The Hoover Building

Perivale is a suburb in the London Borough of Ealing. Landmarks in the suburb include the large Art Deco Hoover Building, Horsenden Hill as well as St Mary's Church (12th century), the River Brent, Perivale Wood Local Nature Reserve run by the Selborne Society, and Horsenden Hill, the highest point in the London Borough of Ealing.

Despite having a predominantly quiet, leafy, residential - indeed almost 'quasi rural' - character Perivale is split in two by the A40 - which is a source of noise pollution, an eyesore and a physical barrier for those who live alongside it.

IF PERIVALE WERE SPLIT IN TWO AGAIN BY HS2 THIS COULD DESTROY THE COMMUNITY

HISTORY

Perivale was an ancient parish of Middlesex. It formed part of Greenford Urban District from 1894 to 1926, and was then absorbed by the Municipal Borough of Ealing. Before the 1930s expansion, the fields of Perivale were used to grow hay for the working horses of Victorian London, as described in the ending of John Betjeman's poem 'Return to Ealing':



"...And a gentle gale from Perivale blows up the hayfield scent."

GEOGRAPHY

A large part of Perivale is used in the form of a business and industrial park and Perivale also has many fine examples of Art Deco style light industryunits.

Although mainly residential, there are some office blocks and parades of shops along Bilton Road, on the A40 slip road and in the Medway Village.

Perivale 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.

The River Brent runs through Perivale.

IN THE MEDIA

Interior and exterior shots of the Hoover Building have been used in Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot dramatisation with David Suchet. 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 on 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 twenty-six serial Ghost Light. Parts of the film Snatch were also filmed in Perivale and 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 also set in Perivale.

SPORT AND LEISURE

Non-League football club Hanwell Town F.C. have been playing in Perivale at Reynolds Field since 1981.

St Benedict's RC Independent Secondary School, whose former pupils include Chris Patten (Baron Patten of Barnes) Chancellor of Oxford University and former Governor of Hong Kong, and comedian and TV presenter, Julian Clary has its playing fields at Perivale.

NOTABLE PEOPLE

• Mike Cole, bassist of 1970s pop group Mungo Jerry, was born in Perivale
• Alan Devonshire, former West Ham and England footballer, lived in Perivale
• Neal Foulds, snooker player and commentator, lived in Perivale
• Nicky Hopkins (1944-1994), renowned session pianist (for The Beatles and many others), was born in Perivale
• Derek Marlowe (1938-1996), playwright/novelist/screenwriter, was born in Perivale
• Lee McQueen, Apprentice Winner 2008, was born in Perivale
• Carole Middleton, mother of The Duchess of Cambridge, was born in Perivale
• Tom Newman, record producer (of Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells and others), was born in Perivale
• Richard Oakes, guitarist of indie band Suede, was born in Perivale
• Stacey Owen, 1980s model, started life in Perivale before moving to Glasgow
• Jeff Stevenson, comedian, lived in Perivale
• Nikkala Stott, model, lived in Perivale
• Janet Street-Porter, journalist and TV personality, lived in Perivale
• Chris Thomas, record producer (of The Beatles, The Sex Pistols and others), was born in Perivale
• Rick Wakeman, Yes keyboardist, was born in Perivale