My Greenford Memories

A Memory of Greenford.

I was born in Perivale Maternity Hospital in 1955 and lived in the flats in Dabs Hill Lane, Northolt until I was 3. We then moved to Ferrymead Avenue in Greenford. It was a strange little bungalow on the corner of Eastmead Avenue and Ferrymead Avenue. The building had two doors that both opened directly on to the pavement of Eastmead Avenue (what was then the back door has now been removed but the step remains), with the front garden on Ferrymead Avenue and the back garden on Eastmead Avenue, both accessed only from the adjoining pavement. It was cold in winter and the water pipes often froze solid.
Whilst living here I attended Ravenor Junior School on the Ruislip Road, went to Cubs at the back of the Holy Cross Church and played on the swings in Ravenor Park. We often visited Greenford Broadway for our shopping. I remember on the opposite side of the road from the Police Station, Library and Clinic, were two List the Baker shops (I could never understand why they had two so close together), a Pet Shop, a Coffee shop and a Hardware store that sold paraffin and all sorts of pots, pans and things.
On the Broadway there was Woolworths, and after the Market closed in the old Bus Garage, the Fresh Fish Shop and opposite there was Burtons, with the Snooker hall (later a Bingo hall) above. Then the entrance to Stanhope Senior Boys School, where I would attend in the late sixties, early seventies, the Carpet shop, TV Rentals shop, Sweetshop and the Tobacconist on the corner. Then there was the Broadway Cafe where all the Bus Crews used to have their lunch, before you got to the Travel agents, the little Off Licence and then the Red Lion Pub. I went to Saturday morning pictures at the Granada Cinema (now Tesco's) and at 14 I had a Saturday job in Woolworths, first working in the stockroom and then on the electrical counter. I have fond memories of getting Fish and Chips at the shop near to the Post Office and green grocery from the stall that was first opposite the Market and later moved to the corner of Greenford Road and the Broadway.
My wife worked at Lyons Tetley when I met her and both my parents had worked and met there before they married.


Added 07 December 2013

#306754

Comments & Feedback

My name is Barry Paxton,I remember Peter Wilkinson we both attended Ravenor and Stanhope schools together, I also remember the bungalow in Eastmead avenue, it was not far from Ravenor Park where the ww2 air raid shelters, dug into the ground, could still be accessed if you could lever off the covers!
My GP, Dr Scoones, lived in the mock Tudor house opposite the Ruislip road entrance to Ravenor Park. Hope you are well Peter.
I was amazed and delighted when I Googled Dr Scoones to find a link.

My name was Janet Elms-Lester and our family had Dr Scoones as our GP. He used a surgery opposite his house built on the side of another house right beside the park. He used to sit facing his desk and didn't even look up when we entered. Just said "yes?"

Somewhere near to his home was a front garden with a square fish pond, with goldfish. I used to look over the wall to see it.

I went to Coston Secondary Modern Girls' school at the bottom of Oldfield Road. There was a tuck-shop on the walk home up the hill right hand side. French's? We would buy a Curly Wurly some days to sustain us. I had about a mile and a half walk I'm guessing. I lived in Towers Road at the top of another hill so the walk home from school always struck me as tiring.

I recall some of the shops mentioned above by Peter in Greenford Broadway. When I was very young there was an old fashioned Sainsbury's around half way along (somewhere around but opposite the bus station turning). It had tiled walls, paper parcels for our items and a money chute which sucked the money away through tubes. I must have only been a toddler so that fascinated me.

Then I think a big new Sainsbury's supermarket opened facing the Greenford Hall.

When I was a bit older I recall "Woolies" where we bought the latest singles. Though I think there may also have been a record shop which had 4-5 sets of headphones to listen before you bought a record.

Saturday morning Cinema always had an A and B film. It was quite cheap and mum dropped me off with a friend while she got on with her shopping etc. Maybe I didn't go very often as the only film I remember seeing was Yellow Submarine and all the girls just screamed throughout it (me when Paul McCartney came on). One of the B films was about hang gliding and I guess I remember this because one if the hang gliders smashed into a cliff face! Hardly a U Rating!

I think there was a fruit and veg stall on the corner at the crossroads.

I was amazed and delighted when I Googled Dr Scoones to find a link.

My name was Janet Elms-Lester and our family had Dr Scoones as our GP. He used a surgery opposite his house built on the side of another house right beside the park. He used to sit facing his desk and didn't even look up when we entered. Just said "yes?"

Somewhere near to his home was a front garden with a square fish pond, with goldfish. I used to look over the wall to see it.

I went to Coston Secondary Modern Girls' school at the bottom of Oldfield Lane. There was a tuck-shop on the walk home up the hill right hand side. French's? We would buy a Curly Wurly some days to sustain us. I had about a mile and a half walk I'm guessing. I lived in Towers Road at the top of another hill so the walk home from school always struck me as tiring.

I recall some of the shops mentioned above by Peter in Greenford Broadway. When I was very young there was an old fashioned Sainsbury's around half way along (somewhere around but opposite the bus station turning). It had tiled walls, paper parcels for our items and a money chute which sucked the money away through tubes. I must have only been a toddler so that fascinated me.

Then I think a big new Sainsbury's supermarket opened facing the Greenford Hall.

When I was a bit older I recall "Woolies" where we bought the latest singles. Though I think there may also have been a record shop which had 4-5 sets of headphones to listen before you bought a record.

Saturday morning Cinema always had an A and B film. It was quite cheap and mum dropped me off with a friend while she got on with her shopping etc. Maybe I didn't go very often as the only film I remember seeing was Yellow Submarine and all the girls just screamed throughout it (me when Paul McCartney came on). One of the B films was about hang gliding and I guess I remember this because one if the hang gliders smashed into a cliff face! Hardly a U Rating!

I think there was a fruit and veg stall on the corner at the crossroads.

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