Local Legacy
Celebrating the great history of the Brent Cross Cricklewood development area
As the area transforms, we want to preserve and celebrate the great history and identity of the Brent Cross Cricklewood development area. This oral histories project was inspired from and following the relocation of residents living in the former Whitefield Estate to new homes close by, and in Brent Cross Town.
In October 2025, we invited residents living in and around the area to a special local legacy evening led by Barnet Council’s Heritage Development Officer, Hugh Petrie, taking them down memory lane and sharing a history presentation of Brent Cross Cricklewood. You can watch the full video of our local legacy evening here, filmed and edited by Middlesex University students.
We also spoke to former Whitefield Estate residents and here are some memories they shared with us....
Eileen Touil is one of Whitefield Estate’s longest standing former residents who first moved into the area in 1974. Eileen shared with us plenty of memories living in the area, including the big milestone of being a part of their resident association and requesting Transport for London to bring the first ever bus route through the local area, which was bus 189. Eileen described the area as ‘home’ and recalled memories of arranging coach trips with neighbours to different parts of the UK and even France, celebrating Christmas with neighbours, exchanging gifts and working alongside some of her neighbours at Brent Cross Shopping Centre. Eileen shares lots more memories which we’ll be capturing as part of this legacy project.
Stacey (pictured left) and her daughter Sasha (pictured right) lived at the Whitefield Estate for almost eight years. They described living there as ‘cosy’ and shared with us how much they found neighbours to be welcoming and the area being quiet and nice. Sasha said her old home held special memories for her “it was where I lived in when I passed my GCSEs, A Level and got my driving licence”.
Linda Graham (pictured left) and Natasha Mulcahy (pictured right) both have lived in the local area for a couple of years and shared with their favourite memories. For Natasha, she gave birth and raised her children in the area, and having them spend their childhood in a friendly community was something she valued. She remembers the ice cream van driving around the area around 6pm every day during the summer and enjoyed see her friends and neighbours also waiting by the van. Linda told us how much she used to enjoy having barbecues and a bouncy castle in the green spaces of the area, celebrating her son’s birthday and inviting all the kids from the Estate. For both Linda and Natasha, living in a friendly community where everyone knew each other is something they appreciate and will always call ‘home’.
If you would like to take part and share with us your memories online, email us at transformingbx@barnet.gov.uk