Transport & Industry

West Drayton Station

The original station was built in 1838 and occupied what is now the old coal depot and goods yard between Tavistock Road and Colham Mill Road. It was the first Station on the Great Western Railway to be built after Paddington. The first train journey was from Paddington to Maidenhead on the 31st May 1838 and on the 4th June 1838 the first passenger service commenced.

The world's first commercial telegraph system between Paddington and West Drayton was inaugurated on 9th April 1839.

Along with the building of the Grand Union Junction Canal, in 1796, the railway also played a major part in transforming the area by transforming local industry and trade.

The current station was built in 1878.

West Drayton Station C1900 and 1962.

Uxbridge to West Drayton Line C1912.
The fields on the right of the photo is the site of Brunel University.

In 1885 a further line was opened from West Drayton to Staines. However, both the Uxbridge line and the Staines line were closed down by Dr Beeching in 1963.

Artist's impression of how the current station looked in 1897. E. L. R. Rust - 2008

Artist's impression of the original station of 1838.
D. A. Davies - 2009

The Yiewsley Grange Locomotive
named after Yiewsley Grange, High
Street, Yiewsley.

There have been three bridges spanning the Grand Union Canal in Yiewsley. From the left, the photo of the first Colham Bridge is from1905; the photo of
the second bridge was taken in the 1930s and the third photo is of the current bridge circa 1940. The fourth photograph is of the Grand Union Canal, 2008.
The photograph on the far right is of the original 1796 foundation stone for Colham Wharf which can be seen in the perimeter wall of Harrier House which was built on the site of the original wharf. However, Harrier House is currently being demolished to make way for a new development. The developer has agreed to retain the stone and incorporate it in the new building.
The building of the Grand Junction Canal, later to become the Grand Union Canal, was a major contributor in the expansion of Yiewsley and to a lesser extent, West Drayton. It allowed the transport of materials to the industry that was to dominate the area. However, the importance of the canal diminished with the advent of the railway. The canal was expensive to maintain and most of
all it was slow and could not compete with the railway. The construction of the canal and railway allowed major expanson in both Yiewsley and West Drayton.

In addition to the canal and railway, stagecoaches were the main form of transport. The Bath Road was one of the major highways
and the busiest in Britian and was controlled by various turnpike companies until 1870 when their responsibilities reverted to the
Parish of Harmondsworth. In 1888 the County Council took control of the roads and relieved the parish of a very heavy burden in
maintenance costs. The main road, before Station Road as we know it, linking West Drayton, Yiewsley and Uxbridge was Kingston
Lane which provided a North/South link through the district from the Bath Road. Industry in the 19th century included brickfields,
gravel, boatbuilding (Clayton & Pupkin and Strickland & Co.), brewing (James Thatcher & Co. The Britannia Brewery, The Green),
orchards and market gardening. Brickmaking in particular must have been a very profitable business as one brickmaker, James Stacey,
had signed a bond with De Burgh to pay royalties of 2 shillings per 1000 bricks on the production of two million bricks per year. The
20th century saw further industrial expansion, particularly on the engineering side. The area continued to expand with major road
networks and the advent of Heathrow Airport, which continues to court as much controversy now as it did when it opened after
the second world war.

Technicolor - Bath Road, Harmondsworth - demolished

Heathrow Airport

Some of the industrial past of Yiewsley & West Drayton

Black and Decker - Hatch Lane,
Harmondswoth - demolished