Cricklewood
Encyclopedia
Cricklewood is a district of North London
, England whose northeastern part is in the London Borough of Barnet
, western part is the London Borough of Brent
and southeastern part is in London Borough of Camden
.
Childs Hill
Station, later Cricklewood
, opened in 1868, but Cricklewood only fully became an industrial and suburban district in the 1930s. In the summer of 1881 the Midland Railway
Company moved its locomotive works from Kentish Town
to the new “Brent Sidings”, and in October of the same year it was announced that new accommodation for its workers would be built, later the Cricklewood Railway Cottages. Mr H Finch laid out a handful of roads directly behind the Crown Inn, (including Yew, Ash, and Elm Groves) in 1880. The station had become the terminus for the Midland Railway suburban services by 1884. The census
of 1881 showed that the population had grown enough for a new church, and St. Peter's replaced a tin chapel in 1891. A daughter church called Little St. Peter's was opened in 1958 on Claremont Way and closed in 1983. The parish church on Cricklewood Lane was demolished and rebuilt in the 1970s. This church building was closed in 2004 although services for Anglicans are still held in Carey Hall on Claremont Road, now called New St. Peter's. The London General Omnibus Company
commenced services to Regent Street
from the Crown in 1883, in 1899 opening a bus garage (Garage code W), which is still in use, although completely rebuilt by 2010.
By the 1890s, houses and shops had been built along part of Cricklewood Lane. Cricklewood Broadway had become a retail area by 1900 replacing the Victorian villas. The Queens Hall Cinema, later the Gaumont
, replaced Rock Hall House, and was itself demolished in 1960. Thorverton, Caddington and Dersingham Roads were laid out in 1907, the year of the opening of Golders Green tube station
. With the introduction of the tram system in 1904 and the motorisation of bus services by 1911, numerous important industries were established. The first of these was the Phoenix Telephone Co. in 1911 (later moved to the Hyde). The Handley Page Aircraft Company
soon followed, from 1912 until 1917, at 110 Cricklewood Lane and subsequently occupying a large part of Claremont Road. The Cricklewood Aerodrome was adjacent to their factory.
Cricklewood was home to Smith's Industries
. This started in 1915 as S. Smith & Sons, on the Edgware Road, established to manufacture fuses, instruments and accessories. By 1939 it was making electrical motors, aircraft
accessories and electric clock
s. Their large advertisement on the iron railway bridge over the Broadway next to the bus garage became a familiar landmark for decades. As the company grew it acquired other companies and sites overseas but Cricklewood remained the most important site, with 8,000 employees between 1937 and 1978. Coincidentally, Cricklewood also became the home for the first Smith's Crisps
potato crisp
factory which replaced the omnibus depot
at Crown Yard. Having moved into new premises in Cricklewood Lane, the yard was taken over by Clang Electrical Goods Ltd. From 1929 to 1933 the area was finally built over. Cowhouse Farm, latterly Dickers Farm and finally Avenue Farm, was closed in 1932. From 1908 to 1935, Westcroft Farm was owned by the Home of Rest for Horses; at its peak it could house 250 horses. The Metropolitan Borough of Hampstead
opened the Westcroft Estate in 1935. From the 1960s, industry in the local area went into decline, and all the above-mentioned businesses have left.
Mention should be made of two buildings on Cricklewood Lane. The first was Production Village (Virgin Active
gym now stands on the site; apparently this was part of the old HP
factory). Production Village was part of the British film-making scene and owned by Samuelsons. Towards its end it was a pub
with rehearsal rooms attached. It was demolished around 2000 to make way for the gym. Secondly, and a little further up the hill, is a rather odd modern building on the south side of the road (about number 138): this was the factory for the revolutionary Stylophone
handheld organ of the late 1960s / early 1970s - as demonstrated by Rolf Harris
. Cricklewood is often mentioned by and is considered to be the home of The Goodies
.
In June 2001, a lynx
was captured in Cricklewood after a 10 year campaign by residents. The animal was originally nicknamed the "Beast of Barnet" by the local press following numerous sightings around south Hertfordshire
and the fringes of north London. A senior veterinary officer for the London Zoological Society arrived with the task of sedating the beast using a tranquiliser gun. It is believed that someone was keeping the animal illegally and it had escaped. The lynx
was taken to London Zoo
, and named Lara.
is the nearest main-line station (for Thameslink
services). There is a railway complex and sidings to the north of the station.
