Material related to the Pilgrim's Way estate.
The estate was built in the late 1940s, probably by German POWs on land originally purchased by Middlesex County Council in 1938 as a Regional Open Space, to protect it from rapidly spreading suburban housing development, but was actually one of the last of the local pre-fab estates to be demolished, in the early 1970s. Information provided by one former resident suggests that after they were demolished, the land did not revert back to the country park as intended, but open space was made available behind what is now Willesden Magistrate’s Court instead.
This material includes a map extract of the estate labelled with names by former residents, and written reminiscences of Wayne Evans, Sheila O'Mahoney, Maureen O'Mahoney, Paul Kennedy (with two poems, entitled 'Childhood Thoughts' and 'The Green Thing', P. David Robson, Walter 'Wally' Robson (including another written piece, entitled 'The Green Thing', Peter Rousselange and Raymond Turner.
Also includes a letter from Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones, a former resident of the estate, who was invited to take part in the project.
Digital copies of photographs donated by former residents may be found on Brent Archives' image and photograph catalogue (listed here as 'allied materials.)
