The Ancient Parish of Kingsbury
Chalkhill, Kingsbury, Kingsbury Green, Pipers Green, Roe Green and part of The Hyde are all places in the Ancient Parish of Kingsbury, which formed part of the Gore hundred subdivision of the county of Middlesex. Civil Parishes took over from Ancient Parishes in the 1860s, followed by Urban District Councils in 1894 and then London Boroughs in 1965. Kingsbury now forms part of the London Borough of Brent.
Surrounding Kingsbury are the Middlesex parishes of Little Stanmore, Hendon, Willesden, Wembley and Harrow on the Hill.
Old St Andrew Church
This church dates from the 12th or 13th century and is believed to be the oldest standing building in the London Borough of Brent. It was appropriated by the Knights Hospitaller from about 1245. The ancient church became too small for the needs of the parishioners and so in 1884 a new church, dedicated to Holy Innocents, was built about a mile further north and this became the parish church for Kingsbury with St Andrew turned into a chapel of ease, subsequently being known as the Consolidated Chapelry of Neasden-cum-Kingsbury. All of the parish records of St Andrew were supposed to be transferred to Holy Innocents, although a couple went to the new St Andrew, see below.
Records include: baptisms (1732-1868), marriages (1735-1837); burials (1732-1879) and are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: DRO/045.
Holy Innocents, Kingsbury Road, Kingsbury
After the ancient parish church of St Andrew became too small for the parish’s need, a new church dedicated to Holy Innocents was built in 1884 on land donated by All Souls College, Oxford, who were major landowners in the parish. Holy Innocents became the parish church of Kingsbury and the records of the ancient church were transferred here.
Records include: baptisms (1732-1913), marriages (1735-1837); burials (1732-1879) and are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: DRO/045.
All Saints, Waltham Drive, Queensbury
The parish of All Saints, Queensbury, was formed in 1932 from some of Kingsbury together with the southern part of Little Stanmore. Records include baptisms (1933-1955) and marriages (1932-1959) and are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: DRO/145.
St Andrew, Church Lane, Kingsbury
In 1933 the Victorian church of St Andrew, Wells Street, Marylebone was re-erected in Kingsbury. It had become redundant to needs in central London and its Victorian Gothic interior in particular was deemed worthy of saving. There was space next to the ancient St Andrew’s church and the area was growing in population, so there was a need for a new church here. A new parish of St Andrew was consecrated in 1934.
Records include: baptisms (1932-1949), marriages (1886-1970); burials (1879-1959) and are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: DRO/028.