The nearest London Underground stations are Willesden Green
, Kilburn
, and West Hampstead
, on the Jubilee line
. To the east are Brent Cross
and Golders Green
on the Northern line
.
The A5 Cricklewood Broadway
is the main north-south road through the area, being the original Roman Road called Watling Street
.
Cricklewood Aerodrome adjacent to the Handley Page factory in the 1920s was used for the first London-Paris air service.
, a £4.5 billion regeneration scheme for Cricklewood, Brent Cross
and West Hendon
has been proposed, to start in 2011. A new Brent Cross Thameslink
station, for 12-car trains, is planned, and for that reason the planned lengthening of Cricklewood station
platforms, from 8 to 12-cars, has been abandoned. West Hendon is now being dealt with separately.
As of 2009, the proposal is subject to a planning application for extensive redevelopment of 'Brent Cross Cricklewood', and there are views for and against the proposals, and reports in the media.
In April 2009, the London Borough of Camden
decided to oppose the application.
In May 2009, the London Borough of Brent concluded, although without widespread public pronouncement, that the developers needed to apply for planning permission from Brent as well as from Barnet, because of various road changes that spilled over on to Brent land.
On 15 September 2009, Barnet recommended approval of the application, in a report to its 23 September Planning Committee, later postponed to 20 October. The issue was reported by local media, and was taken up by the national media.
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
, England whose northeastern part is in the London Borough of Barnet
London Borough of Barnet
The London Borough of Barnet is a London borough in North London and forms part of Outer London. It has a population of 331,500 and covers . It borders Hertfordshire to the north and five other London boroughs: Harrow and Brent to the west, Camden and Haringey to the south-east and Enfield to the...
, western part is the London Borough of Brent
London Borough of Brent
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough had a total population of 2,022. This rose slowly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 5,646 in the middle of the century. When the railways arrived the rate of population growth increased...
and southeastern part is in London Borough of Camden
London Borough of Camden
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century...
.
History
There was a small settlement at the junction of Cricklewood Lane and the Edgware Road by 1294, which by 1321 was being called Cricklewood. By the 1750s the Crown (rebuilt in 1889), was providing for coach travellers and by the 1800s it had a handful of cottages and Cricklewood House as neighbours, and was known for its “pleasure gardens”. By the 1860s there were a number of substantial villas along the Edgware Road starting with Rockhall Lodge and culminating in Rockhall Terrace.Childs Hill
Childs Hill
Childs Hill, now the southernmost ward of the London Borough of Barnet, although of historic origin, is a late-19th-century suburban development situated 5 miles northwest of Charing Cross bordered by the A41 and Dunstan Road, and centred on the junction of Cricklewood Lane and Finchley Road...
Station, later Cricklewood
Cricklewood railway station
Cricklewood railway station is in the London Borough of Barnet in North London. The station lies on the north-south Midland Main Line where it crosses Cricklewood Lane. It is served by First Capital Connect services as part of the Thameslink service...
, opened in 1868, but Cricklewood only fully became an industrial and suburban district in the 1930s. In the summer of 1881 the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
Company moved its locomotive works from Kentish Town
Kentish Town
Kentish Town is an area of north west London, England in the London Borough of Camden.-History:The most widely accepted explanation of the name of Kentish Town is that it derived from 'Ken-ditch' meaning the 'bed of a waterway'...
to the new “Brent Sidings”, and in October of the same year it was announced that new accommodation for its workers would be built, later the Cricklewood Railway Cottages. Mr H Finch laid out a handful of roads directly behind the Crown Inn, (including Yew, Ash, and Elm Groves) in 1880. The station had become the terminus for the Midland Railway suburban services by 1884. The census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 1881 showed that the population had grown enough for a new church, and St. Peter's replaced a tin chapel in 1891. A daughter church called Little St. Peter's was opened in 1958 on Claremont Way and closed in 1983. The parish church on Cricklewood Lane was demolished and rebuilt in the 1970s. This church building was closed in 2004 although services for Anglicans are still held in Carey Hall on Claremont Road, now called New St. Peter's. The London General Omnibus Company
London General Omnibus Company
The London General Omnibus Company or LGOC, was the principal bus operator in London between 1855 and 1933. It was also, for a short period between 1909 and 1912, a motor bus manufacturer.- Overview :...
