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Harlesden is a district in the
London Borough of Brent The London Borough of Brent () is a London boroughs, London borough in north-west London. It borders the boroughs of London Borough of Harrow, Harrow to the north-west, London Borough of Barnet, Barnet to the north-east, London Borough of Camden ...
,
North West London The NW (North Western) postcode area, also known as the London NW postcode area, is a group of 13 postcode districts covering around 13,895 live postcodes within part of northwest London, England. It is the successor of the NW sector, originally ...
. Located north of the Grand Union Canal and Wormwood Scrubs, the Harrow Road flows through the centre of the area which goes eastwards to Central London and west towards Wembley. Harlesden was historically in the Municipal Borough of Willesden before the creation of Brent; it lies within Willesden's postal district of NW10. Harlesden has been praised for its vibrant
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
culture and unofficially named London's reggae capital for its contributions to the musical genre. The town centre contains a large number of multicultural independent businesses, while industry exists by the canal, most notably a McVitie's biscuit factory that has been operating since 1902. The population includes people of
Afro-Caribbean Afro-Caribbean people or African Caribbean are Caribbean people who trace their full or partial ancestry to Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of the modern African-Caribbeans descend from Africans taken as slaves to colonial Caribbean via the ...
heritage most notably, as well as Irish, Portuguese, Brazilian, Somali, and smaller Latin American and East African groups within the community.


