Perivale


Perivale is an area of Greater London, west of Charing Cross. It is the smallest of the seven towns which make up the London Borough of Ealing.
Perivale is mostly residential with a library, community centre and a number of parks and open spaces, as well as a large industrial estate. Landmarks include the grade II* listed Art Deco Hoover Building, as well as St Mary's Church, 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 earliest reference to Perivale is in the 11th century Domesday Book where it is described as an "apple orchard". The name of Perivale was first used in 1508, when it was interestingly spelt "Pyryvale". The word seems to be a compound of perie and vale. 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

Perivale is an ancient parish in the historic county of Middlesex. Perivale was one of the county's smallest parishes up until the early twentieth century, at just 633 acres 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 still stands today. 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-story 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, located close to St Mary's Church was demolished at some point around 1784.
From the sixteenth century, wheat was the main crop of Perivale, a crop for which it gained a high reputation. With industrialisation, 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 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'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. By 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. Perivale's close proximity to central London and excellent transport links led to its rapid expansion. Between 1939-1939, many factories and houses were built in Perivale. 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.
Sanderson Wallpapers Ltd was built in 1929. By 1963 they employed almost 2,000 people. The iconic Hoover Building opened in 1932 by Hoover Limited. Located on the northern face 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 3-bedroom homes had fron 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 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 to be the largest ethnicity within Perivale, 22%. This is followed by White British, 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 and Perivale Industrial Estate, Aintree Road. ☁

Sport, leisure and culture

Culture and leisure facilities

Perivale is home to Perivale Library and Perivale Community Centre, both of which are located on Horsenden Lane South, close to Perivale Station. The BBC Archives are in Perivale.
The large park and nature reserve of Horsenden Hill lies at the northern extent of Perivale. The park has a number of children's playgrounds, the Gruffalo Trail and the old Horsenden Farm house and outbuildings which are home to a number of organisation 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 host's Perivale's annual End of Summer Festival each September.
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, an orbital walking route runs through Perivale along the canal. Other Perivale parks include Ealing Central Sports Ground and Perivale Park and through which both the Capital Ring passes and Coston's brook and the river Brent flow.

Sport

Perivale has two golf courses: Ealing Golf Club and Perivale Golf Course. Ealing Canoe Club is housed within the grounds of the Horsenden Farm, Horsenden Hill, just north of the canal and east of Horsenden Lane South/North. Non-League football 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 a three primary schools, Perivale Primary School, St John Fisher Catholic Primary School and Selborne 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 junctions. The Hanger Lange gyratory system, just outside of Perivale to the east, provides access to the North Circular Road Hanger Lane.

Public Transport

is in the centre of Perivale, on Horsenden Lane South. Trains run every 3–5 minutes at most times connecting Perivale to Westfield London, Notting Hill Gate and Marble Arch all within a 25-minute travel time. Additionally, to the east of Bilton Road, Alperton Underground Station 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, Hammersmith and central London via the Piccadilly line. South Greenford Railway Station, lies just outside of Perivale, southeast on the A40.
Three bus routes serve Perivale. The 297 service runs via Bilton Road, Horsenden Lane South and the Argyle Road via. Perivale Station to central Ealing, and into northwest London via Alperton Station, Wembley and Willesden. The 95 bus runs along the A40 via Acton to Shepherds Bush. The E5 serves the Medway Estate and Perivale Tesco, running to Southall via. Greenford.

Canal

The Grand Union Canal, Paddington Branch runs through Perivale at the north of the town providing pedestrian, cycle and boat connections to other parts of London.

Literate and the media

Perivale is one of the settings of Anthony Trollope's novel The Belton Estate.
Perivale was the setting for the 1989 season twenty-six Doctor Who serial Survival as the hometown of the Seventh Doctor'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's novel Saturday, was born in Perivale. Only Fools and Horses used Horsenden Hill for location shooting in the episode where Del Boy and Rodney 'look after' Marlene and Boycie's dog.

Notable people

Perivale ward has three elected councillors: Munir Ahmed, Tariq Mahmood, and Charan Sharma. The Metropolitan Police have a vehicle impound at Walmgate Road in Perivale.

Nearby places