Etymology The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon
Willesdune, meaning the Hill of the Spring, and a Manor (landholding) bearing this name was recorded in 939 AD. The
Domesday Book of 1086 records the manor as
Wellesdone. The current spelling was adopted by the
London and Birmingham Railway in 1844, when they opened a local station.
Early history Willesden became a
civil parish in the medieval period. From the 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, taken to Thomas Cromwell's house and burnt in 1538 on a large bonfire of "notable images" including those of
Our Lady of Walsingham, Our Lady of Worcester, and
Our Lady of Ipswich. There was also a "holy well" which was thought to possess miraculous qualities, particularly for blindness and other eye disorders. Much of the district supplied apples, pears and vegetables to the city of London for many years from the early years of the industrial revolution.
Industrial history The
Iris was a British car brand that was manufactured from 1906 by Legros & Knowles Ltd in Willesden. Lucien Alphonse Legros (1866–1933), son of the artist Alphonse Legros, and
Guy Knowles, scion of a wealthy and artistic family, founded Legros & Knowles Ltd in Cumberland Park, Willesden Junction, in 1904 to build and repair vehicles.
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. However, this changed with the opening of the Metropolitan Railway (later the
Metropolitan line) station of Willesden Green on 24 November 1879. 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 The Metropolitan line service was withdrawn in 1940, when the station was served by the Bakerloo line, and later the
Jubilee line. The
First World War caused Willesden to change from a predominantly
middle class suburb to a
working class part of London. After the war, Willesden grew rapidly as many factories opened up with numerous flats and terraced houses. The local council encouraged building to prevent large unemployment and decline. To the present day, Willesden has been shaped by the patterns of migration which marks it out as one of the most diverse areas in the
United Kingdom.
City of London Corporation records show that the first black person recorded in Brent was Sarah Eco, who was christened in
St. Mary's Church in Willesden on 15 September 1723. The
1901 United Kingdom census recorded that 42% of the population was born in London. In 1923, the specialist coach builder
Freestone and Webb established their base in Willesden, producing bespoke cars on
Rolls-Royce and Bentley chassis until 1956. Willesden became a municipal borough in 1933, and it is at this time that the area became predominantly working class. A small
Irish community had formed in Willesden by this time, which grew rapidly during the period of the
Second World War. A small Jewish community of refugees from Europe also formed during the war, with 3.5% of the population in 1951 born in
Germany,
Poland,
Russia or
Austria. During the war, Willesden suffered large bombing damage due to the heavy concentration of manufacturing industry, such as munition factories, the location of 'Smiths Instruments" (Used defensive aircraft instrumentation). Mulliner-Park Ward (Coach builders to Rolls-Royce and Bentley, hand built cars). Power Station location, canal and major railway locomotive overhaul facilities located in the area. The period from 1960 saw migrants settling from the
Caribbean and the
Indian subcontinent. Additionally, from 1963 it was the site of the
Kuo Yuan, the first Chinese restaurant to serve Pekinese dishes in Britain. Since the 1960s, Willesden has been popular with young working holidaymakers from
Canada,
Australia and
New Zealand, although this popularity has declined somewhat in favour of other areas since about 2003. Willesden went into a period of decline during the 1970s and 1980s as much of the housing was inadequate due to overcrowding as industry was mixed with housing. The whole of central Willesden (bar the area by the Willesden Green station) was earmarked for redevelopment; however, this did not come to fruition. In the late 1980s, traders were given money to revamp the High Street to prevent shops closing. The area surrounding
Willesden Green station has become more middle-class and gentrified with marked property price rises in 2014 and 2015. ==Politics==