commenced services to Regent Street
Regent Street
Regent Street is one of the major shopping streets in London's West End, well known to tourists and Londoners alike, and famous for its Christmas illuminations...
from the Crown in 1883, in 1899 opening a bus garage (Garage code W), which is still in use, although completely rebuilt by 2010.
Gaumont Film Company
Gaumont Film Company is a French film production company founded in 1895 by the engineer-turned-inventor, Léon Gaumont . Gaumont is the oldest continously operating film company in the world....
, replaced Rock Hall House, and was itself demolished in 1960. Thorverton, Caddington and Dersingham Roads were laid out in 1907, the year of the opening of Golders Green tube station
Golders Green tube station
Golders Green tube station is a London Underground station in Golders Green, north London. The station is on the Edgware branch of the Northern Line between Hampstead and Brent Cross...
. With the introduction of the tram system in 1904 and the motorisation of bus services by 1911, numerous important industries were established. The first of these was the Phoenix Telephone Co. in 1911 (later moved to the Hyde). The Handley Page Aircraft Company
Handley Page Aircraft Company
Handley Page Limited was founded by Frederick Handley Page in 1909 as the United Kingdom's first publicly traded aircraft manufacturing company. It went into voluntary liquidation and ceased to exist in 1970...
soon followed, from 1912 until 1917, at 110 Cricklewood Lane and subsequently occupying a large part of Claremont Road. The Cricklewood Aerodrome was adjacent to their factory.
Cricklewood was home to Smith's Industries
Smiths Group
Smiths Group plc is a global engineering company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It has operations in over 50 countries and employs around 23,550 staff....
. This started in 1915 as S. Smith & Sons, on the Edgware Road, established to manufacture fuses, instruments and accessories. By 1939 it was making electrical motors, aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
accessories and electric clock
Electric clock
An electric clock is a clock that is powered by electricity instead of powered manually or by other sources of energy, specifically in order to wind the mainspring or to drive the pendulum or oscillator.-Classification:...
s. Their large advertisement on the iron railway bridge over the Broadway next to the bus garage became a familiar landmark for decades. As the company grew it acquired other companies and sites overseas but Cricklewood remained the most important site, with 8,000 employees between 1937 and 1978. Coincidentally, Cricklewood also became the home for the first Smith's Crisps
The Smith's Snackfood Company
The Smith's Snackfood Company is a company best known for producing and selling a range of snack food such as crisps. It is now owned by New York based company PepsiCo.-Smiths in the UK:...
potato crisp
Potato chip
Potato chips are thin slices of potato that are deep fried...
factory which replaced the omnibus depot
Bus garage
A bus garage or bus depot is a building where buses are stored and maintained. In many conurbations, bus garages are on the site of former car barns or tram sheds, where Streetcars or Trams were stored, and the operation transferred to buses...
at Crown Yard. Having moved into new premises in Cricklewood Lane, the yard was taken over by Clang Electrical Goods Ltd. From 1929 to 1933 the area was finally built over. Cowhouse Farm, latterly Dickers Farm and finally Avenue Farm, was closed in 1932. From 1908 to 1935, Westcroft Farm was owned by the Home of Rest for Horses; at its peak it could house 250 horses. The Metropolitan Borough of Hampstead
Metropolitan Borough of Hampstead
The Metropolitan Borough of Hampstead was a Metropolitan borough of the County of London from 1900 to 1965, when it was amalgamated with the Metropolitan Borough of St Pancras and the Metropolitan Borough of Holborn to form the London Borough of Camden....
opened the Westcroft Estate in 1935. From the 1960s, industry in the local area went into decline, and all the above-mentioned businesses have left.
