779-1840), a leader of the Light BrigadeLight BrigadeLight Brigade is a term made famous by the Charge of the Light Brigade, but is also used in various military contexts:* A Light infantry brigade* A Light cavalry brigade* A brigade within the Light Division...
, lived in Greenford