| Hayes | |
|---|---|
 FormerEMI headquarters, Hayes | |
  Hayes Location withinGreater London | |
| Population | 93,928 (2021 Census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | TQ095805 |
| • Charing Cross | 13 mi (21 km) E |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HAYES |
| Postcode district | UB3, UB4 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
| 51°30′46″N0°25′16″W / 51.5127°N 0.4211°W /51.5127; -0.4211 | |
Hayes is a town in west London. Historically situated within the county ofMiddlesex, it is now part of theLondon Borough of Hillingdon. The town's population, including its localities Hayes End,Harlington andYeading, was recorded in the 2021 census as 93,928.[2] It is situated 13 miles (21 km) west of Charing Cross, or 6.5 miles (10.5 km) east ofSlough. Hayes is served by theGreat Western Main Line, andHayes & Harlington railway station is on theElizabeth line. TheGrand Union Canal flows through the town centre.
Hayes has a long history. The area appears in theDomesday Book (1086).[3][4] Landmarks in the area include theGrade II* listed Parish Church, St Mary's[5] – the central portion of the church survives from the twelfth century[6]: 9 & 18 and it remains in use (the church dates back to 830 A.D.[7]) – andGrade-II-listedBarra Hall, the Town Hall from 1924 to 1979.[8]
Hayes is known as the erstwhile home ofEMI. The words "Hayes,Middlesex" appear on the reverse ofThe Beatles' albums, which were manufactured at the town'sOld Vinyl Factory.[9] The town centre's "gold disc" installation marks the fiftieth anniversary on 1 June 2017 of the Beatles'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album, manufactured in Hayes in 1967.[10] NearbyLondon Heathrow Airport is the largest single provider of employment.[11]
Notable historical residents include theearly modern "father ofEnglish music",William Byrd, and a pre-eminent figure of twentieth-centuryEnglish literature,George Orwell.
The place-nameHayes comes from theAnglo-SaxonHǣs orHǣse: "(land overgrown with)brushwood".[12] In the Domesday book (1086), it is spelt Hesa.[3] The town's name is speltHessee in a 1628 entry in anInquisition post mortem held atThe National Archives.[13]
Hayes is formed of what originally were five separate villages: Botwell, Hayes Town, Hayes End, Wood End and Yeading.[14] The nameHayes Town has come to be applied to the area around Station Road between Coldharbour Lane andHayes & Harlington railway station, but this was historically thehamlet called Botwell. The original Hayes Town was the area to the east of St Mary's Church, centred around Church Road, Hemmen Lane and Freeman's Lane.[6]: 11
A 2007archaeological study looks back to earliest times. It describes finds such asflint tools dating to thePaleolithic period (500,000 BC - 10,000 BC) at the sites of Botwell,EMI Company works, and Colbrook Avenue (near Dawley Road) [4.1.2]; more finds dating to theMesolithic period (10,000 BC - 4,000 BC) at the site ofLake Farm Country Park [4.1.3]. The site of Wyre Grove (off North Hyde Road) produced finds including pottery from theBronze Age (2,400 BC - 700 BC),Iron Age (700 BC - AD 43),Romano-British period (AD 43 - 410) and earlyAnglo-Saxon period (AD 410 - 1066) [4.1.6-11]. The report cites an 831grant as evidence that the Botwell area has existed as asettlement since Anglo-Saxon times [4.1.12].[15]
For some 700 years up to 1546, Hayes formed part of theArchbishop of Canterbury'sestates, ostensibly owing to grants from theMercian royal family. In that year, the then-ArchbishopThomas Cranmer was forced to surrender his land to KingHenry VIII, who subsequently granted the estate toEdward North, 1st Baron North.[6]: 23 The area changed hands several times thereafter, but by the eighteenth century, two family-names had established themselves as prominent and long-time landowners:[16] Minet[17]) and Shackle.[18]
John Wesley (1703–1791) andCharles Wesley (1707–1788), founders of theevangelicalMethodist movement, preached in Hayes on at least ten occasions between 1748 and 1753.[19]The Salvation Army – founded in 1865 in London byWilliam Booth – registered abarracks in Hayes between 1887 and 1896; their hall, or "citadel", at 71 Coldharbour Lane was registered in 1927.[19] The Hayes division served thelocal community for just short of a century, and in years gone by their ownSalvation Army brass band performed around the town's streets.[20]) In 2024, the Salvation Army hall closed and was put up for sale.[21]
In the 18th and 19th centuries, Hayes was home to several private boarding schools catering for wealthy families. The formerManor House on Church Road was by the 1820s a boys' school called Radnor House Academy (a.k.a. Manor House Academy); Grove Cottage, Wood End, a school for young men, opened in the 1830s; Belle House School for Boys opened on Botwell Lane in the 1840s (it is now St Mary's Convent); in the first half of the 19th century, the Wood End House School for Young Ladies stood on the site of what is now theNorman Leddy Memorial Gardens; the former Magdalen Hall on Hayes End Road was also a 19th-century private School for Young Ladies.[6]: 40–41
Wood End House (before 1848, the site of the Wood End House School for Young Ladies) was used – from 1848 to c. 1905 – as anasylum. Notable psychiatristJohn Conolly (1794–1866) was one of its licensed proprietors, between 1848 and 1866. The building was demolished in 1961.[22]
Until the end of the nineteenth century, Hayes's key areas of work were agriculture andbrickmaking. TheSecond Industrial Revolution brought change in the late nineteenth century, up toWorld War I. The town's location on theGrand Junction Canal (later called the Grand Union) and theGreat Western Railway –Hayes & Harlington railway station had opened in 1868[24] – made it well-placed for industry.
