Hayes, Hillingdon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hayes
Former EMI headquarters, Hayes
Hayes
Population	83,564 (2011 Census
OS grid reference	TQ095805
• Charing Cross	13 mi (21 km) E
London borough	Hillingdon
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	HAYES
Postcode district	UB3, UB4
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
EU Parliament	London
UK Parliament	Hayes and Harlington
London Assembly	Ealing and Hillingdon
List of places UK England London 51°30′46″N 0°25′16″W / 51.5127°N 0.4211°W / 51.5127; -0.4211

Hayes is a town in west London, England. It used to be part of Middlesex county, but now it's in the London Borough of Hillingdon. In 2011, about 83,564 people lived here, including in areas like Hayes End, Harlington, and Yeading. Hayes is about 21 kilometers (13 miles) west of Charing Cross in central London.

The Grand Union Canal runs right through Hayes, along with the Great Western Main Line railway. Hayes has a mix of factories, shops, homes, and lovely parks.

Hayes has a very long history, even appearing in the famous Domesday Book from 1086. Important old buildings include St Mary's Parish Church, which is over 1,000 years old! The church's middle part is from the 12th century. Another historic spot is Barra Hall, a beautiful old manor house. The town's oldest pub, the Adam and Eve, has been in the same spot since 1665.

Hayes is well-known because it was once home to EMI, a famous music company. You might have seen "Hayes, Middlesex" written on the back of The Beatles' albums, which were made at the town's Old Vinyl Factory. A special "gold disc" in the town centre celebrates 50 years since The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album was made in Hayes in 1967. Today, companies like Heinz, United Biscuits, Fujitsu, and Rackspace U.K. have their main offices here.

Famous people from history who lived in Hayes include William Byrd, a very important English music composer from the early modern period, and George Orwell, a well-known writer from the 20th century.

What's in a Name?

The name Hayes comes from an old Anglo-Saxon word, Hǣs or Hǣse. This word meant "land covered with brushwood" or small trees.

A Look Back in Time

Hayes was originally made up of five smaller villages: Botwell, Hayes Town, Hayes End, Wood End, and Yeading. What we call Hayes Town today, around Station Road, was actually the hamlet of Botwell. The original Hayes Town was closer to St Mary's Church.

For about 700 years, until 1546, Hayes belonged to the Archbishop of Canterbury. Then, King Henry VIII took the land, and it changed hands many times after that. By the 1700s, two families, Minet and Shackle, owned much of the land.

The founders of the Methodist movement, John Wesley and Charles Wesley, preached in Hayes many times between 1748 and 1753. The Salvation Army also had a place in Hayes from 1887.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Hayes had several private schools for children from wealthy families. Some of these old school buildings are still around today, like the former Manor House on Church Road, which was a boys' school.

Until the late 1800s, most people in Hayes worked in farming or making bricks. But then, the Second Industrial Revolution brought big changes. Hayes was a great spot for factories because it was on the Grand Union Canal and the Great Western Railway. The Hayes & Harlington railway station opened in 1868, making it even easier for businesses to set up here.

Because of its good location, the Hayes Development Company built new factory sites. Hayes quickly became a hub for engineering and other industries. After World War I, new homes were built for the many workers who moved to the area.

In 1904, the local council created the Hayes Urban District to manage the growing population. This district later became part of the London Borough of Hillingdon in 1965.

The famous author George Orwell lived and worked in Hayes in 1932-33 as a school teacher. The school he taught at is now the Fountain House Hotel. There's a special plaque on the hotel to remember him.

Fountain House Hotel, Church Road, Hayes, where George Orwell once taught.

The War Memorial at Cherry Lane Cemetery remembers a sad event during World War II. On July 7, 1944, a German V-1 flying bomb (also called a "doodle-bug") hit a factory shelter, killing 37 workers. Twelve of these victims are buried in a mass grave at the cemetery.

The current Hayes Police Station opened in 1938. In 2006, Queen Elizabeth II visited Hayes town centre as part of her 80th birthday celebrations.

Hayes's Industries

Hayes has a strong history in industry. It was home to major companies like EMI, Nestlé, and H. J. Heinz Company. Other important companies included Fairey Aviation and HMV.

The first big factory was the British Electric Transformer Company (B.E.T.), which moved to Hayes in 1901. They made transformers and also invented the Tricity cooker.

The EMI logo on their former headquarters building in Hayes.

The most famous company to set up in Hayes was the Gramophone Company, which later became EMI. The factory's first stone was laid by famous singer Nellie Melba. The old EMI buildings, including the Grade II listed Enterprise House, are now known as The Old Vinyl Factory.

