Neasden

Underground station, existing between the 1880s and now.

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(51.554 -0.25, 51.554 -0.25) 
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Underground station · * · ·
JANUARY
20
2018
Neasden was first recorded as ’Neasdun’ in AD 939, derived from the Old English neos = ’nose’ and dun = ’hill’.

Neasden could be seen for afar as a ’nose-shaped hill’ in its rural past as it had been a countryside hamlet on the western end of the Dollis Hill ridge. The land was owned by St. Paul’s Cathedral. In medieval times, the village consisted only of several small buildings around the green near the site of the present Neasden roundabout.

In the 15th–17th century the Roberts family were the major landowners in the area. Thomas Roberts erected Neasden House (on the site of the modern Clifford Court) in the reign of Henry VIII. In 1651 Sir William Roberts bought confiscated church lands. After the Restoration the estates were returned to the ownership of the Church but were leased out to the Roberts family. Sir William improved Neasden House and by 1664 it was one of the largest houses in the Willesden parish.

During the 18th century the Nicoll family replaced the Roberts as the dominant family in Neasden. In the 19th century these farmers and moneyers at the Royal Mint wholly owned Neasden House and much of the land in the area.

Neasden was no more than a ‘retired hamlet’ when enclosure was completed in 1823. At this time there were six cottages, four larger houses or farms, a public house and a smithy, grouped around the green. The dwellings include The Grove, which had been bought by a London solicitor named James Hall, and its former outbuilding, which Hall had converted into a house that became known as The Grange.

The Welsh Harp reservoir was completed in 1835 and breached in 1841 with fatalities. It had a dramatic effect on the landscape as the damming of the River Brent put many fields and meadows underwater.

In the early 1850s, Neasden had a population of about 110. In the Victorian times the horse was the main form of transport, and as London grew, the demand for horses in the capital soared in the second half of the 19th century. Neasden farms concentrated on rearing and providing horses for the city. Town work was exhausting and unhealthy for the horses, and in 1886 the RSPCA formed a committee to set up the Home of Rest for Horses with grounds in Sudbury and Neasden, where for a small fee town horses were allowed to graze in the open for a few weeks.

The urbanisation of Neasden began with the arrival of the railway. The first railway running through Neasden — Hendon-Acton and Bedford — St. Pancras was opened for goods traffic in October 1868, with passenger services following soon. In 1875, Dudding Hill, the first station in the area, was opened, and the Metropolitan Railway was extended through Neasden shortly afterwards. Neasden station was opened on Neasden Lane in 1880. New housing, initially for railway workers, was built in the village (particularly around Village Way) with all the streets named after Metropolitan Railway stations in Buckinghamshire.

In 1883, an Anglican mission chapel, St Saviour’s, was set up in the village. Its priest, the Reverend James Mills, became an important and popular figure in late 19th century Neasden. In 1885 Mills took over St Andrew’s, Kingsbury and became vicar of a new parish, Neasden-cum-Kingsbury, created because of the area’s rising population.

Before Mill’s arrival, the only sporting facilities in Neasden had been two packs of foxhounds, both of which had disbanded by 1857. Mills became founder president of Neasden Cricket Club and encouraged musical societies. In 1893 a golf club was founded at Neasden House, however only 10% of its members came from Neasden.

In the 1890s change led to a conscious effort to create a village atmosphere. At this time, the Spotted Dog became a social centre for local people. By 1891 Neasden had a population of 930, half of whom lived in the village. Despite the presence of the village in the west, it was the London end that grew fastest.

In 1893 the Great Central Railway got permission to join up its main line from Nottingham with the Metropolitan. Trains ran on or alongside the Metropolitan track to a terminus at Marylebone (this is now the modern day Chiltern Main Line). The Great Central set up a depot south of the line at Neasden and built houses for its workers (Gresham and Woodheyes roads). The Great Central village was a "singularly isolated and self-contained community" with its own school and single shop, Branch No. 1 of the North West London Co-operative Society. It is now part of a conservation area. There was considerable sporting rivalry between the two railway estates and a football match was played every Good Friday. By the 1930s the two railways employed over 1000 men.

