50-865: Harlesden / ˈ h ɑːr l z d ən / is a district in the London Borough of Brent , north-west London . Located north of the Grand Union Canal and Wormwood Scrubs , the Harrow Road flows through the centre of the area which goes eastwards to Central London and west towards Wembley . Harlesden was historically in the Municipal Borough of Willesden before the creation of Brent; it lies within Willesden's postal district of NW10. Harlesden has been praised for its vibrant Caribbean culture and unofficially named London's reggae capital for its contributions to
100-415: A choice, 47.71% described themselves as Christian , 17.71% as Hindu , 12.26% as Muslim and 10% as having no religion . Among residents, 39.96% were in full-time employment and 7.86% in part-time employment – compared to a London average of 42.64% and 8.62%, respectively. Narrowly most residents included an owner-occupier in their household, with 23.17% of households owning their house outright, and
150-511: A further 31.33% owning with a mortgage. 10.59% were in local authority housing , with a further 13.29% renting from a housing association , or other registered social landlord. The 2021 census found that the borough has England and Wales's lowest proportion of people born in the UK, at 43.9%. The borough of Brent is extremely ethnically diverse, having changed greatly since 1951. In the 2011 census, those who identified as White British made up 18% of
200-432: A grant from Brent council. It provided a studio and training for numerous local and international acts such as The Last Poets and Aswad . In 1970, Sonny Roberts established the first specialist record shop called Orbitone Records, retailing various genres of music but in the mid 1970s became the hub premises for producing, licensing and distributing soca music. During the mid 1970s and 1980s, dozens of record shops filled
250-510: A growing Irish population in the late 19th century, although the current church was built in 1931. This is a government building, constructed in 1960, that currently contains a Jobcentre Plus office. The site was previously occupied by the Willesden Hippodrome; a Music Hall and Variety Theatre. It was designed by the renowned Theatre Architect Frank Matcham, opening on 16 September 1907. The Theatre had seating for 3,500 people. The Theatre
300-399: A long time going down the high street and popping into one or two shops. I'm sorry I couldn't go into more of them." The fortunes of Harlesden have been on the up more recently. Reduced crime rates have led to higher house prices, but the district retains a non- gentrified atmosphere. In 2015 a new community "Town Garden" was opened for locals to garden, socialise and exercise, established by
350-695: A main contributor to the local economy, these industries employed a mass of labour from Irish and Jamaican immigrants. 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 and the Indian sub-continent changed the racial and cultural make up of the area. Despite the immigration the population of Harlesden still declined from 39,527 in 1951 to 26,970 in 1971, but remained densely populated. Prefab homes for those made homeless by Second World War bombings were still in existence by
400-553: A major reggae label, producing successful artists within and in Jamaica, such as Desmond Dekker and Toots and the Maytals , and numerous top 20 UK singles during the 1970s. Another popular label of reggae and other black music was Jet Star , which called itself "the world's largest reggae distributors". The Brent Black Music Cooperative Rehearsal Studios was set up in Willesden in 1983 by
450-544: A middle class exodus as Harlesden turned entirely into a working class area in the inter-war period. The McVitie & Price factory became the largest biscuit factory in the western world, employing 2,600 people by 1978. By 1939 the last of the large Victorian houses were demolished Willesden Council. At 6am on 16 January 1939, the Irish Republican Army blew up the Harlesden electricity cable bridge. The bridge crossed
500-539: A mixture of residential, industrial and commercial land. Wembley National Stadium is in the borough; on match days the fire safety of over 90,000 people falls to the London Fire Brigade. The Wembley station covers the largest area in the borough, 19.1 km (7.4 sq mi). Two pumping appliances, a fire rescue unit and an aerial ladder platform are based there. Willesden, for its more typical area covered (10.5 km (4.1 sq mi)), responded to over
