Kensal Green
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Kensal Green | |
---|---|
Church of the Transfiguration, Chamberlayne Road | |
Location within Greater London | |
Population | 14,915 (2011) (Kensal Green ward) |
OS grid reference | TQ235825 |
London borough | |
Ceremonial county | Greater London |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | LONDON |
Postcode district | NW10 |
Postcode district | W10, NW6 |
Dialling code | 020 |
Police | Metropolitan |
Fire | London |
Ambulance | London |
UK Parliament | |
London Assembly | |
Kensal Green is an area in north-west London and along with Kensal Town forms part of northern section of
To the west on Harrow Road lies
Kensal Green is best known for the Grade I listed Kensal Green Cemetery.
Residents and businesses
As of June 2014, the area had seen significant gentrification, attracting people from surrounding areas such as Notting Hill and Queens Park. It was characterised by numerous independent stores, restaurants, pubs and cafes, and was earning a reputation as a "celebrity haunt-meets-Nappy Valley."[1]
In 2009, Chamberlayne Road in Kensal Rise was named the "hippest street in Europe" by
It has been home to a number of residents including musicians Paloma Faith and Rita Ora, chef Thomasina Miers,[5] film director, DJs and musicians Don Letts and Mark Rae, actress Thandiwe Newton, singer Lily Allen, model-turned-author Sophie Dahl, author Zadie Smith, David Cameron's ex-strategy guru Steve Hilton, the actor and writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Sienna Miller.[6]
It has traditionally been popular with those working in the media and creative industries but those buying properties increasingly include people working in the financial and technology industries, and others moving from nearby
Community
In 2014 residents successfully campaigned to save its local library after it was sold to a developer.[7] More recently, independent local cinema Lexi raised £141,000 from locals and local businesses for a community hub.[8] The hub was also supported by Brent Council and the Mayor of London.
In 2021 residents of Clifford Gardens successfully campaigned against the asphalting of pavements. They set up a petition and managed to get 544 signatures in a week. When the workmen arrived with lorries and rollers on 20 March they were met by a large crowd of parents with children and buggies blockading the street.[9]
Open space and public realm
Emslie Horniman's Pleasance Park located on Bosworth Road contains tennis courts, five-a-side football pitches and children's playground. Queens Park features tennis courts, golf, a petting zoo and an extensive children's playground. King Edwards Vll park is within walking distance.[10]
Brent Council announced planned improvements to the public realm in 2019 to enhance the pedestrian experience and reduce traffic. The changes include new cycle lanes, various measures to reduce congestion and an improved public realm with new pavements, carriageway resurfacing, community greening schemes and pocket gardens.[11]
Transport
London Overground's
Extensive bus services also run from the area, including routes
Kensal Green is located on the
In 2020 the Government gave final approval to the High Speed 2 (HS2) train link running from London to Birmingham. This will bring a major HS2 and Crossrail interchange station at Old Oak Common, within walking distance from Kensal Green. It is expected to open in 2026 and will provide high-speed rail across London and to the Midlands, as well as direct connectivity with the Heathrow Express airport rail link and trains to Wales and the West of England.[12] It will be the largest new railway station ever built in the UK.[13]
Schools
The educational charity Ark, founded by venture capitalist Arpad Busson, runs three state primary schools in the area, including Ark Franklin in Harvist Road, which replaced Kensal Rise primary in September 2013 and is rated very highly by local residents. In 2024 Ark Franklin received a letter from the Minister of Education congratulating the school for being in the top 2% for early years performance. As of 2020, the following state primary schools are judged to be “good”: Ark Franklin;
Three state comprehensive schools are judged to be “good”,[when?] including Queens Park Community School in Aylestone Avenue, and Capital City Academy in Doyle Gardens.