History

Harlesden was once a
Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...
settlement. The Domesday Book calls it "Hervlvestvne". For centuries the area was a small rural community set in orchards with some inns. In the 19th century, Harlesden, then a rural village in the parish of Willesden, began to develop some of its urban appearance with the arrival of the railways.
Willesden Junction Willesden Junction is a railway station in Harlesden, north-west London, UK. It is served by both London Overground and London Underground services. History The station developed on three contiguous sites: the West Coast Main Line (WCML) st ...
,
Kensal Green Kensal Green is an area in north-west London. It lies mainly in the London Borough of Brent, with a small part to the south within Kensington and Chelsea. Kensal Green is located on the Harrow Road, about miles from Charing Cross. To the w ...
and Harlesden stations on the
London & Birmingham Railway #REDIRECT Ampersand The ampersand, also known as the and sign, is the logogram , representing the conjunction "and". It originated as a ligature of the letters ''et''—Latin for "and". Etymology Traditionally in English, when spelling alo ...
all had an effect on the developing village. Cottages for railway and industrial workers were built, as was grander housing for the local middle class. The London–
Harrow Harrow may refer to: Places * Harrow, Victoria, Australia * Harrow, Ontario, Canada * The Harrow, County Wexford, a village in Ireland * London Borough of Harrow, England ** Harrow, London, a town in London ** Harrow (UK Parliament constituency) ...
coach passed through the village every day by 1839. The village gained a blacksmith, grocer and a shoemaker during this period. Harlesden increasingly lost its rural nature, with factories replacing farms and woodland. Sewage arrived here in 1871 and soon cheap houses were being built. A mainly middle class population resided here who enjoyed the availability of numerous churches, cinemas, a court, a library and recreational pleasure at
Roundwood Park Roundwood Park is a public park in Willesden, London, measuring a total of 26.5 acres, or approximately 10.27 hectares. It was originally known in the 19th century as Knowles Hill (its name coming from the Knowles Tower nearby), or Hunger Hill ...
. From late Victorian times until the 1930s, housing completed its spread across the area, and Harlesden became part of the London conurbation. A jubilee clock tower was built in 1888. Harlesden gained excellent transport links by the train stations as well as a frequent horse bus service to Paddington as early as 1890.
Electric tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
s came to Harlesden in 1907. That year also saw the opening of Willesden Hippodrome Theatre, which was destroyed by German bombing in 1940. Much of the working class in Harlesden suffered from poverty, with the ''Willesden Chronicle'' mentioning "nearness to starvation" of those people in 1908. Mainly after World War I, one of Europe's biggest
industrial estates An industrial park (also known as industrial estate, trading estate) is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more "heavyweight" version of a business park or office park, ...
was constructed at nearby
Park Royal Park Royal is an area in North West London, England, partly in the London Borough of Brent and partly the London Borough of Ealing. It is the site of the largest business park in London, but despite intensive existing use, the area is, toget ...
, and large factories there and within Harlesden included McVitie & Price (later United Biscuits) from 1910, and
Heinz The H. J. Heinz Company is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 1869. Heinz manufactures thousands of food products in plants on six conti ...
from 1919. Industrial growth led to a middle class exodus as Harlesden turned entirely into a working class area in the inter-war period. The McVitie & Price factory became the largest biscuit factory in the western world, employing 2,600 people by 1978. By 1939 the last of the large Victorian houses were demolished Willesden Council. At 6am on 16 January 1939, the Irish Republican Army blew up the Harlesden electricity cable bridge. The bridge crossed the
Grand Junction Canal The Grand Junction Canal is a canal in England from Braunston in Northamptonshire to the River Thames at Brentford, with a number of branches. The mainline was built between 1793 and 1805, to improve the route from the Midlands to London, by-p ...
, and carried the power line from Battersea Power Station. No one was injured in the attack. in the interwar period, a cargo ship, built on Tyneside, was named after the area. In 1941, the ship was sunk by the German battle cruiser Gneisenau, approximately 600 miles west of Newfoundland. Seven members of the crew were killed. In the 1950s, the transport of coal from Durham and steel from Sheffield became a main contributor to the local economy, these industries employed a mass of labour from Irish and Jamaican immigrants. The image of Harlesden today began to take shape in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Continued immigration from Ireland and new immigration from the
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
and the
Indian sub-continent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India ...
changed the racial and cultural make up of the area. Despite the immigration the population of Harlesden still declined from 39,527 in 1951 to 26,970 in 1971, but remained densely populated. Prefab homes for those made homeless by Second World War bombings were still in existence by the end of the 1960s. By the 1960s the Curzon Crescent estate was known for poverty and became a vandalism hotspot. At the same time, immigration from the West Indies and Indian sub-continent led to racist articles in a national newspaper. Poverty increased further by the decline of industry and the building of Brent Cross Shopping Centre. Steps were taken to improve the area, such as the Harlesden City Challenge community project in the 1990s that involved the creation of public artwork in the area, as well as the renovation of the jubilee clock on the High Street in 1997. More recently from the end of the 20th century the area has become home to Brazilian, Portuguese and Somali communities, as well as
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
,
Afghan Afghan may refer to: *Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia *Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity ** Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pas ...
and Colombian communities.
Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...
visited Harlesden in March 2007. He commented "I don't think I have enjoyed myself so much for a long time going down the high street and popping into one or two shops. I'm sorry I couldn't go into more of them." The fortunes of Harlesden have been on the up more recently. Reduced crime rates have led to higher house prices, but the district retains a non-
gentrified Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning. Gentrification often increases the econ ...
atmosphere. In 2015 a new community "Town Garden" was opened for locals to garden, socialise and exercise, established by the funding of local volunteers and charities. It has become a green sanctuary in the heart of Harlesden.


Amenities

The diversity of Harlesden is apparent in the high street which houses various businesses such as the likes of Afro-Caribbean hair and beauty shops, Somali restaurants, Portuguese bakeries and Brazilian cafes.


All Souls church

The Church of All Souls is on Station Road in Harlesden. It was designed in 1879 by E.J. Tarver and is a Grade II* listed building.


Jubilee Clock

Harlesden's jubilee clock was erected in 1888 which commemorates Queen Victoria's
Golden Jubilee A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations. Bangladesh In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali ''"সু ...
.


Roundwood Park

Roundwood Park is the main public open space and park in Harlesden.


Willesden County Court

Located on Acton Lane, the current Willesden County Court was built in 1970.


