136-482: Wembley Park is a district of the London Borough of Brent , England. It is roughly centred on Bridge Road, a mile northeast of Wembley town centre and 7.6 miles (12 km) northwest from Charing Cross . The name Wembley Park refers to the area that, at its broadest, falls within the limits of a late 18th-century landscaped estate in northern Wembley in the historic county of Middlesex . Part of this estate became
272-543: A 1,200-foot steel tower by Stewart, MacLaren and Dunn. Originally intended to have eight legs, the plan was changed to a cheaper four-legged design and the height reduced to 1,150 foot. There were to be two stages, one 155 feet up and another at the halfway mark, with a viewing area at the summit. The platforms would be fitted with "restaurants, theatre, shops, a Victorian Turkish bath , promenades and winter gardens." The foundations were laid in 1892 and Watkin's Tower opened in 1896. Over 100,000 people visited Wembley Park in
408-415: 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
544-486: A cost of £1.3 million. In that year, Myles Fenton , then serving as assistant manager of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway , was appointed as the first manager of the new company. Board of Trade inspections took place in late December 1862 and early January 1863 to approve the railway for opening. After minor signalling changes were made, approval was granted and a few days of operating trials were carried out before
680-399: A country seat, turning the fields around it into a landscaped estate. In 1792 Richard Page decided to employ the famous landscape architect Humphry Repton (1752–1818) to convert the farmland into wooded parkland and to make improvements to the house. Repton was clearly impressed by Page's property. He wrote, "in the vicinity of the metropolis there are few places so free from interruption as
816-527: A demoralising effect. Sporting events, including football matches, returned to Wembley, although for a while after Dunkirk the Stadium became an Emergency Dispersal Centre, and later housed refugees from occupied countries. The Empire Pool was used as a permanent hostel for evacuated Gibraltarians , with its extensive windows blacked out. Arthur Elvin offered free admission to servicemen and servicewomen, and helped war charities. Unofficial cup finals were held in
952-511: 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
1088-516: A heavy rainstorm and flooded the excavations. The Met and the Metropolitan Board of Works managed to stem and divert the water and the construction was delayed by only a few months. Trial runs were carried out from November 1861 while construction was still under way. The first trip over the whole line was in May 1862 with William Gladstone among the guests. By the end of 1862, work was complete at
1224-454: A lake, a nine-hole golf course, a variety theatre and a trotting ring. Served by the new Wembley Park station, it officially opened in May 1894, though it had in fact been open on Saturdays since October 1893 to cater for football matches in the pleasure gardens. The tower design was chosen through a competition, judged in March 1890. The judges eventually awarded the 500 guinea prize to a design for
1360-539: 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
1496-578: A monopoly of catering, but the restaurant in the Indian Pavilion used Indian cooks and was advised by Edward Palmer "of Messrs. Veeraswami [sic] & Co." to serve as "Indian Adviser at the restaurant". In 1925 Veeraswamy & Co. ran the Indian restaurant, even though, for reasons both economic and political, the Indian Government did not take part in the 1925 season. Veeraswamy & Co. later founded
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#17328528681341632-536: A railway from Harrow to Aylesbury. Pinner was reached in 1885 and an hourly service from Rickmansworth and Northwood to Baker Street started on 1 September 1887. By then raising money was becoming very difficult although there was local support for a station at Chesham . Authorised in 1885, double track from Rickmansworth was laid for 5 miles (8.0 km), then single to Chesham. Services to Chesham calling at Chorley Wood and Chalfont Road (now Chalfont & Latimer ) started on 8 July 1889. The Met took over
1768-629: A report in July 1863 with a recommendation for an "inner circuit of railway that should abut, if not actually join, nearly all of the principal railway termini in the Metropolis". A number of railway schemes were presented for the 1864 parliamentary session that met the recommendation in varying ways and a Joint Committee of the Parliament of the United Kingdom was set up to review the options. Proposals from
1904-507: A short distance east of the Met's Paddington station, the western extension passed through fashionable districts in Bayswater , Notting Hill , and Kensington . Land values here were higher and, unlike the original line, the route did not follow an easy alignment under existing roads. Compensation payments for property were much higher. In Leinster Gardens , Bayswater, a façade of two five-storey houses
2040-554: A southern extension to Rickmansworth, connecting with the LNWR's Watford and Rickmansworth Railway . Following discussions between the duke and Watkin it was agreed that this line would be extended south to meet the Met at Harrow and permission for this extension was granted in 1874 and Watkin joined the board of the A&;BR in 1875. Money was not found for this scheme and the Met had to return to Parliament in 1880 and 1881 to obtain permission for
2176-426: A temporary platform at Finchley Road . Double track and a full service to Willesden Green started on 24 November 1879 with a station at Kilburn & Brondesbury (now Kilburn ). The line was extended 5 miles 37.5 chains (8.80 km) to Harrow , the service from Baker Street beginning on 2 August 1880. The intermediate station at Kingsbury Neasden (now Neasden ) was opened the same day. Two years later,
2312-654: 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
2448-471: 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
2584-760: Is also located in the area. The east is home to large industrial land, called Stadium Industrial Estate, adjacent to Brent Park ; whereas to its north lies Fryent Country Park and to its north-east the Welsh Harp . Wembley was in the parish of Harrow, and the manor of Wembley was a sub-manor of Harrow . It belonged to the Priory of Kilburn . After the Dissolution of the Monasteries , the Priory's lands in Wembley and Tokyngton came into
