Alperton
Alperton (/ˈælpətən/) is an area of Northwest London, England, in the London Borough of Brent, forming the southern part of the town of Wembley. It is centred 7.5 miles (12 km) west north-west of Charing Cross. It includes a handful of high-rise and many mid-rise buildings as well as streets of low-rise houses with gardens. As with all of west London it is in the historic county of Middlesex. Adjoining the Grand Union Canal's Paddington Arm fed by the Brent Reservoir.
Alperton | |
---|---|
Middlesex House and Grand Union Apartments on the Grand Union Canal | |
Alperton Location within Greater London | |
Population | 14,017 (2011 Census. Ward)[1] |
OS grid reference | TQ185835 |
• Charing Cross | 7.6 mi (12.2 km) ESE |
London borough | |
Ceremonial county | Greater London |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | WEMBLEY |
Postcode district | HA0 |
Dialling code | 020 |
Police | Metropolitan |
Fire | London |
Ambulance | London |
UK Parliament | |
London Assembly | |
Toponymy
The name Alperton means "farmstead or estate associated with a man named Ealhbeorht", deriving from an Anglo-Saxon personal name and tūn, meaning farmstead or village in Old English.[2]
Demography
Alperton has one of the capital's highest populations from black or minority ethnic groups (BME). In the 1991 census, 43.2% of Alperton ward's population was Asian, only one point less than White. British Indians formed 31.5% in 1991 and 32.4% in 2001, with white having decreased to 27.8%.[3] According to the 2011 census, the largest ethnic group was Indian, 42% of the population, well above Brent's average of 18%. Other Asian was second largest at 17%. The most spoken foreign language was Gujarati, by 3,213 residents, followed by Tamil, spoken by 1,001 residents.[4] In the 2011 census 47.7% of residents are of the Hindu faith, Christians: 27.2% and Muslims: 11.9%.[5]
Transport
Road
Ealing Road (A4089) and Bridgewater Road (A4005) are major roads that run through Alperton. Alperton Lane (B456) is another useful thoroughfare. The A406 North Circular Road passes by the east of Alperton.
The Grand Union Canal runs through Alperton and the Grand Union Walk is its old towpath, which was originally used by horses drawing the canal barges, and is now a recreational facility that serves Alperton.
Trains
Alperton station is on the Piccadilly line and located in the district. Other close stations include Hanger Lane (Central line) to the south; Stonebridge Park (Bakerloo line & Watford DC Line) to the east; and Wembley Central (Bakerloo line, London Overground's Watford DC Line, Southern & West Midlands Trains) to the north.
Notable people
- Keith Moon, drummer with The Who, lived in Alperton as a boy.[6]
- Chess endgame study composer and author John Roycroft was born in Alperton
- Gary Waddock, former footballer and now manager of Aldershot Town, grew up in Alperton
- Footballer Joe Wiggins (1909–82) was born in Alperton
In popular culture
The towpath of the Grand Union Canal in Alperton has been used for various scenes in the BBC TV soap EastEnders. It was first used in an episode which aired on 3 October 1985, when the character Den Watts (played by Leslie Grantham) meets Michelle Fowler (played by Susan Tully) and it is revealed Den is the father of Michelle's baby. It was used again on numerous occasions, most famously on 23 February 1989, when Den Watts was shot before falling into the canal and supposedly dying. Den returned to the canal with daughter Sharon Watts on 3 October 2003, when he returned to Albert Square alive.
Locale
Neighbouring areas
References
- "Brent Ward population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Styatistics. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
- Mills, A.D. (2010). A Dictionary of London Place-Names. Oxford University Press. p. 6. ISBN 9780199566785.
- "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- http://www.ukcensusdata.com/alperton-e05000085
- http://alperton.localstats.co.uk/census-demographics/england/london/brent/alperton
- https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/roger-daltrey-interview-2018