Stonebridge is a locality in the London Borough of Brent. Stonebridge is situated in southern Brent and makes up the western part of Harlesden. The A404 runs through the district known locally as Brentfield and Hillside, while to the south are railway tracks and to the west is the North Circular Road along with Stonebridge Park station. The area is known for the previously troubled 1960s Stonebridge housing estate, which was completely redeveloped in the 2010s.
Stonebridge is also the name of the largest electoral ward in the borough, which includes Stonebridge itself as well as Park Royal and the southern half of Neasden including the St Raphael's Estate; it is the most populated ward in Brent with a population over 17,000 with the majority of Afro-Caribbean heritage.
History
The former Unisys office building at the Stonebridge Park North Circular Road junction, abandoned since c. 1996
The area was named after a stone bridge built in the later 17th century (when most bridges were of wood) over the River Brent to the north.
The exclusive Craven Park Estate of large houses was built in the 1860s and later, roughly at the same time as the Midland Railway constructed the Dudding Hill Line (now a freight line), which gave its new residents access to central London. However, the passenger service on the line closed for a second and final time in 1902, but only after a sustained protest campaign by local people.
In January 1928, over 200 homes on the Brentfield Estate in Stonebridge Park were flooded. The River Brent broke its banks near the Harrow Road.[2]
Although other high-quality housing had grown up around the now-closed nearby Harlesden (Midland) railway station, the area failed to consolidate as an up-market suburb, because of the general expansion of London, increasing industry, and the building of low-quality, cheap housing, in the late nineteenth century. Sub-division of many of the large houses was carried out and Stonebridge became a low-income area, which continued after high-rise comprehensive redevelopment, mostly built in a single architectural style and called the 'Stonebridge Estate', in the 1960s and 1970s.[3][4]
Some parts of Stonebridge have always been in private ownership, and not been part of the Stonebridge Estate.
Church of St Michael & All Angels on Hillside, StonebridgeInside Royal Mail's Princess Royal Distribution Centre, mainly used as a road mail hub but with some going by rail
Although Stonebridge is geographically adjacent to the Park Royal industrial estate, it is almost entirely cut off from it because of the Bakerloo/Watford DC/West Coast Main Line railway tracks and a large Royal Mail distribution centre.
Built environment
Demolition of an old 8-storey building in 2007 (replacement housing is visible behind)Lawrence Avenue in the present-day Stonebridge estate
During the 1950s the council planned a massive redevelopment covering almost 100 acres of Stonebridge. More than 2,000 units were built, mostly in high-rise blocks, the first of which opened in 1967.[5]
Some improvements in the street scene happened in the early 1990s, as a result of the 'Harlesden City Challenge' award of government money to the area, which was by now regarded as one of the most troubled parts of London. In April 1994, The Independent newspaper highlighted an unemployment rate of around 25% (compared to a national average of around 10% at the time), as well as widespread drug abuse, burglaries and violence.[6]
Most improvements, however, came after 2000, when comprehensive redevelopment of the 1960s and 1970s housing started. This is mainly complete by 2010, although some empty high-rise buildings were still being demolished.
A traditional street layout has been introduced, largely of two- and three-storey houses, often with four-storey flats around street junctions.
The Stonebridge Estate has been redeveloped by Stonebridge Housing Action Trust, set up in 1994 under the Housing Act 1988, and with the aim to "transform the 1,775 home Stonebridge Estate by providing innovative solutions to the problems of social and economic deprivation faced by local residents".
It responded with various training and leisure initiatives, and modern, low-rise houses with some four-storey blocks of flats, mainly on street corners to give variety to the street scene.
In 2008, the redevelopment was awarded the European Urban and Regional Planning Award, under the category Public Participation in Planning,[7] for its "exemplary approach to public participation".
The Housing Action Trust was dissolved in 2007, and housing is now a mixture of housing association ownership (Hillside Housing Trust, part of the Hyde Group) and reversion to the London Borough of Brent. Tenants were given a choice about which ownership they preferred.
