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Preston Road

Preston Road - originally just ’Preston’ - is situated west along the Metropolitan Line from Wembley Park.

Preston emerged in 1220 as a small settlement centred around Preston Green, just southwest of the Lidding or Wealdstone Brook, south of Kenton. Its name may originate from a 767 estate granted to Abbot Stidberht by King Offa (it means ’the farm belonging to the priest’), though any connection to the rural Preston Road was lost by 1086. Preston was established as a township by 1231.

By the mid-1400s, Preston consisted of two farms and some cottages. The northern Lyon family farm, dating to the late 1300s, was described as beautiful in 1547 and was likely the birthplace of John Lyon. He founded Harrow School in 1572, after which the farm supported the school, being rebuilt around 1700. The southern farm was first called Preston Dicket before becoming Preston Farm.

Preston saw little growth until 1681 when five buildings, including Hillside farmhouse, arose at Preston Green. In 1751, the "Horseshoe" inn was licensed, bringing the total buildings to nine by 1759.

The 19th century brought stagnation rather than change. After the post-war depression, desperate farmworkers burnt haystacks and threatened landowners like the relatively benign Lord Northwick. Just 64 residents lived in Preston in 1831, declining to 57 by 1851. Around then, the short-lived "Rose & Crown" beerhouse opened at Preston Hill, likely part of Hillside Farm.

In the late 1800s, Preston House was leased to professionals before becoming the popular Preston Tea Gardens under George Timms circa 1880. The Tea Gardens flourished well into the following century.

Despite the 1894 Wembley Park station opening, the Metropolitan Railway did not spur development, even rejecting a Preston stop in 1896 given the tiny population. Into the early 1900s, the area remained rural with the unspoiled Wealdstone Brook meandering through the district, described as "one of the most perfect little streams anywhere, abounding in dace and roach."

The 1900s brought slow transformation. Uxendon Farm became a shooting ground (the Lancaster Shooting Club), hosting 1908 Olympic clay pigeon events. Pressure from the shooting club, being two miles from any station led to Preston Road Halt opening in 1908.

Preston Road Halt was a simple request stop where trains only slowed if passengers were visible. Many trains initially failed to slow sufficiently, continuing right past the new station. Despite this inauspicious start, Preston Road Halt triggered the first wave of commuter development in the area. After 1910, some large Edwardian houses arose along Preston Road itself. In 1912, Harrow Golf Club opened near the station, joining the earlier Wembley Golf Club from 1895 on Barn Hill’s southern slopes. Both golf courses would vanish under new housing constructed between the wars, as suburban expansion gradually transformed the rural landscape.

Further change followed the 1920s British Empire Exhibition, with road improvements - especially as roads in the area were prone to flooding. Christ Church College, Oxford and Harrow School sold off land in the 1920s-30s. Housing spread rapidly from the mid-1920s as shops and the Preston Park Hotel opened. Upgraded in the early 1930s, Preston Road Station enabled population growth, especially among Jewish families. By 1951, Preston’s population peaked at 12,408 before declining again. Some post-war prefab housing gave way to permanent homes by the 1960s.

Many country lanes in the area remained unimproved until 1931-1932 under Wembley’s Town Planning Scheme. Preston Road itself continued as a rural country lane into the late 1930s, which may explain its enduring charm. Enhanced transportation finally enabled suburban expansion. Christ Church College, Oxford and Harrow School sold their Preston estates between 1921-1933. Construction commenced at Forty Green as early as 1923-1924, with housing quickly spreading along Preston Road and Preston Hill over the next three years. As communications advanced, open land swiftly transitioned to suburban development.

Shops appeared in 1927-8 and a pub, the ’Preston Park Hotel’ was opened in the late 1920s.

Preston Road was upgraded into a full station in 1931-1932. Soon after, the line was electrified and the station slightly relocated. Preston’s centre formed south of the old green. Many more shops materialized around the station in 1931-1933 and again in 1936-1938. Most housing development transpired during the 1930s. By 1936, Preston was depicted as a "high class and rapidly growing residential area with a population of between 6000 and 7000 people." A primary school opened in 1932 and secondary school in 1938 to serve this swelling population.

During the 1930s, many Jewish families, predominantly members of the United Synagogue, relocated to the Preston area. A strong Jewish presence remains today.

By 1951, Preston’s population had climbed to 12,408 but subsequently declined somewhat. Postwar housing arose north and east of Preston Road, alongside prefabs at Tenterden Close and Woodcock Hill until the late 1960s. Proposed in 1936, the Anglican Church of Ascension was not consecrated until 1957 due to wartime delays.

By the early 1960s, all of Preston’s oldest buildings were lost. Lyon’s Farm was demolished in 1960 despite preservation plans. Hillside Farmhouse and Preston House followed in 1961-1963, both replaced by blocks of flats. While these landmarks disappeared, pleasant, prosperous Preston has retained some of its original atmosphere.

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