Willesden: Churches

A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 7, Acton, Chiswick, Ealing and Brentford, West Twyford, Willesden. Originally published by Victoria County History, London, 1982.

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'Willesden: Churches', in A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 7, Acton, Chiswick, Ealing and Brentford, West Twyford, Willesden, (London, 1982) pp. 236-241. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/middx/vol7/pp236-241 [accessed 11 April 2024]

Churches.

Willesden church, mentioned in 1181, (fn. 1) was the parish church for the whole of Willesden until 1867. The rectory belonged to the dean and chapter of St. Paul's, London. (fn. 2) A vicarage was first mentioned in 1249-50 as having all the altar dues, a house and garden next the church, and some land. (fn. 3) The advowson of the vicarage always belonged to the dean and chapter of St. Paul's and was reserved from leases of the rectory in the 13th century but was leased with the rectory during the later Middle Ages, when the lessees were canons. (fn. 4)

In 1297 the vicarage was taxed at £2; (fn. 5) in 1474 the vicar was allowed to be non-resident because of the small value of the vicarage, (fn. 6) but in 1535 its annual value was £14. (fn. 7) It was £40 in 1650 (fn. 8) and £160 in 1847. (fn. 9) The vicar's property in 1297 consisted of a house and garden, 9 a. of arable, and 4 marks a year from the chamber of St. Paul's. (fn. 10) In 1652 £50 a year was voted as augmentation for the vicar (fn. 11) but from 1668 lessees of the rectory were required to pay £20 a year to the vicar. (fn. 12) In 1823 the vicar's glebe consisted of some 15 a. at Church End and his tithes were commuted to a corn rent then worth £129. (fn. 13) In 1887 the corn rent was converted into a rent charge of £84. By that time the vicarial glebe had shrunk to 5 a. (fn. 14) The vicar had conveyed a small piece of the glebe for the parish school in 1840 (fn. 15) and in 1881 he exchanged his lands southwest of the church for rectorial glebe surrounding the vicarage. (fn. 16) The vicarage received grants from the Common Fund of £10 a year in 1849, £30 a year in 1863, £120 a year for a curate in 1867, and £560 for a parsonage in 1881; (fn. 17) the gross income increased from £169 a year in 1851 (fn. 18) to £507 a year by 1896. (fn. 19)

The vicarage house was assessed on six hearths in 1664. (fn. 20) Rebuilt as a plain brick house in the 18th century, (fn. 21) it was in a very bad condition by 1851 when, aided by a grant from Queen Anne's Bounty, it was replaced by a solid building designed by Thomas Tinkler on a site further north. (fn. 22) In 1904 that was in turn replaced by a large building designed by W. D. Caroëon the same site. In 1939 N. F. Cachemaille-Day designed a new vicarage, sited to the south, and the old vicarage was turned into flats in 1975. (fn. 23)

A gift of property by Ralph Fairsire of Harlesden by will proved 1349 for a chantry before the altar of St. Catherine in Willesden church (fn. 24) had no mortmain licence; the king confiscated it and granted it to a layman in 1392. (fn. 25) Thomas Willesden, by will proved 1494, gave the residue of his money for a chantry chaplain and an obit, but there is no evidence of any such chantry or obit. (fn. 26) Obits were founded by William Barber (fl. mid 14th century), (fn. 27) William Page (1500), (fn. 28) and Thomas Paulet (fl. 1494), (fn. 29) the endowments being confiscated and sold in 1548-9. (fn. 30) In 1297 the church contained a great cross with images of the Virgin and St. John the Evangelist on the beam next the chancel besides images of St. John the Baptist, St. Nicholas, and St. Catherine. (fn. 31) Of the Virgin there were two large sculptured images and a red banner with a gold image in 1249-50 (fn. 32) and two images with tabernacles in 1297. (fn. 33)

The cult of St. Mary at Willesden, (fn. 34) for which the evidence belongs mostly to the later Middle Ages, attracted pilgrims from London and generous offerings, although even before the Reformation it was regarded with some suspicion. It may have originated either with the 'distant tradition' that the Virgin appeared in the churchyard and caused a spring to flow or with the veneration of an ancient image of the Virgin. The tradition suggests that the church was built on the site of a holy well, perhaps that which gave Willesden its name. (fn. 35) The image was described by a woman who in 1509 was ordered to do penance for her blasphemy as 'a brunt-tailed elf on a brunt-tailed stock', (fn. 36) and c. 1535 was found to be of wood 'in colour like ebony, of ancient workmanship', covered with silk and jewels; it was taken away and burnt at Chelsea in 1538. (fn. 37)

The medieval church had been rich in ornaments, plate, vestments, and books. (fn. 38) Some vestments, altar cloths, and a chalice were stolen in 1550 although a considerable quantity still remained. (fn. 39) By the Civil War period puritanical influence was strong; the parish was dominated by the parliamentarian William Roberts who conducted marriages at his house and took charge of the registers during the Interregnum. (fn. 40) Roberts may have had a hand in the appointment of Edward Perkins, vicar from 1645 until ejected in 1662, described in 1649 as a 'learned and able minister'. (fn. 41)

