Greenford, historically Greenford Magna, is a suburb in the London Borough of Ealing in west London, England. Greenford is one of the oldest recorded places in Ealing, first referred to in a legal document dated AD 845. Historically, it was part of the county of Middlesex.

The most prominent landmarks in the suburb are the A40, a large road that connects Central London with the M40 motorway, Horsenden Hill above sea level, the small Parish Church of Holy Cross (14th century) and Betham House, built by Edward Betham (c. 1780).

The small suburb of Perivale is considered to be part of Greenford, and was referred to as Greenford Parva (Little Greenford) until the 15th century.

Greenford is considered to be birthplace of the modern organic chemical industry, as it was at William Perkin's chemical factory in North Greenford, by the Grand Union Canal that the world's first aniline dye was discovered in March 1856. Perkin called his amazing discovery 'mauveine'. Today there is a blue plaque marking the spot in Oldfield Lane North, just south of the Black Horse Public House. The former Rockware glassworks on the canal is commemorated by Rockware Avenue.

Greenford is one of the most culturally diverse areas in West London, accommodating people from: India, Caribbean, Kenya, the Middle-East, Poland, Somalia, Sri Lanka and many more. When walking down Greenford Broadway today it can be hard to determine the most prevalent ethnicity in this area. For more on Greenford, see the Ealing Council website

Sport

The trotting track at Greenford was a pioneer speedway venue and open meetings were staged 1928–1930. The track would be called a long track now, as it was of the order of half a mile/800 metres per lap.

Nearest places

• Northolt
• Sudbury Hill
• Perivale
• Yeading
• Southall
• Hanwell
• Harrow

Nearest tube stations

• Greenford station
• Sudbury Hill tube station

Nearest railway station

• Greenford station
• South Greenford station

Places of interest

• London Motorcycle Museum

Business Based in Greenford

• British Bakeries
• IBM
• GlaxoSmithKline - (GSK), pharmaceutical research and development
• Panavision
• P&O - Distribution Center
• Royal Mail Regional distribution center
• Entertainment UK distribution center
• Brian Cox & Company Estate Agents

Education

• Greenford High School
• The Cardinal Wiseman School