The town's favourable location caused the Hayes Development Company to make available sites on the north-side of the railway, adjacent to the canal, and Hayes became a centre for engineering and industry.[25] HDC's company secretary, Alfred Clayton, is commemorated in the name of Clayton Road. Residential districts consisting of dwellings of thegarden suburb type were built to house workers after World War I.[26]
In 1904, the parish council createdHayes Urban District (from 1930, Hayes and Harlington Urban District) in order to address the issue of population growth. Hayes and Harlington Urban District continued until 1965 when Hayes became part of the newly established London Borough of Hillingdon.[27]
Barra Hall –Grade II listed since 1974[28] – was Hayestown hall between 1924 and 1979. Originally amanor house called Grove House, in the late 18th century it was home to AldermanHarvey Combe,Lord Mayor of London in 1799. It became Barra Hall in 1875, after Robert Reid – descendant of theReid baronets of Barra – became owner.Army Cavalry were stationed at Barra Hall duringWorld War I. AfterHayes Urban District Council bought the Hall and its grounds in 1923, the grounds of the new Town Hall were given over to public use as apublic park – withplayground, tennis courts andpaddling pool; it was opened by actressJessie Matthews.[8] In July 2024, a century on from Hayes Urban District's 1923 purchase, Hillingdon Council sold Barra Hall, toHRUC. Notwithstanding the sale, the Council claimed it would safeguard the building for the future, such that it would remain a key asset to local residents.[29][30]
WriterMabel Lethbridge (1900–1968) was amunitions worker inWorld War I atNational Filling Factory No. 7, Hayes when on 23 October 1917 she was severely injured in an explosion: others were killed.[31][32] Lethbridge was at the time the youngest person to receive theBritish Empire Medal – in recognition of her service – and she wrote about her experience at the Hayes munitions factory in her first book,Fortune Grass (1934).[33] National Filling Factory No. 7 was situated on land south of therailway which would later become Nestles Avenue,[34] extending almost down to where theM4 atCranford is now. The Hayes munitions factory employed approximately 10,000women and 2,000 men.[35]
AuthorGeorge Orwell, who adopted his pen name while living in Hayes, lived and worked in 1932–3 as a schoolmaster at The Hawthorns High School for Boys, situated on Church Road.[36][37] The school subsequently closed and the original building survived until 2022[38] as the Fountain House Hotel. The hotel displayed aplaque commemorating its distinguished former resident. Returning several times to Hayes,[39] Orwell was at the same time characteristically acerbic about his time in the town, camouflaging it lightly as West Bletchley inComing Up for Air, as Southbridge inA Clergyman's Daughter, and grumbling comically in a letter to Eleanor Jacques:
Hayes . . . is one of the most godforsaken places I have ever struck. The population seems to be entirely made up of clerks who frequenttin-roofed chapels on Sundays and for the rest bolt themselves within doors.[40]
The present-day Hayes Police Station – at 755Uxbridge Road, UB4 8HU – opened on 19 June 1938.[6]: 44
TheGrade II listedWar Memorial at Cherry Lane Cemetery on Shepiston Lane commemorates what is believed to have been the most serious single incident (in respect ofcasualties) in Hayes duringWorld War II.[41] Thirty-seven workers of theGramophone Company, Blyth Road – then the town's largest employer – were killed on 7 July 1944 when a GermanV-1 flying bomb or "doodle-bug" hit a factory surfaceair-raid shelter. The original bomb census form, now held in theNational Archives,[42] confirms that it was a flying bomb which landed at 14.59 hours, killing twenty-four people and seriously injuring twenty-one (some of the seriously injured died later). The bomb came down at the main entrance to one shelter, causing the concrete roof to collapse. Some of the badly injured were able to be rescued from the emergency exit at the rear, but others were trapped for some hours.[43] Twelve of the victims are buried in amass grave in Cherry Lane Cemetery.[44]
The Sound of Hayes Clock is located at the junction of Station Road and Station Approach. TheCabinet Office granted special permission for the clock to be inscribed in honour ofQueen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee.[45] The inscription reads: "installed on 12 September 2023 to mark the reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II".[46]
Hayes featured in a 2011House of Commons debate aboutsocial housing in London. It wasalleged in theParliamentary debate (as recorded inHansard) that a "sort of ruthlessdeveloper is taking over entire sites in [the Hayes] area to build theslums of the future."[47]
Hayes has, over the years, been heavily involved with industry, both local and international, having been the home ofEMI,Nestlé andH. J. Heinz Company.[48] As well asFairey Aviation (later merged withWestland).[49]
The first large factory established was that of the British ElectricTransformer Company (affectionately known as the B.E.T.), which moved to Hayes in 1901.[50] The B.E.T.'s main product was the Berry transformer, invented by A. F. Berry (the company's technical adviser and a member of the board of directors); Berry also invented theTricity cooker.[51]
The most significant early occupier was theGramophone Company /EMI. The Hayes factory'sfoundation stone was laid byDame Nellie Melba.[6]: 48 The EMI archives and some early reinforced concrete factory buildings (notablyGrade II listed Enterprise House [1912] on Blyth Road, the first known work ofEvan Owen Williams – described byEnglish Heritage as "the most significant engineer turned architect in twentieth-century British architecture"[52]) remain asThe Old Vinyl Factory.
It was here, in the Central Research Laboratories (generally known as "CRL"), thatIsaac Shoenberg developed (1934) the all-electronic405-line television system (called theMarconi-EMI system, used by theBBC from 1936 until closedown of theCrystal Palace 405-line transmissions in 1985).[53][54]
Alan Blumlein carried out his research intobinaural sound andstereophonic gramophone recording here. "Trains at Hayes Station" (1935)[55] and "Walking & Talking" are two notable films Blumlein shot to demonstrate stereosound on film. These films are held at the HayesEMI archive.[56] In 1939, working alongside the electrical firmsA.C. Cossor andPye, a 60 MHz radar was developed, and from 1941 to 1943 theH2S radar system.[57] During the 1990s, CRL spawned another technology:Sensaura3D positional audio.[58] In an echo of Blumlein's early stereo recordings, the Sensaura engineers made some of their first 3D audio recordings atHayes & Harlington railway station.[59]
During theFirst World War, the EMI factories produced aircraft.Charles Richard Fairey was seconded there for a short time, before setting up his own company,Fairey Aviation, which relocated in 1918 to a large new factory across the railway in North Hyde Road.[60] Over 4,500 aircraft were subsequently produced here, but Fairey needed an airfield to test these aircraft and in 1928 secured a site in nearbyHeathrow. This became theGreat West Aerodrome, which was requisitioned by theAir Ministry in 1944. It was initially developed as a heavy-bomber base intended for Boeing B-29 Superfortresses, but when theSecond World War ended in 1945, it was taken over by theMinistry of Aviation and becameHeathrow Airport.