Many of the vicars of Willesden, especially from the late 17th to the mid 19th century, were also canons of St. Paul's, prebendaries, and pluralists. (fn. 42) One prebendary, Francis Hawkins, vicar 1670-99, was followed by another, William Hawkins, vicar 1699-1736, presumably his kinsman and perhaps his son, who married one of the coheirs of the Roberts estate. William Hawkins, whose brother George acted as his curate in 1714, (fn. 43) was also minister of Kingsbury as were several other vicars in the 18th century and the early 19th. One such was Moses Wright (1764-94), a canon and a fashionable London preacher, who seems to have been reasonably conscientious in the cure of Willesden and Kingsbury: in 1777 services were held at Willesden at 8 and 10 a.m. on most Sundays. Kingsbury people were expected to attend usually at Willesden. (fn. 44)

There had been chaplains to assist the vicar in the 13th century, (fn. 45) 1381, (fn. 46) 1547, (fn. 47) 1559, and 1562. (fn. 48) Curates were common from the 1680s. (fn. 49) In 1807 the vestry requested the vicar to pay the parish occasional visits and to appoint a resident curate, and when the vicar replied that he could not afford to, the parish made an annual collection and a salaried curate was appointed. (fn. 50) In 1820 on the vicar's death the vestry petitioned the dean and chapter of St. Paul's for a regular afternoon service, as especially needed by servants and the poor; its lack was allegedly a cause of the recent foundation of a dissenting meeting house. (fn. 51) In 1871 a winter evening service was introduced to supplement the summer one, and prayers and the litany were said twice on weekdays. In 1873 there was a morning, afternoon, and evening service on Sundays with communion on alternate Sundays and at the chief festivals. In 1875 women were removed from the choir and surplices were worn. Joseph Crane Wharton, vicar 1864-88, was the first for a long time who was not a pluralist; his curates evangelized the rapidly increasing population, running missions in various parts of the parish, especially during the vicar's absence through illness in the 1880s. (fn. 52) A parish magazine, edited by a curate, was started in 1872. (fn. 53) By 1886 there was a young men's institute, a temperance society, and a choral association. (fn. 54)

By 1903 St. Mary's was attended on one Sunday by 123 in the morning and 304 in the evening, only slightly above the average for Willesden's 17 Anglican churches. (fn. 55) One of the poorest parishes in the diocese of London, St. Mary's in 1907 ran two missions and needed funds for three assistant clergy, a trained nurse, and a parish sister. (fn. 56) Proposals were made in 1897 for a mission room in Taylor's Lane for 200 people. The room, in use by 1900, was attended by 68 people on the evening of one Sunday in 1903. It still existed in 1937. In 1899 St. Mary's opened an iron mission in Dog Lane for railway employees. It was attended on a Sunday in 1903 by 26 in the morning and 31 in the evening. It was used as a church hall for St. Raphael's, Garden Way (q.v.), which replaced it, from 1910 until 1924. (fn. 57)

The suffragan bishopric of Willesden was founded in 1911. (fn. 58)

The church of St. Mary, (fn. 59) so called by c. 1280, (fn. 60) is built of ragstone rubble and flint with freestone dressings and consists of a chancel with north and south chapels, aisled nave, south-west tower and south porch. The oldest surviving part of the church is the mid 12th-century font, one of six Norman fonts in Middlesex. (fn. 61) A narrow 12thcentury window, found in the north wall, was destroyed in 1872. Two mid 13th-century cylindrical columns survive in the south and one in the north arcade of the nave, suggesting that the church then had north and south aisles. In 1297 the chancel roof was adequate while those of the bell-tower and nave needed improvement; (fn. 62) at the end of the 14th century the church was described as being in a disgraceful state. (fn. 63) The complaint by parishioners may have prompted the indulgence offered in 1395 to all who contributed to the upkeep of Willesden church. As a result the chancel and south-west tower were rebuilt c. 1400. In the early 16th century a south chapel was added and the outer wall of the south aisle rebuilt; the chancel was renovated and the chancel arch rebuilt, and possibly at that time the north aisle was removed and the arcade filled. (fn. 64) A south porch was added perhaps in the 17th century. In 1750 a small square turret with a pyramidal roof surmounted the tower; (fn. 65) in 1785 it was falling in and was repaired, but it was removed soon afterwards, probably in 1793 when a peal of bells was given. (fn. 66) New pews were added c. 1805, and a vestry was built north of the chancel in 1813. A gallery, in existence by 1810, was altered to accommodate pews in 1821, when an organ gallery was built and the windows were modernized. In 1824 more seats were needed. (fn. 67) Roof bosses were removed from the chancel c. 1848 (fn. 68) and the church was 'grievously dilapidated' in 1849. (fn. 69) An unusually large vestry meeting defeated a proposal to pull down the church and build a new one, deciding instead to preserve the exterior and repair the interior to give 120 more sittings. (fn. 70) In 1852 the chancel was repaired and the nave extended westwards under the architect W. Little. (fn. 71) The church was restored in 1872 under E. J. Tarver: the western gallery was removed, the north aisle and chapel and an entrance porch were built, adding 227 seats to the 520 already there, the cement and whitewash were removed from the exterior, and the tower was opened to the interior. (fn. 72) Other restorations were made to the nave roof in 1895, the south-east chapel in 1917, and the whole church in 1960-4.