Winchelsea Road, Stonebridge. The trees on the left have been protected by a Tree Preservation Order
New development on Hillside, part of the A404 Harrow Road through the area, includes private ownership of flats above offices, and a health centre. Redevelopment has gone hand-in-hand with training and sports initiatives for local people.
A tree preservation order has been adopted by Brent Council on Winchelsea Road nearby, to protect the street scene, forcing new buildings to be set back from the road. The "exemplary approach to public participation" award quoted above may well have been justified regarding estate residents, but there were local media claims in 2007 that it was not true regarding neighbours, as evidenced by Brent Council's willingness to protect the Winchelsea Road trees.
Crime
Stonebridge suffers from high rates of violent crime. In 2015 it had the highest recorded gun crime of any ward in London, with 16 individual reports of gunshots.[8]
Police figures for 2016–2017 included 768 incidents of violence and sexual offences and 868 incidents of antisocial behaviour;[9] in this period police abandoned more than 41 percent of cases because no culprit was identified.
Neighbouring Harlesden witnessed a huge increase in shootings from around 1999, becoming the highest murder rated district nationwide by 2001. This contributed to Stonebridge's reputation as one of the most dangerous places in the UK, as most perpetrators were associated or lived in the Stonebridge estate.
In 2003, 21-year-old college student Kavian Francis-Hopwood was shot dead on the Stonebridge Park estate. [10] In August 2005 two sisters and their mother's partner were murdered in a contract killing in Clark Court, Stonebridge.[citation needed] In 2009 a young father was murdered outside a party at a Stonebridge primary school.[11] And in 2010 former Millwall footballer Gavin Grant was one of three men found guilty of shooting dead Leon Labastide on a street in Stonebridge: Stephen Batten QC, prosecuting, said the case reflected a "law of the jungle" culture of shootings and drug dealing on the estate.[12]
As regeneration continues, negative press coverage[13] is inching toward the positive.[14] However, crime figures remain high. Police officers say gun crime in particular remains a serious problem.[15]
Rapper from the USG Crew, Smalls, was murdered outside a chicken shop near Stonebridge Park station on 5 July 2019.[16]
On 4 June 2020, a suspected member of USG travelled to Harlesden, Church Road and performed a quadruple shooting, in retaliation for a previous incident. This was yet another case of the ongoing tit-for-tat shootings between gangs in the Harlesden and Stonebridge area. A toddler was shot in the head in the incident, but miraculously survived.
On 16 July 2020 a member of Harrow Road Boyz gang, Billy McCullagh (also known as Billy The Kid), was shot dead on Windrush Road in the Stonebridge Estate as the norm of tit-for-tat shootings continues.[17]
Demography
Stonebridge has a large black population, the highest in the London Borough of Brent.[18] The 2011 census showed that 47.2% of the population was black, up from 45.8% in 2001.[18] Whites formed 23.5% of the population in the 2011 census, down from 33% in 2001.[18]Christians and Muslims form 49.9% and 28.2% of the population respectively.[18]
The majority of the population of Stonebridge are social renters, at 63.3%.[18]
Harlesden is a district in the London Borough of Brent, North West London.
Brent is a borough in north-west London, England. It is known for landmarks such as Wembley Stadium, the Swaminarayan Temple and the Kiln Theatre. It also contains the Welsh Harp reservoir and the Park Royal commercial estate. The local authority is Brent London Borough Council.
Wealdstone is a district located in the centre of the London Borough of Harrow, England. It is located just north of Harrow town centre and is south of Harrow Weald, west of Belmont and Kenton, and east of Headstone. The area accommodates most of Harrow's industrial and business designated land. Wealdstone was the location of the Kodak Harrow factory; it closed in 2016. Wealdstone is centred on the High Street, and much traffic is bypassed from here by the George Gange Way flyover built in 1996. Its western boundary is formed by Harrow View, across which Headstone Manor lies, whereas on the east is Byron Park and the Belmont Trail. Harrow & Wealdstone station and the council offices are located at its southern end.
Wembley is a large suburb in the London Borough of Brent, north-west London, 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Charing Cross. It includes the neighbourhoods of Alperton, Kenton, North Wembley, Preston, Sudbury, Tokyngton and Wembley Park. The population was 102,856 in 2011.
