Welcome to Visit Willesden Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Willesden
Visit Willesden places using Walkfo for free guided tours of the best Willesden places to visit. A unique way to experience Willesden’s places, Walkfo allows you to explore Willesden as you would a museum or art gallery with audio guides.
Visiting Willesden Walkfo Preview
Willesden is situated 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Charing Cross. It has formed part of the London Borough of Brent since 1965. The area has a population of 44,295 as of 2011. It is mostly in the NW10 postcode district. When you visit Willesden, Walkfo brings Willesden places to life as you travel by foot, bike, bus or car with a mobile phone & headphones.
Willesden Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Willesden
Visit Willesden – Walkfo’s stats for the places to visit
With 308 audio plaques & Willesden places for you to explore in the Willesden area, Walkfo is the world’s largest heritage & history digital plaque provider. The AI continually learns & refines facts about the best Willesden places to visit from travel & tourism authorities (like Wikipedia), converting history into an interactive audio experience.
Willesden history
Etymology
The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon Willesdune, meaning the Hill of the Spring, and a settlement bearing this name dates back to 939 AD. The Domesday Book of 1086 records it as Wellesdone. The current spelling was adopted by the London and Birmingham Railway in 1844.
Early history
![Willesden Early history photo](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/75/St._Marys_Church%2C_Neasden_Lane%2C_NW10_%28geograph_2822687%29.jpg/220px-St._Marys_Church%2C_Neasden_Lane%2C_NW10_%28geograph_2822687%29.jpg)
From 14th to 16th centuries, the town was a place of pilgrimage due to the presence of two ancient statues of the Virgin Mary at the Church of St Mary. One of these statues is thought to have been a Black Madonna, venerated as Our Lady of Willesden, which was insulted by the Lollards.
Industrial history
![Willesden Industrial history photo](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/MHV_Iris_15_hp_1912.jpg/220px-MHV_Iris_15_hp_1912.jpg)
Legros & Knowles Ltd in Willesden, London, built and repaired vehicles in 1904. Lucien Alphonse Legros (1866–1933) and Guy Knowles, scion of wealthy and artistic family, founded Legros and Knowles in 1904 to build and repair vehicles. The Iris was a British car brand that was manufactured from 1906.
Modern history
![Willesden Modern history photo](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Willesdengreenstation.jpg/250px-Willesdengreenstation.jpg)
The parish of Willesden remained predominantly rural up until 1875, when its population was 18,500. It included the villages and hamlets of Brondesbury, Dollis Hill, Dudden Hill, Harlesden, Kilburn, Mapesbury, Oxgate and Stonebridge. By 1906 the population had grown to 140,000, a phenomenon of rapid growth that was to be repeated in the 1920s in neighbouring areas such as Harrow. The First World War caused the area to change from a predominantly middle class suburb to a working class part of London.
Willesden geography / climate
Willesden lies about 130 feet (40 m) to 200 feet (60 m) above sea level. Roundwood Park is on the south-western side while Gladstone Park is nearby to the north-west.
Why visit Willesden with Walkfo Travel Guide App?
You can visit Willesden places with Walkfo Willesden to hear history at Willesden’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Willesden has 308 places to visit in our interactive Willesden map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Willesden, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Willesden places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Willesden & the surrounding areas.
“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 308 audio facts unique to Willesden places in an interactive Willesden map you can explore.”
Walkfo: Visit Willesden Places Map
308 tourist, history, culture & geography spots
Willesden historic spots | Willesden tourist destinations | Willesden plaques | Willesden geographic features |
Walkfo Willesden tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Willesden |
Best Willesden places to visit
Willesden has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Willesden’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Willesden’s information audio spots:
Paddington Recreation Ground
Paddington Recreation Ground is the largest area of parkland in the City of Westminster . It was the first park of its kind in London, having operated since 1888 . Annually, it attracts over 1.5 million users, who visit the Recreation Ground for its green-space value .
Klooks Kleek
Klooks Kleek was a jazz and rhythm n’ blues club on the first floor of the Railway Hotel, West Hampstead, north-west London. Named after “Klook’s Clique”, a 1956 album by jazz drummer Kenny Clarke. Zoot Money, Ten Years After, John Mayall and Graham Bond recorded live albums at the club.
Lauderdale Road Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue
The Lauderdale Road Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue is located in Maida Vale on Lauderdale Road in West London . It is the community hub of the S&P Sephardi Community also known as Qahal Qadosh Shaar Shamayim (Hebrew translation: The Holy Congregation of the Gate of Heaven)
New London Synagogue
The New London Synagogue was founded in 1964 by followers of Rabbi Dr Louis Jacobs. It is the founding synagogue of the Masorti movement in the UK, established in 1985.
Claremont Road Ground
The Claremont Road Ground was a former football ground in Cricklewood, UK. It was the home ground for Hendon Football Club for 81years before being demolished in 2006.
Stonebridge Park power station
Stonebridge Park power station was a private supply electricity generating station in Wembley north west London. It supplied direct current electricity to the adjacent Euston to Watford electric railway lines from 1914 to 1967.
Visit Willesden plaques
143
plaques
here Willesden has 143 physical plaques in tourist plaque schemes for you to explore via Walkfo Willesden plaques audio map when visiting. Plaques like National Heritage’s “Blue Plaques” provide visual geo-markers to highlight points-of-interest at the places where they happened – and Walkfo’s AI has researched additional, deeper content when you visit Willesden using the app. Experience the history of a location when Walkfo local tourist guide app triggers audio close to each Willesden plaque. Explore Plaques & History has a complete list of Hartlepool’s plaques & Hartlepool history plaque map.