2720-578: 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 the London Borough of Camden . Before the 2010 United Kingdom general election it
2856-550: Is now called The SSE Arena . The building served as a public swimming pool until the start of the Second World War. It was last used for swimming when it hosted the aquatic events at the 1948 Olympics . Numerous sporting and entertainment events have been held there over the years, ranging from basketball to pantomimes on ice. From 1959, and especially from the late 1960s onwards, The SSE Arena has become increasingly associated with popular music, hosting every major artist from
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#17328528681342992-609: The Great Northern Railway (GNR) at King's Cross, the latter by hoists and lifts. The company's name was also to be changed again, to Metropolitan Railway. royal assent was granted to the Metropolitan Railway Act 1854 ( 17 & 18 Vict. c. ccxxi) on 7 August 1854. Construction of the railway was estimated to cost £1 million. Initially, with the Crimean War under way, the Met found it hard to raise
3128-567: The Great Northern and Metropolitan Junction Railway Act 1860 ( 23 & 24 Vict. c. clxviii). The GWR agreed to contribute £175,000 and a similar sum was promised by the GNR, but sufficient funds to make a start on construction had not been raised by the end of 1857. Costs were reduced by cutting back part of the route at the western end so that it did not connect directly to the GWR station, and by dropping
3264-525: The Hammersmith and City Railway Act 1861 ( 24 & 25 Vict. c. clxiv) as the Hammersmith and City Railway (H&CR), the 2 miles 35 chains (3.9 km) line, constructed on a 20-foot (6.1 m) high viaduct largely across open fields, opened on 13 June 1864 with a broad-gauge GWR service from Farringdon Street, with stations at Notting Hill (now Ladbroke Grove ), Shepherd's Bush (replaced by
3400-483: The London Passenger Transport Board . Former Met tracks and stations are used by the London Underground 's Metropolitan , Circle , District , Hammersmith & City , Piccadilly , Jubilee and Victoria lines, and by Chiltern Railways and Great Northern . In the first half of the 19th century the population and physical extent of London grew greatly. The increasing resident population and
3536-546: The Second World War . In 1955 Wembley Film Studio was taken over by Associated-Rediffusion , ITV's weekday broadcasters for London. Rediffusion added a new £1,000,000 television studio, which at the time was the largest in Europe. The Beatles performed there several times, notably on 28 April 1964. In 1968 Rediffusion lost its franchise. London Weekend Television continued to use the studio, but it went into decline until it
3672-562: The Snow Hill tunnel under Smithfield market to Farringdon and northwards to the GNR. The extension to Aldersgate Street and Moorgate Street (now Barbican and Moorgate ) had opened on 23 December 1865 and all four tracks were open on 1 March 1866. The new tracks from King's Cross to Farringdon were first used by a GNR freight train on 27 January 1868. The Midland Railway junction opened on 13 July 1868 when services ran into Moorgate Street before its St Pancras terminus had opened. The line left
3808-526: The South Eastern Railway (SER), and had an aspiration to construct a line from the north through London to that railway. Owing to the cost of land purchases, the Met's eastward extension from Moorgate Street was slow to progress and it had to obtain an extension of the Act's time limit in 1869. The extension was begun in 1873, but after construction exposed burials in the vault of a Roman Catholic chapel,
3944-603: The Walturdaw Company Limited , founded by E.G. Turner . An 18-hole golf course was opened in 1912, and by the end of the First World War over 100 sports clubs were using the park. After 1889, the Metropolitan Railway built roads to the south-west of Wembley Park tube station , on that part of Wembley Park not allocated to the pleasure gardens or the Metropolitan track itself. In 1908, Wembley Park Mansion
4080-403: The A&BR on 1 July 1891 and a temporary platform at Aylesbury opened on 1 September 1892 with trains calling at Amersham , Great Missenden , Wendover and Stoke Mandeville . In 1894, the Met and GWR joint station at Aylesbury opened. Beyond Aylesbury to Verney Junction, the bridges were not strong enough for the Met's locomotives. The GWR refused to help, so locomotives were borrowed from
4216-549: The Beatles to the Stones, Bowie to Madonna. Between 1937 and 1940 Wembley Borough Council built their new town hall in Kingsbury within the boundaries of Repton 's original Wembley Park. It was designed by Clifford Strange and is described by Pevsner as "the best of the modern town halls around London, neither fanciful nor drab." In 1964 the new London Borough of Brent took over
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4352-559: The British Empire Exhibition's fine dining restaurant. When rebuilt in the late 1920s, Wembley Studios would become Britain's first purpose-built sound stages, though it was seriously damaged in a fire in October 1929, not long after it had opened. Perhaps due to the fire, the studio was never as successful as envisaged. It was taken over by Twentieth Century Fox to make ' quota-quickies ', and then went into decline during and after
4488-622: The Circle. In 1873, the M&;SJWR was given authority to reach the Middlesex countryside at Neasden, but as the nearest inhabited place to Neasden was Harrow it was decided to build the line 3.5 miles (5.6 km) further to Harrow and permission was granted in 1874. To serve the Royal Agricultural Society 's 1879 show at Kilburn, a single line to West Hampstead opened on 30 June 1879 with
4624-725: The City Terminus Company to build a railway from Farringdon to King's Cross. The plan was supported by the City, but the railway companies were not interested and the company struggled to proceed. The Bayswater, Paddington, and Holborn Bridge Railway Company was established to connect the Great Western Railway 's (GWR's) Paddington station to Pearson's route at King's Cross. A bill was published in November 1852 and in January 1853
4760-593: The City Widened Lines, were used mainly by other railway companies. A pair of single-track tunnels at King's Cross connecting the GNR to the Met opened on 1 October 1863 when the GNR began running services, the GWR returning the same day with through suburban trains from such places as Windsor. By 1864 the Met had sufficient carriages and locomotives to run its own trains and increase the frequency to six trains an hour. On 1 January 1866, LC&DR and GNR joint services from Blackfriars Bridge began operating via