At EMI's Central Research Laboratories, Isaac Shoenberg developed the first all-electronic television system in 1934. This system was used by the BBC for many years. Alan Blumlein also did important research here on binaural (3D) sound and stereo recording. He even filmed "Trains at Hayes Station" in 1935 to show off his stereo sound on film!

During World War I, the EMI factories made aircraft. Later, Charles Richard Fairey started his own company, Fairey Aviation, which built over 4,500 aircraft in Hayes. To test these planes, Fairey bought land in nearby Heathrow in 1928. This land eventually became Heathrow Airport.

Nestlé Factory and driveway in Hayes.

In 1913, famous bodybuilder Eugen Sandow opened a cocoa factory in Hayes. This factory later became part of the Nestlé company in 1929. Nestlé built a large chocolate and instant coffee factory next to the canal and railway. The road leading to it was even renamed Nestlé's Avenue! The factory's beautiful Art Deco front is still a local landmark.

Across the canal, the Aeolian Company made player pianos until the Great Depression. Their buildings were later used by companies like Kraft Foods and Wall's (known for meat products and ice cream). One of Aeolian's old buildings, Benlow Works, is still standing and is a Grade II listed building.

Benlow Works, Silverdale Road, a Grade II listed building.

From the 1970s to 2005, Damont Audio, a vinyl record pressing plant, was based in Hayes. If you find old vinyl records with "DAMONT" in the run-out groove, they were likely made here!

Today, West London Film Studios continues Hayes's connection to the arts, hosting the production of TV shows and movies.

Churches in Hayes

St Mary's Church, Hayes, overlooking Barra Hall Park.

Church hall of St Mary.

St Mary's Church on Church Road is the oldest building in Hayes. It's a Grade II* listed building, meaning it's very important historically. The middle part of the church was built in the 13th century, and other parts were added later. The church dates back to 830 AD! St Mary's has a 12th-century font and many interesting memorials. The church's roof has emblems from the Tudor period, including symbols of the crucifixion and the coats of arms of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon.

St Anselm church, built in 1929, is named after Saint Anselm, who stayed in Hayes in 1095.

The Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic church was built in 1961. Its large painting of the Immaculate Heart of Mary was created by the famous artist Pietro Annigoni in Florence. The old house next to the church, "Botwell House," was once home to a major landowner in Hayes.

Fun and Culture

Hayes has lots of places for fun and culture! The Beck Theatre opened in 1977 and hosts many different shows, like concerts, comedy, plays, and pantomimes.

The Open Air Theatre, Barra Hall Park started in 1951 as a place for music, theatre, and dance in the community. It was rebuilt in 2005 with money raised by local people.

Hayes's Botwell Green Library is inside the Botwell Green Leisure Centre, which opened in 2010.

Hayes has several lovely parks and gardens, including Barra Hall Park, Minet Country Park, the Norman Leddy Memorial Gardens, and Lake Farm Country Park.

Barra Hall, Hayes.

In 2012, artist Jeremy Deller's giant inflatable Stonehenge artwork, called Sacrilege, was set up in Barra Hall Park for a day. About 1,400 people came to see it!

The Grade II listed Angel Public House on Uxbridge Road was designed by a famous architect named Nowell Parr. It was built in 1926 and is a great example of an "improved" pub from that time, designed to be more welcoming.

Hayes has had six cinemas over the years. The first, The Hayes Cinema, opened in 1913. Later, The Regent Cinema was a theatre where famous actors like Kenneth Williams and Diana Dors performed. The building designed by George Coles for The Savoy Cinema is now a bingo hall.

This building, now a bingo hall, was once the Savoy Cinema, designed by George Coles.

Hayes FM (91.8 FM) is the town's local radio station. It talks about local news and plays all kinds of music. Since The Beatles' albums were made in Hayes, it's cool that Hayes FM has Europe's longest-running Beatles-themed radio show!

Hayes on Screen

Movies Filmed in Hayes

The Bull's Bridge, Hayes section of the Grand Union Canal.

• The comedy The Bargee (1964) shows boatmen on the Bull's Bridge section of the Grand Union Canal in Hayes.
• Director Ken Loach's film Poor Cow (1967) was partly filmed in Hayes.
• The famous Magical Mystery Tour coach from The Beatles' 1967 film Magical Mystery Tour was chartered from Fox Coaches of Hayes. You can see "Fox of Hayes" on the coach in the movie!
• Parts of Chocolat (2000), starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp, were filmed at Barra Hall Park in Hayes.
• A scene in Bend It Like Beckham (2002) was filmed in Barra Hall Park. The football pitch in the movie was the old Yeading Football Club pitch nearby.
• The Sheraton Hotel in Hayes appears in the spy thriller The Whistle Blower (1986) and The Counsellor (2013).
• The Marvel superhero film Thor: The Dark World (2013) had scenes filmed at the old EMI complex in Hayes.
• Brad Pitt filmed scenes for World War Z (2013) in Hayes in 2012.
• Keira Knightley and Benedict Cumberbatch filmed The Imitation Game (2014) at Hayes's West London Film Studios.

