Perivale () is a mainly residential suburban town of

Greater London Greater London is an administrative area in England, coterminous with the London region, containing most of the continuous urban area of London. It contains 33 local government districts: the 32 London boroughs, which form a Ceremonial count ...

, west of

Charing Cross Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Since the early 19th century, Charing Cross has been the notional "centre of London" and became the point from which distances from London are measured. ...

. It is the smallest of the seven towns which make up the

London Borough of Ealing The London Borough of Ealing () is a London boroughs, London borough in London, England. It comprises the districts of Acton, London, Acton, Ealing, Greenford, Hanwell, Northolt, Perivale and Southall. With a population of 367,100 inhabitants, i ...

Perivale is predominately residential, with a library, community centre, a number of parks and open spaces, as well as a large industrial estate. Landmarks include the grade II* listed

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

Hoover Building, as well as St Mary's Church (c. 12th century), Horsenden Hill park and Perivale Wood Local Nature Reserve run by the Selborne Society. Perivale forms part of the UB6 postcode area, along with Greenford.

Toponymy

The name of Perivale was first used in 1508, where it was spelt "Pyryvale". The word seems to be a compound of perie (pear tree) and vale, a wide valley. Until then, Perivale was often called "Little Greenford" or "Greenford Parva", to distinguish it from its larger neighbour Great Greenford.

History

Origins and early history

Source: Historically, it was a parish in the

hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101. In mathematics 100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...

of Elthorne, in the county of

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

. Perivale was one of the county's smallest parishes up until the early twentieth century, at just and a negligible population. The church of St Mary's, Perivale is one of London's oldest churches, dating to at least the early thirteenth century. The church is south of the A40, off Perivale Lane. The neighbouring fifteenth-century Rectory House was demolished in 1958. Perivale was a farming area from at least the fourteenth century. At this date, Perivale consisted of woodland and fields used for arable farming. During the fifteenth century, a grand, three-storey manor house, ''Perivale Manor'', was commissioned by Henry Myllett, a prominent Perivale resident. The house was surrounded by a moat, gardens, orchards and outbuildings. Perivale Manor, which was close to St Mary's Church, was demolished around 1784. Canal boats at Perivale

From the sixteenth century, wheat was the main crop in the area, a crop for which Perivale gained a high reputation. With

industrialisation Industrialisation ( UK) or industrialization ( US) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive reorganisation of an economy for th ...

, much of Perivale's land began to be used to grow grass for hay to feed London's horses. The building of the Paddington Branch of the Grand Union Canal in 1801 (which still runs through Perivale today) led to a high demand for Perivale's hay. By 1839, almost all of Perivale's land grew hay for the London market, a scene described in the ending of

John Betjeman Sir John Betjeman, (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architect ...

's poem ''Return to Ealing'': ''"...And a gentle gale from Perivale/blows up the hayfield scent."'' The pre-twentieth-century population of Perivale remained low. Just 28 people lived in Perivale in 1801. An 1841 census recorded just five inhabited residential buildings, all farm houses; Horsenden Farm to the northwest, Grange Farm and Church Farm in the southwest, Manor Farm to the east and Alperton farm to the north. In 1901, the population remained tiny at 60 people.

Development and urbanisation, 1930s onwards

Things changed with transportation developments in an increasingly urban and expanding London. The A40 Western Avenue was built, running east–west across central and west London, cutting through Perivale. Perivale was also connected to central London via both Perivale train and the then named Alperton-Perivale Station (now Alperton Underground Station). Perivale's close proximity to central London and excellent transport links led to its rapid expansion, with many factories and houses being built. Houses were initially built in the centre of Perivale, on and around Horsenden Lane South and at Bilton Road to the east. The Medway Estate, to the west of Horsenden Lane South, was developed soon after with parkland left in the centre (now named Ealing Central Sports Ground). The factory of Sanderson Wallpapers Ltd was built in 1929. By 1963, the firm employed almost 2,000 people. The iconic Hoover Building was opened in 1932 by Hoover Limited. Located on the northern side of the Western Avenue, the factory employed more than 3,000 people at its height of production in the 1960s, making vacuum cleaners and other household appliances. Sanderson's and Hoover were hailed as model factories, with workers enjoying enviable working conditions. Workers could purchase the reasonably priced local housing stock. Perivale's three-bedroom homes had front and rear gardens; many had garages, and sold for around £600-£700 freehold. By 1951, Perivale's population had jumped to 9,979. The Hoover Factory closed in the 1980s: part of the building was bought by

Tesco Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in the United Kingdom at its head offices in Welwyn Garden City, England. The company was founded by Jack Cohen (businessman), Sir Jack Cohen in ...

