Visit Willesden Places

Welcome to Visit Willesden Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Willesden

  

Willesden Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Willesden

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Willesden history

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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

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

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

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.

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

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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

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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