550-654: A thousand incidents in 2006/2007. Two pumping appliances reside there. Park Royal, with its one pumping appliance and an incident response unit covers 8.1 km (3.1 sq mi). Within the borough, 4,105 incidents occurred in 2006/2007. Like most of northwest London, Brent is served extensively by the London Underground . 21 tube stations are located in Brent, all served by either the Metropolitan, Jubilee, Bakerloo or Piccadilly Lines. All of them are surface level, with
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#1732844808551600-429: Is a Grade II* listed building. Harlesden's jubilee clock was erected in 1888 which commemorates Queen Victoria 's Golden Jubilee . Roundwood Park is the main public open space and park in Harlesden. Located on Acton Lane, the current Willesden County Court was built in 1970. Our Lady of Willesden Church is a Roman Catholic church, with devotion to Our Lady of Willesden and was the first mission to cater for
650-471: Is adequate rainfall year-round. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is " Cfb ". (Marine West Coast Climate/ Oceanic climate ). Behind Tower Hamlets , Brent has the highest poverty rate in London after housing costs. It was the borough with the highest average unemployment rate in 2022 with 7%. More than one in three households live in poverty, 9% above the London average, and 14% above
700-774: Is set in Harlesden and captures the black dancehall culture in the area. A London Safari: Walking Adventures in NW10 is a 2014 paperback book authored by local Rose Rouse about Harlesden. More recently, Harlesden has produced known hip hop and grime artists such as K Koke , Nines and George The Poet . The Beat London (formerly known as BANG Radio) is a licensed radio station that broadcasts urban music and cultural programmes from Harlesden High Street. It broadcasts on 103.6 FM throughout north-west London. Numerous unlicensed stations broadcast in and around North West London from reggae and other genres, including Radio RJR 98.3 FM, UK Roots 95.4 FM and Omega Radio 104.1 FM. Brent's largest newspaper
750-687: Is the Brent & Kilburn Times . The Queen Victoria Pub in EastEnders on the BBC was inspired by The College Park Hotel in Harlesden. Stations in Harlesden are: London Borough of Brent Brent ( / b r ɛ n t / ) is a borough in north-west London , England. It is known for landmarks such as Wembley Stadium , the Swaminarayan Temple and the Kiln Theatre . It also contains
800-835: The Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921, with supporters of the Treaty forming the nucleus of the National Army of the newly created Irish Free State , while the anti-treaty forces continued to use the name Irish Republican Army . After the end of the Irish Civil War (1922–23), the IRA was around in one form or another for forty years, when it split into the Official IRA and the Provisional IRA in 1969. The latter then had its own breakaways, namely
850-552: The Grand Junction Canal , and carried the power line from Battersea Power Station . No one was injured in the attack. In the interwar period, a cargo ship, built on Tyneside, was named after the area. In 1941, the ship was sunk by the German battle cruiser Gneisenau, approximately 600 miles west of Newfoundland. Seven members of the crew were killed. In the 1950s, the transport of coal from Durham and steel from Sheffield became
900-555: The Irish War of Independence . In Irish law, this IRA was the army of the revolutionary Irish Republic as declared by its parliament, Dáil Éireann , in 1919. In the century that followed, the original IRA was reorganized, changed and split on multiple occasions, to such a degree that many subsequent paramilitary organisations have been known by that title – most notably the Provisional Irish Republican Army , which
950-600: The London & Birmingham Railway 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 . The London– Harrow coach passed through the village every day by 1839. The village gained a blacksmith, grocer and a shoemaker during this period. Harlesden increasingly lost its rural nature, with factories replacing farms and woodland. Sewage arrived here in 1871 and soon houses were being built. A mainly middle class population resided here who enjoyed
1000-404: The London Borough of Camden . Before the 2010 United Kingdom general election it was divided into three constituencies contained wholly within the borough – Brent South , Brent East and Brent North . In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough had a total population of 2,022. This rose slowly throughout the nineteenth century, as the district became built up; reaching 5,646 in
