EPW044065 ENGLAND (1934). Residential area surrounding Northwick Circle and The Ridgeway, Kenton, 1934

There appears to be a substantially sized garden at the rear of the Rest Hotel at this time. No doubt it was used for functions and weddings during the summer months. There would be a garage block in this area, the purpose of which would appear to be for the care of residents/patrons vehicles. The rear area is now dominated by a Premier Inn budget hotel and car park, I dare say that its presence justifies the continuing existence of the large older Rest Hotel building.

This footbridge crossing the LNWR/LMS railway line connecting Northwick Avenue with The Ridgeway existed before either road was developed. It was probably built to honour an older footpath right of way connecting Sheepcote Farm and Woodcock Farm.

This may well be a hoarding advertising that this was to be the site of the Odeon Cinema. http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/15728 The vacant site is about where Black Farm (later Kenton Road Farm) would have been situated. The old buildings may have been utilised by the developers (Costin/Nash?) when the residential development took place on the old farmlands in about 1926. Certainly, it appears that the plot remained undeveloped for a few years after this, until the cinema was built in around 1934/35.

Churchill Hall - Wembley/Brent North Conservative Club. In the 60s this was the rather unlikely venue for the New Fender Club, which hosted such R&B luminaries of the time as The Who, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, The Yardbirds, The Graham Bond Organisation and visiting blues acts from the US. Hard to imagine looking at the rather forlorn building today. Never an attractive building, it is now closed up, surrounded by hoardings and awaiting demolition. It was one of several popular local R&B venues, which included The Granada in Harrow, The Railway Hotel (Wealdstone), The Rising Sun and Starlite Ballroom (the old Odeon cinema) in Sudbury, the British Legion in South Harrow, The Bridge Hotel, The White Hart, and Northcote Arms all in Southall and the Oldfield Tavern in Greenford. The youth of the area were spoiled for choice when it came to live music venues.

This house appeared to pre-date the surrounding housing. It was set back from Woodcock Hill in a substantial piece of land. By the 1960s it was unoccupied and falling into disrepair. To local children it was known as 'Spooks'. It was with great delight that, on dark evenings, they would make their way up the long path to the front door, knock on it and then run off screaming in self-generated terror.

81 Woodcock Hill - My parents bought it in 1964. I sold it in 2011. they paid (I think) £5000 for it !

St. Leonard's Church/Mission Hall. This was the original church built on the site in 1927. It was a temporary structure and was rebuilt in 1935 and consecrated as St Mary-the-Virgin. The name of the original structure explains the name of the adjoining St Leonard's Avenue. Something that has probably mystified many locals.

Railway Terrace. Railway cottages owned by the LNWR/LMS which were probably swept away before or at the time of the Sainsbury development in the old goods yard.

Mount Stewart Avenue with little sign of any development.

Wallace Spiers coal merchant's office

This appears to be a temporary access road off Woodcock Hill opposite Aston Avenue. It was probably built to service the housing construction work that appears to be starting in that part of Woodcock Hill. The building lower down appears to be a temporary site building as it does not correspond to any of the later detached houses built here. Neither was it an older building as this area was previously undeveloped farm fields and sports pitches.

Kenton Court flats

Woodcock Farm House. All that remained at this time of Woodcock Farm. This building too would be replaced in later years by a more modern building in The Ridgeway.

The West Coast Mainline of the LMS Railway.

Northbound empty mineral train.

Kenton station.

Windermere Avenue

Woodcock Hill

The Ridgeway

Draycott Avenue

Aston Avenue

The rebuilt (Travellers') Rest Hotel. Once the largest public house and function rooms in Middlesex. Now a very run-down and prosaically named Beefeater in a very run-down Kenton.

The Palaestra tennis and social club. Later to become the Northwick Circle Masonic Centre.

St John's Presbyterian Church Hall. The church was not yet built in the area with the 'U' shaped drive.