4896-496: The City. It opened to the public on 10 January 1863 with gas-lit wooden carriages hauled by steam locomotives, the world's first passenger-carrying designated underground railway. The line was soon extended from both ends, and northwards via a branch from Baker Street . Southern branches, directly served, reached Hammersmith in 1864, Richmond in 1877 and the original completed the Inner Circle in 1884. The most important route
5032-584: The Empire Stadium building then ensured that this continued, and that Wembley Park would remain the pre-eminent visitor attraction in west London, even though much of the Exhibition site was taken over by light engineering. A few large houses had been built on parts of Wembley Park, south-west of Wembley Park tube station , as early as the 1890s. In 1906, when Watkin's Tower closed, the Tower Company had become
5168-619: 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
5304-615: The GWR Addison Road service was extended over the District Railway via Earl's Court to Mansion House . This became known as the Middle Circle and ran until January 1905; from 1 July 1900 trains terminated at Earl's Court. Additional stations were opened at Westbourne Park (1866), Latimer Road (1868), Royal Oak (1871), Wood Lane (1908) and Goldhawk Road (1914). Between 1 October 1877 and 31 December 1906, some services on
5440-695: The GWR withdrew its stock in August 1863. The Met continued operating a reduced service using GNR standard-gauge rolling stock before purchasing its own standard-gauge locomotives from Beyer, Peacock and Company and rolling stock. The Metropolitan initially ordered 18 tank locomotives, of which a key feature was condensing equipment which prevented most of the steam from escaping while trains were in tunnels; they have been described as "beautiful little engines, painted green and distinguished particularly by their enormous external cylinders." The design proved so successful that eventually 120 were built to provide traction on
5576-449: The H&;CR became jointly owned by the two companies. The GWR began running standard-gauge trains and the broad gauge rail was removed from the H&CR and the Met in 1869. In 1871, two additional tracks parallel to the GWR between Westbourne Park and Paddington were brought into use for the H&CR and in 1878 the flat crossing at Westbourne Park was replaced by a diveunder . In August 1872,
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5712-498: The H&CR were extended to Richmond over the London and South Western Railway (L&SWR) via its station at Hammersmith (Grove Road) . The early success of the Met prompted a flurry of applications to Parliament in 1863 for new railways in London, many of them competing for similar routes. To consider the best proposals, the House of Lords established a select committee , which issued
5848-475: The LNWR until two D Class locomotives were bought. The line was upgraded, doubled and the stations rebuilt to main-line standards, allowing a through Baker Street to Verney Junction service from 1 January 1897, calling at a new station at Waddesdon Manor , a rebuilt Quainton Road , Granborough Road and Winslow Road . From Quainton Road, the Duke of Buckingham had built a 6.5-mile (10.5 km) branch railway,
5984-488: The LNWR, which worked the Bletchley to Oxford line, but by the time the line had been built the relationship between the two companies had collapsed. The Wycombe Railway built a single-track railway from Princes Risborough to Aylesbury and when the GWR took over this company it ran shuttles from Princes Risborough through Aylesbury to Quainton Road and from Quainton Road to Verney Junction. The A&BR had authority for
6120-428: The M&SJWR was to run to the London and North Western Railway 's station at Finchley Road (now Finchley Road & Frognal). Before construction had begun, a branch was proposed from a junction a short distance north of Swiss Cottage station running north for 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) across mostly open countryside to Hampstead Village where the station was to be located east of the village centre. The branch
6256-663: The Met and the District was held in 1877 with the Met now wishing to access the SER via the East London Railway (ELR). Both companies promoted and obtained an act of Parliament, the Metropolitan and District Railways (City Lines and Extensions) Act 1879 ( 42 & 43 Vict. c. cci) for the extension and link to the ELR, the act also ensuring future co-operation by allowing both companies access to
6392-404: The Met began working trains from St Mary's via this curve onto the ELR to the SER's New Cross station . After an official opening ceremony on 17 September and trial running a circular service started on Monday 6 October 1884. On the same day the Met extended some H&CR services over the ELR to New Cross, calling at new joint stations at Aldgate East and St Mary's. Joint stations opened on
6528-401: The Met extended eastwards to a shared station at South Kensington and the District opened its line from there to Westminster, with other stations at Sloane Square , Victoria , St James's Park , and Westminster Bridge (now Westminster ). The District also had parliamentary permission to extend westward from Brompton and, on 12 April 1869, it opened a single-track line to West Brompton on
6664-526: The Met to extend south from Paddington to South Kensington and east from Moorgate to Tower Hill were accepted and received royal assent on 29 July 1864 as the Metropolitan Railway (Notting Hill and Brompton Extension) Act 1864 ( 27 & 28 Vict. c. ccxci) and the Metropolitan Railway (Tower Hill Extension) Act 1864 ( 27 & 28 Vict. c. cccxv) respectively. To complete the circuit,
6800-401: The Met, who wished to make more openings in the tunnels, and the local authorities, who argued that these would frighten horses and reduce property values. This led to an 1897 Board of Trade report, which reported that a pharmacist was treating people in distress after having travelled on the railway with his 'Metropolitan Mixture'. The report recommended more openings be authorised but the line
6936-545: The Metropolitan & St John's Wood Railway (M&SJWR) opened a single-track railway in tunnel to Swiss Cottage from new platforms at Baker Street (called Baker Street East). There were intermediate stations at St John's Wood Road and Marlborough Road , both with crossing loops, and the line was worked by the Met with a train every 20 minutes. A junction was built with the Inner Circle at Baker Street, but there were no through trains after 1869. The original intention of
