Kilburn Park Road was built along the course of the Bayswater Rivulet (the River Westbourne), starting in 1855
Park Road, begun by 1855, was projected to run along the Willesden boundary - which ran along the stream - to meet the future Chippenham Road by 1861 and renamed Kilburn Park Road in 1862.
The Westbourne, until the mid 19th century usually called the Bayswater rivulet, is a union of streamlets rising on the west side of Hampstead Heath and joining near Kilburn. From the dip in the northern boundary it flows overall in a southeasterly direction across Paddington. Often straightened and culverted, as the Ranelagh sewer, before being built over, its course was still open (with its course straightened) in 1871 along the later line of Kilburn Park Road and Shirland Road.
Piecemeal building in many parts was planned in 1880, when the Paddington Estate made ten agreements, with different builders. Three agreements were for 91 or 92 terraced houses on the Paddington side of Kilburn Park Road, the largest being with George Godson for 50 or 51 houses.
The most expensive houses, to be worth at least £1,000 each, were to be in Sutherland Gardens and the cheapest, 17 at £200 and others at £500, in Kilburn Park Road.
Their construction, including drainage and paving, and appearance were specified in detail.
Building continued steadily in the late 19th century but not very fast. Behind the frontages, built up except for a stretch of Portsdown Road, the area enclosed by Shirland, Kilburn Park, and Portsdown roads and Sutherland Avenue was empty in 1886, allowing time for 26 acres in the north part to be saved for public use as Paddington recreation ground.
