Cricklewood
This area was owned by All Souls College, Oxford and in 1900, housing was built here.
Trinity Court. This is the ex-Baptist Church. It was designed by Arthur Keen in the style of Italian Byzantine style in red and yellow brick.
Anson Primary School. The school was built after the Second World War.
61 St Gabriel’s Hall. After the Second World War this was sold to the local council for community use. It was later sold the building to the Dar Al-Islam Foundation.
61 Dar Al Islam Foundation. Shia Muslim Mosque
Ashford Road
Imperial Dry Plate Works. In 1871 Richard Maddox had discovered a way of coating photographic plates so they could be kept until needed rather than processed straight immediately. Joseph Acworth became interested in these and worked at the Britannia Dry Plate Co. in Ilford then did a PhD in Germany. He experimented and then set up the Imperial Dry Plate Company in a factory built by George Furness. The plates sold well and the factory had to be enlarged several times. In 1917 Acworth sold out to Ilford and retired. The Imperial factory, by then part of Ilford, was again expanded in the 1940s but the site is now flats,
60 Ashford Place. Community resource building . In 1983 a group of local people wanted to help the homeless. With the help of St.Agnes church they set up Cricklewood Homeless Concern. They were offered this building and with a team of volunteers began supporting the growing number of homeless men on the streets and eventually employed specialist staff. The site was previously a youth club –a Jewish Youth Club in the 1950s, and one attached to St. Agnes Church later.
Chichele Road
Thomas Chichele was Archbishop of Canterbury to whom much of this land was transferred in 1438. He founded All Souls College and gave the land in this area to them.
St Gabriel's Church Hall. The hall was originally the building in Anson Road which is now a mosque. The hall is now the building next to it in Chichele Road.
Cricklewood Congregational Church and Memorial Hall opened in 1893. The church was built in 1901 by William Wallis with schools in the basement, This is now a mosque
Mosque and Islamic Centre of Brent. Sufi – Bareilvi mosque. In 1976 the building was bought by the local community. restorations and alterations took place there was an official opening in 2005. The spire was changed into a minaret with a dome on the top and two smaller green domes were added. In the basement is used a community and sports hall. There are also facilities for women, and office space.
Cricklewood Broadway
This is a section of the A5, the London Holyhead Trunk Road which began at Marble Arch. It is also a section of the Romaniter II route which later took the Anglo-Saxon name of Watling Street. This stretch became established as a shopping centre in the 19th.
Coronation Memorial Clock. This was erected on the corner with Anson Road in 1912 to commemorate the Coronation of George V.
122 Nodes Funeral Service. The firm dates from 1828. High on the gable is a painted sign for the company
135 The Slade. The name for what was an 18th farm appears to come from a brook which rises in this area. In the late 19th this appears to be an estate concerned with horses, there was a riding school there and polo was played at a private club here in 1892. A Mr. Wimbush had converted fields into livery stables and built a smithy. In 1918 it was leased by Whitlock’s Motors and Lawton Goodman Ltd.
135 Whitlock Motors. Were coach builders and motor engineers with a presiiguous clientele, based in Chiswick High Road but had failed. William Goodman Lawton, also a coach builder and engineer, was to use the Whitlock marquee. Ge set up a manufacruring base at the Slade in 1913. He was to build ambulances there for wartime use along with work for De Havilland and Airco.After the war they concentrated on vehicles with luxury coachwork and fittings. From the late 1930s however they made commercial vehicles – more ambulances along with ice cream vans, mobile shops etc. The works closed in 1991 when their lease expired. The works was demolished and the site is now housing.
152 Crown Hotel. By the 1750s the Crown was a coaching inn with some bare knuckle fighting on the side. It is now the Clayton Crown, previously the Moran Crown.. Flamboyant building with lots of terracotta ornament and four cast-iron lamp standards in front. It is a substantial pub set back from the road and was the terminus for early bus routes. It was rebuilt in 1889 by Shoebridge & Rising for Cannon Brewery. It is now part of a large modern hotel which stands adjacent to it.
Smiths Crisps. Two garages behind the pub were used by Frank Smith whose wife sliced and fried the potatoes, while he bagged them up and sold them to local pubs. Within seven years they had a full time staff of 12. In 1927 they moved to Brentford.
194 Galtymore. Irish dance hall. This included a (Roller) Skating rink and three dance halls, Closed in 2008 and now demolished.
Palace Cinema. This was adjacent to the skating rink and opened around 1911. It closed in 1939, and never re-opened.
Rock Halls Lodge. 18th house
200 Beacon Bingo. This is a modern purpose-built venue with facilities for over 2,700 players.
F.O.C. Caravan Centre. This was present in the 1950s and appears to have been replaced by Beacon Bingo
222 Telephone Exchange. 1929-30. In the style of the Office of Works between the wars with ‘colossal bulk. Carved stone keystones to some of the first-floor windows. It serves Cricklewood, Dollis Hill, Dudden Hill, Mapesbury and Neasden nearby, and had DOLlis Hill and GLAdstone numbers until the late 1960s. It now has 0208-450 and 452 xxxx numbers, plus some Outer London allocated numbers. Mobile phone aerials on the roof
245 Sorting Office from 1905. This is now Arrow Electrical store.
245-7 W. J. Fowler & Son, printers, were founded here in 1898. “Railway printing experts”. Fowlers had a particular interest in tramways and railways and published a number of magazines and journals on those subjects.