Our Lady of Willesden

This is a Roman Catholic church and was the first mission of Our Lady of Willesden to cater for a growing Irish population in the late 19th century, although the current church was built in 1931.


Harlesden House

This is a government building, constructed in 1960, that currently contains a Jobcentre Plus office. The site was previously occupied by the Willesden Hippodrome; a Music Hall and Variety Theatre. It was designed by the renowned Theatre Architect Frank Matcham, opening on 16 September 1907. The Theatre had seating for 3,500 people. The Theatre was destroyed in 1940 during an air raid.


Demography

The 2011 census results for Harlesden ward counted a population of 17,162. In 2011, 71.4% of homes were apartments across the ward, 15.8% of homes were terraced houses, 8.6% semi-detached houses and 4% detached houses; with 0.1% of the homes mobile or temporary structures. Most of the terraces are pre-1920s and the flats converted from them. Many of the flats date to after 2000. Non-mixed use terraces and private sector built apartments are the main housing types that attract high prices from private sector owner-occupiers unable to afford similar properties in nearby
Kensal Green Kensal Green is an area in north-west London. It lies mainly in the London Borough of Brent, with a small part to the south within Kensington and Chelsea. Kensal Green is located on the Harrow Road, about miles from Charing Cross. To the w ...
and Queen's Park. Harlesden is ethnically diverse. 67% of the population identified themselves as being BAME (Black, Asian and minority Ethnic) at the 2011 census in the Harlesden ward. Ethnically, 19% of the population was Black Caribbean, followed by 19% Black African (both including those of mixed heritage), 15% Other White, and 14% White British. The main spoken foreign languages were Portuguese and Somali.


Crime

In the late 1990s, Harlesden and the nearby Stonebridge estate, witnessed a high number of murders and became a crime hotspot, because of several rival yardie gangs. During this time Harlesden turned into one of London's main crack cocaine trading centres, and one of the yardies' strongholds. In 2001 the area reportedly had the highest murder rate in Britain, with 26 shooting incidents that year alone. Through community projects and better policing, crime rates were significantly reduced throughout the 2000s. Crime rates fell at Stonebridge in 2002 and residents reported better living conditions in 2005. During the nationwide riots of 2011, some shops in Harlesden were attacked by looters.


Culture and "reggae capital"

Harlesden and some of its surroundings in Brent played a key part in the development of the reggae music business in the UK. In the 1960s it was the heartbeat of reggae recording, releasing and distribution; Trojan Records became a major reggae label, producing successful artists within and in Jamaica, such as Desmond Dekker and Toots and the Maytals, and numerous top 20 UK singles during the 1970s. Another popular label of reggae and other black music was Jet Star, which called itself "the world's largest reggae distributors". The Brent Black Music Cooperative Rehearsal Studios was set up in Willesden in 1983 by a grant from Brent council. It provided a studio and training for numerous local and international acts such as The Last Poets and
Aswad Aswad are a British reggae group, noted for adding strong R&B and soul influences to the reggae sound. They have been performing since the mid-1970s, having released a total of 21 albums. Their UK hit singles include the number one "Don't Tur ...
. During the 1970s and 1980s, dozens of record shops filled the Harlesden streets of Church Road, Craven Park Road and the High Street. As of 2020, two still remain in operation on Craven Park Road: Hawkeye and Starlight Records. Numerous pirate radio stations also operated in the area, being very influential to local black artists. The Cimarons, England's first home-grown reggae roots band, was formed in 1969 at Tavistock community centre in Harlesden. Numerous reggae artists lived or live in or around Harlesden, including Dennis Brown (on Hazeldean Road), Janet Kay, General Levy,
Jimmy Cliff James Chambers OM (born 30 July 1944), known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and actor. He is the only living reggae musician to hold the Order of Merit, t ...
, Bob Marley (on The Circle, Neasden), Liz Mitchell of Boney M (on Wrottesley Road), and others. The 1998 musical film ''
Babymother ''Babymother'' is a 1998 British musical comedy drama film directed by Julian Henriques and released by Channel 4 Films. It is considered to be the first Black British musical and captures the British Caribbean dancehall cultural scene of London ...
'', produced by Channel 4 Films, is set in Harlesden and captures the black dancehall culture in the area. ''A London Safari: Walking Adventures in NW10'' is a 2014 paperback book authored by local Rose Rouse about Harlesden. More recently, Harlesden has produced known hip hop and grime artists such as
K Koke Kevin Georgiou (born 22 May 1985), known professionally as K Koke, is an English rapper. He is best known for his "Are You Alone" Diss track and ''Fire in the Booth'' freestyle on Charlie Sloth's show on BBC Radio 1Xtra, which has accumulate ...
, Nines and George The Poet.


