Willesden

Willesden is an area of north-west London, situated 5 miles west north-west of Charing Cross. It is historically a parish in the county of Middlesex that was incorporated as the Municipal Borough of Willesden in 1933; it has formed part of the London Borough of Brent in Greater London since 1965. Dollis Hill is also sometimes referred to as being part of Willesden.
With its close proximity to affluent neighbourhoods Brondesbury Park, Queen's Park and Kensal Rise, the area surrounding Willesden Green station has seen increased gentrification in the past several years, with rapidly rising property prices. The Daily Telegraph described Willesden Green as one of London's "new middle class" areas. The area has a population of 44,295, as of 2021, including the Willesden Green, Dollis Hill and Dudden Hill wards. Willesden Green has one of the city's highest Irish populations, and is also strongly associated with Afro-Caribbeans and Latin Americans.
Willesden is mostly in the NW10 postcode district, but part of it is in the NW2 postcode district.

History

Etymology

The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon Willesdune, meaning the Hill of the Spring, and a Manor bearing this name was recorded in 939 AD. The Domesday Book of 1086 records the manor as Wellesdone. However, on 19th century maps of the town such as those from the 'Ordnance Survey First Series', the town is shown as Wilsdon. The current spelling was adopted by the London and Birmingham Railway in 1844, when they opened a local station.

Early history

Willesden became a civil parish in the medieval period. From the 14th to 16th centuries, the town was a place of pilgrimage due to the presence of two ancient statues of the Virgin Mary at the Church of St Mary. One of these statues is thought to have been a Black Madonna, venerated as Our Lady of Willesden, which was insulted by the Lollards, taken to Thomas Cromwell's house and burnt in 1538 on a large bonfire of "notable images" including those of Our Lady of Walsingham, Our Lady of Worcester, and Our Lady of Ipswich. There was also a "holy well" which was thought to possess miraculous qualities, particularly for blindness and other eye disorders.
Much of the district supplied apples, pears and vegetables to the city of London for many years from the early years of the industrial revolution.

Industrial history

The Iris was a British car brand that was manufactured from 1906 by Legros & Knowles Ltd in Willesden. Lucien Alphonse Legros, son of the artist Alphonse Legros, and Guy Knowles, scion of a wealthy and artistic family, founded Legros & Knowles Ltd in Cumberland Park, Willesden Junction, in 1904 to build and repair vehicles.

Modern history

The parish of Willesden remained predominantly rural up until 1875, when its population was 18,500. It included the villages and hamlets of Brondesbury, Dollis Hill, Dudden Hill, Harlesden, Kilburn, Mapesbury, Oxgate and Stonebridge. However, this changed with the opening of the Metropolitan Railway station of Willesden Green on 24 November 1879. By 1906 the population had grown to 140,000, a phenomenon of rapid growth that was to be repeated in the 1920s in neighbouring areas such as Harrow. The Metropolitan line service was withdrawn in 1940, when the station was served by the Bakerloo line, and later the Jubilee line.
The First World War caused Willesden to change from a predominantly middle class suburb to a working class part of London. After the war, Willesden grew rapidly as many factories opened up with numerous flats and terraced houses. The local council encouraged building to prevent large unemployment and decline.
To the present day, Willesden has been shaped by the patterns of migration which marks it out as one of the most diverse areas in the United Kingdom. City of London Corporation records show that the first black person recorded in Brent was Sarah Eco, who was christened in St. Mary's Church in Willesden on 15 September 1723. The 1901 United Kingdom census recorded that 42% of the population was born in London. In 1923, the specialist coach builder Freestone and Webb established their base in Willesden, producing bespoke cars on Rolls-Royce and Bentley chassis until 1956.
Willesden became a municipal borough in 1933, and it is at this time that the area became predominantly working class. A small Irish community had formed in Willesden by this time, which grew rapidly during the period of the Second World War. A small Jewish community of refugees from Europe also formed during the war, with 3.5% of the population in 1951 born in Germany, Poland, Russia or Austria.
During the war, Willesden suffered large bombing damage due to the heavy concentration of manufacturing industry, such as munition factories, the location of 'Smiths Instruments". Mulliner-Park Ward. Power Station location, canal and major railway locomotive overhaul facilities located in the area.
The period from 1960 saw migrants settling from the Caribbean and the Indian subcontinent. Additionally, from 1963 it was the site of the Kuo Yuan, the first Chinese restaurant to serve Pekinese dishes in Britain. Since the 1960s, Willesden has been popular with young working holidaymakers from Canada, Australia and New Zealand, although this popularity has declined somewhat in favour of other areas since about 2003.
Willesden went into a period of decline during the 1970s and 1980s as much of the housing was inadequate due to overcrowding as industry was mixed with housing. The whole of central Willesden was earmarked for redevelopment; however, this did not come to fruition. In the late 1980s, traders were given money to revamp the High Street to prevent shops closing.
The area surrounding Willesden Green station has become more middle-class and gentrified with marked property price rises in 2014 and 2015.

