Guided Cycle Rides to Mark Centenary of Opening of The Great West Road
Dubbed Rolling into California following JB Priestley's description
The Great West Road
May 9, 2025
Two free guided cycle rides are to take place along the Golden Mile on the Great West Road to mark one hundred years since its opening.
Led by historian James Marshall, the author of “The Great West Road, A Centenary History’ it has been organised on behalf of the Hounslow and District History Society; the Hounslow Cycling Campaign; and the London Festival of Architecture.
Dubbed “Rolling into California’, a quote taken from JB Priestley’s description of the road from his English Journey (1934), the rides depart from the northern end of Kew Bridge at 2:30pm on each of Sunday 8 June and Sunday 22 June.
They are timed to be near the centenary of the opening of The Great West Road by King George V on 30 May 1925. Participants will hear about the history of this important arterial road and see, and hear about, some of the road’s Art Deco era architecture.
Numbers will be limited to 15 on each ride for reasons of safety. Free tickets can be booked Eventbrite. Participants should bring their own bicycle and ensure that it is in good working order.
The ride will be over a distance of about 5 miles and take approximately two hours mostly on segregated cycle paths. However, there will be some crossing of busy roads and participants should be confident when cycling in traffic. Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times.
This event is part of the London Festival of Architecture’s June programme.
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