'Willesden' is an area in North West
London which forms part of the
London Borough of Brent. It is situated 5 miles (8 km) north west of
Charing Cross.
History
Etymology
The name derives from ''Willesdune'', meaning The Hill of the Spring, and a settlement bearing this name dates back to 939 AD. The town's motto is ''Laborare est orare''.
Willesden Green Old Library Building
Origins
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 be a
Black Madonna, which was wantonly insulted by the
Lollards and burnt in 1538.
Modern Willesden
The parish of Willesden remained predominantly rural up until 1875, when its population was 18,500. However, this changed with the opening of the Metropolitan Railway (later the
Metropolitan Line) station of Willesden Green on
November 24,
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 The Metropolitan Line service was withdrawn in 1940, when the station was served by the Bakerloo Line, and later the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.
Willesden French Market
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.
Corporation of London records show that the first black person recorded in Brent was Sarah Eco, who was christened in St. Mary’s church in Willesden on
September 15,
1723. The
1901 census recorded that 42% of the population was born in London (Willesden only became a municipal borough in 1933). 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.
The period from 1960 saw migrants settling from the
Caribbean and the Indian Subcontinent. Since the 1960s, Willesden has been popular with young working holidaymakers from
Australia and
New Zealand, although this popularity has declined a little in favour of other areas since about 2003.
Willesden is in between
Harlesden,
Stonebridge Park and the
Kilburn area. It is mostly in the region of
NW10 but stretches to
NW2. The border of Harlesden and Willesden is Donnington Road/Harlesden Road.
In 1965 Willesden Borough was merged into the newly formed
London Borough of Brent.
Politics
The ward is represented on
Brent Council by two Liberal Democrat
councillors,
Mohammed Anwar and
Gavin Sneddon, and one
Labour councillor,
Lesley Jones.
Willesden forms part of the
Brent East parliamentary constituency and is home to the local MP,
Liberal Democrat Sarah Teather.
Willesden in popular culture
The town was featured in the popular novel ''
White Teeth'' by
Zadie Smith in 2000 which was subsequently made into a TV series. Moreover,
Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros sang from 'Willesden to Cricklewood' on their album ''
Rock Art and the X-ray Style''.
Zadie Smith's younger brother, Ben Smith, is an underground
British rapper who goes by the name
Doc Brown. He features on the track "Think Back" from the album ''The Enthusiast'' produced by the British dj Evil Ed. He raps "Born and bred in Kilburn" but also says "Veteran Willesden tenant. Brent the borough of residence"
Willesden Green is a running reference/joke on the animated TV cartoon series ''
DangerMouse''.
Peter Davison, best known as
Doctor Who, stars in ''
The Last Detective'' (from 2002) which is filmed and set in and around Willesden.
The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band make a short reference to Willesden Green on their track "Shirt", the second track of their 1969 album ''
Tadpoles''. quote: "Now, here in Willesden Green, yes, brrr, it is a bit chilly but no matter. Here comes a gentleman and we're going to talk to him about shirts"
Transport and locale
Nearest places
★
Harlesden
★
Neasden
★
Kensal Green
★
Cricklewood
★
Kilburn
Willesden bus routes
Nearest tube stations
★
Dollis Hill
★
Willesden Green tube station
★
Neasden tube station
Infrastructure facilities
★ In Willesden was a
static inverter plant of
HVDC Kingsnorth.
References
★
Willesden: Settlement and Growth
★
A Short History of Brent
★
www.willesdentown.com
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