T is for Tokyngton

LONDON A-Z T is for Tokyngton For my 20th unsung suburb I'm off to a classic of the genre, a true "where on earth is that it sounds ridiculous why have I not heard of it before?" And yet it's a substantial neighbourhood in a world famous location, as a large white arch attests, also real enough to appear on official yellow fingerposts so it definitely exists, QED. Tokyngton is essentially the area due south of Wembley Stadium, which residents can't easily get to because there's a railway in the way. It's bounded to the east by the River Brent, to the south by the Bakerloo line and to the west by Wembley town centre. The name means 'the farm of the sons of Toca' and was first recorded in the 12th century, with a chapel and manor house following in the 13th and 14th. Tokyngton Manor's estate once stretched as far as Kingsbury and Kilburn, later contracting into Oakington Farm, an arable concern covering 300 acres. Even by the start of WW1 the sole buildings in the area were the farm and…