Virgin Active
Virgin Active is a chain of health clubs in South Africa, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Australia and the United Kingdom. The company launched in 1998 in Preston, Lancashire as part of Richard Branson's Virgin Group....
gym now stands on the site; apparently this was part of the old HP
Handley Page Aircraft Company
Handley Page Limited was founded by Frederick Handley Page in 1909 as the United Kingdom's first publicly traded aircraft manufacturing company. It went into voluntary liquidation and ceased to exist in 1970...
factory). Production Village was part of the British film-making scene and owned by Samuelsons. Towards its end it was a pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
with rehearsal rooms attached. It was demolished around 2000 to make way for the gym. Secondly, and a little further up the hill, is a rather odd modern building on the south side of the road (about number 138): this was the factory for the revolutionary Stylophone
Dubreq Stylophone
The Stylophone is a miniature stylus-operated synthesizer invented in 1967 by Brian Jarvis and going in to production in 1968. It consists of a metal keyboard played by touching it with a stylus — each note being connected to a voltage-controlled oscillator via a different-value resistor -...
handheld organ of the late 1960s / early 1970s - as demonstrated by Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris, CBE, AM is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter, composer, painter and television personality.Born in Perth, Western Australia, Harris was a champion swimmer before studying art. He moved to England in 1952, where he started to appear on television programmes on which he drew the...
. Cricklewood is often mentioned by and is considered to be the home of The Goodies
The Goodies
The Goodies are a trio of British comedians who created, wrote, and starred in a surreal British television comedy series called The Goodies during the 1970s and early 1980s combining sketches and situation comedy.-Honours:All three Goodies now have OBEs...
.
In June 2001, a lynx
Lynx
A lynx is any of the four Lynx genus species of medium-sized wildcats. The name "lynx" originated in Middle English via Latin from Greek word "λύγξ", derived from the Indo-European root "*leuk-", meaning "light, brightness", in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes...
was captured in Cricklewood after a 10 year campaign by residents. The animal was originally nicknamed the "Beast of Barnet" by the local press following numerous sightings around south Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
and the fringes of north London. A senior veterinary officer for the London Zoological Society arrived with the task of sedating the beast using a tranquiliser gun. It is believed that someone was keeping the animal illegally and it had escaped. The lynx
Lynx
A lynx is any of the four Lynx genus species of medium-sized wildcats. The name "lynx" originated in Middle English via Latin from Greek word "λύγξ", derived from the Indo-European root "*leuk-", meaning "light, brightness", in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes...
was taken to London Zoo
London Zoo
London Zoo is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for scientific study. It was eventually opened to the public in 1847...
, and named Lara.
Geography
Transport
Cricklewood railway stationCricklewood railway station
Cricklewood railway station is in the London Borough of Barnet in North London. The station lies on the north-south Midland Main Line where it crosses Cricklewood Lane. It is served by First Capital Connect services as part of the Thameslink service...
is the nearest main-line station (for Thameslink
Thameslink
Thameslink is a fifty-station main-line route in the British railway system running north to south through London from Bedford to Brighton, serving both London Gatwick Airport and London Luton Airport. It opened as a through service in 1988 and by 1998 was severely overcrowded, carrying more than...
services). There is a railway complex and sidings to the north of the station.
The nearest London Underground stations are Willesden Green
Willesden Green tube station
Willesden Green tube station is a London Underground station in Willesden. It is served by the Jubilee Line and is between Dollis Hill and Kilburn. Metropolitan Line trains also pass through the station, but do not usually stop...
, Kilburn
Kilburn tube station
Kilburn tube station is a London Underground station at Kilburn in north-west London. It is on the Jubilee Line, situated between Willesden Green and West Hampstead tube stations. It is in Travelcard Zone 2...
, and West Hampstead
West Hampstead tube station
West Hampstead tube station is a London Underground Jubilee line station in West Hampstead. It is on West End Lane between Broadhurst Gardens and Blackburn Road and is in Travelcard Zone 2. It lies between Kilburn and Finchley Road tube stations...
, on the Jubilee line
Jubilee Line
The Jubilee line is a line on the London Underground , in the United Kingdom. It was built in two major sections—initially to Charing Cross, in central London, and later extended, in 1999, to Stratford, in east London. The later stations are larger and have special safety features, both aspects...
