Preston Road, HA3

Road in/near Preston Road, existing until now.

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(51.57416 -0.29435, 51.574 -0.294) 
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Road · * · HA3 ·
JANUARY
2
2023
Preston Road is a main shopping road leading past the station of the same name.

Preston emerged in 1220 as a small settlement centred around Preston Green, just southwest of the Lidding or Wealdstone Brook. The settlement’s name may originate from an estate granted to Abbot Stidberht by King Offa (it means ’the farm belonging to the priest’), though any connection to the rural Preston Road was lost by 1086. Preston was established as a township by 1231.

By the mid-1400s, Preston consisted of two farms and some cottages. The northern Lyon family farm, dating to the late 1300s, was described as beautiful in 1547 and was likely the birthplace of John Lyon. He founded Harrow School in 1572, after which the farm supported the school, being rebuilt around 1700. The southern farm was first called Preston Dicket before becoming Preston Farm.

Around 1850, the short-lived “Rose & Crown” beerhouse opened at Preston Hill, likely part of Hillside Farm.

The popular Preston Tea Gardens under George Timms was opened around 1880. The Tea Gardens flourished well into the following century.

Despite the 1894 Wembley Park station opening, the Metropolitan Railway did not spur development, even rejecting a Preston stop in 1896 given the tiny population. Into the early 1900s, the area remained rural with the unspoiled Wealdstone Brook meandering through the district, described as “one of the most perfect little streams anywhere, abounding in dace and roach.”

The 1900s brought slow transformation. Uxendon Farm became a shooting ground (the Lancaster Shooting Club), hosting 1908 Olympic clay pigeon events. Pressure from the shooting club, being two miles from any station led to Preston Road Halt opening in 1908.

Preston Road Halt triggered the first wave of commuter development in the area. After 1910, some large Edwardian houses arose along Preston Road itself. In 1912, Harrow Golf Club opened near the station, joining the earlier Wembley Golf Club from 1895 on Barn Hill’s southern slopes. Both golf courses would vanish under new housing constructed between the wars, as suburban expansion gradually transformed the rural landscape.

Enhanced transportation finally enabled suburban expansion. Christ Church College, Oxford and Harrow School sold their Preston estates between 1921-1933. Construction commenced at Forty Green as early as 1923-1924, with housing quickly spreading along Preston Road and Preston Hill over the next three years. As communications advanced, open land swiftly transitioned to suburban development.

Many country lanes in the area remained unimproved until 1931-1932 under Wembley’s Town Planning Scheme. Preston Road itself continued as a rural country lane into the late 1930s, which may explain its enduring charm.



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CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LOCALITY

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LATEST LONDON-WIDE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROJECT

Comment
Wendy    
Added: 22 Mar 2024 15:33 GMT   

Polygon Buildings
Following the demolition of the Polygon, and prior to the construction of Oakshott Court in 1974, 4 tenement type blocks of flats were built on the site at Clarendon Sq/Phoenix Rd called Polygon Buildings. These were primarily for people working for the Midland Railway and subsequently British Rail. My family lived for 5 years in Block C in the 1950s. It seems that very few photos exist of these buildings.

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Steve   
Added: 19 Mar 2024 08:42 GMT   

Road construction and houses completed
New Charleville Circus road layout shown on Stanford’s Library Map Of London And Its Suburbs 1879 with access via West Hill only.

Plans showing street numbering were recorded in 1888 so we can concluded the houses in Charleville Circus were built by this date.

Source: Charleville Circus, Sydenham, London

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Comment
Steve   
Added: 19 Mar 2024 08:04 GMT   

Charleville Circus, Sydenham: One Place Study (OPS)
One Place Study’s (OPS) are a recent innovation to research and record historical facts/events/people focused on a single place �’ building, street, town etc.

I have created an open access OPS of Charleville Circus on WikiTree that has over a million members across the globe working on a single family tree for everyone to enjoy, for free, forever.

Source: Charleville Circus, Sydenham, London

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Comment
Charles   
Added: 8 Mar 2024 20:45 GMT   

My House
I want to know who lived in my house in the 1860’s.

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NH   
Added: 7 Mar 2024 11:41 GMT   

Telephone House
Donald Hunter House, formerly Telephone House, was the BT Offices closed in 2000

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Comment
Paul Cox   
Added: 5 Mar 2024 22:18 GMT   

War damage reinstatement plans of No’s 11 & 13 Aldine Street
Whilst clearing my elderly Mothers house of general detritus, I’ve come across original plans (one on acetate) of No’s 11 & 13 Aldine Street. Might they be of interest or should I just dispose of them? There are 4 copies seemingly from the one single acetate example. Seems a shame to just junk them as the level of detail is exquisite. No worries if of no interest, but thought I’d put it out there.

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Comment
Diana   
Added: 28 Feb 2024 13:52 GMT   

New Inn Yard, E1
My great grandparents x 6 lived in New Inn Yard. On this date, their son was baptised in nearby St Leonard’s Church, Shoreditch

Source: BDM London, Cripplegate and Shoreditch registers written by church clerk.

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Comment
Vic Stanley   
Added: 24 Feb 2024 17:38 GMT   

Postcose
The postcode is SE15, NOT SE1

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LOCAL PHOTOS
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Forty Farm, Wembley Forty Farm was situated where the Sudbury to Kingsbury road crossed the Lidding at Forty Bridge. In the 14th or 15th centuries, people, including the Uxendon family from Uxendon Farm, moved south to form another small community at Forty Green. This settlement was known as Uxendon Forty, Wembley Forty or Preston Forty. The farm at Forty Green was at first called Pargrave’s and later South Forty Farm. London’s growing need for hay meant that Forty Farm had converted to hay farming by 1852 and indeed was noted for its horses. The construction of the Metropolitan Railway in 1880 effectively destroyed Forty Green, although South Forty Farm continued into the 20th century. In 1928 the farm became the headquarters of the Century Sports Ground. The ground was built over after 1931. Housing spread along Preston Road and Preston Hill in the three years that followed.
Old London postcard
TUM image id: 1557227472
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