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#17328528681347072-413: The Metropolitan, the District Railway (in 1871) and all other 'cut and cover' underground lines. This 4-4-0 tank engine can therefore be considered as the pioneer motive power on London 's first underground railway; ultimately, 148 were built between 1864 and 1886 for various railways, and most kept running until electrification in 1905. In the belief that it would be operated by smokeless locomotives,
7208-436: The Stadium, as well as internationals against the home nations, and greyhound racing returned, albeit only in daylight hours, while Canadian troops invigorated ice hockey. The Stadium was too large to conceal, and German aircraft used it to identify their location. They also dropped bombs on Wembley Park. At least two fell on the former British Empire Exhibition site, one fell very near Wembley Park station, and several fell on
7344-486: The WLR. There were no intermediate stations and at first this service operated as a shuttle from Gloucester Road. By mid-1869 separate tracks had been laid between South Kensington and Brompton and from Kensington (High Street) to a junction with the line to West Brompton. During the night of 5 July 1870 the District secretly built the disputed Cromwell curve connecting Brompton and Kensington (High Street). East of Westminster,
7480-607: The Wembley Park Estate Company (later Wembley Ltd.), with the aim of developing Wembley as a residential suburb . Unlike other railways, from an early date the Metropolitan Railway had bought land alongside its line and then developed housing on it. In the 1880s and 1890s it had developed the Willesden Park Estate near Willesden Green station , and in the early 1900s it developed land in Pinner , as well as planning
7616-536: 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 the borough and separated the former boroughs of Wembley and Willesden. The local authority is Brent Council, which
7752-451: The areas he landscaped 'parks', and so Wembley Park owes its name as well as its origins to Humphry Repton . The area landscaped by Repton was larger than the current Wembley Park. It included the southern slopes of Barn Hill to the north, where Repton planted trees and started building a 'prospect house' – a gothic tower offering a view over the parkland. Repton may also have designed the thatched lodge that survives on Wembley Hill Road, to
7888-575: 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
8024-428: The built-up central area. The concept of an underground railway linking the City with the mainline termini was first proposed in the 1830s. Charles Pearson , Solicitor to the City, was a leading promoter of several schemes and in 1846 proposed a central railway station to be used by multiple railway companies. The scheme was rejected by the 1846 commission, but Pearson returned to the idea in 1852 when he helped set up
8160-426: The capital account. In 1870, the directors were guilty of a breach of trust and were ordered to compensate the company. All appealed and were allowed, in 1874, to settle for a much lower amount. In October 1872, to restore shareholders' confidence, Edward Watkin was appointed chairman and the directors were replaced. Watkin was an experienced railwayman and already on the board of several railway companies, including
8296-514: The capital's financial heart in the City to what were to become the Middlesex suburbs. Its first line connected the main-line railway termini at Paddington , Euston , and King's Cross to the City. The first section was built beneath the New Road using cut-and-cover between Paddington and King's Cross and in tunnel and cuttings beside Farringdon Road from King's Cross to near Smithfield , near
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#17328528681348432-489: The capital. While it attempted to raise the funds it presented new bills to Parliament seeking an extension of time to carry out the works. In July 1855, the Metropolitan Railway (Deviation) Act 1855 ( 18 & 19 Vict. c. cii), which made a direct connection to the GNR at King's Cross, received royal assent. The plan was modified by the Metropolitan (Great Northern Branch and Amendment) Act 1856 and again later by
8568-629: The circle line at Cannon Street , Eastcheap ( Monument from 1 November 1884) and Mark Lane . The Met's Tower of London station closed on 12 October 1884 after the District refused to sell tickets to the station. Initially, the service was eight trains an hour, completing the 13 miles (21 kilometres) circle in 81–84 minutes, but this proved impossible to maintain and so the frequency was reduced to six trains an hour - albeit with an improved timing of 70 minutes - in 1885. Guards were permitted no relief breaks during their shift until September 1885, when they were permitted three 20-minute breaks. In April 1868,
8704-480: The committee encouraged the amalgamation of two schemes via different routes between Kensington and the City, and a combined proposal under the name Metropolitan District Railway (commonly known as the District railway) passed into law on the same day in the Metropolitan District Railways Act 1864 ( 27 & 28 Vict. c. cccxxii). Initially, the District and the Met were closely associated and it
8840-423: The company took over the City Terminus Company and submitted a new bill in November 1853. This dropped the City terminus and extended the route south from Farringdon to the General Post Office in St. Martin's Le Grand . The route at the western end was also altered so that it connected more directly to the GWR station. Permission was sought to connect to the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) at Euston and to
8976-399: The contractor reported that it was difficult to keep the men at work. The first section opened to the Great Eastern Railway 's (GER's) recently opened terminus at Liverpool Street on 1 February 1875. For a short time, while the Met's station was being built, services ran into the GER station via a 3.5-chain (70 m) curve. The Met opened its station later that year on 12 July and the curve
9112-488: The cost of the first section of the District from South Kensington to Westminster was £3 million, almost three times as much as the Met's original, longer line. The first section of the Met extension opened to Brompton (Gloucester Road) (now Gloucester Road ) on 1 October 1868, with stations at Paddington (Praed Street) (now Paddington ), Bayswater , Notting Hill Gate , and Kensington (High Street) (now High Street Kensington ). Three months later, on 24 December 1868,