Neasden Hospital was built in 1894 and closed in 1986.

Apart from the railways, Neasden was dominated by agriculture until just before the First World War. In 1911, Neasden’s population had swelled to 2,074. By 1913, light industry at Church End had spread up Neasden Lane as far as the station.

In the 1920s, the building of the North Circular Road, a main arterial route round London, brought another wave of development; it opened in 1922–23. The 1924–25 British Empire Exhibition led to road improvements and the introduction of new bus services. Together with the North Circular Road, it paved the way for a new residential suburb at Neasden. In 1930 Neasden House was part demolished. The last farm in Neasden (covering The Rise, Elm Way and Vicarage Way) was built over in 1935. The Ritz cinema opened in 1935 and Neasden Shopping Parade was opened in 1936, and was considered the most up-to-date in the area. All of Neasden’s older houses were demolished during this period, except for The Grange, and the Spotted Dog was rebuilt in mock-Tudor style. Industries sprung up in the south of the area, and by 1949, Neasden’s population was over 13,000.

The post-war history of Neasden is one of steady decline; local traffic congestion problems necessitated the building of an underpass on the North Circular Road that effectively cut Neasden in half and had a disastrous effect on the shopping centre by making pedestrian access to it difficult. The decline in industry through the 1970s also contributed to the area’s decline. But nonetheless Neasden has survived, largely due to a succession of vibrant immigrant communities keeping the local economy afloat. Neasden Depot continues to be the main storage and maintenance depot for the London Underground’s Metropolitan line (and is also used by trains of the Jubilee line); it is London Underground’s largest depot and as such it is a major local employer.


Licence: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LOCALITY

None so far :(
LATEST LONDON-WIDE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROJECT

Comment
Wendy    
Added: 22 Mar 2024 15:33 GMT   

Polygon Buildings
Following the demolition of the Polygon, and prior to the construction of Oakshott Court in 1974, 4 tenement type blocks of flats were built on the site at Clarendon Sq/Phoenix Rd called Polygon Buildings. These were primarily for people working for the Midland Railway and subsequently British Rail. My family lived for 5 years in Block C in the 1950s. It seems that very few photos exist of these buildings.

Reply

Steve   
Added: 19 Mar 2024 08:42 GMT   

Road construction and houses completed
New Charleville Circus road layout shown on Stanford’s Library Map Of London And Its Suburbs 1879 with access via West Hill only.

Plans showing street numbering were recorded in 1888 so we can concluded the houses in Charleville Circus were built by this date.

Source: Charleville Circus, Sydenham, London

Reply
Comment
Steve   
Added: 19 Mar 2024 08:04 GMT   

Charleville Circus, Sydenham: One Place Study (OPS)
One Place Study’s (OPS) are a recent innovation to research and record historical facts/events/people focused on a single place �’ building, street, town etc.

I have created an open access OPS of Charleville Circus on WikiTree that has over a million members across the globe working on a single family tree for everyone to enjoy, for free, forever.

Source: Charleville Circus, Sydenham, London

Reply
Comment
Charles   
Added: 8 Mar 2024 20:45 GMT   

My House
I want to know who lived in my house in the 1860’s.

Reply

NH   
Added: 7 Mar 2024 11:41 GMT   

Telephone House
Donald Hunter House, formerly Telephone House, was the BT Offices closed in 2000

Reply
Comment
Paul Cox   
Added: 5 Mar 2024 22:18 GMT   

War damage reinstatement plans of No’s 11 & 13 Aldine Street
Whilst clearing my elderly Mothers house of general detritus, I’ve come across original plans (one on acetate) of No’s 11 & 13 Aldine Street. Might they be of interest or should I just dispose of them? There are 4 copies seemingly from the one single acetate example. Seems a shame to just junk them as the level of detail is exquisite. No worries if of no interest, but thought I’d put it out there.

