Coordinates: 51°32′48″N 0°13′46″W / 51.5468°N 0.2295°W / 51.5468; -0.2295
Willesden is an area in north west London which forms part of the London Borough of Brent. It is situated 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Charing Cross. It was historically a parish in the county of Middlesex, that was incorporated as the Municipal Borough of Willesden in 1933 and has formed part of Greater London since 1965.
The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon Willesdune, meaning the Hill of the Spring, and a settlement bearing this name dates back to 939 AD. The Domesday Book of 1086 records it as Wellesdone. However, on 19th century maps of the town such as those from the 'Ordnance Survey First Series', the town is shown as Wilsdon. The motto of Willesden Borough Council was Laborare est orare ("to labour is to pray").
From the 14th to 16th centuries, the town was a place of pilgrimage due to the presence of two ancient statues of the Virgin Mary at the Church of St Mary. One of these statues is thought to be a Black Madonna, which was insulted by the Lollards, taken to Thomas Cromwell's house and burnt in 1538 on a large bonfire of "notable images" including those of Walsingham, Worcester and Ipswich. There was also a "holy well" which was thought to possess miraculous qualities, particularly for blindness and other eye disorders.
Willesden was a local government district in the county of Middlesex, England from 1874 to 1965. It formed part of the Metropolitan Police District and London postal district. Willesden was part of the built-up area of London and bordered the County of London to the east and south.
It was formed as a Local government district in 1874, became an urban district in 1894 and was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1933. In 1901 the population was 114,811. The population peaked in 1931 at 184,434 and by 1961 it had fallen to 171,001. It occupied 4,384 acres (17.74 km2) in 1911 and 4,633 acres (18.75 km2) in 1961. It included the districts of Kilburn, Harlesden, Neasden, Willesden, Cricklewood, Dollis Hill and Brondesbury. The district was abolished in 1965 and its former area transferred to Greater London, merging with the Borough of Wembley to form the London Borough of Brent.
The offices of the local board were established at Dyne Road, Kilburn in 1891. These were later enlarged to become Willesden Town Hall. Following the formation of the London Borough of Brent, administration was transferred to Wembley, and the town hall was demolished in 1972.
Willesden is an area of north west London.
Willesden may also refer to:
There’s a sound deep inside
And it feels just like thunder
Like the rushing of white water
And it’s bursting in your head
There’s a fist around your heart
And it’s grip is getting tighter
And the sweat upon your face is running
Burning in your eyes
There’s no one there to help you now
This time you’re really on your own
There’s no one there to show you how
You have to find ... find your own way home
Caught in the spirit of the age
I rode along the wave
Accomplice to the avarice
The master and the slave
I played my role so easily
Wore my costumes well
And slapped and stabbed the backs of players
Playing the kiss-and-sell
And in this this life of give and take
You know it’s better to receive
And at the offer of an outstretched hand
I’d ask what can you do, what can you do for me
Ambition take me by the hand
And guide me through the shifting sands
Lead me to that promised land
Where everyman’s a king
Oh, feet of clay!
Don’t fail me now
There has to be a way some how
Two steps forward, three steps back
Break my heart, an art attack!
Show me everything I lack, things I lack ...
Seems to me, this seemed to be
The only way that finally
Tight-closed eyes would every see
Cracks begin to show
Swim up-stream, against the tide
Choke on faith and swallow pride
To find a new self, deep inside
That I don’t know
I don’t know!
Parsons and priests will look after your soul
But only you can exercise your self-control
And there are people who make history
While most read history books
Whilst some attract admiring glances
Most are scared to look
And if, just by some miracle, we see the light
I hope to God it’s bright enough
To highlight wrong from right
And will the signs for ‘up’ and ‘down’
Be clear enough to show?
And will we know the difference?
I don’t know!
I don’t know!
And now those days have gone,
Consigned to someone else’s memory
Embrace the changes still to come
Exploring every possibility
No shame the glory days have gone!
Farewell to broken dreams and chances missed
Farewell to shallow smiles and hollow hearts
And long forgotten promises
And now it dawned, I watched the sunrise
From the window of another day
I felt the shackles that had bound me,
Heavy, lighten, break and fade away
And if the future is an open road
I think I’ve learned to read the signs
And if the future is an open book
I’ve learned to read between the lines