9248-402: The current Shepherd's Bush Market in 1914) and Hammersmith . The link to the West London Railway opened on 1 July that year, served by a carriage that was attached or detached at Notting Hill for Kensington (Addison Road) . Following an agreement between the Met and the GWR, from 1865 the Met ran a standard-gauge service to Hammersmith and the GWR a broad-gauge service to Kensington. In 1867,
9384-418: The development of Wembley Park. In 1915 the Metropolitan Railway's publicity department created the term " Metro-land " and gave the name to the company's annual guide. The 1924 Metro-land guide describes Wembley Park as "rapidly developed of recent years as a residential district", pointing out that there are several golf courses within a few minutes journey of it. One of the earliest Metroland developments
9520-433: The development of a commuting population arriving by train each day led to a high level of traffic congestion with huge numbers of carts, cabs, and omnibuses filling the roads and up to 200,000 people entering the City of London , the commercial heart, each day on foot. By 1850 there were seven railway termini around the urban centre of London: London Bridge and Waterloo to the south, Shoreditch and Fenchurch Street to
9656-406: The directors held their first meeting and appointed John Fowler as its engineer. After successful lobbying, the company secured parliamentary approval under the name of the "North Metropolitan Railway" in mid-1853. The bill submitted by the City Terminus Company was rejected by Parliament, which meant that the North Metropolitan Railway would not be able to reach the City: to overcome this obstacle,
9792-570: 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 the 32 London Boroughs. The borough of Willesden had evolved from a local government district created in 1874 for
9928-414: The early mornings and after 8 pm. From May 1864, workmen's returns were offered on the 5:30 am and 5:40 am services from Paddington at the cost of a single ticket (3 d ). The railway was initially worked by GWR broad-gauge Metropolitan Class tank locomotives and rolling stock. Soon after the opening, disagreement arose between the Met and the GWR over the need to increase the frequency, and
10064-455: The east, Euston and King's Cross to the north, and Paddington to the west. Only Fenchurch Street station was within the City. The congested streets and the distance to the City from the stations to the north and west prompted many attempts to get parliamentary approval to build new railway lines into the City. None were successful, and the 1846 Royal Commission on Metropolitan Railway Termini banned construction of new lines or stations in
10200-399: 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,
10336-532: The expense of construction delayed further progress on the completion of the inner circle. In 1874, frustrated City financiers formed the Metropolitan Inner Circle Completion Railway Company with the aim of finishing the route. This company was supported by the District and obtained parliamentary authority on 7 August 1874. The company struggled to raise the funding and an extension of time was granted in 1876. A meeting between
10472-525: The first Indian restaurant aimed at a non-Anglo-Indian white clientele in England, in Regent Street . It still survives, and was awarded a Michelin star in 2016. The British Empire Exhibition ran from 1924 to 1925, and while it failed to make a profit or reinforce conclusively the national attachment to the ideal of the British Empire , it did make Wembley a household name. Arthur Elvin 's rescue of
10608-655: The grand opening on 9 January 1863, which included a ceremonial run from Paddington and a large banquet for 600 shareholders and guests at Farringdon. Charles Pearson did not live to see the completion of the project; he died in September 1862. The 3.75-mile (6 km) railway opened to the public on 10 January 1863, with stations at Paddington (Bishop's Road) (now Paddington ), Edgware Road , Baker Street , Portland Road (now Great Portland Street ), Gower Street (now Euston Square ), King's Cross (now King's Cross St Pancras ), and Farringdon Street (now Farringdon ). The railway
10744-402: The gross receipts for a fixed level of service. Extra trains required by the District were charged for and the District's share of the income dropped to about 40%. The District's level of debt meant that the merger was no longer attractive to the Met and did not proceed, so the Met's directors resigned from the District's board. To improve its finances, the District gave the Met notice to terminate
10880-415: The grounds at Wembly; and, indeed, in the course of my experience, I have seen no spot within so short a distance of London more perfectly secluded ... Wembly is as quiet and retired at seven miles distance as it could be at seventy." Later, writing to a friend in May 1793, Repton wrote of Wembley "on Wednesday I go to ... a most beautiful spot near Harrow. I wish I could shew it to you." Repton often called
11016-526: The house between 1811 and 1814, at a cost of £14,000. He may also be responsible for the late 18th- or early 19th-century cottage orné style lodge on Wembley Hill Road, if it was not built for Page by Repton. Whoever built it, it is thought to be the oldest property in Wembley. Even without the Barn Hill portion, the Wembley Park estate covered some 327 acres (132 hectares) from what is now Wembley Hill Road in
11152-427: The house itself was never remodelled by Repton. The tower on Barn Hill was never finished either. It became known as "Page's folly" (as with the later example of Watkin's Tower ) and was eventually demolished. The house appears to have been sold to John Gray (died 1828), a London brandy merchant, in 1802. The Page family retained the Barn Hill part of the park, some 91 acres (77 hectares). Gray renovated and extended
11288-506: 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
11424-405: The line had been built with little ventilation and a long tunnel between Edgware Road and King's Cross. Initially the smoke-filled stations and carriages did not deter passengers and the ventilation was later improved by making an opening in the tunnel between Gower Street and King's Cross and removing glazing in the station roofs. With the problem continuing after the 1880s, conflict arose between
