- published: 03 Oct 2013
- views: 5017
Coordinates: 51°32′48″N 0°13′46″W / 51.5468°N 0.2295°W / 51.5468; -0.2295
Willesden is an area in north west London which forms part of the London Borough of Brent. It is situated 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Charing Cross. It was historically a parish in the county of Middlesex, that was incorporated as the Municipal Borough of Willesden in 1933 and has formed part of Greater London since 1965.
The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon Willesdune, meaning the Hill of the Spring, and a settlement bearing this name dates back to 939 AD. The Domesday Book of 1086 records it as Wellesdone. However, on 19th century maps of the town such as those from the 'Ordnance Survey First Series', the town is shown as Wilsdon. The motto of Willesden Borough Council was Laborare est orare ("to labour is to pray").
From the 14th to 16th centuries, the town was a place of pilgrimage due to the presence of two ancient statues of the Virgin Mary at the Church of St Mary. One of these statues is thought to be a Black Madonna, which was insulted by the Lollards, taken to Thomas Cromwell's house and burnt in 1538 on a large bonfire of "notable images" including those of Walsingham, Worcester and Ipswich. There was also a "holy well" which was thought to possess miraculous qualities, particularly for blindness and other eye disorders.
Actors: Pete Walker (actor), Patrick Barr (actor), Pete Walker (director), Pete Walker (producer), Patrick Barr (actor), Jess Conrad (actor), Robin Askwith (actor), Alfred Shaughnessy (writer), Ray Brooks (actor), Tristan Rogers (actor), Raymond Young (actor), Jenny Hanley (actress), Cyril Ornadel (composer), Stewart Bevan (actor), Alan Curtis (actor),
Genres: Horror,