, which opened as a superstore in the 1990s. The upper levels of the main building were recently converted into luxury flats. Perivale Maternity Hospital, built in 1937 and demolished in 1988, was situated south of the A40 Western Avenue. Its location explains the large number of notable births in Perivale.

Demography

The 2011 census showed

Other White The term Other White, or White Other, is a classification of ethnicity in the United Kingdom, used in documents such as the 2021 United Kingdom Census, to describe people who identify as white persons who are not of the English, Welsh, Scotti ...

to be the largest ethnicity within Perivale at 22%. This is followed by

White British White British is an ethnicity classification used for the White population identifying as English, Scottish, Welsh, Cornish, Northern Irish, or British in the United Kingdom Census. In the 2011 census, the White British population was 49 ...

, 20% and Indian at 15%. Perivale has the highest number of Polish residents in London. As such, the widest spoken foreign language in Perivale is Polish, the primary language of 2,024 residents. Perivale has a relatively high rate of home ownership. 62% of households own their own home. 27% of homes are privately rented with just 9% of households living in rented social housing.

Geography

Although mainly residential, local shopping facilities can be found on Medway Parade within the Medway Estate and on Bilton Road. Perivale also has two industrial estates, Perivale Park (immediately north of Perivale Station, off Horsenden Lane South) and Perivale Industrial Estate, Aintree Road (between Bilton Road and the A40 Western Avenue).

Sport, leisure and culture

Culture and leisure facilities

Perivale Library and Perivale Community Centre, are both located on Horsenden Lane South, close to Perivale Station. The

BBC Archives The BBC Archives are collections documenting the BBC's broadcasting history, including copies of television and radio broadcasts, internal documents, photographs, online content, sheet music, commercially available music, BBC products (includ ...

are in Perivale. Walking and cycling may be enjoyed along the Grand Union Canal which runs through the north of Perivale and the southern part of Horsenden Hill. London's

Capital Ring The Capital Ring is a strategic circular walking route in London, around in length. It is promoted by London's 33 local councils, led by the City of London Corporation in partnership with the Greater London Authority and its functional body f ...

, an orbital walking route, runs through Perivale along the canal (section 9, Greenford to South Kenton). Other Perivale parks include Ealing Central Sports Ground (a large park separating the Medway Estate and Bilton Road housing estates) and Perivale Park (home to an athletics track and gym, golf course with café, tennis courts, numerous ponds, the

Nicky Hopkins Nicholas Christian Hopkins (24 February 1944 – 6 September 1994) was an English pianist and organist. He performed on many popular and enduring British and American rock music recordings from the 1960s to the 1990s, including on songs recorde ...

memorial bench and an orchard garden, and through which the

passes and Coston's brook and the

river Brent The River Brent is a river in west and northwest London, England, and a tributary of the River Thames. in length, it rises in the London Borough of Barnet, Borough of Barnet and flows in a generally south-west direction before joining the Tid ...

flow).

Perivale Wood

Perivale Wood is one of the oldest Local Nature Reserves (LNR) in Britain, being managed since 1902. The wood was designated an LNR in 1974. Bordered by the canal on the north and Central line on the south side, the site is mainly old oak woodland, with areas of pasture and damp scrub, three ponds and two streams. The entrance is in Sunley Gardens.

Horsenden Hill

The large park and nature reserve of Horsenden Hill lies at the northern extent of Perivale (continuing into Greenford). The park has a number of children's playgrounds, ''

The Gruffalo ''The Gruffalo'' is a children's picture book by the English author Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler. It tells the story of a mouse strolling in a wood and encountering a series of predators culminating in the fictional 'Gruffal ...

Trail'' and the old Horsenden Farm house and outbuildings which are home to a number of organisations including Perivale Brewery, Ealing Canoe Club, the Horsenden Craft Collective and Friends of Horsenden Hill. The ''Lower Thrifts'' part of Horsenden Hill, adjacent to Perivale Community Centre (accessed from Horsenden Lane South/Bilton Road), hosts Perivale's annual End of Summer Festival each September.

Sport

Perivale has two golf courses: Ealing Golf Club and Perivale Golf Course.

Non-League football Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...

club Hanwell Town F.C. have been playing in Perivale's Reynolds Field since 1981, south of the A40 on Perivale Lane/Argyle Road. This is also the location of independent Ealing school St Benedict's playing field.

