History of Chalkhill

There are references to a John Chalkhill in Elizabethan times and there was an attractive 17th Century house on Forty Lane which survived as a private school until 1963.

The area now known as Chalkhill was developed as a Metroland estate from 1921. Detached houses were built on quarter-acre plots and some remnants can still be seen at the eastern end of Chalkhill Road.

Private developers first saw the potential for redeveloping the large garden plots to gain more dwellings.

In 1963/64 the area of Chalklands and the Leadings was built by Prowtings. In 1963 Wembley Borough Council prepared its own scheme for large scale redevelopment of the area so as to avoid piecemeal developments. But it was the creation of the new London Borough of Brent in 1965 and the council's inheritance of the housing problems in Willesden, which gave rise to the high density, high rise Chalkhill Estate.

The design of the walkway blocks was based on that of Park Hill in Sheffield and was built in several phases between 1966 and 1970.

In more recent times, the name of Chalkhill has become synonymous with the high density, high rise development providing flats, shops, a medical centre, car parking and open space, although the estate comprised of two distinct styles. There is the low rise development now known as the Scientist estate, located mainly to the east of Saxon Road, and the 30 high rise 'Bison' built blocks linked by walkways in the sky. In total there were about 1900 houses and flats.

In 1980's, widespread concern about the conditions on the estate led to a number of initiatives that included door entry systems and walkway closures. These were implemented in three phases from 1987 and were funded through the government's 'Estate Action' programme. 

 
Although beneficial in terms of security, this programme did nothing to repair the defects in the blocks, renew the worn out services or modernise the interiors of the flats.

In addition, the Scientist part of the estate was also in need of major refurbishment, especially the flat roofs and windows, and it was against this backdrop that the plans for the area's regeneration were born.

 For more information view the Remaking Chalkhill  (.pdf, 1305Kb) information booklet.