Greenford station has the only escalator on the London Underground that takes passengers up to the trains rather than down, because the Central line runs on a viaduct here. It's one of several quirks in a suburb that grew up fast in the 1930s along the new Western Avenue, with factories, semi-detached houses and the great white Hoover Building just down the road at Perivale. Minibus hire Greenford customers book is mostly school trips and sport, family events and airport runs, with Heathrow only a short drive away.
Greenford sits in the north-west of Ealing borough, between Northolt, Perivale, Southall and Sudbury, with the A40 along its northern edge. From our base in SE1, it's about forty-five minutes to an hour outside the rush hour, along the Westway and the A40.
Minibus hire Greenford for school trips
Greenford's primary and secondary schools book us for museum visits, theatre trips, swimming, sports fixtures and residential trips. The South Kensington museums are about forty-five minutes away outside the rush hour, Kew Gardens about twenty-five and the RAF Museum about twenty-five.
Horsenden Hill, on the eastern edge of Greenford, has woodland, meadows and a view across the whole of west London from the top, and Horsenden Farm runs nature sessions for schools. Traces of Iron Age settlement have been found on the hill, which suits a history lesson too. The Grand Union Canal's Paddington Arm runs along the foot of the hill, and canal walks suit geography and science trips. For a school day, send the numbers, the destination and the times, and the details come back in writing.
Heathrow runs from Greenford
Heathrow is about twenty to thirty minutes from Greenford outside the rush hour, via the A312 and the A4 or the M4. It's one of the shortest airport runs in this part of London. From here, Luton takes about forty-five minutes, Gatwick an hour, and Stansted an hour and a quarter.
Families heading off on holiday, relatives arriving from abroad and groups of friends flying together book us for the run. With children, grandparents and a lot of luggage, a minibus from the door is easier than a taxi each. Many Greenford families have relatives arriving from Poland, India and Somalia with heavy luggage and gifts, and one vehicle keeps everyone together. Give us the flight number and the driver will be waiting at arrivals.
Sports fixtures and clubs
Greenford has a lot of football, cricket and rugby, with pitches at Ravenor Park, Northala Fields and the sports grounds around the A40. Clubs and schools book us for away fixtures, county tournaments, summer cricket festivals and end-of-season trips, with a squad and kit in one vehicle and the driver staying for the game.
Northala Fields, on the Northolt side, has four tall grassy mounds built from the rubble of the old Wembley Stadium and other building sites, and together they make a striking spot for cross-country running and kite flying. For a junior club with several teams, we can stagger the runs on the same morning. Saturday morning fixtures often need the vehicle by eight.
Polish parishes and family weddings
Greenford has a large Polish community, with its own churches and shops, along with South Asian, Somali and long-standing west London families. Weddings, christenings and big birthdays bring families together from across west London, and receptions take place at halls in Greenford, Southall and Hayes.
Guests are collected from homes across Greenford and Perivale, taken to the ceremony and the reception, and brought home at the end. Community groups and churches book us for outings to the coast, gardens and shrines elsewhere in the country.
The Hoover Building and Westway Cross
The Hoover Building, the Art Deco factory on the A40 at Perivale, is now a supermarket and flats, and its floodlit front is one of the sights of the Western Avenue, and a favourite stop for architecture groups touring west London. Westway Cross and the retail parks along Greenford Road suit shopping trips for groups who need room for big purchases. The Greenford Road and Western Avenue junction carries heavy traffic heading on and off the A40.
The A40 at peak times
The A40 is Greenford's main route east into London and west to the M40, and at peak times it's slow, especially at the Greenford Road junction, Hanger Lane to the east and the Target roundabout to the west. Greenford Road and Ruislip Road are busy with buses for most of the day. Minibus hire Greenford schools book for central London trips usually leaves after half past nine to avoid the worst of the A40, and for early flights we'll leave a margin. An incident on the A40 can back traffic up for miles, so the driver checks the roads before setting off.
For minibus hire in Greenford, call 020 7183 0567.