Friday 26 April 2013

The Queen's Park area of London

By Jeremy Hue


In North West London, split between the Borough of Brentwood and the City of Westminster lies Queen's Park. The major road through this area is Salusbury Road, which is served by two train stations, these being Queen's Park Station and Brondesbury Park Station. In common with Kilburn, northern Queen's park was developed by Soloman Barnett between 1895 and 1905. Classical architecture is the common theme in the two-story terraced houses built from 1895 to 1900, whilst the western houses, developed over the next five years, are much more Gothic in their lines. The popular shopping area of Salisbury Road has a growing number of places to eat, drink and relax.

The 'Artisans and Labourers' General Dwelling Company built the original 2000 houses that now form Queen's Park Estate, stretching from Harrow road to Kilburn Lane. Built between 1850 and 1900, these again show Gothic influence. In this style, pinnacles and turrets are a major feature along the six original main avenues which remain today. The local streets were named alphabetically, the letters A through to P forming the entirety of their names. These streets now have names beginning with the original letter, For instance, Alperton, Bartlett, Caird, and so on.

Queen Victoria gave her name to Queen's Park Gardens in 1886, the year before her Golden Jubilee. The gardens were used by local footballers whose players lived on Queens Park Estate. It was from these humble beginnings that Queen's Park Rangers FC came into being.

Local schools such as Salusbury Primary School and Queen's Park Community School rank highly in national league tables. Some parents still choose to send their children to private schools further afield, however, in areas such as Highgate, Notting Hill and Hampstead. However, the local schools are mainly thought of as satisfactory by local residents.

Queen's Park area has two major shopping thoroughfares, Salisbury Road, and Kilburn High Road. The former has more independent stores, as well as having the most restaurants, deli's and caf'es. Fresh produce can be also be bought here at the Sunday farmers' market at the local primary school. The cheaper and busier latter street is predominantly filled with chain stores.

Queen's Park has received a Green Flag award for its facilities, consisting of a children's play park, paddling pool, and animal farm. For the adults, there is a caf'e, tennis courts and a petanque pitch. The park is run by the City of London Corporation, and is a beautiful venue for community events.

Kensal Green Cemetery covers 72 acres of land, and is one of London's oldest burial places. It is a haven for wildlife with two conservation areas and a canal-side area. Tours of the cemetery and historic memorials are available.

Off Kilburn High Road is Kilburn Tricycle Theatre and Cinema, which is a haven of modish charm, staging thought provoking plays based on topical subjects such as the murder of Steven Lawrence and the Deepcut barracks suicides.




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