Dollis Hill
Encyclopedia
Dollis Hill is an area of north-west London
. It lies close to Willesden
, in the London Borough of Brent
. As a result, Dollis Hill is sometimes referred as being part of Willesden
, especially by the national press. Dollis Hill consists of the streets surrounding Gladstone Park
, formerly the estate belonging to Dollis Hill House.
The Dollis Hill Estate was formed in the early 19th century, when the Finch family bought up a number of farms in the area to form a single estate. Dollis Hill House
itself was built in the 1820s.
The first railway in the area was the Dudding Hill Line
, opened in 1875 by the Midland Railway
to connect its Midland Main Line
and Cricklewood goods yard in the east to other lines to the south-west. The Dudding Hill station on the line closed for passengers in 1902, but the line still carried freight.
Dollis Hill tube station
opened on 1 October 1909 as part of the second railway in the area, the Metropolitan Line
, now transferred to the Jubilee Line
.
In World War I
the tank design team responsible for the new Anglo-American or Liberty tank, Mark VIII
was located here.
The code-breaking Colossus computer
, used at Bletchley Park
during the Second World War, was built at the Post Office Research Station
in Dollis Hill by a team led by Tommy Flowers
. The station was relocated to Martlesham Heath
at the end of the 1970s. The Post Office Research Station building has now been converted into 62 flats and is now known as 'Chartwell Court'.
The Alternative War Rooms code named Paddock
is located at the Post Office Research Station
.
, the UK Prime Minister
, was a frequent visitor to Dollis Hill House in the late 19th century. The year after his death, 1899, Willesden Council acquired much of the Dollis Hill Estate for use as a public park, which was named Gladstone Park.
Mark Twain
stayed in Dollis Hill House in the summer of 1900. He wrote that "Dollis Hill comes nearer to being a paradise than any other home I ever occupied."
as arch-rivals to Neasden Football Club
, with on at least one occasion the fictional Dollis Hill South council ward used in the irregular Those Election Results In Full mock section.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It lies close to Willesden
Willesden
Willesden is an area in North West London which forms part of the London Borough of Brent. It is situated 5 miles north west of Charing Cross...
, in 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...
. As a result, Dollis Hill is sometimes referred as being part of Willesden
Willesden
Willesden is an area in North West London which forms part of the London Borough of Brent. It is situated 5 miles north west of Charing Cross...
, especially by the national press. Dollis Hill consists of the streets surrounding Gladstone Park
Gladstone Park, London
Gladstone Park is situated in the Dollis Hill area of north-west London. It is about 35 hectares in area Dollis Hill House is an early Nineteenth-Century farmhouse, located within the northern boundary of the park.-Transport:...
, formerly the estate belonging to Dollis Hill House.
History
Dollis Hill House
Dollis Hill House is an early Nineteenth-Century farmhouse located in the North London suburb of Dollis Hill, on the northern boundary of Gladstone Park. Noteworthy guests such as William Ewart Gladstone and Mark Twain have been entertained there. Today, the house is a derelict ruin, having been...
itself was built in the 1820s.
The first railway in the area was the Dudding Hill Line
Dudding Hill Line
The Dudding Hill Line is a railway line in north-west London running from Acton to Cricklewood. The line has no scheduled passenger service, no stations, no electrification, and a 30 mph speed limit with semaphore signalling, and is lightly used by freight and very occasional passenger charter...
, opened in 1875 by 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....
to connect its Midland Main Line
Midland Main Line
The Midland Main Line is a major railway route in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system.The present-day line links London St...
and Cricklewood goods yard in the east to other lines to the south-west. The Dudding Hill station on the line closed for passengers in 1902, but the line still carried freight.
