ANNIVERSARY TODAY: Celebrating 90 years of the Stanmore Line

Guest post by local historian Philip Grant

 

From the 1932 edition of “Metro-Land”

 

From 5am on 10 December 1932, members of the public had the first chance to travel on the Metropolitan Railway’s new branch line, to and from Wembley Park. It was called the Stanmore Line, but you will know it as part of the Jubilee Line. Its 90^th anniversary is perhaps a good time to share its story with you. 

 

The 1920s saw the rapid development of suburban housing estates around London, as people moved out of crowded conditions in the more central areas of the capital. Many of the new suburbs grew up around the railway out from Baker Street, in leafy countryside promoted as “Metro-Land” by the railway company. As districts like Wembley Park started to fill up with housing, developers were looking for new areas to build on, but they wanted good transport connections, to attract buyers for their homes.

 

An advert for Haymills’ Barn Hill Estate. (From the 1932 edition of “Metro-Land”)

 

In November 1929, the Metropolitan Railway Company announced that it wanted to build an extension from Wembley Park to Stanmore, which would give local commuters direct trains to London. Within twelve months, plans for the branch line were in place, and a price for the construction work of £168,628-17s-3d had been agreed with the contractors, Walter Scott & Middleton Ltd. The work began in January 1931.

 

A map showing the new extension to the Metropolitan Railway. (From the 1932 edition of “Metro-Land”)

 

The route could not go in a straight line, because Barn Hill was in the way, so the track had to curve around that before heading north-west, roughly parallel to and east of Honeypot Lane. This meant taking the railway along the valley of the Wealdstone Brook, which proved to be one of the project’s biggest problems. The brook meandered to and fro across the planned route, and first a concrete channel had to be constructed to divert the stream, so that it would run alongside the line around the base of the hill.

 

Diverting the brook, near what later became Uxendon Hill. (From the 1932 edition of “Metro-Land”)

 

Then, a long embankment had to be built down the valley, to provide a gentle gradient for the track to run along. This involved transporting thousands of tons of clay, dug out from the cutting where Kingsbury Station would be built, down a temporary single-track line. As can be seen in this photograph, a Ruston & Hornsby steam drag-line excavator was used to do the digging, and loading the clay into the trucks, pulled by an old Metropolitan Railway steam locomotive.

 

The excavator at work in Kingsbury, with Barn Hill in the distance. (From “Meccano Magazine”, 1934)

 

The work of shaping and compacting the embankment proved difficult. Heavy rain during the second half of 1931 caused delays, particularly because of machinery (including some “new” petrol and diesel excavators) slipping and sinking in the wet clay. And a second embankment had to be built, further up the line, through Canons Park, using the spoil dug out for the site of the station and sidings at Stanmore.

 

Work on the embankment, with bridges to take The Avenue over the brook and under the railway.
(From the 1932 edition of “Metro-Land”)

 

The work on the line had a very tight schedule, as the Metropolitan Railway had promised the Treasury, which was giving financial assistance through an unemployment relief scheme, that it would be open in twenty-one months. The “navvies” building the line worked from 7am to 5.30pm on weekdays, with a half-day to 12 noon on Saturday. For their 49½ hour week (excluding meal breaks) the labourers received 1/6d (one shilling and sixpence) an hour, with the skilled men such as bricklayers and carpenters getting up to 2/2d an hour.

 

By March 1932 the contractors still had most of the massive cutting between Kingsbury Road and Princes Avenue to excavate, and brought in double shifts. The night men worked from 6pm to 6.30am (with 1½ hours for meal breaks) from Monday to Saturday morning, so that the machinery was working 23 hours a day, with just half an hour between shifts for greasing and maintenance. 

 

 Work on the cutting north of Kingsbury Road, from the “Wembley News”, 12 August 1932.
(Brent Archives – local newspaper microfilms)

 

Neighbours in the recently built houses in Berkeley and Brampton Roads were not happy at their sleep being disrupted by the noise, but a deputation to the railway company from Kingsbury Council was told that it was unavoidable. The Treasury had agreed a twelve-week extension to the completion date for the Stanmore Line, and it had to open by December 1932.

 

On 9 December 1932 a large group of dignitaries and invited guests gathered at Wembley Park station to see the Minister of Transport declare the Stanmore Line open. The Metropolitan Railway’s Chairman, in top hat and tails, pulled a lever in the signal box (still there at the end of platform 3) to open the points, so that a special train could take them all on a tour of the new line and its stations, before returning to Baker Street for a celebratory dinner.

