Park Royal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the mall in West Vancouver, Canada, see Park Royal Shopping Centre
| Park Royal | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference: | TQ195828 |
| Administration | |
| London borough: | Brent |
| County level: | Greater London |
| Region: | London |
| Constituent country: | England |
| Sovereign state: | United Kingdom |
| Other | |
| Ceremonial county: | Greater London |
| Historic county: | Middlesex (1965) |
| Services | |
| Police force: | Metropolitan Police |
| Fire brigade: | London Fire Brigade |
| Ambulance service: | London Ambulance |
| Post office and telephone | |
| Post town: | LONDON |
| Postal district: | NW10/W5 |
| Dialling code: | 020 |
| Politics | |
| UK Parliament: | Brent South |
| London Assembly: | Brent and Harrow |
| European Parliament: | London |
| London | List of places in London | |
Park Royal is an industrial part of northwest London, partly within the London Borough of Ealing (W5) and mostly within the London Borough of Brent (NW10). The name of the area derives from the short-lived showgrounds opened in 1903 by the Royal Agricultural Society as a permanent exhibition site for the society's annual show. The permanent site was a failure and after only three years the site was sold in 1905 and the society returned to a touring format for its shows. With its good road, rail and canal links the area was developed gradually over the next few years for industrial usage.
On the northern side is the Network Rail depot at Stonebridge Park, which also has London Underground Bakerloo Line tracks running through it (and Harlesden station nearby). On the eastern side, Park Royal is bound by Acton Lane and Park Royal Road (B4492). The Central Middlesex Hospital is located here. On the southern side is the arterial Western Avenue (A40), which leads to the Hanger Lane Gyratory System. Park Royal Underground station, on the Piccadilly Line is located just off Western Avenue. To the west of Park Royal is the North Circular Road (A406).
The Grand Union Canal runs through the middle of the Park Royal industrial estate. You can walk along it on a towpath.
As well as many small industrial firms, Park Royal is home to some large company buildings, including McVities [1] and Heinz. The old Guinness brewery and sports ground site at the south-western extremity of the district is progressively being redeveloped into a new 120,000 sq m office park which will eventually see the Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners/Giles Gilbert Scott designed office and brewery buildings demolished. The first building erected adjacent to the new roundabout and bridge link to Western Avenue is occupied by international drinks company Diageo, owners of the Guinness brand and the redevelopment site [2]. The Female Health Company which manufactures Femidoms has its worldwide manufacturing plant here too [3].
In recent years, Park Royal has become a site for illegal squat parties due to the presence of disused industrial buildings and remoteness from domestic housing.
