Coordinates: 51°32′14″N 0°14′58″W / 51.53734°N 0.24955°W / 51.53734; -0.24955

Harlesden
Craven Park Road
Harlesden  Harlesden shown within Greater London
Population	14,818 (Harlesden ward 2007)[1]
OS grid reference	TQ215835
London borough	Brent
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LONDON
Postcode district	NW10
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
EU Parliament	London
UK Parliament	Brent Central
London Assembly	Brent and Harrow
List of places: UK • England • London

Harlesden is an area in the London Borough of Brent, northwest London, UK. Its main focal point is the Jubilee Clock which commemorates Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee.^[2]

Harlesden has been praised for its vibrant Caribbean culture and unofficially named London's Reggae capital. The population includes people of Afro-Caribbean heritage, as well as Irish Catholic, Brazilian and smaller Portuguese and Colombian communities.

Harlesden has a rich culture of boxing, with two Olympic Gold medallists hailing from Harlesden: Audley Harrison who won gold in the Super-Heavyweight division at Sydney in 2000, and James Degale who won gold in the Middleweight division at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

History[link]

In the 19th century, Harlesden, then a rural village, began to develop some of its urban appearance with the arrival of the railways. Willesden Junction, Kensal Green and Harlesden station stations all had an effect on the developing village. Cottages for railway and industrial workers were built, as was grander housing for the local middle class.

Harlesden increasingly lost its rural nature, with factories replacing farms and woodland. From late Victorian times until the 1930s, housing completed its spread across the area, and Harlesden became part of the London conurbation. Mainly after World War I, one of Europe's biggest industrial estates was constructed at nearby Park Royal, and large factories there included McVitie & Price (later United Biscuits) from 1910, and Heinz from 1919.

The image of Harlesden today began to take shape in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Continued immigration from Ireland and new immigration from the Caribbean, the Indian sub-continent and Africa changed the racial and cultural make up of the area.^[3] More recently the area has now become home to Brazilian and Portuguese communities. Much of the housing is made up of Victorian terraces which have been attracting young professionals unable to afford similar properties in nearby Kensal Green and Queen's Park.

Transport and locale[link]

Neighbouring areas of Harlesden

	Brent Park/St Raphael's Estate/Neasden	Willesden	Brondesbury Park
	Stonebridge		Kensal Green
		Harlesden    East
	Park Royal	North Acton	Wormwood Scrubs

Nearest places[link]

• Stonebridge
• Church End
• Queens Park
• Shepherd's Bush
• North Acton
• Kensal Green
• Ladbroke Grove
• Willesden
• St Raphael's
• Wembley
• Neasden
• Harrow Road
• Wormwood Scrubs Prison
• Park Royal
• Kilburn

Buses[link]

Harlesden has excellent bus links, with many linking the north, west, south and central. London Buses running in the area are routes 18, 187, 206, 220, 224, 226, 228, 260, 266 and 487 running in the town centre, as well as routes 6 and 297 running just outside.

Tube and railway stations[link]

• Willesden Junction station, (0.28 mi/0.45 km), Bakerloo line, London Overground
• Harlesden station, (0.42 mi/0.68 km), Bakerloo line, London Overground

Famous residents[link]

• Joe Strummer
• Sabrina Washington
• Audley Harrison
• Nicky Hopkins
• James DeGale
• Hastings Banda
• Jay Sean
• Gappy Ranks
• Paul Merson
• Louis Theroux
• Kayvan Novak
• Shane Richie^[4]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website of Harlesden

v t e London Borough of Brent Districts Alperton Brent Park Brondesbury Brondesbury Park Church End Cricklewood Dollis Hill Harlesden Kensal Green Kenton Kilburn Kingsbury Neasden North Wembley Park Royal Preston Queensbury Queen's Park Stonebridge Sudbury Tokyngton Wembley Wembley Park Willesden Attractions Brent Museum Dollis Hill House Neasden Temple Oriental City The Stables Gallery & Art Centre Tricycle Theatre Wembley Stadium Parks and open spaces Barham Park Fryent Country Park Gladstone Park King Edward VII Park Northwick Park Roundwood park Constituencies Brent North Brent Central Hampstead and Kilburn Tube and rail stations Alperton Brondesbury railway station Brondesbury Park railway station Dollis Hill Harlesden station Kensal Green Kensal Rise railway station Kenton station Kilburn Kilburn Park Kingsbury Neasden North Wembley station Northwick Park Preston Road Queensbury Queen's Park South Kenton station Stonebridge Park Sudbury & Harrow Road railway station Sudbury Town Wembley Central station Wembley Park Wembley Stadium railway station Willesden Green Willesden Junction Other topics People Public art Schools Parks and open spaces in Brent

Kevin Georgiou (born 22 May 1985), better known by his stage name K. Koke, is an English rapper of Greek Cypriot descent from Stonebridge, North West London.

Music career[link]

He is part of one of the United Kingdom's most popular underground rap crews U.S.G.

His first mixtape Pure Koke Volume One was an underground success. Volume 1 was given away for free on various online outlets, and can currently be downloaded for free from Mixtape Madness. Having gained considerable critical acclaim within the UK Rap scene, he has recently signed with Roc Nation of Sony Music EntertainmentRCA.^[1][2][3]

Pure Koke Volume Two has been released. It includes 'Nobody But Us' and 'Mama'.

Attempted murder trial[link]

Koke was charged with the attempted murder of an unidentified 27-year-old football player at Harlesden train station on 9 March 2011 along with four teenagers, who were remanded in custody pending trial in October 2011.^[4][5] The victim was shot in the back.^[4] Koke's record deal with Roc Nation has not been affected by his arrest. Koke stood trial on October 4, 2011 and was acquitted of all charges on the 3rd November 2011 after 7 months on remand.^[6]

Discography[link]

• Pure Koke Vol 1 (2010)
• Pure Koke Vol 2 (2011)

Extended plays[link]

• Koke Vol. II (2009)

Crew mixtapes[link]

• U.S.G - Unfortunate Souls Grieve

References[link]