Wood End Schools

A Memory of Northolt.

Both my wife and I went to Wood End schools. In our day, a girl who did not pass the 11+ exam would spend her whole school life in the one school, going through Nursery, Infants, Junior and Senior schools. As there were no senior boys, we had to go to Horsenden Secondary Boys School, or Grammar school if you passed the 11+. The big field you refer to behind the school was J Lyons and co sports field. It was vast, and catered to many sports, football rugby cricket, archery,bowls athletics, and a very nice swimming pool, which was used by the school to teach swimming. Lyons sports day was a massive occasion, with people working for the company attending from all over the country. There was even a gate off the tube station( Sudbury Hill) directly into the sports field, so you didnt have to go through the station. I saw many internationally famous athletes there, it was a truly great event. Sadly in I think the early 70s it was severely under used, and so in exchange for some dodgy planning permission to develop some land opposite Lyons factory's in Oldfield Lane, the sports field was sold to Ealing Council to build a large council estate. My memories of the schools were whilst in the infants, the headmistress was a large lady called( i think) Mrs Butler. She used to turn up at school each morning in a very small grey Austin 7 with another very large lady teacher. Every morning we used to watch these lady's get out of the car, and it almost seemed to give a sigh of relief, and rise about a foot on the springs. On going up to the Junior school, It was quite a shock, it was run by the head Mr Henton as a quasi Prep school. All surnames and Houses, He was a ex military man, and it was just after the war, so the houses were named after war leaders, Tedder Cunningham Mountbatten and my house Montgomery(all very Harry Potter) In the last few days there have been on the TV reports about Sir Roger Banisters Illness, and the fact that it was 60 years since he broke the 4 minute mile. I can remember being in the boys playground when one of the boys broke the news. Cant remember why but we were all so excited. Happy days, all so long ago. I am afraid to say that I just don't understand the modern world. Fortunately I have great grand kids ( its even passing my kids by) Who help me cope, with remote controls and computers and mobiles etc. Hey Ho I've still got some of my marbles

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Added 08 May 2014

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Comments & Feedback

By marsid on Fri Sep 19th 2014, at 7:24 pm

What years was you there . My father was the caretaker of woodend school and I went to the juniors and secondary modern girls school. My sister just went to the infants .Its all so so different now and the senoir school has been knocked down .Happy memories. My name at the time was susan Rooke

By susansofutorunu on Thu Sep 25th 2014, at 10:07 pm

I was born in 1943, so I would have started in 48, in the infants, and left to go to Horsenden in 54. The only Rook I can recall was a Terry, who lived in Carr Road, and was in my clas, but he didnt have an E at the end of his name.. Through the social media, I have been in contact with a chap call Gregory Ferrier, who was born the day after me in Perivale Maternity hospital, and was in the next cot. We went through all the schools together, but lost contact when we went into the big wide world. Its been so good E mailing each other and catching up on the passing years. We both remember the same things but have different memory's of the same things, which have jogged each others recall. Its strange that I have a class photo taken probably in the last year of Infant school, which I shared with Greg. We can put a name to most of the boys, but neither of us can put names to the girls .Marilyn, my wife, was born in 47, and was in the nursery, and went right through till she left in !961/2, and her maiden name was Parry. We are going up to Beaconsfield where we lived for 20 years for a few days in Dec and I hope to visit N Greenford during that visit. As we have no family in the area now, they are all dead or moved away, it will be interesting to see the old places, but as you say, its all so changed. Even the Greenwood is no longer a pub, and Lyons, where I worked for many years is gone. Its strange Marilyn and I were foster parents for 25 years, and I always told the kids that I hated school, but writing on sites like this and on social media sites I now realise that those days were not that bad, and can now look back with quite fond memory's.

By John Bowring on Tue Nov 4th 2014, at 12:43 pm

Hi John
I started school at Wood End in 1945 the only teacher I can remember was a Ms Ford who later married another of the teachers. I then went to the junior school, the headmaster being Mr E H Henton. My form teacher in 1950/51 was Mr D Hutchinson. I then went on to Horsenden. My Auntie, Uncle and cousins lived in Carr rd on the corner with Rothesay ave their name was Colwell, the cousins names were Terry and David. I played football for Wood End in 50/51 when we won the schools shield, a photo of the team is on the wall in front of me now. I also played for the Ealing schools 11. I now live in sunny Perth Australia and only come back to the UK to see my grand children and old friend. I have three children one in England (Amersham) one in Dubai, Married to the headmaster of an English speaking school (JESS) and one in Perth Oz.
Best wishes
Roy Wingrove

By rwingrove1940 on Sat Mar 21st 2015, at 6:01 am

aho, I'm much later (younger) having started Wood End infants in 1970, followed my elder sister to Greenwood middle then went onto Walford High. We had House names of famous British athletes, Bannister, Peters (Mary), Mckenzie (black weigh lifter) and a fourth that escapes me. Used to walk to school 5 mins from Oldfield Circus.