Media

The Beat London (formerly known as BANG Radio) is a licensed radio station that broadcasts urban music and cultural programmes from Harlesden High Street. It broadcasts on 103.6 FM throughout North West London. Numerous unlicensed stations broadcast in and around North West London from reggae and other genres, including Radio RJR 98.3 FM, UK Roots 95.4 FM and Omega Radio 104.1 FM. Brent's largest newspaper is the ''
Brent & Kilburn Times The ''Brent and Kilburn Times'' is a British weekly newspaper published by Archant in the London Borough of Brent, currently published on Thursdays. It provides local news in Kilburn, Wembley and other surrounding areas. History The paper dat ...
''.


Geography


Transport

Stations in Harlesden are: *
Willesden Junction Station Willesden Junction is a railway station in Harlesden, north-west London, UK. It is served by both London Overground and London Underground services. History The station developed on three contiguous sites: the West Coast Main Line (WCML) st ...
( Bakerloo line, Watford DC Line,
North London Line The North London line (NLL) is a railway line which passes through the inner suburbs of west, north-west, north, and east London, England between Richmond in the south-west and Stratford in the east, avoiding central London. Its route is a rou ...
and West London Line) * Harlesden Station (Bakerloo line and Watford DC Line)


Notable residents

* Simon Bird *
Ricardo P. Lloyd Ricardo P Lloyd (born 20 November 1993) is a British actor and presenter. He began his career in theatre, appearing in productions, including those by Shakespeare's Globe. In 2020, ''The Voice'' named him one of the Top 20 to watch out for. In ...
*
Steve McFadden Steve Robert McFadden (né Reid; born 20 March 1959) is an English actor. He is known for his role as Phil Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'', which he has played since 1990. He was also the presenter of the game show, ''Britain's ...
* Shane Richie * Gappy Ranks * Ronny Jordan * Sabrina Washington *
James DeGale James Frederick DeGale (born 3 February 1986) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2009 to 2019. He held the IBF super-middleweight title twice between 2015 and 2018, and regionally the European and British super-middleweig ...
*
Audley Harrison Audley Hugh Harrison, (born 26 October 1971) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2013. As an amateur he represented Great Britain at the 2000 Olympics, winning a gold medal in the super-heavyweight division and be ...
*
K Koke Kevin Georgiou (born 22 May 1985), known professionally as K Koke, is an English rapper. He is best known for his "Are You Alone" Diss track and ''Fire in the Booth'' freestyle on Charlie Sloth's show on BBC Radio 1Xtra, which has accumulate ...
* Nines * George the Poet * Chizzy Akudolu *
OG Anunoby Ogugua "O.G." Anunoby Jr. (born 17 July 1997) is a British professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers. Early life Ogugua Anunoby Jr. ...
* Hastings Banda * Dennis Brown * Marlon Davis - comedian *
Anthony C. George Anthony Conrad George (born January 7, 1938) is a Grenadian artist known for being the designer of the Grenadian National Flag. He resides in both London, England, and in mainland Grenada, where he grew up from the age of 10. A prolific arti ...
* Ian Hancock * Paul Merson * Louis Theroux *Tom Browne


References


External links

* {{Authority control Areas of London Railway towns in England Districts of the London Borough of Brent District centres of London