AROUND HAYES & WEST DRAYTON
by Philip Sherwood

This is the fourth book in the series “Around Hayes and West Drayton” and gathers together a selection of over 170 historic photographs relating to transport and industry in the area. It describes the evolution of the transport infrastructure and how this resulted in the development of Hayes, in less than 30 years, from a rural village into one of the major industrial towns of south-east England.

All the major transport links between London, the south Midlands and the West Country pass through the locality and these communications with the capital led to the rapid growth of industry in the early years of the 20th Century when many factories established themselves between the railway line and the canal.

Last, but by no means least, the book outlines the development of Heathrow since 1944. It shows how this has transformed west Middlesex much of which has been completely engulfed by the airport and the roads leading to it. Still more of the area is threatened by the current proposals to expand the airport to the north of the A4.