In 1913, Germanbodybuilder andmusic hall performerEugen Sandow – famous in his time as "Sandow the Great", a contender for the title of world's strongest man – opened a cocoa factory in Hayes.[61] Sandow's fortunes plummeted inWorld War I.[62] The Sandow Cocoa Company went into liquidation, and the building and assets passed to the Hayes Cocoa Company in 1916. Hayes Cocoa was owned bySwiss chocolate companyPeter, Cailler, Kohler.
In 1929, theNestlé company bought out Peter, Cailler, Kohler and located its major chocolate andinstant coffee works on the canal, adjacent to the railway east of the station; it was for many years the company's UK headquarters. The factory's elegantArt Deco façade was long a local landmark.[61] The road that led to the factory was renamed Nestlé's Avenue (from Sandow Avenue, so-named after the German strongman); Sandow Crescent, acul-de-sac off Nestlé's Avenue, remains.[63] The Hayes Nestlé factory closed in 2014 at a cost of 230 jobs.[64] DevelopersSegro bought the 30-acre Nestlé site in early 2015.[65]
Opposite Nestlé, on the other side of the canal, theAeolian Company and its associates manufacturedpianolas and rolls from just beforeWorld War I until theGreat Depression. That, and the increasing sophistication of thegramophone record market, led to its demise. Its facilities were subsequently used by, among others,Kraft Foods andWall's, a meat processor and ice cream manufacturer. Only one of the Aeolian Company's strikingEdwardian buildings remains. Designed by notable English architectWalter Cave, Benlow Works (post-World War II owner Benny Lowenthal renamed the factory after himself) on Silverdale Road is a four-storey structure withDiocletian windows on the top floor. It isGrade II listed.[66]
Food companyHeinz's UK headquarters was located at South Building, Hayes Park, Hayes between 1965 and 2017.[67] TheGrade II* listed Heinz buildings were culturally significant as the only British example of the work of influential American architectGordon Bunshaft (then principal design partner of distinguished architectural firmSkidmore, Owings and Merrill) and one of only two designs by him in Western Europe.[68] In February 2024,Hillingdon Council heard an application in relation to the buildings' Grade II* listed status.[69]Historic England raised concerns, saying the existing buildings were "highly significant for their sophisticated sculptural form". But the planning officers decided that conversion of significant architecture in Hayes meant "less than substantial" heritage harm,[70][71] and approved the conversion of Bunshaft's designs into 124 flats.[72]
United Biscuits – makers ofMcVitie's biscuits andJacob'sCream Crackers – long had its UK headquarters in Hayes. The company formally changed its base toChiswick in June 2021.[73]
Callard & Bowser manufactured a popular line of Englishtoffees and otherconfectionary at its Pump Lane, Hayes factory between 1956 and 1983. 635 jobs were lost in the two years leading up to the factory's closure.[74]
The first factory to produce the iconicMarshall amplifier opened in June 1964 in Silverdale Road, Hayes. Guitar-amplification pioneerJim Marshall employed fifteen people to buildamplifiers andcabinets in a 5,000-square-foot space.[75]
Hayes has been home to businesses in various industries over the years. Among others: UKcaravan manufacturer Car Cruiser[76] built caravans in North Hyde Road for a short time in the early 1930s.[77] From the early 1970s to 2003, McAlpine Helicopters Limited (Operational Support Services Limited) – later renamed McAlpine Aviation Services Limited – operated from two purpose-built helicopterhangars in Swallowfield Way, Hayes.[78] Damont Audio was avinyl pressing plant based in Hayes from the 1970s to 2005. "DAMONT" or "Damont Audio Ltd" is typically inscribed in therun-out groove of vinyl produced at the plant.[79]
In 2024, industry was impacted whenHillingdon Council acquired industrial site HPH3, Hyde Park fordevelopment into more accommodation.[80]
In 1971,Neville Sandelson, MP for Hayes and Harlington 1971–1983, articulated concern aboutde-industrialisation in theHouse of Commons: "The position in Hayes . . . is causing grave anxiety both in regard to the present and the long-term prospects. The closure of long-standing industrial firms in the area has become a contagion which shows no sign of abating".[81] By 1982,Sandelson said thecontagion had becomean epidemic, reiterating: "a subject of great concern to every family in Hayes and Harlington . . . the progressive decline of industry."[81]
St Mary the Virgin Church, Hayes on Church Road is the oldest building in Hayes. It isGrade II* listed.[5] The central portion of the church, thechancel and thenave, was built in the 13th century, the north aisle in the 15th century (as was thetower), and the south aisle in the 16th century, along with thelychgate and the southporch. The lychgate and wall to the south areGrade II listed.[82] Hayes's entry in theDomesday Book (1086) makes no mention of a church or chapel, and the name of St Mary suggests a 12th-century dedication as it was at this time thatchurch dedications in this name first appeared in England.[6]: 9 & 18 Besides the church, the other main building inmedieval villages was themanor house. The manor house formerly associated with the church was assigned toCanterbury Cathedral by Christian priest Warherdus as far back as 830 AD.[83]
The site of the original manor house is not known, but it is likely to have been on or near the site of the building latterly on Church Road called the Manor House,[84] parts of which dated from the early 16th century. At the time of theNorman Conquest, ArchbishopLanfranc had contacts with the parish. St Mary's has a 12th-centuryfont, and many interesting memorials andbrasses. The brass to Robert Lellee, Rector somewhere between 1356 and 1375, is purportedly the oldest brass in Middlesex. Adjacent to it is another to Rector Robert Burgeys (1408–1421). (The first recorded Rector was Peter de Lymonicen [1259]). There are tombs in the church to Walter Grene (1456), Thomas Higate (1576), and SirEdward Fenner (1611), Judge of the King's Bench. The latter tomb covers earlier tiling on the wall and floors. Some partly uncovered pre-Reformation wall-paintings and a large mural (dating from the 14th century) ofSaint Christopher with the infant Child are on the North wall. A brass to Veare Jenyns (1644) relates to the Court ofCharles I, while other Jenynses, who wereLords of the Manor, link withSarah, Duchess of Marlborough. JudgeJohn Heath, after whomJudge Heath Lane was named, is also buried at St Mary's.