11560-584: The line south of Farringdon. In 1858, Pearson arranged a deal between the Met and the City of London Corporation whereby the Met bought land it needed around the new Farringdon Road from the City for £179,000 and the City purchased £200,000 worth of shares. The route changes were approved by Parliament in August 1859, meaning that the Met finally had the funding to match its obligations and construction could begin. Despite concerns about undermining and vibrations causing subsidence of nearby buildings and compensating
11696-538: The location of development in the 1890s after being sold to Edward Watkin and the Metropolitan Railway cutting through the area. Wembley Park was developed into a pleasure and events destination for urban Londoners, with a large fairground made there. It was later also a key area of the Metro-land suburban development in the 1920s—the same decade Empire Stadium was built and the British Empire Exhibition
11832-556: 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. Metropolitan Railway The Metropolitan Railway (also known as the Met ) was a passenger and goods railway that served London from 1863 to 1933, its main line heading north-west from
11968-559: The main line at St Paul's Road Junction, entering a double-track tunnel and joining the Widened Lines at Midland Junction. In November 1860, a bill was presented to Parliament, supported by the Met and the GWR, for a railway from the GWR's main line a mile west of Paddington to the developing suburbs of Shepherd's Bush and Hammersmith , with a connection to the West London Railway at Latimer Road. Authorised on 22 July 1861 in
12104-415: The map once again as a desirable location. Wembley's sewerage was improved, many roads in the area were straightened and widened and new bus services began operating. Visitors were introduced to Wembley and some later moved to the area when houses had been built to accommodate them. Between 1921 and 1928 season ticket sales at Wembley Park and neighbouring Metropolitan stations rose by over 700%. Like much of
12240-424: 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
12376-403: The new meat market at Smithfield . The trench was 33 feet 6 inches (10.2 m) wide, with brick retaining walls supporting an elliptical brick arch or iron girders spanning 28 feet 6 inches (8.7 m). The tunnels were wider at stations to accommodate the platforms. Most of the excavation work was carried out manually by navvies ; a primitive earth-moving conveyor
12512-457: The next section of the District's line ran in the new Victoria Embankment built by the Metropolitan Board of Works along the north bank of the River Thames . The line opened from Westminster to Blackfriars on 30 May 1870 with stations at Charing Cross (now Embankment ), The Temple (now Temple ) and Blackfriars . On its opening the Met operated the trains on the District, receiving 55% of
12648-618: 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
12784-431: The operating agreement. Struggling under the burden of its very high construction costs, the District was unable to continue with the remainder of the original scheme to reach Tower Hill and made a final extension of its line just one station east from Blackfriars to a previously unplanned City terminus at Mansion House . On Saturday 1 July 1871, an opening banquet was attended by Prime Minister William Gladstone , who
12920-517: 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 the same time from areas formerly in the ancient parish of Harrow on the Hill . Kingsbury seceded from
13056-426: 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
13192-487: 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 ,
13328-537: The possession of Richard Page. The Page family, successful local farmers, had already been leasing the land before the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The Pages became one of the largest and richest families in Middlesex . Richard Page (died 1771) was the landowner and lord of the manor. He lived in Sudbury, west of Wembley. Around 1787, his son, also called Richard (1748–1803), had the ambition of converting 'Wellers' into
13464-504: The railway east of Mansion House were allowed to lapse. At the other end of the line, the District part of South Kensington station opened on 10 July 1871 and Earl's Court station opened on the West Brompton extension on 30 October 1871. In 1868 and 1869, judgements had been against the Met in a number of hearings, finding financial irregularities such as the company paying a dividend it could not afford and expenses being paid out of
13600-524: The rest of West London, most of Wembley Park and its environs was built over, largely with relatively low-density suburban housing, by 1939. This population was served by a new 1,500 seater cinema, the Elite , later (from 1930) Capitol, which opened on 21 March 1928. The cinema was situated in the British Empire Exhibition's former conference hall on Raglan Gardens (today Empire Way). In 1926 British Talking Pictures opened The Wembley Park Studios in what had been
13736-510: The second quarter of 1894, though this declined to 120,000 for the whole of 1895 and only 100,000 for 1896. Despite an initial burst of popularity, the tower failed to draw large crowds. Of the 100,000 visitors to the Park in 1896 rather less than a fifth paid to go up the Tower. In 1902 the Tower, now known as "Watkin's Folly", was declared unsafe and closed to the public. In 1904 it was decided to demolish
13872-505: The services, though electrification of outlying sections did not occur until decades later. Unlike other railway companies in the London area, the Met developed land for housing, and after World War I promoted housing estates near the railway using the " Metro-land " brand. On 1 July 1933, the Met was amalgamated with the Underground Electric Railways Company of London and the capital's tramway and bus operators to form
14008-644: The shops; two years later land was given to the Wesleyan Church for a church building and a school for 200 children. In 1868, the Duke of Buckingham opened the Aylesbury and Buckingham Railway (A&BR), a 12.75-mile (20.5 km) single track from Aylesbury to a new station at Verney Junction on the Buckinghamshire Railway 's Bletchley to Oxford line. At the beginning lukewarm support had been given by
14144-412: The single-track tunnel between Baker Street and Swiss Cottage was duplicated and the M&SJWR was absorbed by the Met. In 1882, the Met moved its carriage works from Edgware Road to Neasden. A locomotive works was opened in 1883 and a gas works in 1884. To accommodate employees moving from London over 100 cottages and ten shops were built for rent. In 1883, a school room and church took over two of