Education

Perivale has four primary schools: Perivale Primary School, St John Fisher Catholic Primary School, Selborne Primary School and Vicars Green Primary School.

Transport

Perivale has excellent transport links into central London both via car and public transport. Other parts of Ealing and west London are easily accessible from Perivale.

Road

Perivale has easy access to central London by car via the A40 Western Avenue which can be accessed via. the Perivale and

Hanger Lane Hanger Lane is a major road in Ealing, London, England. The majority of the road forms the westernmost part of the A406 North Circular Road, running north from the A4020 Uxbridge Road at Ealing Common to the A40 road in London, A40 Western Avenu ...

junctions (and various points in between). The Hanger Lane gyratory system, just outside Perivale to the east, provides access to the North Circular Road (A4006) Hanger Lane.

Public Transport

Perivale Underground Station ( Central line) is in the centre of Perivale, on Horsenden Lane South. Trains run every 3–5 minutes at most times connecting Perivale to Westfield London (11 minutes to White City station), Notting Hill Gate (17 minutes) and

Marble Arch The Marble Arch is a 19th-century white marble-faced triumphal arch in London, England. The structure was designed by John Nash in 1827 as the state entrance to the cour d'honneur of Buckingham Palace; it stood near the site of what is today th ...

(for Hyde Park and

Oxford Street Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running between Marble Arch and Tottenham Court Road via Oxford Circus. It marks the notional boundary between the areas of Fitzrovia and Marylebone to t ...

, 22 minutes) all within a 25-minute travel time. Additionally, to the east of Bilton Road, Alperton Underground Station ( Alperton,

London Borough of Brent Brent () is a London boroughs, borough in north-west London, England. It is known for landmarks such as Wembley Stadium, the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir London, Swaminarayan Temple and the Kiln Theatre. It also contains the Brent Reservoir, W ...

) lies just across the Perivale- Alperton border. This is connected to the rest of Perivale via the 297 bus route and gives direct access to giving access to

Uxbridge Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon, northwest of Charing Cross. Uxbridge formed part of the parish of Hillingdon in the county of Middlesex. As part ...

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. It ...

and central London via the

Piccadilly line The Piccadilly line is a Deep level underground, deep-level London Underground line running between the west and the north of London. It has two western branches which split at Acton Town tube station, Acton Town and serves 53 stations. The li ...

. South Greenford Railway Station, lies just outside of Perivale, southeast on the A40 (south side). Three bus routes serve Perivale. The 297 (24 hr) service runs via Bilton Road, Horsenden Lane South and the Argyle Road (W13) via Perivale Station to central

Ealing Ealing () is a district in west London (sub-region), west London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. It is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Pl ...

, and into northwest London via Alperton Station,

Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in the London Borou ...

and

Willesden Willesden () is an area of north-west London, situated 5 miles (8 km) north-west of Charing Cross. It is historically a parish in the county of Middlesex that was incorporated as the Municipal Borough of Willesden in 1933; it has formed ...

. The 95 bus runs along the A40 via Acton to

Shepherd's Bush Shepherd's Bush is a suburb of West London, England, within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham west of Charing Cross, and identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Although primarily residential in character, its ...

. The E5 serves the Medway Estate and Perivale Tesco, running to Southall via Greenford.

Canal

The

Grand Union Canal The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the Canals of the United Kingdom, British canal system. It is the principal navigable waterway between London and the Midlands. Starting in London, one arm runs to Leicester and another to Birmi ...

, Paddington Branch runs through Perivale at the north of the town providing pedestrian (part of the ''Capital Ring'' walking route), cycle and boat connections to other parts of London.

Literature and the media

Perivale is one of the settings of

Anthony Trollope Anthony Trollope ( ; 24 April 1815 – 6 December 1882) was an English novelist and civil servant of the Victorian era. Among the best-known of his 47 novels are two series of six novels each collectively known as the ''Chronicles of Barsetshire ...

's novel '' The Belton Estate'' (1865). Perivale appears in

's 1954 poem ''Middlesex'' as a “parish of enormous hayfields” Perivale was the setting for the 1989 season twenty-six ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' serial ''Survival'' as the hometown of the

Seventh Doctor The Seventh Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Scottish actor Sylvester McCoy. Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-o ...