. To the east are Brent Cross
Brent Cross tube station
Brent Cross tube station is a London Underground station located on Highfield Avenue in the Golders Green area of north west London. The station is a Grade II listed building....
and Golders Green
Golders Green tube station
Golders Green tube station is a London Underground station in Golders Green, north London. The station is on the Edgware branch of the Northern Line between Hampstead and Brent Cross...
on the Northern line
Northern Line
The Northern line is a London Underground line. It is coloured black on the Tube map.For most of its length it is a deep-level tube line. The line carries 206,734,000 passengers per year. This is the highest number of any line on the London Underground system, but the Northern line is unique in...
.
The A5 Cricklewood Broadway
A5 road
The A5 is a major road in England and Wales. It is also the first Roman built road in England hence the name Roman Road. It runs for about from London, England to Holyhead, Wales, following in part a section of the Roman Iter II route which later took the Anglo-Saxon name Watling...
is the main north-south road through the area, being the original Roman Road called Watling Street
Watling Street
Watling Street is the name given to an ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Britons mainly between the modern cities of Canterbury and St Albans. The Romans later paved the route, part of which is identified on the Antonine Itinerary as Iter III: "Item a Londinio ad...
.
Cricklewood Aerodrome adjacent to the Handley Page factory in the 1920s was used for the first London-Paris air service.
Development
Brent Cross CricklewoodBrent Cross Cricklewood
Brent Cross Cricklewood is a planned new town centre development in Cricklewood, London, United Kingdom. The development is planned to cost around £4.5 billion to construct and will include 7,500 homes, of offices, four parks, transport improvements and a extension of Brent Cross Shopping Centre....
, a £4.5 billion regeneration scheme for Cricklewood, Brent Cross
Brent Cross
Brent Cross is an area of north London, in the London Borough of Barnet. It is located near the A41 Brent Cross Flyover over the A406 North Circular Road. Brent Cross is best known for its shopping centre and the proposed Brent Cross Cricklewood development....
and West Hendon
West Hendon
West Hendon is a place in the London Borough of Barnet.-History:West Hendon was a settlement within that part of the ancient parish of Hendon known as the Hyde, and is now a part of the London Borough of Barnet. It was formally known, from 1878–1890, as New Hendon, a small railway development on...
has been proposed, to start in 2011. A new Brent Cross Thameslink
Thameslink
Thameslink is a fifty-station main-line route in the British railway system running north to south through London from Bedford to Brighton, serving both London Gatwick Airport and London Luton Airport. It opened as a through service in 1988 and by 1998 was severely overcrowded, carrying more than...
station, for 12-car trains, is planned, and for that reason the planned lengthening of Cricklewood station
Cricklewood railway station
Cricklewood railway station is in the London Borough of Barnet in North London. The station lies on the north-south Midland Main Line where it crosses Cricklewood Lane. It is served by First Capital Connect services as part of the Thameslink service...
platforms, from 8 to 12-cars, has been abandoned. West Hendon is now being dealt with separately.
As of 2009, the proposal is subject to a planning application for extensive redevelopment of 'Brent Cross Cricklewood', and there are views for and against the proposals, and reports in the media.
In April 2009, the London Borough of Camden
London Borough of Camden
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century...
decided to oppose the application.
In May 2009, the London Borough of Brent concluded, although without widespread public pronouncement, that the developers needed to apply for planning permission from Brent as well as from Barnet, because of various road changes that spilled over on to Brent land.
On 15 September 2009, Barnet recommended approval of the application, in a report to its 23 September Planning Committee, later postponed to 20 October. The issue was reported by local media, and was taken up by the national media.
Notable residents
- Elizabeth AdareElizabeth AdareElizabeth Adare is a currently practising child psychologist but is better known as an English actress and television presenter during the 1970s and 1980s....
– television actress in The Tomorrow PeopleThe Tomorrow PeopleThe Tomorrow People is a British children's science fiction television series, devised by Roger Price. Produced by Thames Television for the ITV Network, the series first ran between 1973 and 1979. The series was re-imagined in 1992, Roger Price acting as executive producer...