14280-498: The stadium in the 1920s, developed an interest in hosting Ice hockey . He decided to build an indoor Olympic-sized swimming pool that could be converted into an ice rink. It would also provide the venue for the swimming events at the 2nd Empire Games , which were held in 1934. The building, called the Empire Pool , was designed by the engineer Owen Williams . Williams built a unique concrete structure, which opened on 25 July 1934. It
14416-469: The structure, a process that ended with the foundations being destroyed by explosives in 1907, leaving four large holes in the ground. The loss of the tower did not diminish the park's appeal as a public recreation ground, and it continued to offer football, cricket, cycling, rowing, athletics and in winter, ice skating on the frozen lake. After 1907 the Variety Hall in the park was used as a film studio by
14552-472: The suburban housing to the west of Empire Way. Light industry in Wembley Park helped the war effort, but the low concentration of bombs here compared to Tokyngton just south of it, suggests that it was not seriously targeted by the Luftwaffe . In 1944, a V1 flying bomb fell onto the greyhound kennels. Two dogs were casualties and about 60 escaped onto the streets of Wembley . An unexploded 50 kg bomb
14688-404: The thousands of people whose homes were destroyed during the digging of the tunnel, construction began in March 1860. The line was mostly built using the " cut-and-cover " method from Paddington to King's Cross; east of there it continued in a 728 yards (666 m) tunnel under Mount Pleasant, Clerkenwell then followed the culverted River Fleet beside Farringdon Road in an open cutting to near
14824-546: The town hall. It remained the headquarters of Brent until the new Brent Civic Centre , also in Wembley Park, opened in 2013. The Wembley Town Hall building re-opened as the Lycée International de Londres Winston Churchill , in September 2015. The refurbishment preserves many elements of the original design. During the Second World War the Government initially banned large public events, but later realised that this had
14960-512: 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
15096-514: The west of Wembley Park. It is in a style frequently used by him, known as "cottage orne". Humphry Repton was in the habit of recording his designs in Red Books, but the one for Wembley Park, which would answer this speculation, has not survived. Richard Page lost interest in Wembley Park, partly because he had inherited a fully completed Capability Brown (1716–1783) landscape at Flambards in Harrow, so
15232-469: The west to the River Brent in the east, and from the modern Chiltern Line in the south to Forty Lane in the north. The current Empire Way (originally Raglan Gardens) now bisects Repton's landscape. Wembley Park Mansion, now with stucco facing as part of Gray's improvements, (and so known locally as 'The White House'), was situated west of Empire Way, while much of the parkland was to the east. Wembley Park
15368-415: The whole circle. A large contribution was made by authorities for substantial road and sewer improvements. In 1882, the Met extended its line from Aldgate to a temporary station at Tower of London . Two contracts to build joint lines were placed, from Mansion House to the Tower in 1882 and from the circle north of Aldgate to Whitechapel with a curve onto the ELR in 1883. From 1 October 1884, the District and
15504-539: Was Wembley Hill , just south of the Wembley Park pleasure gardens. In 1921 the British Government decided to site the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley Park, on the site of Edward Watkin 's pleasure gardens. The Urban District Council was opposed to the Exhibition, but its objections were overruled. Wembley Stadium (then the Empire Stadium) was built for the Exhibition and, famously, the 1923 FA Cup Final
15640-402: Was a 123-acre one at Chalkhill, within the curtilage of Humphry Repton 's Wembley Park. Metropolitan Railway Country Estates acquired the land shortly after it was created and began selling plots in 1921. The railway even put in a siding to bring building materials to the estate. The British Empire Exhibition further encouraged suburban development and could be said to have put Wembley on
15776-483: Was also a shareholder. The following Monday, Mansion House opened and the District began running its own trains. From this date, the two companies operated a joint Inner Circle service between Mansion House and Moorgate Street via South Kensington and Edgware Road every ten minutes, supplemented by a District service every ten minutes between Mansion House and West Brompton and H&CR and GWR suburban services between Edgware Road and Moorgate Street. The permissions for
15912-459: Was authorised in May 1865. This appeared on some maps. Financial difficulties meant the scope of the line only progressed as far as Swiss Cottage, The branch to Hampstead was cancelled in 1870. A 156 yards (143 m) section of tunnel was built north of Swiss Cottage station for the Hampstead branch most of which was used for the later extension to the north-west. A short length towards Hampstead
16048-529: Was bought by the Metropolitan Railway Company for £32,500. Its chairman was Sir Edward Watkin (1819–1901). Sir Edward Watkin , Chairman of the Metropolitan Railway Company, wanted Britain to have a bigger and better tower to rival the new Eiffel Tower in Paris. Watkin also hoped that this tower and an associated pleasure gardens would bring passengers to his Metropolitan Railway. Wembley Park, which
16184-410: Was built at Nos. 23 and 24 to conceal the gap in a terrace created by the railway passing through. To ensure adequate ventilation, most of the line was in cutting except for a 421-yard (385 m) tunnel under Campden Hill . Construction of the District proceeded in parallel with the work on the Met and it too passed through expensive areas. Construction costs and compensation payments were so high that
16320-670: Was demolished to allow construction of the new Manor Drive. The house had been a convent from 1905, housing French nuns fleeing the Third Republic 's separation of Church and State. In 1906 the Great Central Railway opened a line and several stations between Neasden and Northolt Junction (today South Ruislip ), where it connected with the newly built Great Western & Great Central Joint Line. The Great Central's southernmost station on this short line (and so its southernmost station anywhere, other than its terminus at Marylebone )
