Greenford was once a leafy suburb famed for it's industry and at its vibrant town centre  boasting two cinemas.  The Granada (now a Tesco Metro) hosted The Rolling Stones in their early days.   The second cinema was the Playhouse in Ruislip Road East. Greenford's residential areas of tree lined avenues are now sliced by the thunderous A40 joining London to the motorway network.     In the 60's the A40, then aptly named the Western Avenue, had a grassed centre reservation with crossing gaps, and roundabouts again with grass and trees.  This rapidly gave way to concrete flyovers and underpasses to effectively allow commuting traffic to travel 24 hours a day over ever increasing distances.  Because of this Greenford is now a split community gradually merging into the Greater London's anonymous urban sprawl. This page takes a selective look at Greenford's bygone era and will be of interest to Baby-Boomers of the area and maybe even those who hale from over the border in Perivale not to mention those who may have been born in the Perivale Maternity hospital!     Old Landmarks   The Playhouse cinema was not as well known as the Granada because it closed in the late 1950s and the site cleared for development into the NCR office block.     Opposite the 1960s  Taylor Woodrow office site,  the NCR building has since been redeveloped again into the Central West complex.                   The Greenford Red Lion is now no more, having been replaced by a building including a Costa Coffee Greenford's industry has been replaced by warehousing, logistics, medicine and, as with most of Britain, the service sector.  It's famous landmarks are also disappearing.  For example Rockware Glass gave way to the WestWay retail park and who would have thought that all would be left of Lyons & Co, once the area’s biggest employers, are the pair of rusty old entrance gates!       Creamery Fare ice cream parlour in Greenford Road Betham School        

Betham School (click for link)

Edward    Betham    Church    of    England    School    in    Oldfield    Lane    South educated   many   of   the   babyboomers   in   the   local   area.      Click   for   the secret life of 4 and 5 year olds.