Yeading Brook Rayners Lane

Yeading Brook
The brook flows south and west. It is joined by the Smart Brook from the north

Post to the north Harrow Garden Village

Post to the east not done

Post to the south Rayners Lane

Alexandra Avenue
Grosvenor Cinema. This opened in 1936 Built by F. E. Bromige with a modern-Baroque concave front with a huge column in the centre which originally supported a revolving triangular sign. Inside was an oval foyer, with a sunken tea-roomIt was taken over by Oscar Deutsch’s Odeon Theatres Ltd in 1937 and renamed the Odeon in 1941. It became the Gaumont in 1950, renamed Odeon in 1964. In 1981 it was re-named Ace Cinema and closed in 1986. It then became the Ace Bar with a night club in the auditorium first called the Grosvenor Cine/Bar Experience and then Studio Warehouse nightclub. It was unused but in 2000, it was taken over by the Zoroastrian Centre for Europe

Cannon Lane
Telephone Exchange
Gas Holder. Large gas holder on the Livesey design added by Pinner Gas Co. in 1924 and another added by the Gas Light and Coke Co. after the Second World War. This site is now housing
Sewage works built 1879-82. Closed in 1936 when the works was transferred to Mogden. This site is now housing.
Council nursery. Set up to grow trees fertilised from the sewage works. Closed in the 1980s by Harrow Council.
Two cottages built for sewage/nursery workers in the 1880s
Moriah Jewish Day School, opened in modern buildings in 1999

Eastern Avenue
New Testament Church of God. This was built in 1960 as the mission church of St. Martin but has been with the New Testament Church since 1985

Exchange Walk
This modern development lies behind the telephone exchange.

Railway Line
Rayner’s Lane Junction. This is where the Metropolitan Line from Harrow on the Hill meets the South Harrow Line. This connection was opened from South Harrow in 1910, and was originally used by District Railway trains which ran through to Uxbridge over the Metropolitan line. It continued as part of the District network until 1933 when it was taken over by the Piccadilly.

Rayner's Lane
The road was once lined by elms, killed by Dutch elm disease
Village Inn. Wetherspoon's pub in a shop conversion
Rayners Lane Station. Opened in 1906 it is now on the Piccadilly Line between South Harrow and Eastcote. Between Eastcote and West Harrow on the Uxbridge branch of the Metropolitan Line.  At this station both the Piccadilly and Metropolitan lines share the track to Uxbridge and separate going towards Central London. The line was built by the Metropolitan Railway, as the Harrow and Uxbridge Railway, from Harrow on the Hill to Uxbridge and ran from 1904 but with only one stop at Ruislip. It was electrified from 1905. In 1910, the District Line was extended from South Harrow to here and in 1933 District Line be replaced by Piccadilly Line trains.  The original station was built by the Metropolitan Railway and it opened as a halt only - Rayners Lane Halt. It consisted of two wooden platforms with shelters, and cost £408. A booking hut was later installed at road level. In 1927 the platforms were lengthened, and new corrugated iron waiting shelters were built.  In 1929, Frank Pick, Managing Director of the Underground Group, suggested that it should be completely rebuilt as a joint venture by the Metropolitan and District Railways. But the two companies could not agree and the scheme was dropped.  In 1935 work started on new buildings designed by Reginald Uren, under the direction of Holden, and finished in 1938. It has a large brick and glass ticket hall with a flat concrete roof and geometrical forms
Sidings. There is a reversing siding between the running tracks and, during the day, half of the Piccadilly line service reverses here. Two sidings south of the station are not used: and do not connect with the running lines. During building work of the surrounding housing a siding was provided for builders E.S.Reid, who paid for it
Goods yard.  Was opened in 1929, and enlarged the following year. It handed building materials for Nash

Roxbourne Park
Roxbourne Park was set up in 1936 and in the Second World War was used as a prisoners of war camp. The park is mainly playing fields, with a perimeter tarmac path, and some planting of trees and shrubs, but no formal areas. The Yeading Brook runs along the eastern boundary with a wooded walk alongside. This riverbank is wild and overgrown, with willow and waterside plants.
Roxbourne Rough Nature Reserve

Sources

British History Harrow. web site
Cinema Treasures Web site
Clarke. History of Pinner
Clarke. Pinner

London Gardens online. Web site
London Railway Record
London Wildlife Trust. Web site

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