Politics

The Willesden Green ward is represented on Brent Council by three Labour councillors, Janice Long, Saqlain Choudry, and Tom Miller.
Willesden forms part of the Brent East parliamentary constituency and is home to the local Labour Party MP Dawn Butler.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, the Willesden Green ward had a population of 15,587. Ethnically, 22% of the population was Other White, followed by 20% White British, 8.2% Other Asian, 8.1% Black African and 7.1% Black Caribbean. 52.7% were BAME. The most spoken foreign language is Portuguese. 2,621 of the tenure households were privately rented; 1,625 were socially rented; 1,540 were owned.

Geography

is on the south-western side while Gladstone Park is nearby to the north of Willesden. It lies about to above sea level.

Transport

Rail and tube

The area is served by three stations:

Three London Underground lines pass through Willesden:

Jubilee line: this connects the area directly to Stanmore via Wembley Park northbound, and to Central London southbound. Key southbound destinations include Baker Street, Bond Street, Westminster, Waterloo and Canary Wharf. Most southbound services terminate at Stratford.
Bakerloo line: northbound trains from Willesden Junction terminate at nearby Stonebridge Park, with some continuing towards Wembley Central and Harrow & Wealdstone. Southbound services also pass through Central London, with trains to Paddington, Marylebone, Baker Street, Oxford Circus, Waterloo and Elephant & Castle.
Metropolitan line: trains pass through Willesden Green and Dollis Hill, but do not stop; this has not always been the case. Willesden Green station was opened by the Metropolitan Railway in 1879; the area owes much of its development to it and to Metro-land. Today, passengers from Willesden can access the Metropolitan line by using the Jubilee line and changing at either to the north or Finchley Road to the south.

One National Rail station, Willesden Junction, is served by three London Overground routes:

Line	Direction	Terminus	Calling at...
Watford DC line	Northbound	Watford Junction	Harlesden, Stonebridge Park, Wembley Central, North Wembley, South Kenton, Kenton, Harrow & Wealdstone, Headstone Lane, Hatch End, Carpenders Park, Bushey, Watford High Street
Watford DC line	Southbound	Euston	Kensal Green, Queen's Park, Kilburn High Road, South Hampstead
North London line	Eastbound	Stratford	Kensal Rise, Brondesbury Park, Brondesbury, West Hampstead, Finchley Road & Frognal, Hampstead Heath, Gospel Oak, Kentish Town West, Camden Road, Caledonian Road & Barnsbury, Highbury & Islington , Canonbury. Dalston Kingsland, Hackney Central , Homerton, Hackney Wick
North London line	Westbound	Richmond	Acton Central, South Acton, Gunnersbury, Kew Gardens
West London line	Westbound	Clapham Junction	Shepherd's Bush , Kensington Olympia , West Brompton , Imperial Wharf

Stations in Willesden straddle London fare zones 2 and 3.

Road

Several key routes pass through or around Willesden:

Route	Road	Southbound/Westbound	Northbound/Eastbound
	Scrubs Lane	White City Shepherd's Bush Hammersmith	-
	Harrow Road/Manor Park Road	Kensal Paddington	Wembley Harrow
	North Circular Road	Ealing for Heathrow Chiswick	Brent Cross for Luton Finchley for Stansted
	High Road	Willesden Junction	Cricklewood Golders Green
	Old Oak Lane	Acton	-
	Willesden Lane	-	Kilburn
	Dudding Hill Lane	-	Wembley
	Shoot Up Hill	Kilburn Maida Vale Paddington Marble Arch	Cricklewood for Luton Brent Cross Edgware