A Grand Opening

A Memory of Cowley.

We lived briefly in Ferndale Crescent (nr 35). This was defined as Uxbridge then but the boundaries were never quite clear and have become even more blurred with the march of time. It must have been around '57 when we moved in and the same year I think was the Grand Opening of a petrol station on Cowley Rd, on the Uxbridge end of the crescent. It only had 2 petrol pumps. I remember the banners and flags across the forecourt announcing a brass band and that 'Yana' would grace us with her presence to cut the ribbon. For the uninitiated: Diana Dors was the reigning British sex godess of the day and her particular look gave birth to a spate of look-alikes. Number 2 was 'Sabrina' (launched by comedian Arthur Askey) and 'Yana' (launched by rival comedian Charlie Chester) number 3. Hand on hip, platinum blond hair swept over one shoulder and a plunging neckline leading , via an eyeboggling bust, to an hourglass waistline. They made stage and public appearances without saying much at all and became, for a fleeting moment, household names and in fact raised large sums for charitable causes. Another world!