1050-578: The Welsh Harp reservoir and the Park Royal commercial estate. The local authority is Brent London Borough Council . Brent's population was estimated to be 339,800 as at 2021. Major districts are Kilburn , Willesden , Wembley and Harlesden , with sub-districts Stonebridge , Kingsbury , Kensal Green , Neasden , and Queen's Park . Brent has a mixture of residential , industrial and commercial land. It includes many districts of inner-city character in
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#17328448085511100-544: The 1990s that involved the creation of public artwork in the area, as well as the renovation of the jubilee clock on the High Street in 1997. More recently from the end of the 20th century the area has become home to Brazilian , Portuguese and Somali communities, as well as Polish , Afghan and Colombian communities. Prince Charles visited Harlesden in March 2007. He commented "I don't think I have enjoyed myself so much for
1150-497: The 2000s. Crime rates fell at Stonebridge in 2002 and residents reported better living conditions in 2005. During the nationwide riots of 2011 , some shops in Harlesden were attacked by looters. Harlesden and some of its surroundings in Brent played a key part in the development of the reggae music business in the UK. In the 1960s Planetone Studios Sonny Roberts the heartbeat of Rhythm & Blues and Ska recordings, releasing and distribution followed by Trojan Records who became
1200-481: The 32 London Boroughs. The borough of Willesden had evolved from a local government district created in 1874 for the parish of Willesden. Such districts were reconstituted as urban districts under the Local Government Act 1894 . To coincide with the 1894 Act coming into force, an urban district called Wembley was created, covering the two parishes of Kingsbury and Wembley, the latter being created at
1250-567: The England average. Diageo has its head office in Park Royal and in Brent, on a former Guinness brewery property. The brewery was closed in 2004; it had produced beer since 1936. Diageo planned to move its head office to Brent from Central London when the lease on the Central London office expired in 2010. Recycling has been compulsory in Brent since 2008. Brent has three fire stations: Park Royal , Wembley and Willesden . Brent has
1300-729: The Harlesden streets of Church Road, Craven Park Road and the High Street. As of 2020, two still remain in operation on Craven Park Road: Hawkeye and Starlight Records. Numerous pirate radio stations also operated in the area, being very influential to local black artists. The Cimarons , England's first home-grown reggae roots band, was formed in 1969 at Tavistock community centre in Harlesden. Numerous reggae artists lived or live in or around Harlesden, including Dennis Brown (on Hazeldean Road), Janet Kay , General Levy , Jimmy Cliff , Bob Marley (on The Circle, Neasden ), Liz Mitchell of Boney M (on Wrottesley Road), and others. The 1998 musical film Babymother , produced by Channel 4 Films ,
1350-479: The High Street and passed the Jubilee Clock. After that, the course headed towards North Acton via Station Road and passing Willesden Junction. Mainly after World War I , one of Europe's biggest industrial estates was constructed at nearby Park Royal , and large factories there and within Harlesden included McVitie & Price (later United Biscuits ) from 1910, and Heinz from 1919. Industrial growth led to
1400-501: The availability of numerous churches, cinemas, a court, a library and recreational pleasure at Roundwood Park . From late Victorian times until the 1930s, housing completed its spread across the area, and Harlesden became part of the London conurbation. A jubilee clock tower was built in 1888. Harlesden gained excellent transport links by the train stations as well as a frequent horse bus service to Paddington as early as 1890. Electric trams came to Harlesden in 1907. That year also saw
1450-632: The belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic free from British colonial rule. The original Irish Republican Army (1919–1922) , often now referred to as the "old IRA", was raised in 1917 from members of the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army later reinforced by Irishmen formerly in the British Army in World War I , who returned to Ireland to fight against Britain in
1500-612: The borough and separated the former boroughs of Wembley and Willesden. The local authority is Brent Council, which is based at Brent Civic Centre in the Wembley Park area of the borough. Since 2000, for elections to the London Assembly , the borough forms part of the Brent and Harrow constituency. The borough includes three parliamentary constituencies: Brent North , Brent Central and Hampstead and Kilburn , which includes part of
