 The street side of Vine Street station building could hardly be called imposing and were it not for the awning would not stand out at all. This postcard view is undated but was likely taken around the turn of the 20th century. The camera is facing along Vine Street towards High street and immediately behind where the photographer stood is today's Hillingdon Road which turns eastwards to cut through the course of the former railway. Just beyond the station stands The Temperance Hotel, representing a period in history now largely forgotten. The Temperance Movement moderation of alcohol consumption, often for religious reasons, if not an outright ban so anybody visiting a Temperance Hotel, of which there were once many, in the hope of 'having a few' would be disappointed. The Movement was very active in parts of the USA and was instrumental in bringing about The Prohibition of the 1920s and 1930s which was to backfire somewhat spectacularly due to a sharp rise in illicit alcohol production and the consequences of its production. The Movement, perhaps surprisingly, appears to have begun in Britain during the 18th century but whether it spread to the USA or was active there coincidentally is unclear. In Britain today The Temperance Movement has all-but ceased to exist, while The Temperance Hotel in Uxbridge has ceased to exist entirely as indeed has this scene which today is totally unrecognisable. In the distance, beyond The Temperance Hotel, stands Randalls original store which stood at the corner of Cricket Field Road. A department store was erected in 1937, stretching a little further along Vine Street, and the business was to close down in 2015. The Grade II Listed Art Deco style building has since been redeveloped. Meanwhile the site of Vine Street station is now occupied by the UK and Europe head office of Hertz, the car rental organisation. Hertz House, a modern but not unattractive building, stand backs from the road and the site of the former station building is now a pleasant part paved, part planted forecourt area.
Photo received from Kenneth Lea  Home Page
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