History of the Kilburn Times & Willesden Chronicle

Martin Percival 17 October 2012 Willesden Local

History Society

• Talk will be in two parts

1. History of the two newspapers via key milestones in their development

2. Some Percival family connections and anecdotes

• Feel free to ask questions as we go

This evening’s agenda

• Father’s side of the family - roots in Willesden• Member of the Willesden Local History Society• Publicity Officer WLHS• International HR director by profession

Introduction -Martin Percival

• “Local papers record local history as it happens”– Harry Terry – Chairman of the North West London Press Ltd

– March 1968 – 100th anniversary issue of the Kilburn Times

• The purpose of local papers is to “inform the local community of what is happening on their doorstep”– Max Walters – Reporter Brent & Kilburn Times - Oct 2012

Background to the talk

• 1855 – abolition of taxes on newspapers• 1861 – duty on newspapers abolished• Over 2,000 newspapers launched in the following years• Much content was still of a national nature

Early newspapers

• 26 year old entrepreneur printer

• Borrowed £200 with J.C. Durrant from the Wilson’s Trust

• Saturday 14th March 1868 – first issue

• First issue free and then a halfpenny charge per copy

• Office and print works at 5 Park Place, Carlton Road, Kilburn

• 1870 moved to 175 Carlton Rd

• 1871 to 1878 – based at 1 Manchester Terrace

Rowland George Bassett – the founder of the Kilburn Times

• 1874 – Bassett sold the paper to Thomas Smith of 58 Chichester Rd, Maida Vale

• Bassett managed Kentish Times in later years and died in 1906

• 1875 – Kilburn Times readership reached 10,000

• Content regularly focused upon street lighting and the cost and quality of schools

•

The early years

• 3 March 1877 – a day late• In competition for one year with the

Kilburn Times• First issue 8 pages• Only 2 pages of local news, rest

national• Front page all adverts, mainly farm

produce auctioneers –still a rural area• 1878 the two merged papers moved to

4 Cambridge Avenue, Kilburn• Branch office and printing at 66 High

Rd, Willesden

The birth of the Willesden Chronicle

• 1892 – North Western Printing and Publishing Association Ltd acquire papers from Thomas Smith

• 1893 Marylebone Times and Paddington Times commence publication

• 1896 – Albert Edward Elliott joins the paper as a clerk. 65 years service (died 1961 – 90 years old)

•

The two papers develop

• 1901 – 56-58 Granville Road, Kilburn purchased

• A former indoor swimming pool

• 1911 – 13 January first half tone photograph printed

Printing and production

• Granville Road, Kilburn wanted as a munitions plant• Paper in very short supply – not rationed• Albert Elliott had to search for supplies• Wastepaper collected for re-pulping• 25 September 1917 price increase to 1 1/2d – Board meeting disrupted by a Gotha Bomber air raid

• June 1918 – Marylebone Times and Paddington Times closed. Price increase to 2d for other titles

•

World War One

• Main source of revenue – mix of local advertising

•

Advertising - 1

• Plus regional and national advertising

Advertising - 2

• Local newspapers boomed in the 1930s– despite the depression. Shift of ad spend away from the nationals

• Issues of 20, 24 and even 28 pages were common

Advertising - 3

• Friday 1 September 1939 – papers announced that schoolchildren were to be evacuated over the coming weekend

• Paper rationed – 6 page issues• Rumours of newsagents “renting out” copies• April 1942 circulation increased as nationals hit by paper shortage.

Ad revenues switched again to local papers• Price up to 3d as circulation still 16% down on 1939• Spring 1944 Granville Road print works hit by an incendiary bomb

World War Two

• 1948 new Crabtree presses ordered – eventually delivered in 1955!

• 1949 paper rationing eased – 8 and later 10 page issues

• 1952 decision to move• 1955 - 4 March first issue produced at

new premises• 1956 Paddington Times re- launched

after a 38 year break•

Move to Newspaper House 313 Kilburn Lane

• 1965 Willesden and Brent Chronicle launched

• 1868 – 1968 100 year anniversary• 80 employees

The 1960s

• 2005 name change to Willesden and Brent Times• 2010 new website launched• August 2011 Brent and Kilburn Times launched• Now owned by Archant Newspapers• Website very successful• Many copies of the paper are now free circulation copies• Very tough times for all local and national papers• 4 people now work on the paper with sub-editing, printing and distribution all centralised by Archant

Twenty First Century

Part 2 – The Percival Family connections to the papers

• Born 3 December 1888• Family lived at Carlton Vale and later 210

Kilburn Lane• Educated at St Augustine’s School• C.1903 joined the newspaper’s staff as

Office Boy at Cambridge Avenue• Spent whole career with the papers,

except WW1• WW1 Royal Garrison Artillery – acting

Major• 1929 Advertisement Manager

William Percival

• 1936 Business Manager/General Manager

• Lived at 160 Doyle Gdns, Willesden

• Willesden Operatic Society member

• Roundwood Division ARP

• Died Friday 11 August 1944

• Lifelong Queen’s Park Rangers fan (club formed 1885 )

William Percival cont.

• Born 1893• 1911 census – Apprentice Printer• 1915 – WW1 France• 1917 – wounded during Arras Offensive• Army discharge due to injuries 1st

November 1917• Returned to the papers– Three stories about Ernie

Ernest Percival

• Alice – born 1903, office clerk from 1917 until her marriage in 1926

• Henry Halling – born 1916 – also an apprentice printer

Other Percival family members who worked for the papers

• Any questions or comments?

Thank you!