There is a fine 14th-century door in the south porch, a piscina in the chancel, an Easter sepulchre in the south-east chapel, and an Elizabethan communion table. (fn. 73) Brasses, rescued after they had been thrown onto a rubbish heap in the course of restoration, include these of Bartholomew Willesden and his wife (1494), the vicar William Lichfield (1517), Margaret wife of Thomas Roberts (1505), Edmund Roberts with his two wives and nine children (1585), Jane Barne and her daughters (1609), and a mid-16th century unidentified woman with six children. There is a sculptured monument to Richard Paine and his wife (1606) and monuments, mostly in black marble, to John Barne (1615), Richard Franklin (1615), John Franklin (1647), Francis Roberts (1631), his wife Mary (1623), Sir William Roberts, Bt. (1688), his wife Sarah (1682), Sir William Roberts (1698), William Roberts (1700), and Elizabeth wife of Francis Brende (1667). (fn. 74) The author Charles Reade (d. 1884) is buried in the churchyard, (fn. 75) which contains many striking 19th-century monuments.

Willesden had two bells in 1297 and four in 1552. (fn. 76) All had been replaced or recast by 1717 when there were five bells, including three dated 1661, 1694, and 1704. (fn. 77) Thomas Mears was paid for a peal of bells in 1793, (fn. 78) of which five survived in the 20th century, together with two given in 1913 from the church of St. Peter-le-Poer, one of 1859, and a sanctus of 1696. (fn. 79)

Plate included a silver chalice in 1249-50 (fn. 80) and 1297, (fn. 81) a chalice given by Thomas Willesden (d. 1494), (fn. 82) and a gilt chalice by the vicar William Lichfield (d. 1517). (fn. 83) In 1552 after the theft of a chalice there remained a silver and gilt chalice and paten and two masers used for bride-ales. (fn. 84) In the late 19th century the oldest plate was a cup dated 1606. (fn. 85) The registers begin in 1569. (fn. 86)

Other C. of E. churches were: (fn. 87)

All Souls, Station Rd., Harlesden. Mission services held by curate of St. Mary's at Harlesden institute 1858. Dist. formed 1875 from Willesden, Acton, St. John's, Kensal Green, and Hammersmith. (fn. 88) Patron Crown and bp. of London alternately. One asst. curate by 1881, two by 1896, three by 1907. Attendance 1903: 360 a.m.; 477 p.m. High Church tradition broken 1906 but restored in 1970s. (fn. 89) Iron church 1869. (fn. 90) Brick bldg. in plain Gothic style 1879 by E. J. Tarver, extended 1890: chancel, nave, N. and S. aisles, central octagon, shallow polygonal apse. Extensive repairs 1967. Worship restricted to octagon 1970. Octagon restored and nave demol. 1979. Missions: St. Mark (q.v.); Old Oak Lane, Willesden Junction, Acton, c. 1902c. 1926; 10A Rucklidge Ave. c. 1902.

Christ Church, Willesden Lane, Brondesbury. (fn. 91) Dist. formed 1867 from St. Mary's under Dr. Charles W. Williams (d. 1889) and financed by his sisters. (fn. 92) Declared a rectory with tithe-charges transferred from St. Mary's 1868. (fn. 93) Williams, patron and first rector, succeeded by son, Charles D. Williams 1889-1913. Patronage sold to parish c. 1930 and transferred to Lord Chancellor c. 1957. United with St. Lawrence's (q.v.) 1971. One asst. curate by 1896, two by 1926. High Church. Attendance 1903: 300 a.m.; 447 p.m. Limestone bldg. in 13thcentury style by C. R. B. King: chancel, north tower and spire, nave, N. aisle, N. transept, and NW. porch 1866, S. aisle and S. transept 1899, choir vestry 1909. Damaged by land mine 1940, restored 1948. Missions: St. Lawrence (q.v.); Poplars Ave. c. 1918; Avenue Close 1903-39.

Good Shepherd, Acton Lane, Lower Place. Mission services held by curate of St. Michael's, Stonebridge, c. 1883. New mission bldg. 1890. (fn. 94) Attendance 1903: 40 a.m., 20 p.m. Closed after 1908.

