Facts about Willesden
Willesden History
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. In 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.
The Iris was a British car brand that was manufactured in 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.
General Info
Willesden is an area in north west London which forms part of the London Borough of Brent. It is situated 5 miles northwest of Charing Cross. It was historically a parish in the county of Middlesex that was incorporated as the Municipal Borough of Willesden in 1933 and has formed part of the London Borough of Brent in Greater London since 1965.
With its close proximity to affluent neighborhoods; Brondesbury Park, Queen’s Park, and Kensal Rise, the area surrounding Willesden Green station has seen increased gentrification in the past several years. With rapidly rising property prices. The Daily Telegraph called Willesden Green one of London’s “new middle class” areas. The area has a population of 44,295 as of 2011 including the Willesden Green, Dollis Hill, and Dudden Hill wards.
