The Greenway, Secondary Modern School

I was in Uxbridge on the weekend of 21st / 22nd January, and Uxbridge has changed so much, some of it of course for the better, but I can't help feeling that a lot of the character of the town has disappeared. That quirky High Street with the lovely coaching inns, the undercover market opposite the railway station. The RAF station has now largely gone, scheduled for redevelopment. The Greenway school has most of the original buildings in place, obviously with lots of new additions. I well remember the wooden hut with the massive coke stove in the corner, and the prefabricated concrete classrooms, which I suppose have all gone now.

I have many fond memories of cycling to Heathrow airport, to watch the various aircraft land, and takeoff. You could cycle through the smaller bore of the tunnel then, as this was for pedestrians, and cyclists. Loved watching the BEA Viscount, and Vanguard turbo props, and the BEA Tridents, my favourite though was the BOAC VC10, with it's four rear mounted jet engines. The new Boeing 707 was also to be seen in the early 1960's. Did anyone else enjoy plane spotting?

Found this photo from 1957, this was an Uxbridge firm of seed merchants, E.E. Chaney. They used to collect grain from Buckinghamshire farmers, and deliver them to milling companies at the London docks for processing. The lorries returned from London loaded with the processed animal feed to sell onto local farmers. If anyone has any photos of The Greenway School, or indeed any historical photos of Uxbridge during the 50's, and 60's, it would be good to see them published.

Found a photo of Vine Street station online. Behind is the King & Hutchings print works that burnt down in the mid sixties.

Experimenting with different cover photos, it is very difficult to get authentic photos of the mid sixties that are relevant. In the end settled for the Whitehall School photo, taken at Christmas '61. The play was called "The Happy Hiker", most of us went on to the Greenway. I am kneeling at front right.

It's good to hear everyone posting with their memories of the school. I used to live in Nursery Waye, opposite the RAF Station, my walk to school was along the busy Uxbridge Road. I remember Stephen Carsons, Roland Pengelly, and Thomas Jefferson, as friends. Uxbridge in the early sixties seemed to have an identity of it's own in those days. Boyhood memories of those days were; the GWR line into Vine Street station, the steam tank engines, and the diesel railcars, the demolition of the station, and subsequent lifting of the tracks. I hated PE, especially the cross country running through the lanes at the back of the school, where Brunel University now is located. Interestingly my first job, was as an apprentice electrician at Brunel during it's construction.

I started school here in Sept 1962, and left at Easter 1966. I remember French with Mr Pope as teacher, and English taught by Mr Churches. Other memories, are hot coke stoves, bottled milk, and outside toilets.