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Albert Street
Peach Street? Corner, bombsite where Paddington Borough
Council have built flats
Banister Road
Named after a farm which was severed by the railway and
taken over for housing.
Canal
Counters Creek going under it
Narrow Boat pub
two access basins into the gas works from the Canal now used by
pleasure craft.
Crewe Place
Railway housing
Goodhall Street
Hazel Road
Hazel was the land agent for the United Land Company who
were developers in this area. The land
was sold to them by All Souls College and the builders were Vigers.
40 Pembroke Laundry, closed because Bakerloo double tunnel
went under their drying ground, so compensation paid to move, building still
there as flats, plus heaps of earth over the tunnel
Harrow Road
Turnpike gate and house demolished in 1872.
J. Parley's Stone Mason's
Business. James Parley established
his stonemason’s business in 1833, opposite the cemetery, which was consecrated
that year. The firm continues to this day, as Jordan Parley with many examples
of their work in the cemetery but the original building, with workshops,
entrance for vehicles and a showroom has been demolished for a four-storey
building, with flats and retail units. Also gone are neighbouring early
19th-century buildings, one recently occupied by Grant's motor parts business,
formerly a Chapel of Rest with an ornate carving over the doorway. Artefacts
from Parley's were moved to new premises shared with the Kensal Green Cemetery
Company, but a marble window-sill, bearing the firm's name remains in situ, as
does an elaborate carving in the entrance.
Kensal Green Cemetery. As the population of
London increased in the 19th the overcrowding in churchyards reached
scandalous proportions. George Gardon campaigned for this cemetery and the land
was bought in 1831. It is really called
All Souls Cemetery reflecting the land ownership by the College. Compensation
was paid to the local parish clergy. It is on clay soil and because of the
cholera was built quickly. It was seen as an opportunity, for the hygienic
disposal of the dead and as a place of recreation that would be morally
uplifting. lawns were laid out and large numbers of specimen trees and shrubs
were planted. The Middle area was for the private graves. A competition was won by Henry E. Kendall for
the Gothic style but the financial backer, Sir John Dom Paul, preferred
classical architecture and the contract was awarded to John Griffith of
Finsbury and George Garden was removed from the Board. The style is Classical
with Greek chapels - Doric for the Anglicans, Ionic for the
Non-conformists. The buildings were
completed in 1837 and the grounds landscaped by Richard Forrest and planted by
William Ronalds of Brentford. The Cemetery has more standing memorials than any
other cemetery in England, most constructed while the owners were still alive.
Several monuments are Grade II listed and there is work by Basevi. Burges,
Cockerell, Gibson. J.B. Papworth, Owen Jones and Eric Gill, As well as
sculpture by Sievier. Thomas Milnes and Princess Louise. Many minorities are buried there. There are
lots of big mausoleums, some in the central drive Although There has been some
bricking up of doors. The Cemetery has become the final resting place for many
of the good and great:
Catacombs – there are three catacombs: the Colonnaded
Catacomb on the north wall and those beneath the Anglican and Dissenters'
Chapels. The Anglican Chapel catacomb is the largest working catacomb in the
country. Originally funeral services in the Anglican Chapel would conclude with
the dramatic descent of the sumptuous triple-shell coffin below upon a
velvet-covered catafalque. This was operated by means of hydraulics, was
reinstated in full working order in 1997. The chapel also has a fully-equipped
Visitors Centre.
Dissenters Chapel. Built as an Ionic Temple by the Cemetery Company and restored
1997.
Main gate with an attic storey over the arch
West London Crematoria. Unattractive, Grave of Maria Lady
Callcott wrote book on Poussin, Cunningham 'only one yielding a good dividend',
Princess Sophia, Doctor Birkbeck, Harrison Ainsworth, Cruikshank, I.Brunel,
M.Brunel, D.Burton, Cassell, H.Mayhew, F.O'Connor, Thackeray, Dr. James Miranda
Barry doctor who turned out to be a woman when she died Babbage Astey dramatic
tomb Mulready grave, Pulham made the monument which was the chief exhibit at
the Paris Exhibition of 1867.
Ordered by the Science and Art Dept of the South Ken.
Museum in 1863, life size effigy resting on a raised bier and supported by a
square pedestal with bas reliefs of works, Got a silver medal F.A.Winsor Jnr.
copy of father's tomb in Pere Lachaise with quotation from Zachariah on it
725 Kensal Lodge,
home of novelist Harrison Ainsworth. Later was Dr.Crone’s surgery and then
redeveloped and demolished.
