From Brent Culture
Join us for this free session that will explore the history
of Wembley Park through maps pictures and objects from Brent’s Museum and
Archives - items we will look at include some amazing aerial photographs of the
stadium from the 1930s.
We’ll be looking at the exciting transformation of Wembley
Park, from the stately home to stadium, along the way we will be taking in the
pleasure gardens of the 1890s and the British Empire Exhibition of 1924.
Come to History of Wembley Park and discover more
about this unique corner of London.
Wednesday 5 April, 6.30-7.30pm. Wembley Library, Brent Civic Centre
13 comments:
Brilliant shot of an autogiro(and Wembley of course). What's the huge building at upper right, an early carpet warehouse?
Mike Hine
Is it not the Empire Pool (as it was then called) now called the Wembley Arena?
Yes - also used for ice skating.
The Good Old Days!! 50 years prior to me being born but I'm sure still better times in Wembley than we currently live in nowadays!
Yes I do remember it well. Very popular and good fun it was too. Also the ice hockey matches where we all noisily supported the Wembley Lions. Good punch-ups on the ice some times ( especially against Paisley Tigers) but never trouble from the fans either inside or outside of the Pool. Happy days in a less aggressive and violent time.
More on Wemmbley Lions here (My oldest brother was a fan): http://internationalhockeywiki.com/ihw/index.php?title=Wembley_Lions
Yes....and I was only talking about the 1950s and 60s too.
Can anyone make a video or permanent recording of this evenings event for all who would love to attend but cannot make it tonight.
Bit of trivia for the autogiro community. The one in the picture is an Avro something built under licence from the designer, a fat Spanish duke. Brilliant design which he licensed to many countries (he was living in England by then). Unfortunately, being a duke he supported Franco and arranged the Generalissimo's flight from the Canaries to Morocco from where he launched his invasion and the start of the Spanish civil war. He didn't see Franco's victory, however, as, flying out of Croydon airport (not in an autogiro)
his plane crashed and he was killed.
A suitably banal ending for the old fascist, eh?
Mike Hine
So what administrations over the years have been responsible for paving so much parkland and putting up parking lots?
Yes it was rather ironical that someone from wembleypark.com was telling us about the history that they have had a large part in destroying. Thank Philip Grant for saving one small part of the history in the lion saved from the Place of Industry when it was demolished by Quintain.
I didn't manage to get to the talk myself (very short notice given by "Brent Culture"!), but anyone interested can find plenty of local history information about Wembley Park and other parts of the borough on the Brent Archives website at:
https://www.brent.gov.uk/services-for-residents/brent-museum-and-archives/local-history-resources/local-history-documents/
[or just go to the Brent Archives website and click on the "local history documents" link from the home page].
Articles available include "Wembley Park - its story up to 1922", "The British Empire Exhibition, 1924 to 1925" (as well as several specific stories from the BEE) and "Wembley Stadium - old and new".
Philip.
Yes it certainly was ironic if it was anyone related to Quintain who was doing this presentation. They have shown no respect for things which once made Wembley so great and drew so much interest in Wembley. In their ideas it has just been destroy all that there was and build a new city for outsiders all in the glory of Quintain....assisted by a council which hasn't cared a toss for the people who have lived here for a very long time and who had all the history passed down to them by parents and earlier generations who were all involved in the earlier glory days. There was obviously need for regeneration but not in the unsympathetic way it has been done with no reference for past glorious history and why Wembley was Wembley.
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