Willesden is an area of north-west London, situated 5 miles (8 km) north-west of Charing Cross. It is historically a parish in the county of Middlesex that was incorporated as the Municipal Borough of Willesden in 1933; it has formed part of the London Borough of Brent in Greater London since 1965. Dollis Hill is also sometimes referred to as being part of Willesden.
Brent South was a constituency for the House of Commons of the UK Parliament; the areas of the constituency chiefly fell into the new Brent Central for the 2010 general election which was the date of its abolition. It elected one member (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
Queen's Park is an area in North West London and West London, located partly in the City of Westminster and mostly in the London Borough of Brent. Some of the area within Westminster forms a civil parish, the first to be created in London since the right of communities to establish civil parishes was enacted in 2007. The area is located 4 miles (6.4 km) north-west of Charing Cross, and centred around a 30 acres (12 ha) park, which opened in 1887 and was named in honour of Queen Victoria. The area gives its name to Queens Park Rangers football club.
Park Royal is an area in Northwest London, England, divided between the London Borough of Ealing and the London Borough of Brent.
Brent Central was a constituency in Greater London, represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament from 2010 until its abolition for the 2024 general election by Dawn Butler of the Labour Party.
London Buses route 18 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Sudbury & Harrow Road station and Euston bus station, it is operated by RATP Dev Transit London.
Harrow Road is an ancient route in North West London which runs from Paddington in a northwesterly direction towards Harrow. It is also the name given to the immediate surrounding area of Queens Park and Kensal Green, straddling the NW10, W10, W2 and W9 postcodes. With minor deviations in the 19th and 20th centuries, the route remains otherwise unaltered.
Willesden West was a constituency in Middlesex adjoining the County of London and forming part of the London conurbation, in London itself from 1965. It returned one member to the House of Commons of the UK Parliament 1918–1974.
Brondesbury Park is a suburb and electoral ward of the London Borough of Brent. It is the part of Brondesbury which is not interwoven with Kilburn due to the naming of a major tube station (Kilburn) and is centred on Brondesbury Park railway station and the street, an avenue, which shares its name. The area has a number of open spaces, primarily Queen's Park and Tiverton Green.
The A404 is a road in the United Kingdom that starts at Paddington in London and terminates near Maidenhead in Berkshire. It is 44.6 miles (71.8 km) long.
Gavin Grant is an English former professional footballer who was convicted in July 2010 of a murder committed in 2004. He is currently serving a life sentence.
Tokyngton, also locally known as Monks Park, is a locality that forms the southeastern part of the town of Wembley in Greater London, in the London Borough of Brent, England. Most refer it as being either Wembley or Stonebridge, as the name Tokyngton is historical and out of favour, hardly used by locals and not noted as a destination on road signs, except for street names and public places bearing the name. Tokyngton was first mentioned in 1171, its name meaning "the farm of the sons of Toca". However the name does officially survive as an electoral ward of Brent London Borough Council.
Harlesden railway station was a station in northwest London on the south side of the southern section of a road called Craven Park, which is part of the A404 Harrow Road between Paddington and Wembley. The station was sometimes known as Harrow Road or as Stonebridge Park.
Church End, known locally as "Church Road", is a small locality in the London Borough of Brent, north of Harlesden, west of Willesden and south of Neasden. Its population is predominantly Afro-Caribbean.
Chalkhill Estate is located in the Wembley Park area of north-west London. It was originally one of three large council estates built in the London Borough of Brent by the early 1970s, along with Stonebridge and South Kilburn. The design was based on that of Park Hill in Sheffield. The high-rise estate was demolished by 2000 and gradually replaced by new low-rise builds.
South Kilburn is a large housing estate in Kilburn, in the London Borough of Brent. Typical of brutalist 1960s designs of public housing in the United Kingdom, it is characterised by high-density housing in low-rise flats and 11 concrete tower blocks. It was approved in 1959 and extended in 1963. This scheme was further developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s; redevelopment occurred during the 2010s. The population is predominantly Afro-Caribbean and Pashtun.
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