Victorian restorers donated a number of windows, and more recent additions include windows to SaintsAnselm andNicholas. TheCoronation window is in the north aisle above theTriptych painted by thepre-RaphaeliteEdward Arthur Fellowes Prynne. His brotherGeorge Fellowes Prynne carved theReredos withSt Anselm andSt George in theniches. The embossed roof of theNave reflects theTudor period with emblems of the crucifixion and the arms ofHenry andAragon (the lands passed toHenry VIII as a consequence of theEnglish Reformation).[85] Cherry Lane Cemetery on Shepiston Lane was founded in the mid-1930s to provide a new burial ground when the churchyard at St Mary's Church had run out of space.[86]
St Anselm's Church was completed in 1929 to the design of architectHubert Christian Corlette. Noted designerMacDonald Gill was responsible for the panelled ceiling. The church'sfoundation stone was laid on 13 May 1927 by SirJohn Eldon Bankes. The east window is byJames Powell and Sons ofWhitefriars, London.[87] The church wasGrade II listed in November 2019.[88] St Anselm's is so-named becauseWilliam Rufus (1056 – 1100) sent Archbishop (later Saint)Anselm of Canterbury (c.1033 – 1109) to stay in themanor house of St Mary's Church, as it was the nearest of the Archbishop's manors toWindsor, where William Rufus resided.[6]: 18 [89]
TheImmaculate Heart of Mary, the Roman Catholic church in Botwell, was built in 1961, replacing the earlier church built in 1912.[90][91] The adjacent school, Botwell House Catholic Primary, opened on 25 August 1931. The church's picture of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (which measures 5½m x 3m) was painted byPietro Annigoni (1910–1988) inFlorence, and took nine months to complete. TheGrade II listed, early nineteenth-centurypresbytery, "Botwell House",[92] was originally the home of Hayes's principal landowner, John Baptist Shackle.
Hayes'sBeck Theatre opened in 1977, and offers a wide range of touring shows in a welcoming modern building. "The Beck" is very much a community theatre, offering one-night concerts, comedy, drama, films, opera, and pantomime.
TheOpen Air Theatre, Barra Hall Park originated in 1951 as a community venue for music, theatre and dance. The local community raised funds for a 2005 rebuild.[93][94]
Hayes's Botwell Green Library is situated in the Leisure Centre (address: East Avenue, UB3 2HW), which in 2010 replaced both the old Hayes Library (opened 1933 on Golden Crescent) and the old swimming baths (opened 1967 on the opposite side of Central Avenue).[95] Following its 2010 closure,[96] the derelict old Hayes Pool building was close to being used as alocation for 2012James Bond filmSkyfall,[97] but in late 2012 the Council demolished it,[98] and in 2017 a branch ofLidl opened on the former baths site.
Pubs in Hayes include:The Botwell Inn, Coldharbour Lane;The Old Crown, Station Road;Captain Morgan's, Clayton Road;Wishing Well &Five Rivers (Ye Olde Crowne), Uxbridge Road;Brook House, Kingshill Avenue;Music Box, Bourne Avenue; andGreat Western, Dawley Road. TheHayes Working Men's Club is on Pump Lane (from 1918 to 1974 it was in a large house called Sandgate on Station Road, whereIceland now stands). TheHayes Conservative Club is on Church Road; the Irish Social Club (Fáilte) – originally associated with theBotwell Club – operates here.[99]
.jpg)
Hayes had a vibrant, socialpub culture for most of the 20th-century: in 1988, a long list of the town's pubs could still include the words: "many of which exist today".[6]: 68 Pubs began to close in subsequent years, being demolished fordevelopment[100] or converted for other uses.[101][102][103] TheAdam and Eve – formerly at 830 Uxbridge Road – was the town's earliest recorded and longest surviving inn.[104][6]: 26 Though not the original seventeenth-century structure, the pub stood on the same site for over 350 years (1665–2021). Lost pubs include some other longstanding town landmarks:Vine, Angel Lane (closed 1992);[105]Firefly, Welbeck Avenue (1999);[106]Royal Oak, Church Road (2002);[107]Tumbler, Station Road (2003);[108]White Hart, Uxbridge Road (2003);[109]Curran's, Uxbridge Road (2005);[110][111]Blue Anchor, Printing House Lane (2008);[112][113]Ram, Dawley Road (2008);[114]Waggon & Horses, Uxbridge Road (2008);[115]Royal Standard (King's Arms/Bad Bob's), Coldharbour Lane (2010);[116]George Orwell, Coldharbour Lane (2012);[117]Golden Cross, Botwell Lane (2014);[118]Victoria, North Hyde Road (2014);[119]Queen's Head (The Grange/Tommy Flynn's/Blue Lagoon), Wood End Green Road (2015);[120]Hambro Arms (Lounge), Dawley Road (2016);[121]Crane, North Hyde Road (2017);[122]Angel, Uxbridge Road (2018);[123][124]Carpenter's Arms, Uxbridge Road (2023);[125]Grapes, Uxbridge Road (2024).[126]
Social clubs likewise began to close in the 21st century.St Claret's (known locally as theBotwell Club) at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church,[127] Botwell Lane was officially established in 1966, but its roots went back to the 1930s, when an increasing number ofIrish people began coming to live in Hayes.[128] In its 1970s/1980s heyday, theBotwell Club was (in common with the working men's club) a "thriving community hub".[129][130] The Church closed the club on its long-established footing in September 2008, and despite organisers' attempts to keep going on a newlease agreement basis,[128] in 2013The Irish Post noted theBotwell Club was facing closure, owing in large part to high rent.[129] The bar & social club attached toHayes F.C.'s century-oldChurch Road home-ground closed in 2010 when the football club was forced to make way for a largehousing estate development.[131]Glenister Hall (a former annex of the working men's club) and an adjacent sports-ground at the end of Minet Drive were closed and demolished in advance of a controversial 2011 housing development.[47][132][133]