Holy Trinity, Brondesbury Rd., Kilburn. Founded by min. of St. Paul's, Kilburn (q.v.). Dist. formed 1867 from St. Mary's. (fn. 95) Patron trustees, by 1955 Church Patronage Soc. United with St. Paul's, Kilburn, 1936 and from 1953 held with St. Anne's (q.v.). Low Church. Attendance 1903: 116 a.m.; 108 p.m. Buff brick bldg. 1867 with stone facings by F. and F. J. Francis, seating 1,100. Destroyed by fire 1950 except tower and spire which were demol. by 1970. Mission in Canterbury Rd. 1903-48. (fn. 96)

St. Andrew, High Rd., Willesden Green. Dist. formed 1880 from St. Mary's. (fn. 97) Patron bp. of London and Crown alternately. Benefice suspended under Pastoral Measures Act 1976 and held with St. Francis of Assisi (q.v.). (fn. 98) Four asst. curates by 1896, three by 1926, two by 1947, one by 1970; employed two members of Sisters of Community of Church 1882-3. High Church. Attendance 1903: 235 a.m.; 263 p.m. Iron churches at junction of Villiers and Chaplin Rds. 1880-2, on High Rd. site 1882-7. (fn. 99) Brick bldg. with stone facings in 13th-century style 1887 by J. Brooks, extended 1897, seating 1,000: chancel with N. and S. chapels, aisled and clerestoreyed nave, shallow transepts. (fn. 100) Flemish reredos and 16th-century processional cross from Seville cathedral. Missions: infant sch. in Chaplin Rd. c. 1887-c. 1908; (fn. 101) St. John the Baptist (q.v.).

St. Anne, Salusbury Rd., Brondesbury. Originated as mission of London Diocesan Home Mission 1899. (fn. 102) Parish formed 1905 from Christ Church, Holy Trinity, and St. John's, Kensal Green. Patron bp. of London, from 1953 alternately with Church Patronage Society. Held with Holy Trinity (q.v.) from 1953. Two asst. curates by 1907, one by 1926, none after 1947. Attendance 1903: 62 a.m.; 97 p.m. Iron church 1900. Brick bldg. with stone dressings in 14thcentury style 1905 by J. E. K. and J. P. Cutts, seating 750: chancel with two S. chapels, N. vestry, aisled and clerestoreyed nave.

St. Catherine, (fn. 103) Dudden Hill Lane, Neasden. Chapel of ease to St. Andrew's, Kingsbury, 1901; parish formed 1934. Patron dean and chapter of St. Paul's. Held with St. Paul's, Oxgate, 1980. Attendance 1903: 41 a.m.; 110 p.m. Iron chapel at corner of Neasden Lane and Prout Grove, enlarged 1903. Brick bldg. with stone dressings on new site in 14th-century style 1916 by J. S. Alder: (fn. 104) chancel, S. chapel, aisled nave; W. extension in 13th-century style by E. B. Glanfield, 1954.

St. Cecilia, Acton Lane, Harlesden. Mission of St. Michael's, Stonebridge, 1895. Attendance 1903: 51 a.m.; 66 p.m. Closed 1956. (fn. 105)

St. Francis of Assis, Fleetwood Rd., Gladstone Park. London Diocesan Mission church 1911; parish formed 1934. Patron bp. of London. Held from 1976 with St. Andrew's (q.v.). High Church. Temp. church seating 350 blt. 1911. Buff brick bldg. in style of lower basilica at Assisi 1933 by J. H. Gibbons, seating 446: chancel with vestries, short central tower with transepts, aisled nave. (fn. 106)

St. Gabriel, (fn. 107) Walm Lane, Cricklewood. Dist. formed from St. Andrew's (q.v.) under auspices of London Diocesan Home Mission 1890 with additions from Christ Church (q.v.) 1896. Patron bp. of London. Attendance 1903: 296 a.m.; 444 p.m. Iron church in Chichele Rd. 1891, enlarged 1892 and 1894 to seat 400. Stone bldg. in early 14th-century style 1897 by W. Bassett Smith and R. P. Day: chancel, N. chapel, S. vestry, aisled and clerestoreyed nave with N. transept, W. saddleback tower. Damaged by lightning 1900, restored 1903, seating 940.

St. John The Baptist, Dudden Hill Lane. Mission founded from St. Andrew's (q.v.) with aid from bp. of London's fund. Attendance 1903: 53 a.m.; 60 p.m. Bldg. 1901, seating 350. Closed after 1937. (fn. 108)

St. John The Evangelist, Cambridge Gdns., Kilburn. Perpetual curacy founded 1860. Dist. formed from Holy Trinity (q.v.) 1872. (fn. 109) Patron trustees, by 1907 Church Patronage Soc. One asst. curate by 1877, two by 1882, (fn. 110) one by 1926, none after 1935. United with St. Augustine's, Kilburn, 1971. (fn. 111) Attendance 1903: 134 a.m.; 262 p.m. Founded as Low Church mission from St. Paul's, Kilburn Square (q.v.), in rivalry with High Church St. Mary's, Kilburn. Min. forced to resign when introduced surplices and services 1875. (fn. 112) V. complained of 'Romish tendencies' of St. Augustine's, Kilburn, 1880. (fn. 113) Iron church, seating 2,000, opened at junction of Carlton and Kilburn Park roads and destroyed by fire 1860. Rebuilt 1862. (fn. 114) Buff brick bldg. with red brick dressings 1871 by F. and F. J. Francis, seating 1,100: apsidal chancel, nave, N. and S. aisles, NE. chapel, SE. crypt chapel, SW. tower with octagonal bell-turret and spirelet. Closed 1971 and burnt down 1975.

