Harlesden

Harlesden
Craven Park Road
Harlesden  Harlesden shown within Greater London
Population	17,162 (Harlesden ward 2011)
OS grid reference	TQ215835
London borough	Brent
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LONDON
Postcode district	NW10
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
EU Parliament	London
UK Parliament	Brent Central
London Assembly	Brent and Harrow
List of places UK England London

Harlesden /ˈhɑːrlzdən/ is an area in the London Borough of Brent, northwest London. Its main focal point is the Jubilee Clock which commemorates Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. Harlesden has been praised for its vibrant Caribbean culture and unofficially named London's reggae capital. The population includes people of Afro-Caribbean heritage, as well as Irish Catholic, Brazilian and smaller Portuguese and Colombian communities.

In 2000 Harlesden had the highest murder rate in the United Kingdom according to the Police League Tables. However, owing to the presence of Operation Trident in the area, the murder rate has decreased.

Harlesden has a rich culture of boxing, with two Olympic Gold medallists hailing from Harlesden: Audley Harrison who won gold in the Super-Heavyweight division at Sydney in 2000, and James Degale who won gold in the Middleweight division at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

History

In the 19th century, Harlesden, then a rural village, began to develop some of its urban appearance with the arrival of the railways. Willesden Junction, Kensal Green and Harlesden stations 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.

Harlesden increasingly lost its rural nature, with factories replacing farms and woodland. From late Victorian times until the 1930s, housing completed its spread across the area, and Harlesden became part of the London conurbation. Mainly after World War I, one of Europe's biggest industrial estates was constructed at nearby Park Royal, and large factories there included McVitie & Price (later United Biscuits) from 1910, and Heinz from 1919.

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, the Indian sub-continent and Africa changed the racial and cultural make up of the area. More recently the area has now become home to Brazilian and Portuguese communities. Much of the housing is made up of Victorian terraces which have been attracting buyers unable to afford similar properties in nearby Kensal Green and Queen's Park.

Transport and locale

Tube/rail

Stations in the area are:

• Willesden Junction Station (Bakerloo line, Watford DC Line, North London Line and West London Line)
• Harlesden Station (Bakerloo line and Watford DC Line)

Notable residents

• Anthony C. George
• Hastings Banda
• Dennis Brown
• James DeGale
• Audley Harrison
• George the Poet
• K Koke
• Paul Merson
• Gappy Ranks
• Shane Richie
• Louis Theroux
• Sabrina Washington
• Marlon Davis (Comedian)

External links

• Harlesden Town Centre Partnership at the Wayback Machine