GRANGE HILL ONLINE

Grange Hill Locations - Then And Now
Series Three updated 22 May 2005 (new pics)

The School

So here's a view of School mark 2, which has some things in common with its predecessor - that bell tower is very similar, and there's the front porch jutting out just like Kingsbury High's. This is Willesden High School, in Doyle Gardens, NW10.

Note though, there are now steps, and no front door with the glass panels. No more balcony, clock and semi-circular windows either. But a charming building nonetheless.

Unfortunately, this lovely building was demolished in 2003, despite protests. "Grange Hill school to be demolished" read the headlines, with the incorrect information that it was used for the first series. For this reason, the above photo is not mine, it is by Tony Skellett, from the http://www.olduffs.org/ web page. Some of the other photos are also from the "Old Uffs" page, to whom I extend gratitude. The "olduffs" web page contains a history of the 79 years of the school's existence, and is worth a look.

The site now has the impressive City Academy. Here's how it looks:

And below.. some demolition pictures....

"Flippin' eck, Benny, I told you to stop kicking the ball against the side of the wall...."

Sad to see the end of this majestic building...

The kids seem shocked at the idea of taking lessons outside school, as part of their Environmental Studies course.

Opposite the old school entrance. The City Academy's entrance also has black railings, and is sited pretty much where the old school's entrance was. The houses all have slightly different variations in their external features.

Left: Grange Hill third form wander towards some waste ground.

This location can't be determined at the moment, but it is likely to be All Souls Avenue, the next street up from Doyle Gardens. This is a very long road all built in this style.

Benny's Paper Round


Benny leaps over a wall while doing his paper round.	The house on the corner of Furness Road and Haycroft Gardens, NW10, has the same wall, but that sorry shade of green has been given the heave-ho.

Benny scoots off, having arranged football trials at 3.30.	All much the same in 2005. Furness Road is ahead, and we're only round the corner from the Doyle Gardens school site. We knew that tree when it was just a little sapling......
Susi's Revenge

"Did you get into trouble last night?" Alan's been keeping Susi busy....	These dilapidated steps lead to the King Edward VII Sports Ground. We're just next to the school here, now of course the City Academy. Looks like someone half-inched the white slabs. We could probably find them on a patio somewhere.

Jill Harcourt, school bully, waits for Susi.	Not a soul around this park, which is the other side of the view above. The tree's looking fine, but the lamppost is slowly edging its way along (did you know lampposts walk?)

Susi gets to grips with her problem.	There's a building site now ahead of the sorry-looking little hut.

The "Precinct"

Outside the "Precinct" - the same place as was seen in series 2, when Cathy was led astray.

This is outside the SouthSide mall at Wandsworth, not far from Putney, over the Thames, and a fair old way from Willesden. That's the Wandsworth Museum, note the crest above the white protuberance.

Cathy and Tricia look for likely presents...They are about to be surprised by Tucker and his mates.

Success! This store is still here in 2005! Wonderware. Its number is different, it's possible this entire section was refitted, or completely rebuilt. (Wonderware is listed in Kelly's 1978 directory for this location)

This section was called Arndale Walk. It is immediately next to the exit shown above.

Below right, close up, and below left, outside view of this part.

Tucker and co make a run for it, away from the clutches of Bullet Baxter...

Now our lovely comparisons come to a sad end. The shopping mall has had a major refit since 1979, and its whole structure and appearance is different. Nevertheless, these stairs have a similar kind of look to the old ones. I am pretty sure the original site must have been demolished and this has risen like a pheonix from the ashes....

Tucker enjoys a swim...

The mall is substantially different in 2005, wide and spacious. No sign of the rocky fountain.

Before the tragic dare....

Now, there's quite a few anomalies here... First of all, there's no sign of those tall buildings on the left, unless these are the same ones hugely renovated, which is possible.

In order to get to this roof top, which was bizarrely empty of cars - in fact this mall seems to have enormous amounts of car parking more than would be needed - you have to climb about 5 floors!

Karamanopolis's descent to some kind of a pavement doesn't tally with the current location - we're about 6 floors up from any surface.

Miscellaneous

About to investigate some stolen bikes.... (Episode 6)

Hmm. You'll have to trust me that this is the same place! Note the path opposite descends as it once did. But all horribly different in 2005. This is Crown Street, Acton.

Crossing over Crown Street...

In 2005 the hedge has gone, and this place looks bleak with crude wooden fence instead of the railings.

Crossing over from PH Steer and Senior's fish shop...

By 2005, this has all been rebuilt, and flats at 26 Crown Street replace the shop with the alley between them. You'd never recognise this without help, but the shop locations for Steer's and Seniors positively locate this place.

"Look they're going into that shop". Yes, there was a jeweller's called Carpenter, but it's a fair old 1/4 mile walk from the location of Duane and Tracey in this scene. 123 ChurchField Road. You have to walk down Crown street, cross the busy High Street, and go up ChurchField Road.

That shop was located somewhere here - a range of addresses including 123 Churchfield Rd has been evidently demolished to make room for this new development. The next surviving shop is at 135 Churchfield Road.

Fish Bar

Alan's dad decides to reward his son, Tucker and Benny for discovering the copper pipes thieving....

College Road, Kensal Rise, a little ways East of the Doyle Gardens school. That huge building is Princess Frederica CE Primary School, which seems little changed although is now submerged behind all that foliage. Kensal Green tube station is just a short walk over the bridge, although the railway line under here is the mainline to Kensal Rise.

We'll just park up on the kerb and break a few thousand local by-laws....

All looks a little run-down in 2005...

And what better reward than some nice fish and chips...

Still selling fish and chips in 2005... In 1979 there was a newsagents to the right (you can just make out "players"), and a betting shop to the left.

Mr Hargeaves: "Ok who's buying these chips then..."

Alan: "Benny..."

The view we don't see... Inside the chippy in 2005, kindly allowed by the proprietor.