Shirland Road, W9

Road in/near Maida Hill, existing between 1869 and now.

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(51.52687 -0.19461, 51.526 -0.194) 
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September
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2021
Shirland Road is one of the main thorughfares of Maida Vale.

Before the turn of the nineteenth century, the area was largely covered in pasture meadows. Through these fields ran the River Westbourne (sometimes called Bays Water).

East of the Westbourne, the land belonged to the Bishop of London. Most of the parish west of the Westbourne was Westminster Abbey’s Westbourne manor. Part of the future Queen’s Park belonged to All Souls’ College, Oxford.

The opening of the Paddington Branch of the Grand Union (Grand Junction) Canal in 1801 led to the first villas being built on Hill House Fields, the highest part of Paddington. But even in the 1820s, apart from a row of houses at Orme’s Green on the Harrow Road, the area remained open countryside.

In the late 1850s the River Westbourne was culverted which allowed building to spread northward from Westbourne Green during the 1860s.

By 1865 the name St Peter’s Park, commemorating landowner Westminster Abbey, was given to a proposed suburb north of Harrow Road. Avenues leading from Harrow Road were planned: Malvern Road (soon renamed Chippenham Road), St Peter’s Road (renamed Walterton Road) and the southernmost stretch of the future Fernhead Road.

By 1869 there were houses along much of Chippenham Road and at the west end of Elgin Road, where St Peter’s church had been allotted a site, and the west ends of Marylands Road and Sutherland Gardens.

All three roads led towards Shirland Road, which approximately followed the line of the Bayswater or Westbourne stream. There were houses on the west side of Shirland Road, at the south end, by 1870.

The building of St Peter’s Park was a risky enterprise neccesitating the construction of sewers as well as a bridge over the canal (Carlton Bridge). A quarter of the builders of the estate failed between 1870 and 1872. Building activity revived in the mid 1870s and the Walterton estate was completed in 1885.

34 more houses were planned in 1881 in Shirland Road, between Elgin Road and Kilburn Park Road, where the eight most northerly ones could be built as shops.

The area enclosed by Shirland Road, Kilburn Park Road, Portsdown Road and Sutherland Avenue was still empty in 1886, allowing a 26 acre site to be saved for public use as Paddington Recreation Ground.

Subletting of houses led to deterioration throughout the area by the 1890s, although there was little real hardship. In 1901 the area was assigned to the new Metropolitan Borough of Paddington. Between 1918 and 1939 the name St Peter’s Park fell into disuse.

After the Second World War, parts of the area were cleared for municipal housing. In 1953 the London County Council bought the Walterton estate from the Church Commissioners. The LCC inherited an overcrowded estate where many homes lacked basic amenities.

During the 1960s the Greater London Council built tower blocks and low rise blocks on the Elgin Estate. In the early 1970s the sheer volume of derelict homes gave rise to the high profile Elgin Avenue squatting campaign, involving such figures as housing campaigner Piers Corbyn and Joe Strummer of the Clash.

In 1980 ownership of the area transferred from the GLC to Westminster City Council. In 1985 WCC decided to sell off the estates to private developers.

Residents responded by forming the Walterton and Elgin Action Group (WECH), organising protests, petitions and their own plan to save the homes of local people in need of rented housing. By the middle of 1988 one third of Walterton Estate homes were empty - Hermes Point and Chantry Point were heavily squatted.

In 1992 residents took over ownership and control of 921 homes. After negotiating funding from WCC, WECH rebuilt and refurbished properties that had suffered years of neglect. Two tower blocks were demolished and replaced with low rise homes.




Main source: Maida Hill Forum
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CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LOCALITY


Lady Townshend   
Added: 8 Sep 2023 16:02 GMT   

Tenant at Westbourne (1807 - 1811)
I think that the 3rd Marquess Townshend - at that time Lord Chartley - was a tenant living either at Westbourne Manor or at Bridge House. He undertook considerable building work there as well as creating gardens. I am trying to trace which house it was. Any ideas gratefully received

Reply
Lived here
Robert Burns   
Added: 5 Jan 2023 17:46 GMT   

1 Abourne Street
My mother, and my Aunt and my Aunt’s family lived at number 1 Abourne Street.
I remember visitingn my aunt Win Housego, and the Housego family there. If I remember correctly virtually opposite number 1, onthe corner was the Lord Amberley pub.

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Born here
Ron Shepherd   
Added: 18 Sep 2021 17:28 GMT   

More Wisdom
Norman Joseph Wisdom was born in St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, West London.

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Comment
ANON   
Added: 20 Jul 2022 13:36 GMT   

The Square & Ashmore park
The Square and Ashmore park was the place to be 2000-2005. Those were the greatest times on the estate. everyday people were playing out. the park was full of kids just being kids and having fun, now everyone is grown up and only bump into eachother when heading to the shops or work. I miss the good days( Im 25yrs old as im writing this)

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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.

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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

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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

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Comment
Charles   
Added: 8 Mar 2024 20:45 GMT   

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

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NH   
Added: 7 Mar 2024 11:41 GMT   

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

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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.

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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.

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

Postcose
The postcode is SE15, NOT SE1

Reply



LOCAL PHOTOS
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Sutherland Avenue, W9
TUM image id: 1453139016
Licence: CC BY 2.0
Youths throwing stones
TUM image id: 1456690171
Licence: CC BY 2.0

In the neighbourhood...

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Mrs Siddons’ house at Westbourne Green c. 1800
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Bourne Terrace - taken from Torquay Street. On the corner of Bourne Terrace is Saws Ltd at number 264 along with various blocks which no longer exist.
Credit: Bernard Selwwyn
Licence: CC BY 2.0


Chippenham Mews (1959) This photo was taken by a Swiss maid who worked in the area during the late 1950s. Chippenham Mews lies behind Harrow Road running from Chippenham Road to Marylands Road. Building had been begun in the 1860s with substantial terraces near Harrow Road. The area did not attract the upper classes that were expected and parts of the area came to suffer from cramped layouts and houses.
Credit: Gregoire Ming
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Junction of Cirencester Street, W2 Cirencester Street was curtailed when the post-war Warwick Estate was built
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Great Western Road (1959) Great Western Road, which runs past Westbourne Park station, replaced a lane called Green Lane. The bridge over the railway, pictured here, was known as Green Lane Bridge until the 1860s - maybe later.
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Lord Hills Road at the junction with Senior Street
Credit: Historic England
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Barnsdale Road, Paddington lies between Fernhead Road and Walterton Road.
Old London postcard
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Weston’s Cider House In 1930 Weston’s opened their first and only ’cider mill’ on the Harrow Road. It was closed in 1970 and demolished as part of a road improvement scheme
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91 Fernhead Road, W9 - the birthplace of Norman Wisdom
Credit: City of Westminster
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Amberley Mews - "The Blue Lamp"
Licence: CC BY 2.0




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