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| Postcards of the Past |
| London Borough of Brent |
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| This north-west London Borough contains the following places : Alperton; Brondesbury; Brondesbury Park; Church End; Dollis Hill; Harlesden; Kensal Green; Kenton (part); Kilburn (part); Kingsbury; Neasden; Park Royal (part); Preston; Queensbury; Stonebridge; Sudbury; Tokyngton; Wembley; Wembley Park; Willesden; Willesden Green. |
| The Catholic Church in Quex Road, Kilburn. (Z) |
| Search the internet for more about this London Borough. |
| In the postcard on the left can be seen a structure which has a fascinating history. It was known as Watkin's Folly, after Sir Edward Watkin, Chairman of the Metropolitan Railway, who, after a trip to Paris in 1889, decided that London should have a tower to rival the Eiffel Tower, and set about building it ! Work started in 1893, and the first stage was completed in 1895. However, a combination of poor design and marshy ground caused the work to be halted. Sir Edward had surrounded the tower with cafes and pleasure gardens, which proved very popular at first, but attendance soon fell away and in 1899 Watkin's company was forced into liquidation. The tower was demolished in the early 1900s, and eventually Wembley Stadium was built on the spot where it once stood. |


| We'd be delighted if you would sign our Guest Book ! We welcome suggestions, corrections and constructive criticism - or just say "Hello !" and tell us where you come from. |

| The Brent Reservoir, which straddles the border between the London Boroughs of Brent and Barnet, is known locally as the Welsh Harp, probably because of its shape. It was built in 1834/35. (Z) |

| Craven Park Road, Harlesden. |
| The following images of Wembley Stadium have been provided by Giancarlo from Italy, who has an excellent website with images of stadiums from around the world. Thanks, Giancarlo ! Follow this link to his site. |

| This postcard shows Wembley during the 1957 Rugby League Cup Final in which Leeds beat Barrow 9-7. |

| An aerial view of Wembley in which the stadium appears to be under construction - so probably dating from late 1922 or early 1923. |

| King George V and Queen Mary arriving at Wembley for the opening ceremony of the British Empire Exhibition on 23 April 1924 - St George's Day (and Shakespeare's Birthday !) |

| This aerial view posted on 23 June 1924, and shows the 1923 Cup Final, known as the "White Horse Final" . Bolton beat West Ham 2-0. To read about the extraordinary events which gave the final its name, follow this link. |

| The 1925 Cup Final in which Sheffield United beat Cardiff City 1-0. |

| No date for this postcard. |

| An undated aerial view of the stadium. |

| A 1948 aerial view. (SM) |
| Did You Know.........that Victor Silvester, the dancer, author, musician and dance band leader (and, incidentally, a friend of my mother) was born in Wembley in 1900 ? |

| A 1962 aerial view. |
| And Did You Know.........that the model Twiggy was born in Neasden in 1949 ? |







| Canal and Junction Arms, Willesden. (Z) |
| (Z) |
| Reproductions of postcards with a (Z) following the description are available to buy from Zazzle - just click on the (Z) ! |
| Advertise your business on this page ! Follow this link. |


| If you would like to help financially with expanding and maintaining this website, we would appreciate your contribution, however small. Times are hard ! |
| There is a Limerick about a young lady from Brent which is far too rude to publish here, but which you may read by following this link - but please don't do so if you think you might be offended by some naughty language ! |