| Topic: | Re:Re:Bakers Lane, Ealing - Where was it? | |
| Posted by: | Michael Brandt | |
| Date/Time: | 01/09/10 19:22:00 |
| Bakers Lane and Western or Weston Road somehow managed to escape the demolition of most of the area between the High Street and what is now Oak Road. The first round of demolition for a town centre that would have looked like Wembley central was around 1967-68. This resulted in bombsite like car parks, derelict land and surrounding it were a few streets largely intact and a row of cottages from Bakers lane which is more or less where Primark and Argos stand today. At the front of the cleared site a Safeways, Superdrug and a Marshall amp shop opened and they faced New Broadway opposite Smiths. They were flanked by a Barclays bank, Radio Rentals shop and a small Sainsburys shop and the Midland Bank (all still standing) and a Bette Davis fashion shop, a record shop and the Royal Oak pub followed by John Sanders and a Sainsburys supermarket. I think there was also a Salisburys leather good shop in the mix too. The next to go was the Police Station in the High Street which became the entrance for the NCP car park, but it was still possible to creep around the derelict lanes and park in Bakers Lane or what was left of the adjoining streets Next to go was the old post office, replaced one door along by the current one and then the site was completely cleared for the centre, which despite all it's shortcomings was 1000 time better than the grey concrete thing that very nearly got built 8 years earlier |