TV Shows Filmed in Hayes

Blyth Road, with Enterprise House (a Grade II listed building).

• A 1949 BBC performance of The Fur Coat was filmed at Hayes's Regent Theatre.
• An episode of Doctor Who called "Day of the Daleks" (1972) had scenes filmed on the Bull's Bridge section of the Grand Union Canal in Hayes.
• Two episodes of the 1970s police drama The Sweeney were filmed on Blyth Road, Hayes.
• Rowan Atkinson filmed an episode of Mr. Bean (1990) at the old swimming baths in Hayes.
• The Channel 5 soap opera Family Affairs (1997-2005) was filmed at HDS Studios in Hayes, with outdoor scenes by the Grand Union Canal.
• An episode of the BBC sitcom One Foot in the Grave (2000) included scenes filmed on Glencoe Road, Hayes.
• The BBC crime-drama Waking the Dead (2003) filmed scenes around the car park above Iceland supermarket in Hayes.
• An early episode of the detective drama Lewis (2008) included scenes filmed at HDS Studios in Hayes.
• The BBC crime-drama New Tricks (2013) filmed scenes around Hayes & Harlington railway station.
• The ITV film Churchill's Secret (2016), starring Michael Gambon, was filmed at Hayes's West London Film Studios.

Important Buildings

A listed building is a special building that is protected because of its history or architecture.

Getting Around Hayes

Roads

The A312 dual carriageway in Hayes.

Hayes is close to junctions 3 and 4 of the M4 motorway. The A312 is the main road running north to south, and the A4020 Uxbridge Road goes through Hayes from west to east.

Trains

Hayes & Harlington railway station.

Hayes & Harlington railway station is the main train station. You can take trains directly to London Paddington in the east and Reading in the west. There are also trains to Heathrow Airport. The station was updated for the new Elizabeth line, which will connect Hayes directly to London's West End and beyond.

Buses

Many London bus routes serve Hayes:

Waterways

Canal docks in Hayes.

The Grand Union Canal flows through Hayes. If you're traveling by boat, you can stop here and visit the local shops, which include places like Sainsbury's, Tesco, Iceland, and Asda.

Nearby Places

Economy and Shopping

Entrance to the Lombardy Shopping Park.

Rail unloading facilities at Tarmac works in Hayes, with the Nestlé factory in the background.

The nearby London Heathrow Airport provides many jobs in Hayes. Its presence also helps many other businesses, like shops, international delivery services, and hotels. The Sheraton Hotel on Bath Road, for example, benefits from being so close to the airport.

Lombardy Shopping Park is a big shopping area in Hayes. It has many stores, including Next, Sports Direct, H&M, and Sainsbury's. There's also Hayes Bridge Retail Park with stores like Currys PC World.

West London Film Studios in Hayes is a film and TV studio where many productions are made, from small TV shows to big movies. The Imitation Game (2014), Bridget Jones's Baby (2016), and Killing Eve (2018, 2019 & 2020) are some well-known productions filmed here.

The Nest, located in the town's Old Vinyl Factory complex, is a climbing centre. It has a bouldering wall, a gym, and a fitness studio. It opened in September 2019.

Hayes Park, with the Grade II* listed Heinz buildings nearby.

The UK headquarters of the food company Heinz is in Hayes Park. The Grade II* listed Heinz buildings are a special example of work by the famous American architect Gordon Bunshaft. Many other large companies also have their main offices in Hayes, such as:

• The headquarters of United Biscuits (who make McVitie's biscuits) is in Hayes Park.
• The UK headquarters of the I.T. company Fujitsu is also in Hayes Park.
• The Cloud computing company Rackspace has its UK offices here.
• China Airlines has its UK office in Hayes.
• TMD Technologies (Thorn Microwave Devices), which makes transmitters and radar equipment, is in Hayes. Prince Andrew visited TMD in 2013 to recognize their innovative work.

Sports in Hayes

Hayes & Yeading United F.C. was formed in 2007 when two local football clubs merged. Their home ground is on Beaconsfield Road, Hayes. Many famous football players, like Les Ferdinand, Cyrille Regis, and Jason Roberts, started their careers at the old Hayes F.C. ground.