 

The Minister of Transport and other dignitaries visiting Kingsbury Station (note the design of the Metropolitan Railway sign!) on 9 December 1932. (Courtesy of London Transport Museum)

 

The total cost of building the Stanmore Line was around half a million pounds (including £142,791 for buying the land, and a separate contract for the signalling), equivalent to around £24.4m now. Paying passengers could travel on the line from the following morning. Stanmore, Canons Park and Kingsbury stations offered passengers 144 electric trains a day. Many were shuttle services to and from Wembley Park, but they included through trains to Baker Street in just 25 minutes. However, local residents complained at how expensive the fares were.

 

Season ticket prices from Kingsbury, from the “Wembley News”, 16 December 1932.
(Brent Archives – local newspaper microfilms)

 

The opening of the Stanmore Line did contribute to suburban development along its route, including a new neighbourhood called Queensbury, for which a station was opened in December 1934. By that time, the Metropolitan Railway lines had been taken over by the London Passenger Transport Board. Over time, this section of the Metropolitan Line became part of the Bakerloo Line (from 1939), before eventually being the northern end of the new Jubilee Line from 1 May 1979.

 

An advertisement for new homes near Kingsbury “Met” Station in 1934.

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed this trip along the history of our local railway line. It could be seen as nostalgia, but it’s also an important part of the story which shaped the northern part of Brent as it is today. And don’t be too jealous of the house prices and train fares of ninety years ago. If you were living then, you’d be comfortably off if your salary was £200 a year!

 

Philip Grant.

Brent’s Broadview infill plans – do genuinely affordable homes and the environment matter?

Guest post by Philip Grant in a personal capacity

 

Aerial view of the Broadview Garages site. (From Google Maps website)

 

I first mentioned Brent’s plans for infill homes on a small garage site behind Broadview in August 2021, when I wrote about Brent’s “secret” Council Housing Projects. I was not aware of the current planning application for two houses on this site until I saw it on the agenda for next Wednesday’s (14 December) Planning Committee meeting. I took a quick look through the Officer Report, initially just out of interest, but what I read left me knowing that I had to object to the application!

 

I will ask Martin to attach a copy of my illustrated objection comments document at the end of this article, so that you can read it if you wish to. It is another application where Planning Officers recommend approval, because what they describe as ‘the limited conflict with policy’ would be outweighed by building new homes.

 

The first point that I felt really strongly about is that, although Brent’s application states that both new homes would be for London Affordable Rent, Planning Officers say that there does not need to be an affordable housing condition in the consent letter. I have explained why, if these homes are to be built (despite the good planning reasons why the application should be refused), the “benefit” of them needs to be guaranteed by making it a condition that they are let to Brent residents in housing need at “genuinely affordable” rent level.

 

The rest of my objection points arise mainly from Planning Officers relying on inaccurate, and at times wholly misleading, information in reports prepared on behalf of the applicant, and ignoring the true facts given to them by local residents in their objection comments. This is not the first time I’ve raised the importance of looking at such reports critically (because they are prepared by firms paid to support the application, so not impartial). Most recently this was in connection with trees, and the Arboricultural Impact Assessment (“AIA”) for the trees at the Newland Court infill site.

 

The Broadview Garages AIA (as well as the Ecological Impact Assessment and Flood Risk Assessment) were prepared by the same firm as the Newland AIA. That is not the only similarity, as the applicant (Brent Council, possibly with the same Project Manager), planning agent and Planning Case Officer dealing with the application are also the same as the Rokesby Place and Newland Court applications (cynics might say: ‘How “cosy” is that?’). The firm begins its Broadview Garages AIA as follows:

 

 
 

OK, that’s just a minor slip, probably because they are using the same template for many reports for Brent infill schemes! My main concern with their AIA is that they misrepresent where an important tree ‘on the boundary of the site’ actually is, so that they can justify having it cut down. It is actually growing inside Fryent Country Park, so that it should be protected. Their original AIA, later amended, said that both of the tall ash trees you can see on the left of this photograph could be cut down and removed!

 

The Broadview Garages site, with Fryent Country Park on the left, 8 December 2022.

 

My objection comments should give rise to a Supplementary Report to the Planning Committee meeting on 14 December. It will be interesting to see which change, if any, having the true facts, with supporting evidence, will have on the outcome of the application!

[]

Philip Grant.

