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 "
Pikeys " probably contribute to this.