By c.p.james on Sat Jan 23rd 2016, at 10:14 pm

By louisa_heath on Sun Sep 25th 2016, at 9:38 am

Started wood end infants Sept 1967 in Mrs Abbas class..she was lovely. Always remember doing the register run where you had to go into each class each morning to deliver the registers to each teacher..terribly responsible job for a five year old. Mrs Oliver was scary to me as she wore tweedy suits with brown shiny lace up shoes and had dark hair scraped back in to a tight bun with pointy features! I used to place her register on her able and nearly run back out! Always remember the dettol smell in the medical room and when it was hot we were let out on the field to play and sat in the shade under the poplar trees 😊 my name then was Louisa Attard and went on to the juniors and a short spell at the secondary modern for girls before going to Waldord high.

By louisa_heath on Sun Sep 25th 2016, at 9:49 am

By Bob Whiting on Fri May 26th 2017, at 10:40 pm

I was born in 1940and attended a pre school then went to woodend infants 1945 woodend junior and then on to Horsenden Secondary Modern in 1953
looking for any classmates still going strong !

By donmackay221 on Sun Jan 14th 2018, at 9:16 pm

Hi, just found this website and was reading your comments about wood end school, when I saw you named your wife as Marallyn Parry, nearly fell off my chair, I used to be friends with Maralyn, my name then was Pamela Simons and lived in wood end gardens, I remember sneaking out my best clothes from my home as my mum was a dragon and changing at her house then going out to enjoy ourselves, coming back to her house changing back, wiping off the makeup and sneaking back home. Happy days, now living in Cornwall, no relatives left in Northolt.

By map1947 on Tue Aug 7th 2018, at 10:34 am

I went to Wood End infants in the mid Sixties and remember Mrs Page as one of the teachers. The Headmaster of the junior school was Mr Callery or something similar. The houses then were Andrew, David, George and Patrick. There was a scary teacher who excelled with a slipper on regular occasions, can't remember his name but he lived down Carr Road and like nearly everybody walked to school. We used to look forward to the summer days when we were allowed to play on the field at lunchtime as opposed to playing war in the playground. I remember playing Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island the school play one year. Happy distant memories.

By Alan Pearson on Mon Nov 26th 2018, at 8:39 am

My mother, Sheila Gosling taught at Wood End Infants around 1943. I have some old photos of the pupils and the staff but no names on the pictures. There is also a photo of a staff play that she produced. Snowhite. She was Snowhite and a Jessie Donaldson was the bad Baron. The final picture shows the staff in 1944 with a note on the back saying they had to be evacuated to Derby, Hasting Street School.

By jeanne.cummins on Sat Jan 12th 2019, at 9:16 pm

Thats interesting Jeanne. I honestly thought it was only from the East end of London that people were evacuated. Did she actually go? I was born in Perivale in March 43 and lived in Wadham Gardens, and cant remember my mum telling me that anyone was even offered to be evacuated. My first memory was of a V bomb landing in Lyons Sports field and my dad and a neighbour running off to see what had happened, He had all his Home Guard uniform on, minus his helmet. Mum chased after him with it. Don't know when that was but I could only have been a baby They say that you don't remember much before the age of 5 but I think this was quite dramatic so is in my mind. I do know that the explosion jammed all the windows in the back of our house. as I was the one to free them when I was a teenager. This all happened very late in the war.

By John Bowring on Fri Jan 18th 2019, at 10:52 am

My name was Brenda Cummings, I lived with my family in Morton Court, Whitton Avenue west, born in 1943 and went to Wood End in 48 to 55. I had an Aunt and Uncle in Clausen Avenue and also in Killowen Avenue. My best friend lived in Reading Road. My sister Doreen Cummings went right through the whole school.
Such happy days looking back.

By fredandbrenda162 on Mon Mar 25th 2019, at 9:38 pm

Hello John .I am Terry Rooks younger brother .I spoke to him last night after finding this page last week .He does remember you and passes on his regards .Like all of us memory not as good as it once was but he seems to remember you lived in Wadham Gdns and you used to drink in the Greenwood .And he seems to remember you used to go around with Don Forger .Terry and Don never got on .He also married a Northolt girl that worked for Lyons Marilyn Eliot lived in Rothesey avenue .He still lives up that way in Eastcote .

By John Rook on Mon Nov 4th 2019, at 7:50 pm

I remember the headmaster Mr Callery. Walked to school from Curry Road. School matron was nice and caring. Had some younger teachers there like Miss Schulz and older ones like Mr Day who was music teacher I believe

By beirne.pat on Thu Aug 6th 2020, at 8:54 pm

Yes the head master was mr Callery and his wife taught in the girls school, I had her in the second and forth year.I was at Woodend from 1965to 1974 the went to Northolt high.

By Deborah Brett on Fri Jan 29th 2021, at 10:50 am

That scary teacher with the slipper would be Mr Rose. He would chalk the victim’s initials in reverse on the slipper and demonstrate, in a manner of speaking, how a printing press worked :-)

By Paul Gleave on Mon Jul 5th 2021, at 7:52 pm

I was at wood around 1958 to 1963, I recall teachers names such Mr Young, Mr Ransom, if I am not mistaken, can anyone confirm? I lived in Clauson Avenue.

By Alan Johnson on Mon Jan 20th 2025, at 11:24 pm

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