Water supply restored to HA9 and NW9

 Affinity Water was able to restore the water supply to a wide area of Kingsbury and Wembley after a burst main at The Mall.  

Use this LINK to register for updates and alerts.

This was the midnight message from Affinity:

Your water will be back on by 01:00

We’re really sorry for the problems with your water today. We’ve isolated the damaged section of water main and you’ll see your water flowing back to normal soon.

Our repair team will begin to carry out repairs overnight, however we expect no impact to customer whilst this takes place.

Appearance of your water

If your water is discoloured or cloudy, don’t worry this is normal. We know it doesn’t look nice, but it’s not harmful and you can help by running your cold tap until it’s clear. To find out more, please click here.

We added this message at 00:00 and we'll update it again after 08:00 on Wednesday 26th October 2022

Affinity working on water supply interruption in HA and NW9 postcode after burst water main in The Mall

 

Interruption to you water supply - HA0, HA1, HA2, HA3, HA7, HA8, HA9, HP3, NW9

Tuesday 25th October 2022

No water in postcode areas: HA0, HA1, HA2, HA3, HA7, HA8, HA9, HP3, NW9

We’re really sorry you haven’t got any water. We’ve been made aware of a burst water main on The Mall, Harrow which may be causing this.

What we’re doing

Our technician is on their way to your area to investigate and get your water flowing again soon.

What you can do

Until we’ve sorted this, please avoid using your:

• Washing machine
• Dishwasher
• Electrical appliances that use water

If you still have water, we recommend you put some in your kettle or fridge for drinking in case your water needs switching off for the repair.

We’re really sorry about this, we’re working to get your water back to normal as soon as possible.

We added this message at 22:40 and we'll update it again after 00:40

 

Register for text alerts/updates HERE

 

 

Friends of the Welsh Harp launch fundraiser for a bee garden and refurbished public bird hide - details

 

From Friends of the Welsh Harp 

The Welsh Harp is a Local Nature Reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest. It's a beautiful and wild blue-green gem hidden in North West London. For so many years it was largely neglected... but not any more!

 

Friends of the Welsh Harp is excited to announce our latest projects for the Welsh Harp:

 

1. BEE GARDEN

 

 

This small site is currently frequented by rats and owing to the compacted soil, can't support any plants. Our plan is to transform it into a beautiful bee garden.

 

Imagine this... 

 

A sloping bee bank, taking advantage of the site’s south facing position, that provides a habitat for wild mining bees and friendly wasps. To the left, a log pile. Dead and decaying wood provides vital habitat for a range of wildlife. To the front of the bee bank, native plants such as Knapweeds, Wild Carrot, Field Scabious, Chicory, Musk Mallow, Weld etc provide ground coverage and floral interest, whilst some Common Gorse provides native shrubbery at either end. Informative, simple signage explains these features and why they’re important. All this has transformed a dead patch of land into a thriving habitat for insects, birds, and small mammals. Plus, it's gorgeous to look at!

 

 

2. BIRD WATCHING HAVEN

 

 

The public bird hide at the Welsh Harp is subject to graffiti, littering, and loitering. The resulting space is intimidating for many. We want to provide a welcoming, exciting space for everyone to enjoy. Our solution is: huge street art 'stickers', a bin, gabion baskets at the entrance, and signage to increase footfall and awareness.

 

Imagine this...

 

A 'secret' birdwatching hide, nestled away from a busy urban environment, that looks out over a wetland which is home to many exciting birds. Sitting on the inviting bright red bench, and looking around, you can see a lot of cool street art - but with an ecological twist. Cormorants, grebes, terns and other bird of the Welsh Harp adorn the walls. There's always been graffiti here, but this new stuff is not offensive or rude, it's informative, interesting, and edgy. More and more people end up bringing their flasks of tea and coffee here, while they try out birdwatching with a pair of old binoculars. Others bring their children, hoping to stir within them a wonder of the natural world. Everyone agrees the birdwatching hide is a special place, and can't believe such a place exists in London! Outside of the hide, the street art 'stickers' are made from wildflower paper, so when it rains, it spreads seeds over time. Gabion baskets have been placed at the entrance, which adds to the invitation.

 

Thank you if you've made it to here. If you think the Welsh Harp deserves some love, please hit the 'Give Now' button. We welcome contributions of all sizes!

 

GIVE NOW
 

Harvest Fair at Bush Farm, Kingsbury - Sunday October 16th 11.30am until 5.30pm: music, food, stalls, dog show, bar

 

From Bush Farm Collective

This Sunday!!

