Latimer Road Station
General Intro1958 riots began on this corner.
Whitchurch Road/Lancaster West Estate
Land in the area was owned by a barrister called James Whitchurch and set out for building in 1846. A few of the small detached or paired houses built at this time still survive, in sadly dilapidated condition, but this first phase in the development of the area was halted by the financial crisis of 1847, and when building began to revive a year or two later it appears to have been under the auspices of the Frugality Building and Investment Society, with offices in the City.Whitchurch was, however, still concerned in the development of the area, and the impetus of the building boom of the early 1860's was no doubt greatly strengthened by the construction of the Hammersmith and City Railway line, of which he was a director.The construction of the great high arches upon which the railway strode across the halfcompleted streets of Whitchurch's carefully contrived layout had an impact upon the existing social fabric of the locality exceeded only by that of the elevated motorway which was opened along much the same course in 1970. With Bird's worked-out brick-field and the Potteries to the south, and the noise and dirt of frequent steam trains traversing the estate, the area had no attraction for middleclass residents. After the introduction of cheap workmen's fares in the early 1860's workingclass suburbs were beginning to be a practicable proposition, and in the ensuing decades Bird's and Whitchurch's remaining vacant lands were covered with densely packed rows of three- or four-storey houses and artisans' cottagesHere you can see the pattern of the streets described in Colin MacInnes' Absolute Beginners.Out of it, close to Latimer Road tube and running east ‘like horrible tits dangling from a lean old sow’, range ‘what I think must really be the sinisterest highways in our city, well, just listen to their names’: Blechynden Street, Silchester Road, Walmer Road, Bramley Road and Testerton Street, and numerous others he doesn’t trouble to list. Here the houses are ‘old Victorian lower-middle tumble-down’. They ‘live on like shells’ and ‘there’s only one thing to do with them’, which is ‘to pull them down till not a one’s left standing up.’They cleared these slums in the 60s with the advent of the Westway.
Walmer Road
The site of the Potteries shanty town. The Potteries were situated on the flat, sunken, stiff clay ground at the bottom of the hill, where St. John’s church stands now.There were no building regulations then and anyone could just build themselves a shack to live in which turned the area into a shanty town, full of people and pigs who’s waste products just ran loose and filled the ditches.As early as 1838 conditions at the Potteries had already concerned the watchful eye of the Poor Law Commissioners, who declared that some of the cottages there, were actually built over stagnant pools of water.
Avondale Park Gardens
Site of the Victorian Workhouse, it was redeveloped as a garden square.
Walmer Road Kiln
The kiln is the last remnant of the Potteries. To the east lies the site of the Kensington Hippodrome, a racing emporium more extensive and attractive than Ascot or Epsom. Opened in 1837, it was short-lived. A public footpath ran through the site, and the impossibility of keeping out any ruffian or thief who may claim his ‘right of way’ on the footpath caused ‘The great annoyance experienced by the respectable company at the Hippodrome, from the ingress of blackguards who enter by the ‘right of way. The heavy clay soil which was perfect for making bricks proved disastrous for racing and only 13 meetings were held.The manager of the course was Capt Becher who went on to found the Grand National. The winner of the first steeplechase at the Hippodrome, Lottery, went on to win the first National.
Wilsham Street
The poor of Notting Dale were squeezed into an unsanitary area, hemmed in all sides by wealthy estates. Union Street (now Sirdar Rd) was planned to join Notting Dale to the Norland Estate. The conjoining road was never built.
Henry Dickens Court
Charles Dickens's publication Household Works was the first to highlight the poverty and insanitary conditions in Notting Dale. His grandson Henry was instrumental in improving the conditions of the poor after WW2 and this estate is named after him. The original street names are mostly preserved though not the notorious Bangor St, whose Rag Fair was one of the inspirations for Carnival. Author Mark Olden tracked down the killers of Kelso Cochrane to Kenley Street which was here.
Peoples Hall
The People’s Hall is the only significant building from the independent Republic of Frestonia that is still standing today. This red brick Victorian beauty was the focal point for the community of bohemians where the collective of 120 or so residents would meet to discuss the affairs of the Republic and host creative events from theatre to art shows.The building was also a seminal location for trailblazing musicians in London with the likes of The Clash, Motörhead, Killing Joke and Girlschool all making use of the space.Today, the spirit of the building is kept alive and is home to multiple studios for independent artists and businesses as well as housing the Frestonia Gallery’s exhibition space.
Harrow Club
The Harrow Club was formed in 1883 as The Harrow Mission Church, both funded and designed by old Harrovians from Harrow School. First Missioner William Law recognised the need for provision in the impoverished Notting Dale area and set up the mission with the desire to improve the quality of life for local people, aiding harmony and promoting opportunity.Since 1883, the Harrow Club has been anchored in the local community, working with young people to address needs related to disadvantage and poverty.
Westway Concrete Island
In the mid 1960's an overhead motorway, the A40(M) was driven through North Kensington staked out on giant stilts - the largest continuous concrete structure in the country. Two and a half miles of new road made it the longest stretch of elevated motorway in Europe. Two stubs on this roundabout's north side were built for the connection of slip roadsThe new highway made driving in and out of the city much easier, allowing vehicles to cover in minutes ground that used to take over an hour to travel. However, while reducing congestion in the city, the highway carried the traffic above the lives of people living in North Kensington, with 47,000 cars a day travelling through their rooftops within the first few months of opening. The flyover brought noise, disruption, destruction and pollution to a community that was already contending with economic hardship, a decaying inner city environment and neglect.To make way for the modern engineering feat, homes were demolished and streets chopped in half or left stranded as little as twenty feet away, exposed to the noise of traffic and the nightly glare of headlights. The protests of local residents hit the headlines when the motorway opened in 1970. By then a decade of community action networks had grown up in the fight for better housing and open spaces where children could play. Energetic activists set up grass root associations, organised on local issues and campaigned for improvements.Following a four year campaign, in 1971 the North Kensington Amenity Trust, now Westway Trust - was set up, in partnership with the local authority, as the custodian of the 23 acres of land under the motorway to help promote positive use of the spaces that lie underneath the Westway.This is the location for JG Ballard's classic novel Concrete Island
Maxilla Wall of Truth
The Maxilla memorial and healing space, incorporating the ‘Wall of Truth’, is a space created by and for members of the community in response to the great suffering after the fire at Grenfell Tower on 14 June 2017.Sitting underneath the Westway flyover and in direct line of site to nearby Grenfell Tower, the space has been a site of healing and memorial services since the days immediately after the tragedy. Today, the space incorporates community art, a Hope Garden and the Wall of Truth.
Lancaster Road Crossroads
Once a major crossroads with busy shops and the site of Silchester Baths, the heart of the Notting Dale laundress' world. At its peak, in the early 20th century, there were over 300 laundry workshops and factories in North Kensington. Despite the long hours and hardship, many women were able to establish new modes of self and collective identity, as well as economic independence. “To marry an ironer is as good as a fortune.”Methodist Church was at the heart of 19th C reform and has once again been a focal point for the community since the fire at Grenfell
Latimer Road Station
In 1927 an escaped monkey jazz band embarked on days of high jinks and mayhem at Latimer Road station. Jumping aboard trains, one reached as far as Rugby before capture.End of Tour. Refreshment available at Pig & Whistle or Garden Bar.