' - Emma AndersonEmma AndersonEmma Anderson is an English musician. She is best known for being a songwriter, guitarist and backing singer in the shoegazing/Britpop band, Lush. As a keen music fan, she used to write a fanzine called Alphabet Soup with school friend Miki Berenyi when she was a teenager...
- guitarist and songwriter of indie music bands LushLush-People:* Archibald Lush, a Welsh school inspector* Billy Lush, an American actor* David Lush, Canadian politician* Ernie Lush, American Baseball player* Jay Laurence Lush, an American geneticist* Jane Lush, a British worker...
and Sing-Sing (band)Sing-Sing (band)Sing-Sing were an English indie pop/dream pop band formed in 1997 in London. It consisted of vocalist Lisa O'Neill and guitarist/vocalist Emma Anderson, formerly of Lush. They worked with a variety of musicians to achieve a unique and eclectic sound which nodded to 60's girl groups, electronica... - Tim Brooke-TaylorTim Brooke-TaylorTimothy Julian Brooke-Taylor OBE is an English comic actor. He became active in performing in comedy sketches while at Cambridge University, and became President of the Footlights club, touring internationally with the Footlights revue in 1964...
– television actor in The GoodiesThe GoodiesThe Goodies are a trio of British comedians who created, wrote, and starred in a surreal British television comedy series called The Goodies during the 1970s and early 1980s combining sketches and situation comedy.-Honours:All three Goodies now have OBEs...
, now lives in Berkshire - Jamie ChoJamie ChoJamie Cho is an actor who currently resides in London.While he has participated in all levels of the entertainment industry, he is most interested in working in film...
– actor - Alan CorenAlan CorenAlan Coren was an English humorist, writer and satirist who was well known as a regular panellist on the BBC radio quiz The News Quiz and a team captain on BBC television's Call My Bluff...
– writer and satirist, who "did for the unprepossessing North London suburb of Cricklewood what Hardy did for Wessex" - Ching He HuangChing He HuangChing-He Huang is a Taiwanese-born British food writer, food entrepreneur and TV chef who has appeared in a variety of television cooking shows. Ching has starred in three popular TV series and is the author of five best-selling cookbooks...
– TV chef - Terry Cooper - Artist and author of Kangazang!Kangazang!Kangazang! is a humorous science fiction novel by Terry Cooper.This is the 2nd Edition of the Kangazang book which is sub-titled, 'Remote Possibilities'...
was born here, 1969 - Tamsin GreigTamsin GreigTamsin Greig is an English actress principally known for two Channel 4 television comedy parts: Fran Katzenjammer in Black Books and Dr. Caroline Todd in Green Wing...
- actress, was brought up in Exeter Road, near Kilburn Tube station. - Ken LivingstoneKen LivingstoneKenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
– former Mayor of LondonMayor of LondonThe Mayor of London is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London. Conservative Boris Johnson has held the position since 4 May 2008... - Penelope MortimerPenelope MortimerPenelope Ruth Mortimer , was a British journalist, biographer and novelist.-Early life:...
- late novelist lived on the Mapesbury Estate in her latter years. - Róisín MurphyRóisín MurphyRóisín Marie Murphy is an Irish singer-songwriter and record producer, known for her electronic style.Murphy first came to note as part of the electronic music duo Moloko. Her partner in the band was then-boyfriend Mark Brydon. After the two ended their romantic relationship, Murphy released her...
– musician (since 2006) - Jimmy NailJimmy NailJames Bradford "Jimmy" Nail is an English singer-songwriter, actor, musician, film producer, film score composer and television writer....
– television actor in Auf Wiedersehen, PetAuf Wiedersehen, PetAuf Wiedersehen, Pet is a British comedy-drama television programme about seven English migrant construction workers. In the first series, the men live and work on a building site in Düsseldorf.... - Dennis NilsenDennis NilsenDennis Andrew Nilsen also known as the Muswell Hill Murderer and the Kindly Killer is a British serial killer who lived in London....
– serial killerSerial killerA serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification... - Peter O'ToolePeter O'ToolePeter Seamus Lorcan O'Toole is an Irish actor of stage and screen. O'Toole achieved stardom in 1962 playing T. E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia, and then went on to become a highly-honoured film and stage actor. He has been nominated for eight Academy Awards, and holds the record for most...