Much-loved entertainer DameGracie Fields visited Hayes'sGramophone factory in 1933;Pathé News footage shows Gracie pressing her four millionth record alongside factory employees and singing the title song of her 1932 filmLooking on the Bright Side to huge cheers.[134] Earlier, several notedmusic hall performers came to record at Hayes's Gramophone studios:George Formby's father,George Formby Sr, recordedGrandfather's Clock on 12 April 1916;[135]G. H. Elliott recordedMississippi Honeymoon on 17 November 1922;[136] andHarry Lauder recordedRoamin' In The Gloamin' and other songs in March 1926,[137] as well as visiting Hayes on other occasions in the 1910s and '20s.[138]
Music hallstrongmanEugen Sandow (1867–1925) – whose 1913 cocoa factory was significant to Hayes's history inindustry (see theIndustry section, above) – is commemorated in a 28-metre-highmural completed in 2022. Theperiod-inspired artwork is on thegable-end of a ten-storey building, viewable from theElizabeth line.[139]
Botwell House hosted early performances byThe Rolling Stones (5 August 1963)[140] andThe Who (19 April 1965).[141][142] Accounts of aWhit Monday pop festival organised at Botwell House in 1963 and 1964 – where performers includedDusty Springfield,The Animals andScreaming Lord Sutch – suggest these were arguably the first examples of anopen-air pop festival in the UK (excluding jazz festivals).[142] TheBlue Moon club on Church Road – next toHayes F.C., 1964–1966[143] – hosted performances by bands including:The Yardbirds (10 June 1964),[144]The Who (20 June 1965),[145] andEric Clapton'sCream (18 September 1966).[146]
Marc Bolan ofglam rock bandT. Rex visited HayesEMI'srecord pressing plant on 19 June 1972.[147][148]
A song titled‘Hayes, Middlesex’ features onindie singer/songwriterDavid Westlake's 2022 albumMy Beautiful England.[149]
ArtistJeremy Deller'sinstallationSacrilege (an inflatable life-size model ofStonehenge) was installed inBarra Hall Park, Hayes from 10.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday 5 August 2012; an estimated 1,400 people attended to view the artwork on the day.[150]
Hayes has had six cinemas in its history.(1.) The town's first cinema, in thesilent era, opened in 1913, and was named simplyThe Hayes Cinema. It was situated at 53–55 Station Road, Hayes – now the site of a branch ofPoundland (formerlyWoolworths[151]). The Hayes Cinema was renamedGem Cinema before its closure in the middle ofWorld War I, in 1916.[152](2.)The Regent Cinema stood between 1924 and 1938 at 16 Station Road, Hayes – now the site of a branch ofNatWest bank. The Regent Cinema subsequently becameThe Regent Theatre (1948–54). PlaywrightJohn Osborne performed at the theatre as a young actor, and stars includingKenneth Williams,Diana Dors andJohn Le Mesurier performed there also early in their careers.[153] Sylvia Rayman's groundbreaking "all-women play"Women of Twilight (1951) waspremiered at Hayes's Regent Theatre.[154](3.)The Corinth Cinema opened in 1933 at 1040 Uxbridge Road. RenamedThe Essoldo in 1949, it was the first cinema in the area to be equipped withCinemaScope and stereophonic sound. After purchasing an alternative building nearby in 1957 (infra), the Essoldo chain closed this cinema in 1961. The address is now the site of the town's Point West Building.[155](4.)The Ambassador Theatre existed between 1938 and 1961 on the area of East Avenue, Hayes which is now occupied by the British Telecommunications Centre (formerly aGPOtelephone exchange). ActressValerie Hobson made a personal appearance on the occasion of the Ambassador Theatre's opening on 19 December 1938; she starred in the film screened for the occasion:This Man Is News.[156](5.)The Savoy Cinema existed from 1939 to 1957 at 466 Uxbridge Road, Hayes. The building was designed by noted cinema architectGeorge Coles. Some famous artists performed on stage at Hayes's Savoy Cinema over the years –Max Miller,Josephine Baker andAdam Faith among them. The Essoldo chain bought the Savoy in 1957, renaming itThe Essoldo in 1962 (after closing its nearby namesake in 1961). This incarnation of the Essoldo closed in 1967. Coles' building was converted into an Essoldo Bingo Club; it became a Ladbrokes Lucky 7 Club, then a branch of Mecca Bingo.[157] A bingo hall since 1967, residents fought unsuccessfully against closure in 2023.[158](6.)The Classic Cinema (1972–1986) was located above aWaitrose supermarket, at 502 Uxbridge Road, Hayes. Subsequently, demolished, its entrance was immediately to the left of the former Savoy (see 5, above).[159]
Hayes FM (91.8FM) is the town'scommunity-focused, non-commerciallocal radio station. The station provides a platform for discussion of local matters, and besides playingpopular music caters musically to a variety of tastes andgenres, includingindie,country, andurban music.[160]
TheHillingdon & Uxbridge Times website provides news for the London Borough of Hillingdon, including Hayes and Uxbridge. The website took over from former weekly freesheet tabloid newspaper theHillingdon & Uxbridge Times, published byNewsquest. Paper publication ceased in 2008 as a result of costs issues.[161]
TheMyLondon website provides news from across the capital, Hayes included. The formerGetWestLondon website was subsumed intoMyLondon in December 2018 byReach plc.[162]
Adigital archive of the defunctHayes & Harlington Gazette offers free access to issues dating from 1986 to 1999.
Primary and junior schools in Hayes include: Botwell House, Dr Triplett's, Minet, Pinkwell, William Byrd, Hayes Park, Hewens Primary, Grange Park, and Rosedale Primary; Cranford Park Academy, Lake Farm Park Academy, and Wood End Park Academy are part of the Park Federation Academy Trust.