Hayes also has another Non-League football team called A.F.C. Hayes.

Cricket Club has been around since 1797! They joined the Middlesex Cricketers League in the 1970s and won the League three times in the 1980s. Their ground is behind the Beck Theatre.

There are two Rugby football clubs in Hayes: Hayes RFC and Hillingdon Abbots RFC.

Hayes Amateur Boxing Club started in 1948. They have produced many successful boxers. Chris Finnegan is their most famous boxer, winning the Olympic Middleweight gold medal in 1968.

Olympic gold medal-winning middleweight boxer Chris Finnegan.

Hayes Bowls Club manages one of Hillingdon's bowling greens at Botwell Green.

On July 24, 2012, the Olympic Torch passed through Hayes on its way to the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Schools and Learning

Primary schools in Hayes include Botwell House, Dr Triplett's, Minet, Pinkwell, William Byrd, Hayes Park, Hewens primary, Grange Park, Cranford Park Academy, and Wood End Park Academy.

Secondary schools include Barnhill Community High School, Guru Nanak Sikh Academy, Harlington School, Hewens College, Rosedale College, Parkside Studio College, and Global Academy.

Uxbridge College has a campus in Hayes.

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall visited Brookside Primary School in Hayes in 2011.

Prince William, Kate Middleton, and Prince Harry officially opened Global Academy at the Old Vinyl Factory site in 2017.

Famous People From Hayes

Composer William Byrd, "the father of English music", lived in Hayes and Harlington, 1578–88.

• Frank Allen (1943-), bass player for The Searchers, was born in Hayes.
• Anselm of Canterbury (1033/4–1109), later Saint Anselm, stayed in Hayes in 1095.
• Buster Bloodvessel (1958-), frontman of Bad Manners, lives on a canal boat in Hayes.
• Dennis Brain (1921-1957), a famous French horn player, lived in Hayes.
• Robin Bush (1943–2010) from Time Team was born in Hayes.
• Composer William Byrd (1539/40-1623), known as "the father of English music," lived in Hayes and Harlington from 1578–88. A primary school is named after him.
• Brian Connolly (1945–1997), singer of the band Sweet, lived in Hayes.
• Actress Anne Marie Duff (1970-), known from Shameless, grew up in Hayes.
• Greg Dyke (1947-), former head of the BBC, grew up in Hayes.
• Chris Finnegan (1944–2009), Olympic boxing gold medalist, lived in Hayes.
• Barry Foster (1927–2002), TV detective Van der Valk, grew up in Hayes.
• Paul Gardiner (1958–1984) of Gary Numan's Tubeway Army was born in Hayes.
• Glenn Hoddle (1957-), famous England footballer, was born in Hayes.
• Friedrich Georg Houtermans (1903–1966), a nuclear physicist, lived in Hayes and worked for EMI.
• Barry Lane (1960-), a golfer, was born in Hayes.
• Honey Lantree (1943-2018), drummer for The Honeycombs, was born in Hayes.
• Screenwriter Tony Lee (1970-), known for Doctor Who and Star Trek comics, was born in Hayes.
• Author George Orwell (1903–1950) lived and worked in Hayes, 1932-33.

George Orwell in 1933, the year he lived and worked in Hayes.

• Malcolm Owen (1955-1980) and Paul Fox (1951-2007) of the punk band The Ruts grew up in Hayes.
• Larry Page (c. 1938-), manager of The Kinks, was born in Hayes.
• Steve Priest (1948-2020), bass player of Sweet, was born in Hayes.
• Jane Seymour (1951-), famous actress, was born in Hayes.
• Nick Simper (1945-), a founding member of Deep Purple, lived in Hayes.
• Composer Stephen Storace (1762–1796), a friend of Mozart, lived in Hayes.
• David Westlake (1965-), singer/songwriter of The Servants, was born in Hayes.
• Rhoys Wiggins (1987-), Welsh international footballer, grew up in Hayes.
• Ray Wilkins (1956-2018), football player and manager, grew up in Hayes.
• Norman Willis (1933–2014), former leader of the TUC, was born in Hayes.

Images for kids

• 

  The 19th century Barra Hall, used by Hayes Urban District council until the 1960s.

• 

  Station Road, Hayes, 1983.

• 

  Marshall amp: first factory in Hayes, 1964.

• 

  The Grand Union Canal in Hayes.

• 

  Yeading Brook Meadows.

• 

  The Bull's Bridge, Hayes section of the Grand Union Canal, has been used as a filming location.

• 

  Hayes fire station.

• 

  Raeburn Road looking towards the northern junction with Hayman crescent.

• 

  Offices and shop, Uxbridge Road, Hayes UB4.