16456-634: Was described in 1834 as "beautifully diversified by fine grown timber judiciously placed, contributing a seclusion such as is scarcely elsewhere to be enjoyed, but at a considerable distance from the metropolis." Later visitors described "a grove, a pleasant retreat in summer – a scene of tranquility furnished with an old temple and a summerhouse" to the west of the house. In 1880 the Metropolitan Railway extended its line from Willesden Green to Harrow, cutting through Wembley Park. The railway company bought 47 acres (19 hectares) of land from Gray's son, also called John. He died in 1887. Two years later Wembley Park
16592-462: 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 the middle of the century. When the railways arrived the rate of population growth increased. The population took five decades to rebound to
16728-472: Was electrified before these were built. With connections to the GWR and GNR under construction and connections to the Midland Railway and London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LC&DR) planned, the Met obtained permission in 1861 and 1864 for two additional tracks from King's Cross to Farringdon Street and a four-track eastward extension to Moorgate . The Met used two tracks: the other two tracks,
16864-423: 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 the east and a more distinct suburban character in the west, part of which formed part of
17000-427: Was hailed a success, carrying 38,000 passengers on the opening day, using GNR trains to supplement the service. In the first 12 months 9.5 million passengers were carried and in the second 12 months this increased to 12 million. The original timetable allowed 18 minutes for the journey. Off-peak service frequency was every 15 minutes, increased to ten minutes during the morning peak and reduced 20 minutes in
17136-404: Was held. Wembley Park continues to be a recreational centre today, being home to Wembley Stadium , England's primary football stadium and a major sports and entertainment venue; as well as Wembley Arena , a concert venue; among others. Today the area continues new retail and housing development schemes near the stadium complex that have started since the early 2000s. The Chalkhill housing estate
17272-411: Was intended that they would soon merge. The Met's chairman and three other directors were on the board of the District, John Fowler was the engineer of both companies and the construction works for all of the extensions were let as a single contract. The District was established as a separate company to enable funds to be raised independently of the Met. Starting as a branch from Praed Street junction,
17408-467: Was northwest into the Middlesex countryside, stimulating the development of new suburbs. Harrow was reached in 1880, and from 1897, having achieved the early patronage of the Duke of Buckingham and the owners of Waddesdon Manor , services extended for many years to Verney Junction in Buckinghamshire . Electric traction was introduced in 1905, and by 1907 electric multiple units operated most of
17544-414: Was not used again by regular traffic. During the extension of the railway to Aldgate several hundred cartloads of bullocks' horn were discovered in a layer 20 ft (6.1 m) below the surface. A terminus opened at Aldgate on 18 November 1876, initially for a shuttle service to Bishopsgate before all Met and District trains worked through from 4 December. Conflict between the Met and the District and
17680-512: Was not without incident. In May 1860, a GNR train overshot the platform at King's Cross and fell into the workings. Later that year, a boiler explosion on an engine pulling contractor's wagons killed the driver and his assistant. In May 1861, the excavation collapsed at Euston causing considerable damage to the neighbouring buildings. The final accident occurred in June 1862 when the Fleet sewer burst following
17816-430: Was only 12 minutes by train from Baker Street, seemed the ideal location. The International (later Metropolitan) Tower Construction Company was formed to finance construction of the tower, with Watkin as chairman. It leased a significant part of Wembley Park from the Metropolitan Railway. The park became a sizeable pleasure garden that boasted cricket & football grounds, a large running track, tea pagodas, bandstands,
17952-557: Was played there. Much of Humphry Repton 's Wembley Park landscape was transformed in 1922–1923 during preparations for the Exhibition. In addition to the pavilions and kiosks there were a lake, a funfair, a garden and a working replica coal mine. There were also numerous restaurants, the most expensive of which was the Lucullus restaurant (in 1925 the Wembley Garden Club restaurant) near the exhibition gardens. In 1924 J. Lyons held
18088-685: Was taken over by Fountain Studios in 1993. In 2016 Avesco, Fountain Studio's owner, took the decision to sell the studios to Quintain after reporting financial losses in the previous year. In May 2018, it was announced that the studios would open in the latter half of 2018 as a flexible 1,000–2,000 seat theatre by Troubador Theatres (the same company that owns Wembley Park Theatre Ltd) as well as bar and restaurant. This theatre opened as Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre in Summer 2019. In 1932 Arthur Elvin , who had saved
18224-561: Was uncovered during redevelopment work in May 2015. 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 the Welsh Harp reservoir and the Park Royal commercial estate. The local authority is Brent London Borough Council . Brent's population
18360-408: Was unused. This is still visible today when travelling on a southbound Metropolitan line service. In the early 1870s, passenger numbers were low and the M&SJWR was looking to extend the line to generate new traffic. Recently placed in charge of the Met, Watkin saw this as the priority as the cost of construction would be lower than in built-up areas and fares higher; traffic would also be fed into
18496-462: Was used to remove excavated soil from the trench. Within the tunnel, two lines were laid with a 6-foot (1.8 m) gap between. To accommodate both the standard gauge trains of the GNR and the broad gauge trains of the GWR, the track was three-rail dual gauge , the rail nearest the platforms being shared by both gauges. Signalling was on the absolute block method, using electric Spagnoletti block instruments and fixed signals. Construction
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