Inventory Site Record

Cambridge Gardens was built as part of the Kilburn Park estate developed by James Bailey on land formerly part of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners' Willesden Estate. The central garden acted as a focal point, a triangular site laid out with grass, cruciform arrangement of paths and plane trees mainly on the perimeter. Today the gardens are surrounded by modern railings but the layout is little changed.

Site location:

Cambridge Gardens, Kilburn

Postcode:

NW6

What 3 Words:

punchy.tens.pushy

Type of site:

Garden Square, Public Gardens

Borough:

Brent

Open to public?

Yes

Opening times:

unrestricted

Special conditions:

Facilities:

Events:

Public transport:

Tube: Kilburn Park (Bakerloo). Bus: 6, 31, 32, 206, 316, 328

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Research updated:

01/08/2002

Last minor changes:

19/07/2023

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. www.brent.gov.uk

This area was formerly part of the Willesden Estate belonging to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. Housing development on the land began from the 1850s as transport networks improved to serve the growing suburbs. Kilburn High Road was long established as a major route in and out of London, as part of Watling Street, and the area was already served by horse-drawn buses; in 1852 the railway station at Kilburn opened providing easy access to Euston and from 1865 the line also ran to the new Broad Street station in the City. From 1857 (1859?) builder-developer James Bailey began building his Kilburn Park estate for the well-to-do middle classes along what is now Carlton Vale. Cambridge Gardens were built as part of the estate between 1861-1873. Bailey, who went bankrupt in 1866, appears not to have employed an architect and based the ornate architectural style of his stucco and stock brick villas on Italianate pattern books of the time. The central garden acted as a focal point, a triangular site laid out with grass and plane trees, generally around the perimeter, with a cruciform arrangement of paths that has little changed from the C19th layout. The gardens today are surrounded by modern railings; there are a number of seats.

Sources consulted:

South Kilburn Conservation Area Character Area Appraisal, LB Brent Planning Service, 2006; Bridget Cherry and Nikolaus Pevsner, 'The Buildings of England London 3: North West' (Penguin, 1999 ed); Len Snow, 'Brent - Wembley, Willesden and Kingsbury', Phillimore, 1990

Grid ref:

TQ253832 (525380,183230)

Size in hectares:

0.12

Site ownership:

LB Brent

Site management:

Parks Service

Date(s):

1861-1873

Designer(s):

?James Bailey

Listed structures:

LBII: 1-6, 12-18 (Consec) Cambridge Gardens, Prince of Wales Public House

On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens:

No

Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965:

No

Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931:

No

Local Authority Data

The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.

On Local List:

No

In Conservation Area:

Yes

Conservation Area name:

South Kilburn

Tree Preservation Order:

No

Nature Conservation Area:

No

Green Belt:

No

Metropolitan Open Land:

No

Special Policy Area:

No

Other LA designation:

None

Cambridge Gardens, August 2002. Photo: S Williams

Click a photo to enlarge.