London Districts: Kilburn (Documentary)

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Film Transcription:

London boroughs Camden and Brent share the district of Kilburn. The High Road between Maida Vale and Shoot Up Hill split the boundary.

Kilburn High Road is part of the ancient Roman road later named Watling Street by the Anglo-Saxons; the A5 today.

The history of the name Kilburn is ambiguous by a numerous spellings and derivations but The Kilburn has always been a River Thames tributary first before this surrounding land inherited its title. The word burn, a derivative of Bourne, is a small river and Kil, in an earlier form, meant royal - royal stream.

Only The Kiln Cinema (formally the Tricycle) remains of the 7 cinemas that were here since 1910. The famous Gaumont State was a homage to the recently built Empire State Building in New York.

Not too long ago, the High Road was dubbed the ‘Music Mile’ with Irish and country music being the main feature at pubs especially but they've all gone now along with the nickname. Some pubs maintain an Irish flavour and/or clientele.

After Camden, County Kilburn saw the highest immigration of Irish to London just before 1900. Young men were attracted by railway and road building. Bringing their rich culture with them forged it as a 33rd Irish County or a Little Dublin. It was always said that the men chose Kilburn to settle as it was simply the furthest they cared to walk from Euston with a suitcase.

Brent is officially the most diverse London borough with the Irish diaspora now at just 5%. The Office of National Statistics say any two people here have an 85% chance of not being the same race. Kilburn is culturally being reduced in size as estate agents choose to market its fringes as Maida Vale, West Hampstead, Brondesbury or Queen’s Park.

[fridasiton]

Hi. Great video. I lived in Kilburn for 60 yrs and recently moved to Euston near British library. I remember many things that are no longer there such as the shops British Home Stores, Woolworths, the Cinema which is now a mosque (close to Marriott Hotel), a large butchers shop, a motor cycle shop etc. My hobby at one time was to sing in a band at the Cole Shedd bar (top end of Kilburn near Tricycle theatre). Many famous individuals, such as David Bowie (met him in local laundry mat in Boundary Road off the famous Abbey Rd), Kim Wild, Jon Moss drummer (lived on Belsize Lane), the Gallaghers (top of Boundary Rd), Kate Moss (lived opposite my council flat in large house - renamed area of West Hampstead - aka Kilburn 😂), lived in and around the Kilburn area. In fact, the flat I used to live in at 18 Cheshunt house was a former family home of the Appleton sisters in All Saints for a short while. Shirley Bassey lived in a flat above Superdrug chemists at one point and Dudley Moore spent some time there with her as a lodger when he was broke. Authors AA Milne and George Orwell lived in Mortimer Crescent in Kilburn Priory. There is a lot of history around the area of Kilburn including the one about Kilburn Well which once provided spring water from underground which was used as a health aid. There is now only a plaque on the pavement which commemorates Kilburn Well just on the corner of the pizza restaurant Franco Mancas. The famous cyclist Bradley Wiggins used to attend the St Augustine school just around the corner from Kilburn and used to frequent Jack’s café (aka greasy spoon to the locals). Bradley nicknames himself as ‘a kid from Kilburn’ and I used to say that I was just ‘a kidette from Kilburn’ 😂 Happy memories!

[felixmitchell]

grew up in south kilburn in the 70s, then lived kilburn hang around tennyson road willesden lane, kilburn square my old manor.still visit now 2023.

[KevinMan]

I’ve lived in Kilburn all my life, 40 odd years. It has certainly gone down hill.

[mdee]

Brilliant work! concise, beautifully shot and highly informative videos on London. Great seeing these historical places as a viewer outside the UK. Keep up the great work.

[hamsterpouches]

Thanks for the video :) my Great Grandmother was born here in 1910 and lived in the slum housing. She moved out to Edgware in the 1930's. Crazy how different it would have been, but also that she would have seen the same old buildings!

[madeleinebelle]

Still live here...thank you Dwayne good work...my Father was an Irish immigrant as I never knew him I wonder if he actually carried a suitcase from Euston to Kilburn. It would be nice to believe he was here at some point.

[omare]

I was born and raised in Kilburn, have been gone for almost 12 years. Great video!

[ayenfleur]

This is an amzing video with so much history. My favourite part is learning about the name and its meaning as in "royal stream" who would have thought. Wow, amazing thank u😊

[sarahbrennan]

Great video just subscribed... Kilburn use to be a great area.... looks a bit bleak now .... 💛👍🏻

[jimmya.]

Good stuff Dewyne. I do like the warts and all shots you take of these areas. Especially the last shot.

[michealkenny]

Your videos are great man. Such interesting anecdotes for a Ward people would typically overlook and discount. Keep it up!

[AbdulHamiedCanOfTomatoes]

Ooooo a kilburn doc, was waiting for this one :)

[siofra]

There was a fair bit of Irish in Kensington, dusty Springfield for one both her parents were Irish. Camden as well boy George’s family were Irish. The in the east end a lot of people has Irish ancestry including the krays.

[aidengranahan]

I loved growing up there and spent the first 27 years of my life there.
It looks so sad now and it's criminal there trying to get rid of the name my local spot will always be the Chippenham or south kilburn and not Madi Hill.

[darganx]

Always look out for your vignettes on London Live and YT.. just surprised you went north of the river this time lol

[DrDanDungus]

Thanks for your videos, love your work. Cheers from the US.

[ulazygit]

Shot of the building next to kilburn Jubilee line station on Shoot up Hill shows where the old BT Telephone House stood back in the 90’s, where I’d attended several courses/detached duty days when living close to the ‘other end’ of the A5 near Edgware. I remember it being converted, watching it from the Met line trains on my usual commute, along with the mansion houses now behind, being constructed in the former car park.

[harryharlew]

Great video ..was in Kilburn last week and the place is gone downhill big time.

[blackarrowmedia]

Great vid. Perfectly captures the ambience of the area. Yes, it’s a bit edgy but it’s a great place to live and the mix of cultures makes for a colourful existence. Transport links are amazing too which is a huge plus.

[adamdean]

It was actually the Catholic church quex rd that drew the Irish to kilburn