At the turn of the nineteenth century, the local area was farmland - mainly orchards and market gardens which supplied fresh produce to the city of London. There was a track — Gaggle Goose Green — connecting two main routes into London, the Uxbridge Road and Goldhawk Road. The area halfway along the track was known as Starch Green.

As urbanisation continued, a growing demand for building materials encouraged many farmers to turn to brickmaking since the clay hereabouts was of good quality. The process created many lakes and ponds. Between 1870 and 1890 over 17 million bricks were produced with the 50 acre Stamford Brook brickfield employing 250 people.

In the latter half of the century, new tram and train services made the area attractive to clerks and other City workers and affordable housing started to cover the fields. Askew Road became a commercial centre at this time with a particular specialisation in laundries.

During the Second World War, a concrete shelter was built for public use in Wendell Park. The area suffered badly during the war with the Sun pub receiving a direct hit.