1550-575: The borough's population. 18% identified as other White, 5% were of mixed heritage, those of South Asian heritage comprised about 33%, those of African and Caribbean heritage about 19%, and other ethnic groups about 7%. White ethnicities were relatively high in the wards of Mapesbury (straddling Willesden Green and Cricklewood ), Brondesbury Park, Queen's Park and Kilburn. Black ethnicities in highest proportion were in Stonebridge, Harlesden and Kensal Green wards. Asian ethnicities in highest proportion were in
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1600-415: The community. Harlesden was once a Saxon settlement. The Domesday Book calls it "Hervlvestvne". For centuries the area was a small rural community set in orchards with some inns. In the 19th century, Harlesden, then a rural village in the parish of Willesden , began to develop some of its urban appearance with the arrival of the railways. Willesden Junction , Kensal Green and Harlesden stations on
1650-484: The east and a more distinct suburban character in the west, part of which formed part of the early 20th century Metroland developments. The London Borough of Brent was created in 1965 under the London Government Act 1963 , covering the combined area of the former Municipal Borough of Wembley and the Municipal Borough of Willesden . The area was transferred from Middlesex to Greater London to become one of
1700-621: The end of the 1960s. By the 1960s, the Curzon Crescent estate was known for poverty and became a vandalism hotspot. At the same time, immigration from the West Indies and Indian sub-continent led to racist articles in a national newspaper. Poverty increased further by the decline of industry and the building of Brent Cross Shopping Centre . Steps were taken to improve the area, such as the Harlesden City Challenge community project in
1750-399: The exception of Kilburn Park tube station in the southeast of the borough. This number is the second highest of all London boroughs behind Westminster, which has 32 stations within its boundaries. The numerous London Underground , London Overground and National Rail stations in the borough are: In March 2011, the plurality of residents aged 16–74 were not in employment, 38.9%. After that,
1800-419: The funding of local volunteers and charities. It has become a green sanctuary in the heart of Harlesden. The diversity of Harlesden is apparent in the high street which houses various businesses such as the likes of Afro-Caribbean hair and beauty shops, Somali restaurants, Portuguese bakeries and Brazilian cafes. The Church of All Souls is on Station Road in Harlesden. It was designed in 1879 by E.J. Tarver and
1850-602: The largest Jewish school in Europe. There is also an Islamic school called Islamia Primary School founded by Cat Stevens . The following table shows the religious identity of residents residing in Brent according to the 2001, 2011 and the 2021 censuses. According to the House of Commons survey of female genital mutilation , in the year to 31 March 2016, Brent represented the highest number of attendees, by current residence or visiting location, to medical services, at 1,250, 545 more than
1900-554: The late 1990s, Harlesden and the nearby Stonebridge estate , witnessed a high number of murders and became a crime hotspot, because of several rival yardie gangs. During this time Harlesden turned into one of London's main crack cocaine trading centres, and one of the yardies' strongholds. In 2001 the area reportedly had the highest murder rate in Britain, with 26 shooting incidents that year alone. Through community projects and better policing, crime rates were significantly reduced throughout
1950-637: The main forms of transport to work were: The Borough has three Non-League football clubs: Brent is twinned with: The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Brent. Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army ( IRA ) is a name used by various resistance organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to anti-imperialism through Irish republicanism ,
2000-571: The main housing types that attract high prices from private sector owner-occupiers unable to afford similar properties in nearby Kensal Green and Queen's Park . Harlesden is ethnically diverse. 67% of the population identified themselves as being BAME (Black, Asian and minority Ethnic) at the 2011 census in the Harlesden ward. Ethnically, 19% of the population was Black Caribbean, followed by 19% Black African (both including those of mixed heritage), 15% Other White, and 14% White British. The main spoken foreign languages were Portuguese and Somali. In