's companion Ace. There were several locations used in and around Perivale during filming, including Bleasdale Avenue, Medway Parade, Colwyn Avenue, Woodhouse Avenue, Children's Play Area, Ealing Central Sports Ground, Horsenden Lane South, and the nearby Horsenden Hill. Victorian Perivale was also the location for establishing shots of a manor which was the setting of another season twenty-six serial, ''Ghost Light''. Parts of the film ''Snatch'' were filmed in Perivale and on the nearby Horsenden Hill. Henry Perowne, the principal character in

Ian McEwan Ian Russell McEwan (born 21 June 1948) is a British novelist and screenwriter. In 2008, ''The Times'' featured him on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945" and ''The Daily Telegraph'' ranked him number 19 in its list of the ...

's novel ''Saturday'', was born in Perivale. ''

Only Fools and Horses ''Only Fools and Horses'' (titled onscreen as ''Only Fools and Horses....'') is a British television sitcom that was created and written by John Sullivan (writer), John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Ki ...

'' used Horsenden Hill for location shooting in the episode where

Del Boy Derek Edward Trotter, more commonly known as Del Boy, is a fictional character from the BBC sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'' and one of the main characters of its spinoff series, '' Rock & Chips''. He was played by David Jason in the original ...

and Rodney 'look after' Marlene and Boycie's dog (only to feed it reheated pork and give it food poisoning).

Notable people

* * Tina Daheley,

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

journalist and presenter, lived in Perivale * Alan Devonshire, former

West Ham West Ham is a district in East London, England and is in the London Borough of Newham. It is an inner-city suburb located east of Charing Cross. The area was originally an ancient parish formed to serve parts of the older Manor of Ham, a ...

and

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

, lived in Perivale *

Neal Foulds Neal Foulds (born 13 July 1963) is an English former professional snooker player and six-time tournament winner, including the 1986 International Open, the 1988 Dubai Masters and the 1992 Scottish Masters, as well as the invitational Pot Bla ...

snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sport played on a rectangular Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, billiards table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets: one at each corner and ...

player and commentator, lived in Perivale * Leena Gade, first female race engineer to win the

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...

, was born in Perivale * Kerry Godliman, comedian, actor, was born in Perivale * Antony Hooper, cricketer, was born in Perivale *

(1944–1994), session pianist (for

The Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in London in 1963 by brothers Ray Davies, Ray and Dave Davies, and Pete Quaife. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British ...

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

, and

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

and many others), was born in Perivale * Derek Marlowe (1938–1996), playwright, novelist, screenwriter, was born in Perivale * Lee McQueen, ''

Apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a potential new practitioners of a Tradesman, trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study. Apprenticeships may also enable practitioners to gain a license to practice in ...

'' Winner 2008, was born in Perivale * Carole Middleton, mother of The Duchess of Cambridge, was born in Perivale * Tom Newman, record producer (of

Mike Oldfield Michael Gordon Oldfield (born 15 May 1953) is an English retired musician, songwriter and producer best known for his debut studio album ''Tubular Bells'' (1973), which became an unexpected critical and commercial success. Though primarily a gu ...

's ''

Tubular Bells Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are musical instruments in the Percussion instrument, percussion family. Their sound resembles that of church bells, carillons, or a bell tower; the original tubular bells were made to duplicate the soun ...

'' and others), was born in Perivale * Richard Oakes, guitarist of indie band

Suede Suede (pronounced ) is a type of leather with a fuzzy, napped finish, commonly used for jackets, shoes, Textile, fabrics, Handbag, purses, furniture, and other items. Suede is made from the underside of the animal skin, which is softer and m ...

, was born in Perivale * Jeff Stevenson, comedian, lived in Perivale * Janet Street-Porter, journalist and TV personality, lived in Perivale * Chris Thomas, record producer (of

, The

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...

and others), was born in Perivale *

Rick Wakeman Richard Christopher Wakeman (born 18 May 1949) is an English keyboardist and composer best known as a member of the progressive rock band Yes across five tenures between 1971 and 2004, and for his prolific solo career. AllMusic describes Wakema ...

, musician,

Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * Young Eisner Scholars, in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Appalachia, US * Young Ep ...

keyboardist, was born in Perivale * Robin Leach, American entertainment reporter and writer, was born in Perivale

Local Government

Perivale ward has three elected councillors: Munir Ahmed (elected 2014), Tariq Mahmood (elected 2014), and Charan Sharma (elected 2014). Munir Ahmed was elected Deputy Mayor for the municipal year 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 and then on 18 May 2021 he was elected Mayor of The London Borough of Ealing for 2021/2022. Munir Ahmed is the first ever councillor from Perivale to become the Mayor. The Metropolitan Police have a vehicle impound at Walmgate Road in Perivale.