Cricklewood House
Cricklewood Lane
This was previously Child’s Hill Lane
3 The Queen’s Hall Cinema was opened in 1920. It was operated by Catwood Cinemas Ltd and replaced Rock Hall House. The entrance was set within a low colonnade, with shop units on each side. It was taken over by Denman/Gaumont British Theatres in 1928, and was refurbished, with a Christie 2Manual/8Ranks organ installed. It was re-named Gaumont in 1949, and CinemaScope was fitted in 1955. It was closed by the Rank Organisation in 1960 and demolished. a supermarket was built on the site, first a KwikSave, then Somerfield and by 2017 a Co-op.
Congregational chapel. This is said to have been an iron mission chapel opened in 1885. The congregation moved to a purpose built church in 1893.
Railway Bridge. This carries the Midland Main Line railway over Cricklewood Lane. Along the side walls is written ‘CRICKLEWOOD’ in large letters.
Cricklewood Station. Opened in 1870 two years after the line was opened by the Midland Railway, it now lies between West Hampstead and Hendon on Thameslink. Trains going to St.Pancras pass through without stopping. It was built by J.E.Hall and first called Child’s Hill and Cricklewood. In 1906 the Station offices were rebuilt in red brick and terra cotta with a bold chimney and Art Nouveau features. There was also a station masters’ house and a covered footbridge. It was originally sited to service a branch line to Acton, which was later closed closed and station renamed ‘Cricklewood’ in 1903. In 1904 an up local line was installed through the station with a new platform and a down local line a year later. The original buildings were demolished and a subway was installed along with a booking office in Cricklewood Lane. Only the booking office is now used and ‘Station house’
Down sidings. These were west of the station and were used for marshalling express goods traffic. This is now an area of superstores with an access road from Cricklewood Lane.
Express Dairy depot and bottling plant. This opened in the 19th and lay to the north and east of the station. Still extant in the 1980s.
Depot Approach
Caravan Depot. This was on the site now covered by the Bingo hall.
The road originally appears to have gone to the railway sidings and coal yards.
Hovenden Road
Mapesbury Dell. This is a small park and garden administered by local residents since 2000. It was previously Hovenden Road Play area and as such neglected.
Howard Road
Mosque. Back entrance to the building in Chichele Road
Kara Way
Kara Way Playground. Small park with play and sports facilities
Timber Yard
Mora Road
Mora Road Primary and Infants School. The school dates from 1907.
Oaklands Road
Theme Traders Production Village. This is an ‘event management’ organisation.
Chromoloid Works. They were platers using chromium or cadmium. Present in the 1930s.
99 Razvite. This was a French safety razor manufacturing company. The made FixaVite Cosmetics and Toilet Preparations connected with shaving, 1940s.
Industrial Engineering Ltd. They were here in the 1920s and made Flexolac a plastic roofing compound – probably using asbestos.
Moss and Woodd. In 1907 they were here as concessionaires’ for Orion lorries constructed by Zurich based Automobilfabrik Orion Actien Gesellschaft
The Ivanhoe Motor Co., Made Mercury cars 24 h.p driven by four-cylinder engines. Here in 1907.
Actinorae Works. Aircraft Equipment Co. Ltd , 1918. This was owned by a Mr. Holt
Sign factory. This appears to be a roof sign business in the 1920s run by a Sir.A.McBain
Sheldon Road
H. C. Shepherd & Co., Ltd., manufacturing aircraft and motor jigs, press tools, etc..
Sneyd Road
Cricklewood Baptist Church. This dates from 1907. In 1930, a church hall was added and is now used as the church because the . main church building was sold to property developers in 1990, and is now flats.
St.Michaels Avenue
St. Michael's church. Designed 1908 by John Samuel Alder; built 1909-10 in Limestone and Bath stone. It was founded by the London Diocesan Home Mission 1907 and the parish formed from St. Gabriel's. The benefice suspended because of friction between the vicar and the parishioners 1949-51. The church has been for sale and is signed now as “St Michaels Church of Jesus Christ (Apostolic)”
Pumping station. (in the square to the west)
Walm Lane
Old lane called Warne Lane in the 16th.
St Gabriel. Built 1896-1903 by W. Bassett Smith and R.P. Day. In 1891, an iron church was erected on the area where St Gabriel's now stands. The current church was built alongside. The current vicar ia a member of the General Syod and has links to the New Wiune movemtn,
War Memorial. This is to the dead of the Great War designed by John Coates Carter FRIBA
131-5 United Synagogue. In 1928 a house at 137 was registered for worship, and in 1931 Cricklewood synagogue, was built next door at. 131-5. Designed by Cecil J Eprile. It was converted into flats in 1989. The congregation moved into an adjoining hall
Sources
Brent Mosque. Web site
British History online. Web site
Cinema Treasures. Web site
Clunn. The Face of London
Cricklewood Baptist Church. Web site
Cricklewood Homeless Concern. Web site
Field. London Place Names
Goslin and Connor. St Pancras to St.Albans
GLIAS Newsletter
Grace’s Guide. Web site
Kilburn and Willesden History Blog. Web site
London Borough of Barnet. Web site
London Borough of Brent. Web site
London Encyclopaedia,
London’s Industrial Archaeology
Londonist. Blog. Web site
London Railway Record.
McCarthy. London. North of the Thames
Middlesex Churches
Nairn. Nairn’s London
Pevsner and Cherry. London North
Stevenson. Middlesex
St. Gabriel’s Church. Web site
Wikipedia. As appropriate. Web site
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