 

Dog show

Live music

Arts and crafts

Pony rides

Food

Licenced bar

Rapthearpy

Games

Fire pit 

 

And more!

 

No matter the weather we will have you covered!

Come and join us for our community event!

11.30am to 5.30pm.

Junction of Slough Lane and Salmon Street NW98YA.

Great for the whole family!

Dogs welcome but must stay on lead.

We advise you to walk, use public transport, or cycle.

There is no parking for non residents.

 

Donations welcomed- all proceeds go to other projects at Bush Farm.

 

www.bushfarmcollective.com

@bushfarmcollective

bushfarmcollective@gmail.com

Green Neighbourhoods Climate Fair - Kingsbury, Saturday 11am - 4pm

 

From Brent Council

Want to find out more about what we're doing in our Green Neighbourhoods in Kingsbury? Come along to our climate fair to get involved!

We will be joining forces with Barnhill Conservation Group's Open Day and holding our Kingsbury Climate Fair in Roe Green Walled Garden on Saturday 24 September from 11am - 4pm.

There will be a host of activities including an upcycling workshop, learn how to grow plants in small spaces, tips on reducing food waste and find out all about bees. You can also enjoy homemade baked goods in one of Brent's hidden gems! 

Residents can still have their say on the Green Neighbourhood pilots via our online surveys and interactive maps by clicking here. Engagement ends on 31 October.

For further details, please contact Brent Council's Climate Team by emailing climateemergency@brent.gov.uk.

Exploring Amy Johnson - Kingsbury Library, Tuesday 28 June at 11am

 Guest post by Philip Grant

 

An early biography of Amy Johnson from 1933  

 

Ever since the amazing solo flight to Australia in May 1930 that shot her to fame, Amy Johnson’s story has been an inspiration to both women and men, young and old. Now anyone who can spare an hour next Tuesday morning can enjoy a free creative coffee morning event at Kingsbury Library, seeing and hearing her story, and having the chance to put that inspiration on paper in their own words.

 

As a local historian, I’m proud of Amy’s time in Kingsbury, learning to fly at Stag Lane Aerodrome, and living in Roe Green while she worked to become a qualified aircraft engineer at the London Aeroplane Club there. 

 

This time, it’s not me who is sharing Amy’s story with you, but Amanda Epe of FlygirlsUK, beginning with the short film “Flying from Brent”, which she made as part of a “Being Brent” project with Brent Museum and Archives last year.

 

Sadie Kempner as Amy Johnson, in Amanda Epe’s film “Flying from Brent”

 

You can get further details of this free event, and register your interest, on the Brent Libraries Eventbrite page. It may not inspire you to go off and fly solo to Australia (that needed a lot of hard work, determination and planning), but I feel pretty sure that you’ll both enjoy the event and come out feeling more positive!

 

Amy Johnson climbing into “Jason”, her Gypsy Moth biplane, to set off for Australia

 

I hope you can make it to Kingsbury Library on Tuesday, but even if you can’t, there is a self-guided walk (a collaboration between Amanda and me) that you can enjoy at any time, “In Amy Johnson’s Footsteps, through Kingsbury and Queensbury”.

 

Philip Grant.

Kingsbury’s history of welcoming refugees – a Platinum Jubilee memorial

 Guest post by Philip Grant in a personal capacity

 

A Queen’s Green Canopy tree, planted in Roe Green Park.

 

Many people will be celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee this weekend, and one excellent way to mark the 70^th anniversary of her reign has been to plant a tree. I saw this recently planted oak tree when walking in Roe Green Park, and when I read the plaque beneath it, I was reminded of some local history that I’m happy to share with you.

 

The tree is one of eighty, planted as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative, to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee, and the 80^th anniversary of the Association of Jewish Refugees. Their trees have been planted at various places around the country that welcomed refugees from the Holocaust. The Kingsbury tree is in ‘memory of Gustav and Herta Nagler, who found refuge here from Poland and Germany in 1940.’

 

The AJR memorial plaque beside the tree.

I don’t know Gustav and Herta Nagler’s story (if you do, please share it in a comment below), but my research into Kingsbury’s history has shown that they were not the only refugees to find a new life here. 

 

One of the first was Dr Willy Selig, who settled in Kingsbury around 1930, after leaving his home in Munich, an early hotbed of the Nazi Party in Germany. He rented a former farm worker’s cottage at Valley Farm, in Kingsbury Road (where Sutherland Court now stands) and opened a (pre-NHS) GP surgery there. The Valley Farm housing estate was being built just across the road, and he was soon a popular local doctor.

