West Drayton

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West Drayton
Location on map of Greater London
Location
OS grid reference: TQ065795
Latitude: 51.504344°
Longitude: -0.464645°
Administration
London borough: Hillingdon
County level: Greater London
Region: London
Constituent country: England
Sovereign state: United Kingdom
Other
Ceremonial county: Greater London
Historic county: Middlesex
Services
Police force: Metropolitan Police
Fire brigade: London Fire Brigade
Ambulance service: London Ambulance
Post office and telephone
Post town: WEST DRAYTON
Postal district: UB7
Dialling code: 01895
Politics
UK Parliament:
London Assembly: Ealing and Hillingdon
European Parliament: London
London | List of places in London

West Drayton is a place in the London Borough of Hillingdon to the west of central London.

It is split by the Great Western Railway and the Grand Union Canal, which both run east-west. West Drayton can be said to be south of this divide and Yiewsley to the north.

Historically employment was connected to the railway and canal and to some extent still is. It is becoming more of a commuter town due to its proximity to M25, M4, M40 and M3 motorways, Heathrow Airport and Stockley Business Park.

West Drayton railway station provides rail links on the First Great Western Link service from London Paddington to Reading and Bristol.

West Drayton also incorporates a conservation area, The Green. Around The Green are a number of listed buildings, both residential and business.

RAF West Drayton hosts the military air traffic control centre co-located with the civil London Terminal Control Centre. (Formerly known as the London Area and Terminal Control Centre, but the area function has now moved to the London Area Control Centre at Swanwick). The unit provides a vital link between civil and military flying and airspace requirements.

Locals sometimes make West Drayton the butt of jokes implying that it's a particularly bad place to live. The high populations of students, due to the proximity of Brunel University, and "Irish Travellers" probably contribute to this.

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