Video Hayes and Harlington - 1950s and 1960s

[AJC]

From the archives of Hayes and Harlington Urban District Council, two films from the mid '50s and early ‘60s. Despite including trolleybuses, Holstein Frisians and the GWR mainline the impression is surprisingly rural:

The Urban District of Hayes & Harlington (1956)

The second is from 1962. It’s focused on council services, including new buildings, refuse, fire (some fine lorries from Dennis, Karrier and AEC to the fore) and housing. Fascinating stuff. I imagine this is @oldravendale's turf, more or less or the west of London equivalent of the sort of scene the Love Lane types are after.

At Your Service (1962)

Adam

 

[oldravendale]

Adam - super films and well worth reviewing. I remember Hayes & Harlington well - it was the first location I visited to watch the BR(WR) trains as it was on a direct bus route, the 140 which went from Mill Hill to Heathrow by way of Harrow, Yeading and Hayes. There was a handy bit of waste ground opposite the station - now built on, of course, which made a comfortable location. Soon after my first visit I took the train, hauled by a 61XX tank, to Southall which is when my long association with Southall Shed began. The AEC bus works, producing Routemasters, were a short bus ride from Southall Station too.

The films certainly give the impression of a rural location. In reality it was much the same as any other London suburb with row upon row of 1930s houses although it's true to say that there were pockets of greenery, much as there were in Harrow. I worked very close to Heathrow Airport from 1983 until 2003 with breaks at other locations, and occasionally visited Hayes for a very good Chinese lunch. There were and remain many villages around the airport with decent pubs and these were desirable locations. Sadly quite a few will be lost under the new runway - if it's ever built.

Delightful stuff!!

Brian