Secondary schools in Hayes include:Barnhill Community High School,[163]Global Academy,[164]Guru Nanak Sikh Academy,[165]Harlington School,[166]Hewens College (formerlyMellow Lane School),[167]Parkside Studio College,[168] andRosedale College.[169]
Uxbridge College has a Hayes Campus, situated on the former Townfield School site,[170] accessible from Coldharbour Lane.[171]
Hayes & Yeading United F.C. formed on 18 May 2007, following a merger of the formerHayes F.C. andYeading F.C. Hayes & Yeading F.C.'s home-ground is (since 2016) on Beaconsfield Road, Hayes. The formerHayes F.C. started out asBotwell Mission in 1909, taking the nameHayes F.C. in 1929. The team's home-ground was onChurch Road, Hayes. The Church Road stadium continued in May 2007 asHayes & Yeading's ground until 19 April 2011, when the team played at Church Road for the last time, beatingGateshead 3–1. The former Church Road ground was demolished in 2011, and is now the site of housing. The team played in the interim atWoking'sKingfield Stadium andMaidenhead'sYork Road.[172] Persevering with initial setbacks,[173] the team is rightly back in Hayes. The Church Road ground saw the start of the career of a number of players who went on to play at higher levels, among themLes Ferdinand,Cyrille Regis andJason Roberts MBE.
Hayes has a secondNon-League football team,A.F.C. Hayes; they were known until 2007 as Brook House F.C.
HayesCricket Club's records date back to 1797. The club joined the Middlesex Cricketers League in the 1970s, becoming three-time League champions in the 1980s. The club subsequently entered theThames Valley Cricket League. Hayes Cricket Club's ground is situated behind theBeck Theatre andBotanical Gardens.[174]
Rugby football is represented by two Hayes clubs.Hayes RFC compete in the Middlesex Merit Development League, alongside London Welsh Amateurs, and teams fromHanwell,Chiswick andWhitton; Hayes RFC's home-ground is The Pavilions, Grosvenor Playing Fields, Kingshill Avenue, Hayes UB4 8BZ.[175]Hillingdon Abbots RFC compete in theHerts/Middlesex 2 league; Hillingdon Abbots RFC's home-ground is Pole Hill Open Spaces, Gainsborough Road, Hayes UB4 8PS.[176]
HayesAmateur Boxing Club was formed in 1948. Trainer Dickie Gunn started the club at Hayes's Townfield School. Interim locations included St Christopher'sApproved School and Harlington Scout Hut, until in 1978 the club was granted a piece of land at the back of Judge Heath Lane Sports Centre. A concerted effort by club-trainers, boxers and committee-members produced for the club a purpose-built gym. In 2006 the land on which the gym was built was sold for development, and, following a campaign, a replacement facility was built to the front of the former Hayes Stadium. From its formation, the club has produced successful boxers at national competition level.Chris Finnegan represented the pinnacle of the club's success, winning the 1966Amateur Boxing AssociationMiddleweight title, before going on to win the OlympicMiddleweight gold medal in 1968.[177]
HayesBowls Club (at Botwell Green, Central Avenue) is one of thirteen bowling clubs in Hillingdon.[178]
On 24 July 2012, Hayes was the gateway for theOlympic Torch's passage into Hillingdon borough in the2012 Summer Olympics torch relay; the route traversed North Hyde Road and Dawley Road.[179]
NearbyLondon Heathrow Airport is the largest single provider of employment.[11] The airport's presence generates numerous associated businesses – retail, internationaldistribution andcargo-handling among them. Hotels – such as theSheraton Hotel on Bath Road, Hayes – benefit, too, from the town's proximity to the airport.
West London Film Studios – situated on Springfield Road, Hayes – is a film and television studio equipped to accommodate everything from small TV productions to big-budget feature films.The Imitation Game (2014),Bridget Jones's Baby (2016) andKilling Eve are just a few well-known productions filmed at the Hayes studios.[180]
LombardyRetail Park, UB3 3EX is located near the Uxbridge Road/The Parkway crossing. The park is 220,000 sq ft (20,000 m2) in size with 865 parking spaces. Shops include:Sainsbury's (replaced the popular Pump Lane branch, 1997[181]),Currys,TK Maxx,Next,H&M,Sports Direct,McDonald's,Pizza Hut andCosta.[182] A smaller development to the east, Hayes Bridge Retail Park, has branches ofDreams andMetro Bank.[183]
TMD Technologies (Thorn Microwave Devices) is located in Swallowfield Way, Hayes. The firm dates back to the 1940s and EMI's high-powerklystron group. It manufacturestransmitters andradar equipment, and employs about 220 people.[184]
Cloud computing companyRackspace operates its U.K. offices from Hyde Park Hayes.[185]
Harnam Engineering Works is situated on Swallowfield Way, Hayes. Established in 1988, the company specialises in premiumlaser cutting,precision engineering,sheet metalwork andfabrication.[186]
Leemark Engineering is situated on Rigby Lane, Hayes. Founded in 1967, themachining service specialises in high precisionCNCmilling andturning.[187]
Wellington Engineering is situated on Betam Road, Hayes. Established in the mid-1980s, the company specialises inmultiaxis andCNC machining serving a variety of industries.[188]
Hayes is in theHayes and Harlington UK Parliament constituency. Hayes's currentMP isJohn McDonnell (Labour).[189]
TheMetropolitan Police Service is responsible forlaw enforcement and theprevention of crime in Hayes. TheHillingdon Neighbourhood Watch website contains details of Police Station opening times, news, appeals, events and meetings. Crime information may be given anonymously toCrimestoppers UK.
Hillingdon Council encourages residents to report: incidents offly-tipping, problems involvingillegally parked vehicles, andpotholes and road issues.
Hayes Fire Station is at 65 Shepiston Lane, UB3 1LL. TheLondon Fire Brigade puts information regarding Hayes Fire Station, and risk and incidents in Hayes on itswebsite.
