In message , John Rowland
writes

I discovered Brent Terrace (the Cricklewood end) this afternoon. Most of the
east side has no houses. The houses on the west side are all built
backwards, with their back gardens facing the road, and their fronts facing
the railway. The only explanation I can think of is that there was
originally a road where the railway sidings are now, and when this old road
was removed, Brent Terrace was built as a substitute access for the already
existing houses. Does anyone know the real story?

Bacon's London Atlas (1923) shows the original name of the road as
"Midland Bren[t] Terrace" so I guess they were originally railway houses
facing the depot and built on Midland Railway property. Individual
houses in Midland Brent Terrace are clearly shown in this atlas, and
there is a railway shunting neck *very* close indeed on the railway side
- no room for a road there at all.

For a scan see: http://www.musonix.demon.co.uk/temp/Brent1.JPG

Bartholomew's 1913 atlas (showing the area before the North Circular was
driven through) is less detailed, but shows no sign of an additional
road on the railway side:

http://www.musonix.demon.co.uk/temp/Brent2.JPG

HTH
--
Paul Terry