Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Stonebridge Park


The platforms at this station are used by both the Overground and the Underground which is unusual.

This station was first used by the Bakerloo line on 16th April 1917 and this is the 20th station on this line.




Across from the station is Argenta House, the headquarters of a jewellery manufacturer. To mark the occasion of the 2012 Olympic Games the owner of the company, Ari D Norman,  decided to commission murals of three Olympics that highlighted racial strife




 Munich 1972: 11 Israeli Olympians kidnapped and murdered



 Mexico City 1968: Iconic image for human and civil rights


Berlin 1936: Jesse Owens wins 4 Olympic Gold medals disproving the white supremacy doctrine of Hitler and the Nazis.













These three illuminated panels painted by Abe Sesay are a permanent 24 hour reminder of issues and events that shouldn't be forgotten.




The station is next to the very busy North Circular Road and in the other direction you can see the arch of Wembley Stadium.









In the nearby Brent River Park is a reminder of the old Wembley Stadium. Many people were very disappointed that the iconic twin towers from the original Wembley Stadium would not be part of the new one. So although this looks a strange monument to have in a park, I think it means a lot to local people. This section is the base of the flagpole from the twin towers.






Although not a large park it is picturesque and has a number of features such as thi skateboard area.





The skateboard park is full of various sayings.



This majestic building came as quite a surprise. I had heard of the Neasden Temple but had never seen it before. I approached it from an ordinary residential street and then as I approached the gates saw it in all its wonder.



This is the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir. It is the first traditional Hindu temple to be built in Europe and the largest outside India. The marble was carved in India and then shipped to the UK where the 26,300 pieces were assembled. It opened in 1995.

 


 
 

4 comments:

  1. The temple is very impressive. I wonder what the flying flags are.

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  2. All of this is absolutely fascinating. I used to live down the road, in Cricklewood, and had no idea about any of this. Mind you, I was probably more interested in going to the pub at the time. Great post!

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  3. Wonderful walk round. I have heard of the temple but never seen it. Nice memorial in the park

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