Hayes is served byHillingdon Hospital on Pield Heath Road, UB8 3NN.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Hayes & Harlington railway station is the town's main railway station on theGreat Western Main Line, and the station is on theElizabeth line. It provides direct connections eastbound toLondon Paddington and beyond, and westbound toReading. It is also served by trains on the Heathrow Spur, connecting it to the airport without an intermediate stop. Hayes & Harlington station was redeveloped ahead of the opening of the Elizabeth line.[190]
London Buses serving Hayes are:
The town is close to junctions 3 and 4 of theM4 motorway. TheA312 is the main north–south route. The A4020Uxbridge Road is the main west–east route passing directly through Hayes.
TheGrand Union Canal runs through Hayes. Travellers by boat may moor at Hayes and take advantage of local amenities. Shops include branches of:Sainsbury's,Tesco,Iceland,Asda,Lidl,Greggs,Boots, andWHSmith).
Galton and Simpson-scripted comedyThe Bargee (1964) starsHarry H. Corbett andRonnie Barker as boatmen operating a canal-boat along the Bull's Bridge, Hayes section of theGrand Union Canal.[191]
Poor Cow (1967) – a noted example ofkitchen sink drama starringCarol White andTerence Stamp – was filmed partly in Hayes.[192][193]
The Beatles' 1967 filmMagical Mystery Tour followed the band and their entourage on a surreal musical journey. Hayes is not listed among the featured locations, but the town's name features throughout. The famousMagical Mystery Tour coach – aPlaxton-bodied Panorama 1, based on the six-wheeledBedford VAL 14 chassis, registered URO 913E and painted yellow and blue withpsychedelic logos – was chartered byEMI from Fox Coaches of Hayes, who purchased the vehicle new in March 1967. The firm's name – "Fox of Hayes" – is visible throughout the film, above the coach's licence-plate.[194][195]
Parts ofChocolat (2000), starringJuliette Binoche andJohnny Depp, were filmed inBarra Hall, Hayes.[196]
The scene inBend It Like Beckham (2002) where Jess (Parminder Nagra) meets Juliette (Keira Knightley) was filmed inBarra Hall Park, Hayes; the Hounslow Harriers' practice pitch in the film is the nearby oldYeading Football Club pitch.[197]
TheSheraton Hotel on Bath Road, Hayes features in four films:Otto Preminger's final film,The Human Factor (1979) starringRichard Attenborough,[198]Michael Caine spy thrillerThe Whistle Blower (1986),[199] directorRidley Scott's thrillerThe Counsellor (2013),[200] and crime dramaThe Infiltrator (2016) starringBryan Cranston.[201]
Marvel superhero filmThor: The Dark World (2013) includes scenes filmed on the site of the oldEMI complex on Blyth Road, Hayes.[202]
Brad Pitt caused a stir in Hayes in November 2012 when filming scenes for horror filmWorld War Z (2013) at locations off Hayes End Road; the actor reportedly dined at Tommy Flynn's Bar and Diner (formerly theQueen's Head &The Grange; closed 2015[120]), on Wood End Green Road.[203]
Keira Knightley returned to Hayes to co-star withBenedict Cumberbatch inThe Imitation Game (2014), filmed at the town'sWest London Film Studios.[204]
Colin Firth came to Hayes to makeThe Mercy (2017),studio-set scenes of which were filmed atWest London Film Studios.[205]
Judy Garland biographical filmJudy (2019), withRenée Zellweger, was made at the town'sWest London Film Studios.[206]
ComediansFreddie Starr (1993),[207]Frank Carson (1993),[208] andMike Reid (1993)[209] & (1998)[210] have issued on video and DVD performances filmed at Hayes'sBeck Theatre.
The BBC filmed a 1949 performance ofA.G. Macdonell's stage-comedyThe Fur Coat in Hayes's Regent Theatre (in existence 1948–54);[211] the cast includedRichard Bebb andsilent film starChili Bouchier.[212]
Doctor Who, first story of Series 9 (January 1972), saw third DoctorJon Pertwee's first encounter with theDaleks in a four-week story titled "Day of the Daleks"; filming locations included the Bull's Bridge, Hayes section of theGrand Union Canal.[213]
Two episodes of 1970s police dramaThe Sweeney included scenes filmed on Blyth Road, Hayes: "Contact Breaker" (Series 1, Episode 12; broadcast 20 March 1975),[214] and "Faces" (Series 2, Episode 2; broadcast 8 September 1975).[215]
Rowan Atkinson filmed a swimming-pool-based episode of his popular seriesMr. Bean (Series 1, Episode 3; broadcast 30 December 1990) at the (since-relocated) old swimming baths on Central Avenue, Hayes.[216]
Channel 5 soap operaFamily Affairs (1997–2005) was filmed at HDS Studios, Beaconsfield Road, Hayes,[217] with outdoor scenes filmed at the nearby Willowtree Marina section of theGrand Union Canal.[218]
BBC sitcomOne Foot in the Grave featured the exploits of the curmudgeonlyVictor Meldrew in an unnamed English suburb; Series 6, Episode 5 – "The Dawn of Man" (broadcast 13 November 2000)[219] – included scenes filmed on Glencoe Road, Hayes.[220]
BBC crime-dramaWaking the Dead two-part episode"Multistorey" (Series 3, Parts 1 & 2; broadcast 14 & 15 September 2003) included scenes filmed around the car park aboveIceland supermarket on Station Road, Hayes.