St. Lawrence, Chevening Rd., Brondesbury. (fn. 115) Mission founded from Christ Church, Brondesbury, c. 1903. Parish formed from Christ Church 1905. Patron bp. of London. United with Christ Church (q.v.) 1971. High Church. Attendance 1903: 79 a.m.; 105 p.m. Iron church c. 1903. Red brick bldg. with stone dressings 1906 by J. E. K. and J. P. Cutts, seating 537: nave, N. and S. aisles, W. baptistery; (fn. 116) never completed. Closed 1971 and subsequently demol.

St. Mark, Bathurst Gdns., Harlesden. (fn. 117) Founded as mission from All Souls (q.v.) 1903. Parish formed, with endowment transferred from St. Olave's, Mile End, 1915. Patron trustees of St. Olave's, Hart Street. Iron church 1903, seating 500. Brick bldg. with stone facings in 14th-century style 1914 by J. S. Alder, seating 500: chancel with chapels, aisled and clerestoreyed nave; W. front completed 1968 by Riley and Glanfield.

St. Martin, Mortimer Rd., Kensal Rise. Founded 1899 as memorial church to Charles J. Vaughan (d. 1897), headmaster of Harrow and dean of Llandaff. Parish formed from St. Mary's, St. John's, Kensal Green, Hammersmith, and Kensington 1900. Patron bp. of London. Attendance 1903: 200 a.m.; 480 p.m. Red brick bldg. with stone dressings in 13th-century style 1899 by J. E. K. and J. P. Cutts, seating 750: chancel with S. chapel, aisled and clerestoreyed nave, base for SW. tower, narthex. Mission in Harrow Rd. by 1899, closed by 1908, (fn. 118) attendance 1903: 89 a.m.; 121 p.m.

St. Matthew, St. Mary's Rd., Willesden. (fn. 119) Founded by London Diocesan Home Mission 1894. Parish formed from St. Mary's and All Souls (q.v.) 1902. Patron bp. of London. One asst. curate by 1899, three by 1905, two by 1912, one from 1928. Attendance 1903: 228 a.m.; 241 p.m. High Church. Musical tradition established c. 1918. Iron church 1895, seating 300. (fn. 120) Brick bldg. with stone facings in mixed style 1901 by W. D. Caroë, seating 878: chancel, SE chapel, nave, passage aisles, N. and S. transepts, narthex. Medieval oak statue of St. Matthew possibly from Glastonbury rood screen. Missions: St. Thomas Rd. 1908; Roundwood Rd. 1926.

St. Michael, St. Michael's Rd., Cricklewood. (fn. 121) Founded by London Diocesan Home Mission 1907. Parish formed from St. Gabriel's (q.v.) 1910. Patron bp. of London. Benefice sequestrated, in charge of V. of St. Gabriel's 1941-5. Benefice suspended because of friction between V. and parishioners 1949-51. Mission church 1907, later parish hall. Ashlar bldg. in 14th-century style 1909 by J. S. Alder, seating 754: chancel with N. chapel, aisled and clerestoreyed nave, base for NW. tower.

St. Michael And All Angels, Hillside, Stonebridge. Mission meetings in rented rooms 1876. Mission room in Melville Rd. 1879. London Diocesan Home Mission provided new mission 1885. (fn. 122) Parish formed from St. Mary's and All Souls (q.v.) 1892. Patron bp. of London. One asst. curate by 1926. Attendance 1903: 179 a.m.; 263 p.m. Red brick bldg. with stone dressings in late 13th-century style 1891 by Goldie and Child, enlarged 1904, seating 750: chancel with N. and S. chapels (1904), aisled and clerestoreyed nave. Missions: Good Shepherd (q.v.); St. Cecilia (q.v.); St. Peter (q.v.).

