Just 474 more votes - writ large...

For too many weeks we have had to endure billboards of David Cameron and the Tory Party - funded from abroad...

I'm proud and delighted that local residents, friends of mine, supporters, people who live here in NW6, NW3 agreed to fund a specific number of billboards in support of our campaign for a new type of local MP.

The first of these has gone up in Hilltop Road, near Swiss Cottage and received quite a lot of comment judging by my e-mail in-box!

Enjoy! :-)

Ed

Souces 1

I often get asked where I get the content for the blog and especially the reference text books. The simple answer is that virtually all of the blog is driven by my own photographs but I have a shelf of local history text books that I constantly refer to to try and check things out.

So over the next few weeks I'll try and gve a few pointers of recommended books and pamphlets:

- Hampstead Past, by Christopher Wade, published in 1989 and reprinted in 2002 by Historical Publications Ltd. ISBN 0 948667 05 2

- Wartime Camden (booklet), compiled by Valerie Hart and Lesley Marshall, 1983, London Borough of Camden Libraries and Arts Department

- The Good Grave Guide to Hampstead Cemetery, Fortune Green, by Marianne Colloms and Dick Weindling, 2000 by Camden History Society, ISBN 0 904491 47 1

- Queen's Park, Kensal, Brondesbury and Harlesden, A Pictorial History by Len Snow, 2006, Phillimore, ISBN 1 86077 416 4

- Buildings of England, London 4: North, by Bridget Cherry and Nikolaus Pevsner, 2002, Yale University Press, ISBN 0 300 09653 4

Back in service - busy and typing

My apologies for the gap in service on the blog - it's been a shade busy as I'm sure you all understand.

The election is now looming big and proper - but that's just the excuse - I have loads of bits and pieces worth sharing on here so am now playing catch up.

Most recently I was at the east London reception for President Sharrif Ahmed, President of the Transitional Government of Somalia.

It was an incredibly moving and emotional evening for the 9,000 Somalis present - and as one of the few non-Somalis present it was a huge honour for me to be there. The President was preceeded by a host of speeches, singers, dancers and a rage of colour and cheering and then made an incredibly measured and sincere speech to the assembled throng.

Now my Somalia is not very good (non-existent) but I was able to appreciate firstly the significance of the occasion but also the art-deco surroundings of the theatre we were in - curious similar and resplendant to the Kilburn Gaumont State Cinema (but of course smaller!). :-)

The gate of Kings?

If you walk down or up the Kilburn High Road you can't help but notice the massive development taking place at number 156-162 (?) on the camden side.

It's a huge retail development that includes going down into the basements as well as an extension on the roof to add a residential floor.

In short it is a big major development. For too long it lay empty and looked like nothing was happening and now it's all a go-go.

So the other day I was wandering along the back along Kingsgate Place - a charming small cobbled street that has the Brazillian Cafe and the Youth Club Station in and happened to pause and look up.

I'm not sure what I expected but I did not expect to see the quality of brickwork and windows that are there. It's got ana amazing perspective and sense of space and I can only assume are stunning inside.

It has a slightly church/chapel air about it but suspect it was just the finest of department stores from the late 19th century...

Any tips or leads from local residents out there who remember?

The local landmark between Kilburn and Willesden

Chrich Church is a stunning landmark over Brondesbury looking down to Kilburn.

Work on the Church started in 1865 and it is a classic of it's time - a daughter church of St Mary's, Willesden, the church was opened by the Bishop of London on 21st November 1866.

It was widely acknowledged as a local landmakr and in the centenary of Michael Faraday's discovery of electricity was lit up in 1931.

Just in the entrance lobbies of north west London

Has there ever been a study of the tiles in the entrance doors of north west London or more generally.

It's certainly something that I have copied on here before and it's amazing the range of tiles that exist out there - this is a small set that I have icked up recently in the Brondesbury Park area that I thought you might enjoy

To my mind they all have an amazing sense of colour and vibrancy and are a sort of post metrolandstyle and design - it's tricky to see how old they are precisely - I suspect some are late 19th century, but the colours stand forth as clear as day still.

But I have to say that I think despite all the ones I have seen this slightly damaged one of the parrot is my favourite (or is it a cockatiel?).

But the simple charm, the colours, the almost cocky style to the head pluamge is just great fun and worth taking the picture...

The oldest paper in town?

There is something about a newspaper whereby the credibility and esteem in which it is held is built on when it was founded - almost as though the sense that it has survived all those years means it is well read, respected, attached to it's community.

So here we are at Premier Corner, on Kilburn Lane near Queen's Park Tube station (West Kilburn by my geography) and have the foundation stone in the new offices (built, according to the plaque in 1964).

The masthead of the Kilburn Times still proudly proclaims
Established 1868

So the plaque reads:
The north-western printing and publishing association limited.
This stone was laid by Mrs Kate Hewlett
Daughter of Thomas Smith - Proprietor
of the Kilburn Times in 1874 and Managing
Director of the Present Company from
1894 to 1910 - in the presence of his
Great Grandson Mr J H M Page - grandson
of Sidney Page who was chairman
From 1904 to 1930

Architect Sidney & Bettesworth LRIBA FRICS
Surveyors McCann & Bracken
Builders Y J Lovell & Son Ltd
23rd July 1964