Reply
Comment
Diana   
Added: 28 Feb 2024 13:52 GMT   

New Inn Yard, E1
My great grandparents x 6 lived in New Inn Yard. On this date, their son was baptised in nearby St Leonard’s Church, Shoreditch

Source: BDM London, Cripplegate and Shoreditch registers written by church clerk.

Reply
Comment
Vic Stanley   
Added: 24 Feb 2024 17:38 GMT   

Postcose
The postcode is SE15, NOT SE1

Reply


NEARBY LOCATIONS OF NOTE
Neasden Neasden was first recorded as ’Neasdun’ in AD 939, derived from the Old English neos = ’nose’ and dun = ’hill’.

NEARBY STREETS
Aboyne Road, NW10 Aboyne Road is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
Alderton Close, NW10 Alderton Close is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Annesley Close, NW10 Annesley Close is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Ardley Close, NW10 Ardley Close is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Aylesbury Street, NW10 Aylesbury Street is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
Ballogie Avenue, NW10 Ballogie Avenue is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
Balnacraig Avenue, NW10 Balnacraig Avenue is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
Baskerville Gardens, NW10 Baskerville Gardens is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Beaconsfield Road, NW10 Beaconsfield Road is a street in Willesden
Bentham Walk, NW10 Bentham Walk is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
Bermans Way, NW10 Bermans Way is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Braemar Avenue, NW10 Braemar Avenue is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
Brendon Avenue, NW10 Brendon Avenue is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Brent New Enterprise Centre, NW10 Brent New Enterprise Centre is a location in London
Brentfield Close, NW10 Brentfield Close is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Brentfield Road, NW10 Brentfield Road is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
Brenthurst Road, NW10 Brenthurst Road is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Willesden)
Broadfields Way, NW10 Broadfields Way is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Cambridge Close, NW10 Cambridge Close is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Central Business Centre, NW10 Central Business Centre is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
Chancel House, NW10 Chancel House is a block on Neasden Lane
Chantry Crescent, NW10 Chantry Crescent is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Willesden)
Chapel Close, NW10 Chapel Close is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Willesden)
Chesham Street, NW10 Chesham Street is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
Cobbold Estate, NW10 The Cobbold Estate is an area just off the North Circular Road
Cobbold Road, NW10 Cobbold Road is a street in Willesden
Coombe Road, NW10 Coombe Road is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
Cygnet Close, NW10 Cygnet Close is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Dalmeyer Road, NW10 Dalmeyer Road is a street in Willesden (Willesden)
Denzil Road, NW10 Denzil Road is a street in Willesden
Dog Lane, NW10 Dog Lane is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Drury Way, NW10 Drury Way is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
Dudden Hill Lane, NW10 Dudden Hill Lane was named after a Saxon settler called Dodda (Dollis Hill)
Dudden Hill Parade, NW10 Dudden Hill Parade is a street in Willesden (Dollis Hill)
Elgar Avenue, NW10 Elgar Avenue was, possibly uniquely, named after its telephone exchange. (Other streets had exchanges named after them) (Neasden)
Elm Way, NW10 Elm Way is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Falcon Park Industrial Estate, NW10 Commercial area (Neasden)
Franklyn Road, NW10 Franklyn Road is a street in Willesden
Garden Way, NW10 Garden Way is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Great Central Way, NW10 Great Central Way is one of the streets in the Harrow postal district of Middlesex (Neasden)
Great Central Way, NW10 Great Central Way is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
Great Central Way, NW10 Great Central Way is a road in the HA9 postcode area (Neasden)
Gresham Road, NW10 Gresham Road is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Handel Place, NW10 Handel Place is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Hannah Close, NW10 Hannah Close is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
Hardie Close, NW10 Hardie Close is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Harp Island Close, NW10 Harp Island Close is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Harrington Close, NW10 Harrington Close is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Henderson Close, NW10 Henderson Close is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Ilex Road, NW10 Ilex Road is a road in the NW10 postcode area
Iron Bridge Close, NW10 Iron Bridge Close is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
Iron Bridge, NW10 Iron Bridge is a road in the E15 postcode area (Neasden)
