Perivale

infobox UK place
country = England
map_type = Greater London
region= London
population=
official_name= Perivale
latitude= 51.5383
longitude= -0.3192
os_grid_reference= TQ165835
london_borough= Ealing
post_town= GREENFORD
postcode_area= UB
postcode_district= UB6
constituency_westminster= Ealing North

Perivale is a small suburb 10 miles (16 km) west of central London in the London Borough of Ealing. For most of its history, it was part of the county of Middlesex. Until the 15th century it was called GreenfordParva (Little Greenford). Landmarks in the suburb include the A40, a large road that connects Central London with the M40 motorway, and the large Art Deco Hoover building, as well as St Mary's Church (C:15th century), the River Brent and Perivale Wood Bird Reserve run by the Selborne Society.

A large part of Perivale is used in the form of a business and industrial park. Although mainly residential, there are some office blocks and parades of shops on Bilton Road, A40 slip road and in the Medway Village. It is home to one of the first American-style diners in the UK called Starvin' Marvin's. Perivale is also home to two golf courses; Ealing Golf Club and Perivale Golf Course.

Before the 1930s residential building expansion, the fields of Perivale were used to grow hay for the working horses of Victorian London, 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."

Perivale in the media

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 town during filming which included 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 of a manor which was the setting of another season twenty-six serial, "Ghost Light".

Parts of the film "Snatch" were also filmed in Perivale and the nearby Horsenden Hill.

Henry Perowne, the principal character in Ian McEwan's novel "Saturday" was born in Perivale, though he lived in London during the events of the novel.

'Only Fools and Horses' used Horsenden Hill for location shooting in the episode where Del Boy and Rodney 'look after' Marlene and Boysie's dog (only to feed it reheated pork and give it food poisoning).

One of the episodes of the car show Top Gear was set in Perivale.Fact|date=September 2008

Notable residents

* Birthplace of Yes keyboardist, Rick Wakeman.
* Prominent businessman Alan Bond lived in Federal Road, Perivale, during part of his childhood.
* Alan Devonshire, former West Ham and England footballer.
* Neal Foulds, former Snooker player and commentator
* Jeff Stevenson, comedian.
* Dorothy McShane, Chemist
* Nikkala Stott, glamour model
* Lee McQueen, Apprentice Winner 2008

Transport

Perivale has a station on the Central line of the London Underground system and is also near to Alperton tube station on the Piccadilly line. Two bus routes (E5 and 297) link the town to Greenford, Wembley, Ealing, Willesden and Southall.

Nearest tube stations

* Perivale tube station
* Sudbury Town tube station
* Greenford station
* Hanger Lane tube station
* Alperton tube station

Nearest railway station

* South Greenford railway station
* Wembley Central station

Nearby places

* Alperton
* Greenford
* Wembley
* Northolt
* Hanwell
* Ealing
* Horsenden Hill

External links

* [http://www.selborne.ealing.sch.uk/perivale.htm A short history of Perivale] , on the Selborne Primary School website