733 Kensal Manor House. Also home of Harrison Ainsworth. It was never an actual manor
house. Became the offices of the Willesden Citizen and later a scaffolding
company. demolished.
Mason’s Arms.
Said to have been built for tombstone craftsmen in the cemetery
Cast iron horse trough.
William IV pub also
opened to serve the cemetery workers.
Noakes and Co, fine ales.
Plough Pub.
Demolished for road widening but a famous old pub in its day
Library. Opened 1890 by Chelsea Vestry. Designed by Kerslake and Mortimer.
Kensal
Is a corruption of Kensing Holt - Kensington Woods. Or a
corruption of ‘Kingisholt’ meaning ‘King’s Woods’. Not clear which woods are referred to
though. Area, which was part of the
land, transferred in 1438 to Thomas Chichele, Archbishop of Canterbury and
founder of All Souls College to which he gave it.
Kensal Green
'The king's wood', the unstressed syllable
developing as though from OE ‘heath’, 'nook', probably because of its size and
position. Another ‘holt’ -also disguised
in its modern form - lies not far away—Wormwood Scrubs. It is not known which
king is referred to in ‘Kensal’ -
‘Kingisholte’ 1253, ‘Kyngesholt’ 1367, ‘Kynsale Grene’ 1550, ‘Kensell Grene’
1658: OE ‘cyning holt’. First recorded in 1550 when it
was surrounded by thick woodland. By the
mid-18th the woods had been cleared and farms opened on land
belonging to All Souls. Later there were brickworks. In
1814 used as a shooting range by Cumberland Sharpshooters. In 1815 an enclosure act for Willesden meant
the end of the Green and cottages were built on much of the area.
Kilburn Lane
Marked as Flowerhills Lane on the 17th map and
it was essentially a footpath to Kilburn Priory. An ancient field path between Watling Street
and Harrow Road.
Plough pub frequented by George Morland.
St.John’s Church the Evangelist 1844. By H.E.Kendall and opened in 1844.
Ladbroke Grove
Counters Creek tributary from round here
Colour printing works corner of Exmoor Street,
Kensal Green gasworks. The gas works of the Western (Cannel) Gas Light
Company from 1845. The works were designed by G Holworthy Palmer, late engineer
to the Gas Light and Coke Company and the South Metropolitan Gas Company. A
unique feature of these works was a 12 sided retort house. The Western Gas
Company was amalgamated into the Gas Light and Coke Company in 1872, and the
works were eventually connected to the Beckton distribution grid in 1925. With retort benches backing onto the walls. 1851 company nearly
bankrupt. Palmer sacked. Alexander Wright appointed as engineer. Wright rebuilt
the works. Brentwood Co. sold mains to Western in 1851. 1864 new retort house.
Another retort house of Coze retorts was a failure in 1890. First continuous
vertical retorts in London 1908. CWG plant 1891. 1925 waste heat boilers.
Standby since 1953. Flat crowned holders - 1891 Colonel. Paraffin spray plant;
cannel stopped in 1873. Was not connected to Beckton until 1925. Demolished except for 2 holders.
Gas works offices. 1929, facing the Gas
works and backing onto Ladbroke Grove.
Canal Bridge has six makers plates of local firms Chas.
Bartle & Co. Iron & Brass Founders, Engineers & c. Lancaster Road,
343 Portobello Dock. Canal
Building as a new landmark office building. Displacement ventilation and solar
heating. Derwent London 2008
Mortimer Road
Kensal Green station. Opened 1st
October 1916 Between Willesden Junction and Queens Park on the Bakerloo Line
and on the London Overground Line into Euston. London North West Railway 1916
Bakerloo 1981 reconstructed and
reopened
St.Martin's Church - 1910 and designed by the
Cutts brothers. Land belonged to All
Souls College and intended as a memorial to Dean Vaughan head of Harrow School.
Railway tunnel
Counters Creek or Billingwell Ditch rising on edge of
Harrow Road and Kensal Green Cemetery
56 Philip Gosse
Henley House,
private school – the Headteacher was A.A.Milne’s father, J.Vine Milne, and
H.G.Wells was the science teacher.
Pember Road
458 modern house
on a back land site, one of a pair. Double height spaces, roof terrace and
workspace. Orefelt Associates 2007.
Regent Street
Called after the Regent Prince of Wales and some slightly
posher houses built there.
Paradise by Way of Kensal Green – was the Old Plough pub
Stephenson Street
Wakeman Road
Holland and Holland in Corner premises. Sporting gun manufacturers from 1898. Hand made
gun trade.
Warfield Road
Named after the publican of the William IV pub
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