North Greenford In The Late 40s And 50s

A Memory of Greenford.

I was born in Perivale Maternity Hospital in 1943. Like so many of your writers growing up then was a magical time; the freedom we had to wander the fields, play and fish in the canal (in homemade boats that always sank, and with rods that always broke), can no longer be enjoyed by any children. I lived in Wadham Gardens, went to school in Wood End Infants and Junior boys, then to finish off in Horsenden Secondary Modern Boys. My first memory of our surroundings was of a large steam crane with a wrecking ball knocking down an air raid shelter that stood opposite us in Worcester Gardens, and going shopping with Mum to Oldfield Circus. Home and Colonial, Williams Brothers,Harbers the sweet shop, Biggs the butchers and of course the Coop. Why did I always forget the Coop number(718569) but can remember it now. Of course one remembers certain shops because that was where you were registered for the ration, we queued outside them for what seemed like hours. The last thing my Mum said as I was going out to play was, "don't go near the canal" so of course that was the first place we headed. There was a clanking old crane that unloaded coal off the barges into Glaxo's, and another in Lyons tea dock,that also unloaded railway wagons that came off the sidings from Greenford Station. We always knew when it was going to rain because you could smell the coffee from Lyons. If we continued along the bank to Northolt and crossed the foot bridge, there was a field full of surplus tanks, guns,bren gun carriers etc, what a playground for young boys. Although there was a watchman, he must have been pretty ineffectual, because although he chased us, he never caught anybody. A gun site also was at the western side of the Aladdin factory on the Western Avenue (now B and Q). Greenford itself was a long walk or a ride on the 92 bus, and we only really went there for the yearly trip to Abernathy's, opposite the Granada, for our school uniforms. This outfitters must have heard the immortal words "I know its a bit on the large size, but you will grow into it, and its got to last all year" every September for generations. Greenford was also the place to go to the cinema, having two, the Granada and the Playhouse. The first was very plush and polished, but the Playhouse was the opposite. I remember sitting in there with Mum and Dad while it snowed outside. Very soon there were people sitting in there with umbrellas up, because the roof was leaking. Just down the hill from there the River Brent went under the road through a culvert, and this was always blocking causing severe flooding several times a year. Another abiding memory that I have was the factory hooters. During the war factory starting times were staggered to stop too many people being on the streets at the start and finish of work. Each factory had a hooter that sounded the start of work, so they went off at quarter hour intervals from about seven o'clock, Mum shouting up the stairs "I hope you are up and ready for school, the Lyons hooters just gone off" This area of N Greenford was very heavily industrialised, Glaxo, Lyons, Lyons Maid, Rockware Glass, British Bath Works, Aladdins, Durasteel,all employed many people, both men and women. Most of them factory's are now gone. I am seventy this year but still have fond memories of walking through Berkeley Fields to Horsenden Hill with a packet of sandwiches and a bottle of Corona Dandelion and Burdock for a picnic. Ain't it amazing how the sun shone so much more in them days?