
My, how north-west London has changed, Hendun, Wemba Lea, Neasdun, Willesdune have come a long way.
Contributors from the London-centric ‘Londonist‘ website have drawn up what a map of the city might have looked like dating back to 500 – 1050 AD . An ongoing project created by enthusiasts using various artefacts, it’s worth noting the map hasn’t been historically validated.
In today’s busy city life, many of us are unaware of the Anglo-Saxon-esque history of London, so it’s great to get a picture of how a map might have looked.
Will football fans be pleased to know that the home of England’s spiritual chant ‘Wember-ley, Wember-ley, Wember-ley’ hasn’t changed much from its origin, Anglo-Saxon era’s Wemba Lea? Can a sense of authenticity and culture be interpreted from this connection with the past?
Regarding the original Wembley, Londonist said: “‘Wemba Lea’, the land belonging to a local chieftain by the name of Wemba. We know nothing about Mr Wemba, yet his name is familiar to millions, perhaps billions, through its continuation into our own times as Wembley.”
Are there any Wemba’s left out there? We’d love to know. Are you an ancestor of the original chief Wemba? I googled ‘Mr Wemba’ and found ‘Papa Wemba’ a Congolese musician who is often on repeat in Wembley’s Nando’s.
Is Wemba Lea’s chief Wemba of African origin? Far-fetched? Miss-informed? I most certainly am but wouldn’t such a discovery be fitting with present day multi-cultural Wembley.
Here’s Papa Wemba, a Nando’s favourite:
Source: Londonist
You missed one, Herulvestune is Harlesden. Great to see so much history in brent.