2050-567: The middle of the century. When the railways arrived the rate of population growth increased. The population took five decades to rebound to the more muted peak of the 1950s, when much industry relocated from London, further boosting the speed of the wave of new housing then built. Brent is the most diverse locality in the UK by country of birth. It in 2019 became the only local authority with over 50% of residents, namely 52%, born abroad. Large Asian and Indian, Black African, Black Caribbean, Irish, and Eastern European communities exist. 45 per cent of
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2100-458: The musical genre. The town centre contains a large number of multicultural independent businesses, while industry exists by the canal, most notably a McVitie's biscuit factory that has been operating since 1902. The population includes people of Afro-Caribbean heritage most notably, as well as Irish , Portuguese , Brazilian , Somali , and smaller Latin American and East African groups within
2150-572: The next-highest local authority, Bristol . In 2015, the BBC reported that some wards of Brent and four other London boroughs had rates of tuberculosis over ten times the national average, and higher than rates seen in Iraq and Rwanda . This table shows the stated ethnic group of respondents in the 1991 to 2021 censuses and estimates for 1966 and 1981 in Brent. Major districts of Brent include Kilburn , Willesden and Wembley . Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there
2200-646: The opening of Willesden Hippodrome Theatre, which was destroyed by German bombing in 1940. Much of the working class in Harlesden suffered from poverty, with the Willesden Chronicle mentioning "nearness to starvation" of those people in 1908. In 1908, the Olympic Games were held in London. The marathon race course went through Harlesden, and ended at the White City Stadium. The course entered Harlesden via Craven Park Road, turned down Manor Park Road, down
2250-426: The population was a minority ethnicity in the 1991 census, the most in England at the time. In 1991 17.2% were Indian, 10.2% were Black Caribbean and 9% were Irish. Brent was the only Outer London borough combining high proportions of Indian and Afro-Caribbean ethnicities. The 2001 UK Census found that the borough had a population of 263,464 residents, of whom 127,806 were male, and 135,658 female. Of those stating
2300-487: The population. It also has the largest Brazilian community in the UK; one of the largest Indian communities; a significant Afro-Caribbean community; and more recent Romanian , Polish and Somali communities. As of 2011, 41.5% identified themselves as Christian, 18.6% Muslim, 17.8% Hindu and 10.6% with no religion. Brent is home of the Neasden Temple , once the largest Hindu Mandir outside India; and JFS ,
2350-572: The same time from areas formerly in the ancient parish of Harrow on the Hill . Kingsbury seceded from the Wembley Urban District in 1900 to become its own urban district, but was reunited with the Wembley Urban District in 1934. Willesden was incorporated to become a municipal borough in 1933, as was Wembley in 1937. The modern borough takes its name from the River Brent which runs through
2400-462: The wards of Alperton, Wembley Central and Kenton. Those who ethnically identify as BAME (Black, Asian and minority Ethnic) was as high as 86% in Wembley Central – one of the highest in London – and most other Brent wards have a majority BAME population. Queen's Park had the lowest BAME proportion, at 37.0%. Brent has the highest proportion of Irish residents in Britain, with 4% of
2450-473: Was a key participant during the Troubles in the north of Ireland. The contemporary IRA organisations each claim the sole right to the name, each insisting they are the original IRA's only legitimate descendant. The playwright and former IRA member Brendan Behan once said that the first issue on any Irish organisation's agenda was "the split". For the IRA, that has often been the case. The first split came after
2500-488: Was destroyed in 1940 during an air raid. The 2011 census results for Harlesden ward counted a population of 17,162. In 2011, 71.4% of homes were apartments across the ward, 15.8% of homes were terraced houses, 8.6% semi-detached houses and 4% detached houses; with 0.1% of the homes mobile or temporary structures. Most of the terraces are pre-1920s and the flats converted from them. Many of the flats date to after 2000. Non-mixed use terraces and private sector built apartments are
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