There is a small choice of local private schools. The primary schools are Seacole (co-ed, ages four to 11) in Bosworth Road and The Lloyd Williamson School (co-ed, six weeks to 11) in Telford Road. Bales College is a very small
Kensal Green Cemetery
Kensal Green Cemetery is the first of the 'Magnificent Seven' cemeteries in London. It is the resting place of members of the royal family, including
Cemetery directors and The Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery (a charity) lobbied the Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage for funding to help preserve historical monuments at the site. The 2015 project, which involved repairs to the grade one listed Anglican Chapel and the boundary wall, was estimated to have cost more than £10m.[19]
The cemetery is listed Grade I on the
History
Originally part of one of the 8 manors within the district of Willesden, Kensal Green is first mentioned in 1253, translating from old English meaning the King's Holt (King's Wood). Its location marked the boundary between Willesden and the then Chelsea & Paddington, on which it remains today. It formed part of one of 10
St. John's Church was built on the corner of what is now Harrow Road and Kilburn Lane in 1844 and was extensively refurbished in 2017 and fitted with new bells in anticipation of the 175th anniversary in 2019. The church was followed by a school, now Bales College, and more inns including The Plough on the opposite corner of the junction. In 1832 Kensal Green Cemetery was incorporated by Act of Parliament and opened in January 1833. This led to a revaluation of the surrounding lands, and in 1835 ecclesiastical commissioners were appointed by the Crown, who reported in 1846 that: "the larger portion of the Prebendal Estates possess, in our opinion, a value far beyond their present agricultural value."[21]
With enough people living locally to create a new parish, in 1844 St. John the Evangelist Church in Kilburn Lane was consecrated. The 1851 census records just over 800 people living in the new parish. In the 1860s, Kensal Green manor house, situated where Wakeman Road joins Harrow Road, was demolished. Rapid increase in residential development followed, firstly with land west of Kilburn High Road, followed by the sale of Banister's Farm leading to the development of Bannister Road and Mortimer Road. Unfortunately at this time Kensal Green was suffering huge social problems and had a reputation of being a slum, with 55% off its residents living in poverty and squalor, despite being neighbours to thriving Queen's Park.The rapid residential development led to local commissioners reporting in 1880 that there was inadequate drainage and sewerage facilities, with most houses having only improved access to what were the old agricultural drains. In that same year, All Souls' College started to develop its lands north-west of Kilburn Lane, including All Souls' Avenue and College Road, with adjacent roads being named after leading Fellows of the college, and the installation of new sewerage facilities across the district. The college donated lands on which to build Kensal Rise Reading Room, to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, in 1897. Opened by American author Mark Twain in 1901, it was later extended and renamed Kensal Rise Library.[21]
The developments of the streets around
The construction of the
After the war, the area became a refuge for the first
As of June 2014 the area had seen significant gentrification as people had been priced out of surrounding areas such as Notting Hill. In 2015 it was described as 'celebrity haunt-meets-Nappy Valley'.[1]
Demographics
The largest ethnic group in Kensal Green ward according to the 2011 census was White British, 26%. The second largest was White other, 18%, followed by Black Caribbean, 12%.
Tornado on 7 December 2006
On 7 December 2006 at 11.00 am, a tornado struck Kensal Green.[28] Up to 150 houses were damaged, and six people were injured, one requiring hospital attention. Residential roads were closed off and residents had to seek temporary accommodation. Traffic was also diverted, causing disruption. The cost of the damage was estimated to be at least £2 million.
See also
Nearest places:
Nearest stations:
References
- ^ a b c Phillips, Caroline (4 June 2014). "Kensal Rise has risen". Evening Standard. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
- ^ "Chamberlayne Road in London: the hippest street in Europe". The Daily Telegraph. 14 August 2009. Archived from the original on 18 August 2009. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
- ^ "'Great War Fashion': Ox bile, split ends and frump – what Downton didn't show you". The Daily Telegraph. 15 November 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
- ^ "Our Charity". The Lexi Cinema. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ^ Masey, Anthea (2 September 2014). "Living in Kensal Rise: area guide to homes, schools and transport". Evening Standard. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ^ Powley, Tanya (24 August 2012). "Park life". FT.com. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
- ^ "Campaigners agree landmark deal in battle to save Kensal Rise Library". www.standard.co.uk. 25 March 2014.
- ^ "Independent London cinema the Lexi has smashed its fundraising target". Time Out London. 8 June 2020.
- ^ Raffray, Nathalie (30 March 2021). "'Stay of execution' in Kensal Rise as asphalting 'paused'". Kilburn Times.
- ^ a b Masey, Anthea (1 September 2015). "Living in Kensal Rise: area guide to homes, schools and transport". Evening Standard. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- ^ "Kensal Corridor Improvement Scheme - Brent Council - Citizen Space". 31 July 2020. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
- ^ "Construction milestone reached at HS2's 'super-hub' Old Oak Common". Global Railway Review.
- ^ "Old Oak Common HS2 station approved". Railway Gazette International.
- ^ "Ark Franklin Primary Academy - GOV.UK". Get-information-schools.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
- ^ Ofsted Communications Team (10 February 2021). "Princess Frederica CofE Primary School". reports.ofsted.gov.uk.
- ^ "Kenmont Primary School - GOV.UK". Get-information-schools.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
- ^ Historic England. "Kenmont Primary School (1079825)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
- ^ "Bales College - GOV.UK". www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ^ "Royal visits Kensal Green Cemetery to support preservation campaign". Brent and Kilburn Times. 30 October 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
- ^ Historic England, "Kensal Green (All Souls) Cemetery (1000817)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 13 November 2017
- ^ a b c d "History". Kensalgreendirectory.com. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- ^ "Willesden: Economic history | British History Online". British-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
- ^ "Odeon Kensal Rise in London, GB". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- ^ "Kensal Green Ward". www.brent.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 4 March 2012.
- ^ "Kensal Green - UK Census Data 2011". Ukcensusdata.com. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- ^ "Queens Park - UK Census Data 2011". Ukcensusdata.com. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- ^ "Demographics | Hidden London". hidden-london.com. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
- ^ "Six hurt as tornado hits London". BBC News. 7 December 2006. Retrieved 7 December 2006.
External links
- Kensal Green at the Survey of London online