 

Older residents I interviewed, when writing a history of the estate (where I live) for its 75^th anniversary in 2005, remembered him with affection. I heard stories of how he had helped the local ARP team during the war, although as an “alien” he was not allowed to be an official member. The wardens gave him one of their tin helmets to wear, and requisitioned a replacement for one that had been “lost”.

 

A WW2 Air Raid Warden’s helmet.

 

After Fryent Way had been built in 1935, Willy Selig moved to a new house there, at No.22. The medical practice he began is still there, in an enlarged building, as The Fryent Way Surgery, serving the local community.

 

New homes on the Valley Farm Estate attracted many Jewish families, some from other parts of London and others fleeing Nazi persecution. Mersham Drive (named after a village in Kent), developed between 1931 and 1933 by Messrs A & M Haddow, proved very popular (it may be a coincidence, but the street name sounds similar to Mea She'arim, one of the oldest Jewish neighbourhoods of Jerusalem outside the walls of the Old City!). It was residents of Mersham Drive who founded the Kingsbury Hebrew Congregation in 1934, which began meeting in their homes and would go on to become Kingsbury Synagogue.

 

The Spiro family, an older couple, their son and his wife, moved to Valley Drive around 1938. They’d left behind a manufacturing business in Berlin because of growing persecution from Hitler’s Nazi government. The final straw was when young Mrs Spiro was walking past a school, and saw a group of boys beating up a Jewish pupil (identified by the yellow Star of David he was forced to wear), and being urged on to do so by their schoolmaster. She knew she would never want children of her own if they stayed in Germany, and fled to Britain with her husband and his parents. Her own parents decided to remain, and died in the Holocaust.

 

Mr and Mrs Spiro, and their first child, safe in Valley Drive c.1945. (Courtesy of Elizabeth Clarke)

 

Further along Kingsbury Road, it was Holy Innocents’ Church that would provide a safe haven for more refugees, or rather its vicarage. When Rev. Lambart Edwards agreed to become Vicar of Kingsbury in 1883, it was on condition that a “parsonage” would be provided for him, as he had a wife and five children (and probably servants as well). He also had a new church built, rather than the ancient St Andrew’s in the south of the parish.

 

Holy Innocents’ Church, with its vicarage, early 1900s. (From the late Geoffrey Hewlett’s collection)

 

Around 1930, a smaller and more manageable vicarage was built at Roe Green, and the large old house behind the church was sold to John Laing & Sons. They allowed it to be used by the Children’s Society as a home for babies awaiting adoption. In 1939, it was taken over by Dr Barnardo’s Homes, to provide a home for some of the around 10,000 unaccompanied Jewish children brought to Britain from German-controlled Europe as part of the “Kindertransport”. 

Those children would have found a welcoming community in Kingsbury. In 1942, the Hebrew Congregation acquired Eden Lodge, a large Victorian mansion beside Kingsbury Green, and registered it as a place of Jewish worship. It was soon to be known as Kingsbury Synagogue, with its own new worship building erected in the grounds by the late 1940s. But Jews escaping Nazi persecution are far from the only refugees that Kingsbury has welcomed.

 

Ivy Cottage at Kingsbury Green, with Eden Lodge beyond it, early 1900s.
(From the late Geoffrey Hewlett’s collection)

 

The Gohil brothers and their families moved to Crundale Avenue in the winter of 1969/70, some of the first Asian residents on the Valley Farm Estate. Like many others of Indian origin, they had come to England from Kenya when that country’s newly independent government discriminated against them. Their new neighbours were friendly and very helpful. Their house only had open fireplaces for heating, and it was the Jewish lady from next door who showed them how to lay and light a coal fire, and where to buy coal and firewood!

 

Over time, many of the Jewish families have moved on from Kingsbury, while newcomers have been a wide variety of people from around Britain and the world, some of them also refugees from wars and famine. 

 

Another view of the AJR Queen’s Green Canopy oak tree in Roe Green Park.

 

It’s fitting that the new oak tree in Roe Green Park was planted ‘with thanks to the people of Britain who helped [Holocaust] refugees.’ Our long-serving Queen has symbolised some of the best aspects of Britain, such as the welcome to refugees shown by the people of Kingsbury, and of Brent.

 

Philip Grant.