Willesden

Willesden is an area in North London which forms part of the London Borough of Brent.

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The name derives from Willesdune, meaning The Hill of the Spring, and a settlement bearing this name dates back to 939AD. The town's motto is Laborare set orare.

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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.

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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 The Metropolitan Line service was withdrawn in 1940, when the station was served by the Bakerloo Line, and later the Jubilee Line.

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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. 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.

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The period from 1960 saw migrants settling from the Caribbean and the Indian Subcontinent. Since the 1960s, Willesden has been popular with young visitors from Australia and New Zealand

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In 1965 Willesden Borough was merged into the newly formed London Borough of Brent. The town was featured in the popular novel and TV series White Teeth in 2000.

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Nearest places:

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• Harlesden
• Neasden
• Kensal Green
• Cricklewood

Restaurants:

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• Shish
• Mezerama
• Sushi Say

Tube stations:

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• Dollis Hill
• Willesden Green tube station
• Willesden Junction station

Infrastructure facilities:

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• In Willesden was a static inverter plant of HVDC Kingsnorth.

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Willesden: References ►



 

London Borough of Brent: The London Borough of Brent is a London borough in north west London which is surrounded by other boroughs: Harrow to the northwest, Barnet to the northeast, Camden to the east and Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster to the south....

Virgin Mary: The term Virgin Mary has several different meanings:...

Black Madonna: A Black Madonna (also, Black Virgin) is a statue or painting of Mary in which she is depicted as having black skin. Hundreds of them exist in southern France alone....