ST. PAUL, Kilburn Sq., Edgware Rd. Proprietary chapel founded by Francis Nalder and John M. Close 1825. Proprietor and min. c. 1840-1847 John Heming. (fn. 123) Patron Charles Bradley 1863-7, Elizabeth Heming 1868-97. Parish formed 1897. Patron Church Patronage Soc. Attendance 1851: 461 a.m.; 218 p.m.; (fn. 124) 1903: 203 a.m.; 458 p.m. Low Church under evangelical James J. Bolton 1852-63 (fn. 125) and George Despard 1863-7. Congregation split and min. left to found Holy Trinity (q.v.) 1867. Musical reputation established by Henry G. Bonavia Hunt 1887-1905. Bldg. of 1826 enlarged 1887-94, seating 600. Chancel rebuilt by 1908. Church demol. and parish united with Holy Trinity 1936. (fn. 126)

ST. PAUL, Dollis Hill Lane, Oxgate. (fn. 127) Opened in iron church c. 1934 and moved to bldg. (later church hall) in Oxgate Gdns. c. 1936. Patron bp. of London. Brick and concrete bldg. 1939 by N. F. Cachemaille-Day, seating 360: shallow chancel, aisled nave; 18th-century seating from City church. Closed 1980 and united with St. Catherine, Neasden.

ST. PETER, Harrow Rd., Stonebridge. Mission founded from St. Michael's, Stonebridge (q.v.), by 1902. Attendance 1903: 119 a.m.; 68 p.m. Closed after 1937. (fn. 128)

ST. RAPHAEL, Garden Way, Neasden. London Diocesan Home Mission chapel for Great Central Railway estate 1910. Iron church at apex of Gresham and Woodheyes roads 1910, seating 200. Bldg. at Garden Way 1924. (fn. 129)

ST. SAVIOUR, Quainton St., Neasden. (fn. 130) London Diocesan Home Mission chapel for Metropolitan Railway estate 1883. Dist. of St. Saviour and St. Andrew, Kingsbury, formed 1885. Replaced by old St. Andrew's, Kingsbury, 1885. (fn. 131) Brick bldg. 1883, seating 220, used for sch. 1884 and closed 1945.

