I popped into a meeting of Willesden Local History Society recently, and
purchased a couple of interesting pamphlets. One is on the history of the
Gladstone Park GPO telecomms research station and "secret" bunker, but the
other more relevant here is called "Lost Willesden Railway Stations", by Cliff
Wadsworth.
It is quite well-illustrated, with pictures of the first Willesden station
which was on Acton Lane, and "Old Spinks", the station master, and the old
Dudding(sic) Hill station, and some maps, including diagrams showing the
evolution of Willesden Junction. There's also a letter from William Morris to
his daughter May advising her to avoid the Junction if she can help it,
"everything is arranged so that shall miss your trains there", and he says what
staff there were, were most unhelpful. This was in 1879, and I dare say
there'll be an argument among those on this list as to whether it has changed!
I'd have found a general map useful indicating the precise locations of each
station, but guess I can go out and look for traces. I remember there was still
a nice little building, possibly station master's house, by the track north of
the Harrow Road near the College Park pub (another 'lost' place) when I was
living near there in the 1960s.
The booklet was first published in 1998 so many of you may already have seen
it. But anyone who is interested, and wants to get hold of a copy, or find out
more on the WLHS can try http://www.london-northwest.com/sites/wlhs/.