– actor, - Andrew SachsAndrew SachsAndrew Sachs is a German-born British actor. He made his name on British television and is best known for his portrayals of Manuel in Fawlty Towers, a role for which he was BAFTA-nominated, and Ramsay Clegg in Coronation Street.-Early life:Sachs was born in Berlin, Germany, the son of Katharina , a...
- actor best known for playing Manuel in Fawlty TowersFawlty TowersFawlty Towers is a British sitcom produced by BBC Television and first broadcast on BBC2 in 1975. Twelve television program episodes were produced . The show was written by John Cleese and his then wife Connie Booth, both of whom played major characters...
lives in the area. - Oliver SacksOliver SacksOliver Wolf Sacks, CBE , is a British neurologist and psychologist residing in New York City. He is a professor of neurology and psychiatry at Columbia University, where he also holds the position of Columbia Artist...
- famous neurologist was brought up on the corner of Exeter & Mapesbury Roads in the house where his parents were GPs. - Zadie SmithZadie SmithZadie Smith is a British novelist. To date she has written three novels. In 2003, she was included on Granta's list of 20 best young authors...
– author of White TeethWhite TeethWhite Teeth is a 2000 novel by the British author Zadie Smith. It focuses on the later lives of two wartime friends—the Bangladeshi Samad Iqbal and the Englishman Archie Jones, and their families in London...
grew up in Cricklewood now lives in Rome
In pop culture
- Setting of The GoodiesThe Goodies (TV series)The Goodies is a British television comedy series of the 1970s and early 1980s. The series, which combines surreal sketches and situation comedy, was broadcast by BBC 2 from 1970 until 1980 — and was then broadcast by the ITV company LWT for a year, between 1981 to 1982.The show was...
. - Setting of the 1990s children's TV show SpatzSpatzSpatz is a children's comedy series that ran on CITV during the 1990s, produced by Thames Television and created by Andrew Bethell. The show originally ran from 28 February 1990 to 10 April 1992, with repeats shown until 1996. The show centred around a fictional burger bar situated in Cricklewood,...
. - Setting of MinderMinder (TV series)Minder is a British comedy-drama about the London criminal underworld. Initially produced by Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television and shown on ITV...
. - Album by Ten Years After is entitled Cricklewood GreenCricklewood GreenCricklewood Green is the fifth album by blues rock band Ten Years After, released in 1970.-Track listing:#"Sugar the Road" – 4:06#"Working on the Road" – 4:18#"50,000 Miles Beneath My Brain" – 7:39...
- Mentioned in the spoken introduction to the Irish folkFolk music of IrelandThe folk music of Ireland is the generic term for music that has been created in various genres in Ireland.-History:...
song 'McAlpine's Fusiliers' as performed by The DublinersThe DublinersThe Dubliners are an Irish folk band founded in 1962.-Formation and history:The Dubliners, initially known as "The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group", formed in 1962 and made a name for themselves playing regularly in O'Donoghue's Pub in Dublin...
, Noel MurphyNoel Murphy (musician)Noel Murphy is an Irish folk musician, actor and entertainer. His family moved to Dublin when he was seven years old. At school he was a keen actor and played drums....
and others. - Setting of the opening scene and much of Zadie Smith's novel White TeethWhite TeethWhite Teeth is a 2000 novel by the British author Zadie Smith. It focuses on the later lives of two wartime friends—the Bangladeshi Samad Iqbal and the Englishman Archie Jones, and their families in London...
and features in the funeral scene in On BeautyOn BeautyOn Beauty is a 2005 novel by British author Zadie Smith. It takes its title from an essay by Elaine Scarry . The story follows the lives of a mixed-race British/American family living in the United States... - The home of Gary Sparrow in the 1990s BBC sitcom Goodnight SweetheartGoodnight SweetheartGoodnight Sweetheart is a sitcom that ran for six series on BBC1 from 1993 to 1999. It stars Nicholas Lyndhurst as Gary Sparrow, an accidental time traveller who leads a double life after discovering a time portal allowing him to travel between the London of the 1990s and the same area during the...
is located in Cricklewood.
Films made at Cricklewood Film Studios
- 1927: Huntingtower directed by George Pearson