Footnotes

  • 1. Domesday of St. Paul's, 152.
  • 2. Above, manors.
  • 3. 'Visitations of Churches', Camd. Misc. ix. 3.
  • 4. Above, manors.
  • 5. Visitations of Churches belonging to St. Paul's (Camd. Soc. N.S. lv), 61.
  • 6. Cal. Papal Reg. xiii. 383.
  • 7. Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), i. 434.
  • 8. Lysons, Environs, iii. 620.
  • 9. Ch. Com., Surveys S2, p. 845.
  • 10. Visitations of Churches (Camd. Soc. N.S. lv), 61.
  • 11. Lysons, Environs, iii. 620.
  • 12. St. Paul's MS. C (Sancroft), f. 248.
  • 13. M.R.O., EA/WIL, nos. 182, 187, 479, 487, 518, 524.
  • 14. Ibid. TA/WIL.
  • 15. P.R.O., C 54/12284, no. 3.
  • 16. Ch. Com., file 59830.
  • 17. Lond. Gaz. 10 Aug. 1849, p. 2486; 28 July 1863, p. 3736; 22 Nov. 1867, p. 6229; 5 Aug. 1881, p. 4088.
  • 18. M.R.O., Acc. 1083/11.
  • 19. Crockford (1896).
  • 20. M.R.O., MR/TH/3, m. 5d.
  • 21. Messeder Road Map (1749).
  • 22. M.R.O., Acc. 1083/11; Grange Mus., photo. album 'Willesden'; C. Hodgson, Queen Anne's Bounty, Suppl. (1864), pp. xxvi, lxix.
  • 23. Inf. from G. Hewlett (Brent planning dept.) and curator of Grange Mus., 1980.
  • 24. Cal. Wills in Ct. of Husting, ed. R. R. Sharpe, i. 553.
  • 25. Cal. Pat. 1391-6, 111; Cal. Close, 1392-6, 199-200.
  • 26. P.R.O., PROB 11/10 (P.C.C. 16 Vox, f. 125).
  • 27. Cal. Close, 1346-9, 145; Inq. Non. (Rec. Com.), 196.
  • 28. P.R.O., PROB 11/12 (P.C.C. 17 Moone, f. 130); ibid. E 318/Box 26/1461.
  • 29. Mentioned in Thos. Willesden's will: above; P.R.O., E 301/34 no. 181.
  • 30. P.R.O., E 315/68, f. 366; ibid. E 36/258, f. 65v.; Cal. Pat. 1549-51, 145; 1547-8, 286-8.
  • 31. Visitations of Churches (Camd. Soc. N.S. lv), 59.
  • 32. 'Visitations of Churches', Camd. Misc. ix. 1-3.
  • 33. Visitations of Churches (Camd. Soc. N.S. lv), 60.
  • 34. Para. based on H. M. Gillett, Shrines of Our Lady in Eng. and Wales, 371; T.L.M.A.S. iv (1874), 173-87; see also L. & P. Hen. VIII, x. 189; Potter, Story of Willesden, 73-4.
  • 35. P.N. Mdx. (E.P.N.S.), 160.
  • 36. Black Virgin of Willesden (pamphlet in Grange Mus.).
  • 37. Holinshed's Chronicles (1808 edn.), iii. 806.
  • 38. 'Visitations of Churches', Camd. Misc. ix. 1-3; Visitations of Churches (Camd. Soc. N.S. lv), 59-60; P.R.O., PROB 11/12 (P.C.C. 17 Moone, f. 130); PROB 11/19 (P.C.C. 4 Ayloffe, f. 30).
  • 39. P.R.O., E 315/498, ff. 39-40.
  • 40. Grange Mus., Wood F 24, p. 271.
  • 41. Calamy Revised, ed. Matthews, 386; Grange Mus., Wood F 24, pp. 50 sqq.
  • 42. Hennessy, Novum Rep. 459.
  • 43. Grange Mus., Wood F 33, p. 9.
  • 44. Ibid. 1 B 12 (ch. rate and accts. 1773-1827, s.v. 1777); ibid. Wood F 24, pp. 50 sqq.; F 33, p. 13.
  • 45. St. Paul's MSS. A 29/384, 388; P.R.O., E 40/7906.
  • 46. Church in Lond. 1375-92 (Lond. Rec. Soc. xiii), pp. 20-1.
  • 47. P.R.O., E 301/34, no. 181.
  • 48. Grange Mus., Wood F 24, p. 48.
  • 49. Ibid. Wood F 23, pp. 211 sqq.
  • 50. Ibid. 1 D 29 (vestry order bk. 1722-1814).
  • 51. Ibid. 1 D 10 (vestry order bk. 1814-25).
  • 52. Ibid. Wood F 3 (vicar's ann. reps.); F 24, pp. 24v., 72 sqq.
  • 53. Ibid. F 24, pp. 70 sqq.
  • 54. Ibid. F 3(ann. reps.).
  • 55. Average 414 total attendances: Mudie-Smith, Rel. Life, 414.
  • 56. The Times, 23 Aug. 1907; 21 Dec. 1909.
  • 57. Mudie-Smith, Rel. Life, 414; Grange Mus., Wood F 24, pp. 80, 98; ibid. gen. files, Willesden Chron. (Suppl. 5 March 1937); ibid. 1 A 2 (Willesden Chron. 3 Dec. 1954).
  • 58. V.C.H. Mdx. i. 141.
  • 59. Based on Hist. Mon. Com. Mdx. 132-4; L. R. Dowse and H. Egan, Brent Parish Churches (pamphlet 1970); Pevsner, Mdx. 172-4; T.L.M.A.S. xviii (2).
  • 60. St. Paul's MS. A 29/384.
  • 61. See drawings made in 1839: Grange Mus., MS. 1; above, plate facing p. 209.
  • 62. Visitations of Churches (Camd. Soc. N.S. lv), 59.
  • 63. St. Paul's MS. A 39/1368.
  • 64. T.L.M.A.S. xxii. 37-40; Bodl. MS., Rawl. B 389B, ff. 134-8.
  • 65. Grange Mus., photo. files, Neasden Lane, St. Mary's par. ch. (print 1750).
  • 66. Ibid. MS. 1.
  • 67. Ibid. 1 B 12 (ch. rate and accts. 1773-1827); 1 D 10, 29 (vestry order bks. 1722-1814, 1814-25); Eng. Topog. (Gent. Mag. Libr.), vii. 287-9.
  • 68. Grange Mus., Wood F 27/8-13, 20-3. One survives in Grange Mus.
  • 69. J. H. Sperling, Church Walks in Mdx. (1849), 96-9.
  • 70. Grange Mus., Wood F 24, pp. 9 sqq.
