"Running almost parallel to the main South Ealing Road, it was once expected to become a main road as well, but housing faced the other way, leaving the alley as just that, a back passage behind the homes. It was also once much longer than it is today, running from St Mary's Church in the north all the way down to the bottom of what is now the South Ealing Cemetery."
"The alley was nearly cut even shorter when the Metropolitan District Railway came slicing through the area in the 1880s, building what is today the Piccadilly line at nearby South Ealing tube station. The railway cut through the alley, but in an area with few other roads, it was preserved with a footbridge across the railway."
"However, the alley should be a full road, because in 1928, the Stag Brewery agreed to provide £700 towards the £850 cost of turning the alley into a road as part of the agreement to let them build a new pub at the southern end of the alley. The pub was built, but the road conversion wasn't."
This South Ealing alley represents one of the area's oldest pathways, originally running from St Mary's Church to the cemetery through open fields. Positioned parallel to South Ealing Road, it was expected to become a main thoroughfare but remained a back passage as housing faced the opposite direction. The Metropolitan District Railway's 1880s construction cut through the alley, though a footbridge preserved passage. Early 20th-century housing development and the 1920s-30s expansion further altered the route. The alley's southern section became Olive Road, while northern portions retained their original character. A 1928 agreement saw the Stag Brewery contribute funds toward converting the alley into a proper road, contingent on building the Gunnersbury Tavern, but the road conversion never materialized despite the pub's construction.
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