Harold Hill is a place in the London Borough of Havering

London Borough of Havering

The London Borough of Havering is a London borough in North East London, England and forms part of Outer London. The principal town in Havering is Romford and the other main communities are Hornchurch, Upminster and Rainham. The borough is mainly characterised by suburban development with large...

, east London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, England. It is a suburban development situated 16.6 miles (26.7 km) east-northeeast of Charing Cross

Charing Cross

Charing Cross denotes the junction of Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square in central London, England. It is named after the now demolished Eleanor cross that stood there, in what was once the hamlet of Charing. The site of the cross is now occupied by an equestrian...

.

Harold Hill is a large scale post war London County Council housing development, built at the end of the World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, an attempt to move large sections of the population from poor conditions in central districts to the more pleasant surroundings of the suburbs. The first Greater London Council

Greater London Council

The Greater London Council was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council which had covered a much smaller area...

 tenant to buy their council house did so here in 1967.

Transport and locale

Unlike the comparable Becontree

Becontree

Becontree is a place in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, east north-east of Charing Cross.-Becontree estate:The area was developed between 1921 and 1932 by the London County Council as a large council estate of 27,000 homes, intended as "homes for heroes" after World War I. With a...

 development, Harold Hill was built without direct connection to the London Underground

London Underground

The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...

 or National Rail

National Rail

National Rail is a title used by the Association of Train Operating Companies as a generic term to define the passenger rail services operated in Great Britain...

 services. Transport for London

Transport for London

Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...

 provides bus routes 174, 256, 294, 496, 499, 646, 608, 674, 647 and N86 (night bus) with connections to tube and rail and are planning that the East London Transit

East London Transit

East London Transit is a part-segregated bus rapid transit whose first phase opened in 2010, with an additional phase planned to open in 2013. The scheme has been developed by Transport for London due to the existing and anticipated demand for public transport in northeast London caused by the...

 will serve the area.

Nearest places

• Brentwood
  Brentwood, Essex
  Brentwood is a town and the principal settlement of the Borough of Brentwood, in the county of Essex in the east of England. It is located in the London commuter belt, 20 miles east north-east of Charing Cross in London, and near the M25 motorway....
  
  
• Collier Row
  Collier Row
  Collier Row is a place in north east London in the London Borough of Havering. It is a suburban development north of Romford, located north east of Charing Cross....
  
  
• Gallows Corner
  Gallows Corner
  Gallows Corner is an area and major road junction in the London Borough of Havering near Romford.The junction is a large roundabout with five exits and a flyover...
  
  
• Gidea Park
  Gidea Park
  Gidea Park is a place in the London Borough of Havering, east London, England. Gidea Park is a part of Romford post town.-History:Gidea Park is the location of the "Romford Garden Suburb" constructed in 1910 to 1911 on the Gidea Hall and Balgores Estates as an exhibition of town planning...
  
  
• Harold Wood
  Harold Wood
  Harold Wood is a place in the London Borough of Havering, east London, England.It is a suburban development situated east-northeeast of Charing Cross...
  
  

Nearest stations

• Brentwood railway station
  Brentwood railway station
  Brentwood railway station is a railway station in Brentwood, Essex. It is on the electric line between between Shenfield and London Liverpool Street....
  
  
• Gidea Park railway station
  Gidea Park railway station
  Gidea Park railway station is a railway station at Gidea Park in the London Borough of Havering in east London. It was opened as Squirrels Heath & Gidea Park on 1 December 1910 by the Great Eastern Railway on their main line....
  
  
• Harold Wood railway station
  Harold Wood railway station
  Harold Wood station is a railway station at Harold Wood in the London Borough of Havering in east London. It was first openedon 1 December 1868 by the Great Eastern Railway on their main line and two additional tracks were provided in 1934 under London and North Eastern Railway ownership.Train...
  
  

In national media

The area has been covered in relation to various murders and attempted murders.

In song

Ian Dury

Ian Dury

Ian Robins Dury was an English rock and roll singer, lyricist, bandleader and actor who initially rose to fame during the late 1970s, during the punk and New Wave era of rock music...

 referenced Harold Hill in This Is What We Find:
The song set all three of its verses in real places; the others were Turnham Green

Turnham Green

Turnham Green is a public park situated on Chiswick High Road, Chiswick, London. It is separated in two by a small road. Christ Church stands on the eastern half of the green. A war memorial stands on the eastern corner...

 and Lambeth Walk

Lambeth Walk

Lambeth Walk is a street in Lambeth, London, England, off Lambeth Road. It was an old street market and housing area.After some bomb damage during the Blitz in World War II on September 18, 1940, the area became rather run down and was subsequently rebuilt....

. In his 2CD Retrospective Reasons To be Cheerful produced by Repertoire Records

Repertoire Records

Repertoire Records is a German record label from Hamburg, Germany, specialising in reissues of classic pop and rock albums originally issued in the 60s and 70s. The chairman is Thomas Neelsen....

Dury stated that he never wrote another verse as good as Harold Hill's verse.

External links

• http://www.friendsofdagnampark.org.uk/
• Harold Hill: A People's History