Harlesden

Harlesden

Craven Park Road
Harlesden
 Harlesden shown within Greater London
Population 17,162 (Harlesden ward 2011)[1]
OS grid referenceTQ215835
London borough Brent
Ceremonial county Greater London
RegionLondon
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town LONDON
Postcode district NW10
Dialling code 020
Police Metropolitan
Fire London
Ambulance London
EU Parliament London
UK ParliamentBrent Central
London Assembly Brent and Harrow
List of places
UK
England
London

Coordinates: 51°32′10″N 0°14′53″W / 51.536°N 0.248°W

Harlesden is an area in the London Borough of Brent, northwest London, UK. Its main focal point is the Jubilee Clock which commemorates Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee.[2] Stonebridge forms the western part of Harlesden.

Harlesden has been praised for its vibrant Caribbean culture and unofficially named London's reggae capital. The population includes people of Afro-Caribbean heritage, as well as Irish Catholic, Brazilian and smaller Portuguese and Colombian communities.

In 1999 Harlesden had the highest murder rate in the United Kingdom according to the Police League Tables. However, owing to the presence of Operation Trident in the area, the murder rate has decreased.

Harlesden has a rich culture of boxing, with two Olympic Gold medallists hailing from Harlesden: Audley Harrison who won gold in the Super-Heavyweight division at Sydney in 2000, and James Degale who won gold in the Middleweight division at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

History

In the 19th century, Harlesden, then a rural village, began to develop some of its urban appearance with the arrival of the railways. Willesden Junction, Kensal Green and Harlesden stations 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.

Harlesden increasingly lost its rural nature, with factories replacing farms and woodland. From late Victorian times until the 1930s, housing completed its spread across the area, and Harlesden became part of the London conurbation. Mainly after World War I, one of Europe's biggest industrial estates was constructed at nearby Park Royal, and large factories there included McVitie & Price (later United Biscuits) from 1910, and Heinz from 1919.

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 Indian sub-continent and Africa changed the racial and cultural make up of the area.[3] More recently the area has now become home to Brazilian and Portuguese communities. Much of the housing is made up of Victorian terraces which have been attracting buyers unable to afford similar properties in nearby Kensal Green and Queen's Park.

Transport and locale

Neighbouring areas of Harlesden
Brent Park/St Raphael's Estate/Neasden Willesden Kilburn
Stonebridge Kensal Green
   Harlesden  
Park Royal North Acton Wormwood Scrubs

Tube/Rail

Stations in the area are:

Famous residents

References

  1. ↑ Census Information Scheme (2012). "2011 Census Ward Population Estimates". Greater London Authority. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  2. ↑ http://www.caribvoice.org/Features/harlesden.html
  3. ↑ "Harlesden (Ward) Ethnic Group (UV09)". 2001 Census Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. 2001. Retrieved 2008-03-06.
  4. ↑ "Shane Richie: You Ask The Questions". The Independent (London). 2003-12-18.

External links