  • 71. Potter, Story of Willesden, 158; Grange Mus., 1 B 16 (church rates 1828-69).
  • 72. Thorne, Environs, 697-9; Grange Mus., Wood F 3 (bldg. cttee. ann. rep.).
  • 73. A communion table was bought in London in 1777: Grange Mus., 1 B 12 (chwdns.' accts. 1773-1827).
  • 74. Bodl. MS. Rawl. B 389B, ff. 134-8; B.L. Add. MSS. 32490, Z 23, CC 31, HH 5, AAA10.
  • 75. Reade was the executor of Laura Seymour, who founded a Willesden charity but had no other connexion with Willesden: Robbins, Mdx. 357-60; Char. com. files.
  • 76. Visitations of Churches (Camd. Soc. N.S. lv), 59; P.R.O., E 315/498, ff. 39-40.
  • 77. Bodl. MS. Rawl. B 389B, ff. 134-8.
  • 78. Grange Mus., 1 B 12 (chwdns.' accts. 1773-1827).
  • 79. T.L.M.A.S. xix. 112; The Times, 14 June 1913.
  • 80. 'Visitations of Churches', Camd. Misc. ix. 1-3.
  • 81. Visitations of Churches (Camd. Soc. N.S. lv), 59.
  • 82. P.R.O., PROB 11/10 (P.C.C. 16 Vox, f. 125).
  • 83. Ibid. PROB 11/19 (P.C.C. 4 Ayloffe, f. 30).
  • 84. Ibid. E 315/498, ff. 39-40.
  • 85. Freshfield, Communion Plate, 55.
  • 86. T.L.M.A.S. xiv. 106; Grange Mus., Wood F 33.
  • 87. Inf. about patronage based on Hennessy, Novum Rep.; Clergy List (1881 and later edns.); Crockford (1896 and later edns.); about architecture on T.L.M.A.S. xviii (2); Dowse and Egan, Brent Parish Churches; inf. for 1979 from the curator, Grange Mus.; about missions on Kelly's Dir. Mdx. (1855 and later edns.); attendance figs. for 1903 from MudieSmith, Rel. Life, 414. For abbreviations used see above, p. 37 n. 68.
  • 88. Lond. Gaz. 14 May 1875, p. 2580.
  • 89. Inf. from the curator, Grange Mus. (1979).
  • 90. Grange Mus., Wood F 24, pp. 70, 99.
  • 91. Based on Par. Ch. of Brondesbury (Christ Church) Centenary Booklet, 1866-1966.
  • 92. Lond. Gaz. 6 Aug. 1867, p. 4356.
  • 93. Ibid. 15 May 1868, p. 2807.
  • 94. Grange Mus., Wood F 3 (ann. reps.); F 24, p. 134.
  • 95. Lond. Gaz. 6 Aug. 1867, p. 4356.
  • 96. Morris, Willesden Surv. pp. 34 sqq.
  • 97. Lond. Gaz. 17 Sept. 1880, p. 4948.
  • 98. Inf. from clergy.
  • 99. Grange Mus., gen. files, St. Andrew's ch. (diary); St. Andrew's Kalendar, Nov. 1881.
  • 100. Grange Mus., Wood F 28/4; ibid. photo. files, St. Andrew's ch.
  • 101. Nat. Soc. files, St. Andrew, Willesden Green.
  • 102. Grange Mus., gen. files, Brondesbury Park (Willesden Chron. 8 July 1904).
  • 103. G. H. Ayerst, Short Acct. of Par. of Neasden-cumKingsbury (pamphlet c. 1907); O.S. Map 1/2,500, Mdx. XI. 14 (1914 edn.).
  • 104. Grange Mus., photo. files, Neasden (44.1977d).
  • 105. Ibid. NM 350; Willesden Chron. 29 Nov. 1895; 17 Aug. 1956.
  • 106. Grange Mus., gen. files, Gladstone Park (New Churches Illus. 1936).
  • 107. G. M. Clibborn and C. F. G. Turner, St. Gabriel's Ch. Willesden Green (pamphlet c. 1903 in Grange Mus.).
  • 108. Grange Mus., gen. files, St. Andrew's ch. (diary); gen. files, Willesden Chron. (Suppl. 5 Mar. 1937).
  • 109. Lond. Gaz. 23 Feb. 1872, p. 693.
  • 110. Ibid. 23 Mar. 1877, p. 2206; 30 June 1882, p. 3032.
  • 111. Kilburn Times, 3 Jan. 1975.
  • 112. Grange Mus., Wood F 24, pp. 118, 258.
  • 113. Nat. Soc. files, Kilburn.
  • 114. Grange Mus., Ball, scrapbk. i, p. 0194 (S. Lond. Chron. 1 Dec. 1860); O.S. Map 6", Mdx. XVI. NE. (1864-73 edn.).
  • 115. Inf. from John G. F. Miller (1978).
  • 116. Grange Mus., photo. files, Chevening Rd. (NL 696, 699).
  • 117. St. Mark's Ch. Harlesden, 1914-74 (diamond jubilee booklet).
  • 118. P.R.O., C 54/19314, m. 20.
  • 119. St. Matthew at Willesden 1901-51 (golden jubilee handbk.).
  • 120. Grange Mus., Wood F 24, pp. 72 sqq.
  • 121. St. Michael, Cricklewood, 1910-60 (golden jubilee booklet).
  • 122. Grange Mus., Wood F 3 (ann. reps.); F 24, pp. 70 sqq., 134.
  • 123. Ibid. F 33, pp. 13 sqq.; Guildhall MS. CC. 30688.
  • 124. P.R.O., HO 129/135/3/1/2.
  • 125. D.N.B.
  • 126. Grange Mus., gen. files, Kilburn Sq. (Mdx. Courier, 23 July, 6 Aug. 1897; Willesden Chron. 18 Oct. 1895; 22 May 1936).
  • 127. Inf. from vicar (1978).
  • 128. Grange Mus., gen. files, Willesden Chron. (Suppl. 5 Mar. 1937).
  • 129. Ibid. 2 B 24 ('Memories of Neasden'); ibid. gen. files, railways (Forward, Jnl. of Gt. Central Rly. Soc. Dec. 1978).
  • 130. Ayerst, Neasden-cum-Kingsbury; Grange Mus., Wood F 24, p. 141; Nat. Soc. files, Neasden.
  • 131. Grange Mus., Wood F 4 (ann. reps.); V.C.H. Mdx. v. 85.