An early episode of detective dramaLewis – "Expiation" (Series 1, Episode 3; broadcast 6 July 2008) – included scenes filmed at HDS Studios, Beaconsfield Road, Hayes.[221]
BBC crime-dramaNew Tricks episode "Things Can Only Get Better" (Series 10, Episode 7; broadcast 10 September 2013) included scenes filmed aroundHayes & Harlington railway station.[222]
Ricky Gervais made the 2014 Christmas special of his comedy-dramaDerek at Hayes'sWest London Film Studios.[223]
The final (9th) series ofPeep Show (2015) was made at Hayes'sWest London Film Studios.[224]
ITV television filmChurchill's Secret (broadcast: 28 February 2016), starringMichael Gambon, was filmed at Hayes'sWest London Film Studios.[225]
Apple TV+ comedy-drama television seriesTed Lasso, starringJason Sudeikis, is filmed at Hayes'sWest London Film Studios, andHayes & Yeading United F.C.[226]
In 1917, KingGeorge V and QueenMary visited the (pre-EMI)Gramophone Company in Hayes; they were accompanied byLord Cromer, and were received by pioneer of music-recording and cinemaAlfred Clark, then managing director of the company.[278] The Gramophone Company contributed a detailed miniaturegramophone of mahogany and brass toQueen Mary's Dolls' House in 1924; it remains part of theRoyal Collection.[279]
In January 1936, the thenPrince of WalesEdward visited Hayes to view the production of theGramophone Company's radio instruments.[280]
In 1940, KingGeorge VI and his wife QueenElizabeth visited the EMI Factory in Hayes.[281]
On 12 March 1965,Princess Margaret, younger sister ofQueen Elizabeth II, visited theEMI factory.[282] HerRoyal Highness was accompanied by her husbandLord Snowdon. The Royal couple was received by formerEMI chairmanSir Joseph Lockwood, who oversaw the company's expansion in themusic industry, signing and marketingThe Beatles and others.
On 19 May 2006, Queen Elizabeth II visited Hayes town centre as part of a programme of visits in celebration of her 80th birthday.[283]
On 23 March 2011, the then Duchess of Cornwall,Camilla visited Brookside Primary School on Perth Avenue, Hayes.[284]
On 14 February 2013, the thenPrince Andrew visitedTMD Technologies in Swallowfield Way, Hayes in recognition of its innovation and trade record.[285]
On 20 April 2017, the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge,William andCatherine andPrince Harry visited Hayes, officially openingGlobal Academy, whose interest in mental well-being is in accord with the Royals'Heads Together mental health charity.[286]
On 9 March 2023, William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales visited Hayes in order to thank volunteers involved in thehumanitarian response to the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake.[287][288]
Alisted building is one that has been placed on the Statutory List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest.
| Name / location | Grade | Date listed | List entry number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barra Hall, Wood End Green Road | II | 6 September 1974 | 1080105 |
| Benlow Works, Silverdale Road | II | 1 February 1989 | 1080121 |
| 26 Park Road | II | 6 September 1974 | 1080152 |
| Church of St Mary, Church Road | II* | 27 May 1949 | 1080233 |
| Lych gate and wall to south of Church of St Mary, Church Walk | II | 27 May 1949 | 1080234 |
| Whitehall, 1 and 1A, Botwell Lane | II | 6 September 1974 | 1080257 |
| FormerManor House Stables, Church Road | II | 6 September 1974 | 1080274 |
| 16th century walls, 30–36 (even) Church Road[permanent dead link] | II | 6 September 1974 | 1080277 |
| 213 Church Road | II | 6 September 1974 | 1192942 |
| Early 16th century walls, 28 Church Road[permanent dead link] | II* | 6 September 1974 | 1193014 |
| Heinz Administrative Headquarters and Former Research Laboratories, Hayes Park | II* | 24 November 1995 | 1242724 |
| Enterprise House, Blyth Road | II | 31 October 1997 | 1244861 |
| Garden wall to west of Springfield House, Hayes End Road | II | 6 September 1974 | 1285939 |
| 16th century walls, 52–58 (even) Church Road[permanent dead link] | II | 6 September 1974 | 1286348 |
| 16th century walls, 40–50 (even) Church RoadArchived 22 March 2018 at theWayback Machine | II | 6 September 1974 | 1358327 |
| Botwell House, Botwell Lane | II | 6 September 1974 | 1358357 |
| Pringwell House and Cottage, Hayes End Road | II | 6 September 1974 | 1358377 |
| War Memorial, Cherry Lane Cemetery, Shepiston Lane | II | 23 February 2010 | 1393676 |
| The Angel PH, Uxbridge Road[124][289] | II | 13 February 2015 | 1422617 |
| Church of St Anselm, Station Road | II | 7 November 2019 | 1464541 |
Hillingdon Council lists fourconservation areas in Hayes. These areas are designated heritage assets of special architectural and historic interest, "the character and appearance of which is desirable to preserve or enhance.""Conservation and heritage assets".www.hillingdon.gov.uk. 22 February 2023. Retrieved13 April 2023.
Hayes has several parks and public gardens, the character and appearance of which it may also be said to be desirable to preserve:Barra Hall Park,Minet Country Park, theNorman Leddy Memorial Gardens, andLake Farm Country Park.
Grade II listings are given to early 20th centuryelectric transformer pillars bearing the town's name as part of the manufacturer's address:British Electric Transformer Company, Hayes, Middlesex. The listings are made for these reasons: "[1] Design interest: the transformer pillars produced by the British Electric Transformer Company are handsome pieces ofindustrial design. [2] Historic interest: . . . survives from the early period of mass electricity supply, which was to have a revolutionary effect on British domestic life."[290]
British History Online entries concerning Hayes:
Cranford,Greenford,Harlington,Hillingdon,Northolt,Southall,Uxbridge,West Drayton,Yeading, andYiewsley.
Heathrow airport is situated in the south of the borough, and is the largest employer
aFrench Huguenot family who came to England after theRevocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1686.
From 1909 [...] produced pianola (selfplaying piano) rolls and gramophone records. The finished paper rolls, which replicated tunes in the form of minute perforations, were hung inside the building's clock tower.
For Eugen Sandow, being a Prussian selling cocoa based on a German recipe and having a German accent was highly damaging
This open-air theatre [...] is intended to restore the park to its former glory
There's more nostalgic localism on the glam-riffed 'Hayes, Middlesex'
performed at the Regent Theatre, Hayes on 30 July 1951
Buster Bloodvessel, has emerged from his canal houseboat in Hayes
In 1877 she [Lady Mordaunt] was moved to Hayes Park Asylum, Hillingdon
Stephen Storace (1762-1796) lived at The Chestnuts, Wood End from 1788
He grew up in Hayes and at 10 began to train with Chelsea
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
