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May 2026
BITE SIZE BRENT – Fun facts from our Borough
Magdalen Evans, Editor QP News
Four large conical mounds loom on the left at Hillingdon as one travels west up the A40 out of London. Did you know these were created from the spoils of the building of Wembley Stadium and are a public park, Northala Fields. If you climb to their tops you can see as far as Canary Wharf on a clear day.
The River Brent after which our borough is named, is just under 18 miles long, rising in Barnet flowing in a generally south-west direction before joining the Tideway stretch of the Thames at Brentford.
The Welsh Harp – 170 acres, named after a pub, used to be famous for its Bank Holiday fairs. During its Victorian heyday a bear escaped from a menagerie. During WW2 a seaplane was kept on the reservoir in case of the need of the Prime Minister’s sudden evacuation. Its purpose has always been to feed the Grand Union Canal, rather than to supply public drinking water.
Councillor Ryan Hack is our Mayor for the London Borough of Brent this year. At 26, he is the youngest Mayor in Brent’s history!
50 YEARS OF SHOPPING AT BRENT CROSS
In 1976 the Brent Cross Shopping Centre was opened, the UK’s first stand-alone shopping centre. Older QPARA members may remember the excitement of its opening:
The Centre has stood the test of time, although the fashions may have changed.
The convenience of free parking and the freedom for customers of not having to worry about the weather or carrying heavy bags and boxes remains appealing to many while TfL continues to make sure many buses still stop at the south esplanade.
Plans are afoot for its revitalisation as part of the redevelopment of the whole area: http://www.brentcrosstown.co.uk