Dollis Hill tube station
Dollis Hill tube station
Dollis Hill tube station is a London Underground station at Dollis Hill near to Willesden and Harlesden. It is on the Jubilee Line, between Willesden Green and Neasden. Metropolitan Line trains pass the station, but do not stop. The station is about 25 minutes from central London in Travelcard Zone...
opened on 1 October 1909 as part of the second railway in the area, the Metropolitan Line
Metropolitan Line
The Metropolitan line is part of the London Underground. It is coloured in Transport for London's Corporate Magenta on the Tube map and in other branding. It was the first underground railway in the world, opening as the Metropolitan Railway on 10 January 1863...
, now transferred to 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...
.
In World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
the tank design team responsible for the new Anglo-American or Liberty tank, Mark VIII
Mark VIII (tank)
The Tank Mark VIII or Liberty was an Anglo-American tank design of the First World War. Initially intended to be a collaborative effort to equip France, the UK and the US with a single tank design, it did not come to fruition before the end of the war and only a few were produced.-Early...
was located here.
The code-breaking Colossus computer
Colossus computer
Not to be confused with the fictional computer of the same name in the movie Colossus: The Forbin Project.Colossus was the world's first electronic, digital, programmable computer. Colossus and its successors were used by British codebreakers to help read encrypted German messages during World War II...
, used at Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park is an estate located in the town of Bletchley, in Buckinghamshire, England, which currently houses the National Museum of Computing...
during the Second World War, was built at the Post Office Research Station
Post Office Research Station
The Post Office Research Station at Dollis Hill, London, was first established in 1921 and opened by Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald in 1933.In 1943 the world's first programmable electronic computer, Colossus Mark 1 was built by Tommy Flowers and his team, followed in 1944 and 1945 by nine...
in Dollis Hill by a team led by Tommy Flowers
Tommy Flowers
Thomas "Tommy" Harold Flowers, MBE was an English engineer. During World War II, Flowers designed Colossus, the world's first programmable electronic computer, to help solve encrypted German messages.-Early life:...
. The station was relocated to Martlesham Heath
Martlesham Heath
Martlesham Heath village is situated 6 miles east of Ipswich, in Suffolk, England. This was an ancient area of heathland and latterly the site of Martlesham Heath Airfield...
at the end of the 1970s. The Post Office Research Station building has now been converted into 62 flats and is now known as 'Chartwell Court'.
The Alternative War Rooms code named Paddock
Paddock (war rooms)
Paddock is the codeword for an alternative Cabinet War Room bunker for Winston Churchill's World War II government located in Dollis Hill, North West London under the Post Office Research Station. It was constructed in 1939 but only rarely used during the war, with only two meetings of the War...
is located at the Post Office Research Station
Post Office Research Station
The Post Office Research Station at Dollis Hill, London, was first established in 1921 and opened by Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald in 1933.In 1943 the world's first programmable electronic computer, Colossus Mark 1 was built by Tommy Flowers and his team, followed in 1944 and 1945 by nine...
.
Famous residents
William Ewart GladstoneWilliam Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
, the UK Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
, was a frequent visitor to Dollis Hill House in the late 19th century. The year after his death, 1899, Willesden Council acquired much of the Dollis Hill Estate for use as a public park, which was named Gladstone Park.
Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
stayed in Dollis Hill House in the summer of 1900. He wrote that "Dollis Hill comes nearer to being a paradise than any other home I ever occupied."
Fictional references
The fictional Dollis Hill Football Club features occasionally in the British satirical magazine Private EyePrivate Eye
Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical and current affairs magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.Since its first publication in 1961, Private Eye has been a prominent critic and lampooner of public figures and entities that it deemed guilty of any of the sins of incompetence, inefficiency,...
as arch-rivals to Neasden Football Club
Neasden F.C.
Neasden F.C. is a fictional, spoof football team, the subject of a long-running joke in the British satirical magazine, Private Eye. It was invented by writer Barry Fantoni to satirize the clichés and hyperbole of football journalism and first appeared in the mid 1960s...
, with on at least one occasion the fictional Dollis Hill South council ward used in the irregular Those Election Results In Full mock section.