Jackman Mews, NW10 Jackman Mews is a street in Cricklewood (Neasden)
Janson Close, NW10 Janson Close is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
Kelly Close, NW10 Kelly Close is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Kestrel Close, NW10 Kestrel Close is a location in London (Neasden)
Kingfisher Way, NW10 Kingfisher Way is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
Knapp Close, NW10 Knapp Close is a road in the NW10 postcode area
Lansbury Close, NW10 Lansbury Close is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Lansdowne Grove, NW10 Lansdowne Grove is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
Lawrence Way, NW10 Lawrence Way is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Laxcon Close, NW10 Laxcon Close is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
Lennox Gardens, NW10 Lennox Gardens is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Dollis Hill)
Lewis Crescent, NW10 Lewis Crescent is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
Lilburne Walk, NW10 Lilburne Walk is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
Lovett Way, NW10 Lovett Way is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
Lyndhurst Close, NW10 Lyndhurst Close is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Lynton Close, NW10 Lynton Close is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Maundeby Walk, NW10 Maundeby Walk is a street in Willesden (Willesden)
Mead Plat, NW10 Mead Plat is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Mitchellbrook Way, NW10 Mitchellbrook Way is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Mulgrave Road, NW10 Mulgrave Road is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Dollis Hill)
Neasden Lane North, NW10 Neasden Lane North is the extension of Neasden Lane beyond the North Circular Road (Neasden)
Neasden Lane North, NW10 Neasden Lane North is a road in the HA9 postcode area (Neasden)
Neasden Lane North, NW10 Neasden Lane North is a road in the NW9 postcode area (Neasden)
Neasden Lane, NW10 Neasden Lane is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
Neasden Lane, NW10 Neasden Lane is a road in the NW2 postcode area (Neasden)
Neasden Underpass, NW10 Neasden Underpass is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Normanby Road, NW10 Normanby Road is a road within the Dudden Hill Estate (Dollis Hill)
Normans Close, NW10 Normans Close is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Normansmead, NW10 Normansmead is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Oakside Terrace, NW10 Oakside Terrace is a location in London (Neasden)
Owen Way, NW10 Owen Way is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Panther Drive, NW10 Panther Drive is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
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Press Road, NW10 Press Road is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Prout Grove, NW10 Prout Grove is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
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Rainborough Close, NW10 Rainborough Close is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
Sapcote Trading Centre, NW10 Sapcote Trading Centre is a street in Willesden (Willesden)
Selbie Avenue, NW10 Selbie Avenue is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Willesden)
Severn Way, NW10 Severn Way is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Willesden)
Sonia Gardens, NW10 Sonia Gardens is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Dollis Hill)
Southview Avenue, NW10 Southview Avenue is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
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Tallis View, NW10 Tallis View is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
The Rise, NW10 The Rise is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Trojan Business Centre, NW10 Trojan Business Centre is a location in London
Verney Street, NW10 Verney Street is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
Vicarage Way, NW10 Vicarage Way is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Village Way, NW10 Village Way is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
Walton Drive, NW10 Walton Drive is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
West Way, NW10 West Way is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Westview Close, NW10 Westview Close is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Wharton Close, NW10 Wharton Close is a road in the NW10 postcode area
White Hart Lane, NW10 White Hart Lane is a street in Willesden
Winslow Close, NW10 Winslow Close is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
Woodheyes Road, NW10 Woodheyes Road is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Woodmans Grove, NW10 Woodmans Grove is a road in the NW10 postcode area (Neasden)
Wrights Place, NW10 Wrights Place is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
Yeats Close, NW10 Yeats Close is a street in Willesden (Neasden)
Yewfield Road, NW10 Yewfield Road is a street in Willesden

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