South Harrow
Encyclopedia
South Harrow has grown out of the village of Roxeth
as a result of urbanization
and easier access from Central London
by rail
. South of the old village centre (located at the bottom of Roxeth Hill), and beyond the newly developed shopping area, lies South Harrow tube station
and the High Street
(Northolt Road).
.
South Harrow has several old recreational grounds
, one of which was named after Queen Alexandra
, who frequently visited the area. South Harrow's Alexandra Park is a large recreation ground, with football and cricket pitches, allotments and rough grassland immediately to the west of London Underground
's Piccadilly line
.
A bowling green
, operated by Roxeth Bowls Club, closed in mid-2008, following rent increases from Harrow Council. This recreation ground was donated to the people of South Harrow in the early 20th century and is known as Roxeth Park. During the Second World War
it was made into a market garden; it was then returned to recreational use.
Various Religious denominations have places of worship in South Harrow, including: Anglican, Catholic
, Free Church
, Methodist, Salvation Army
and Welsh Congregational
. Tamils
and Koreans meet in churches on Sunday afternoons.
Shops on Northolt Road (the main shopping street in South Harrow) sell Sri Lankan
and Polish
groceries. There are five Halal
butchers, nine public houses
and four chicken shops.
and Roxbourne Infant School
share a site in Torbay Road. The schools were known as Roxbourne Middle School
and Roxbourne First School
between 1974 and 2010, when the London Borough of Harrow adopted a comprehensive
system of education that transferred children to secondary schools at age 12 (after year 7). In 2010 the borough changed the age ranges catered for, and took the opportunity to replace the additional wing that had been added in 1974 to accommodate year 7, which contained asbestos. The new classrooms are used by Reception and year 6. At the same time a Nursery class was added to the Infant school. The Infant school now covers ages 4 to 7 as Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and year 2. The Junior school covers ages 8 to 11, as years 3, 4, 5 and 6. The Roxbourne schools have three classes in each year, each class numbering up to thirty pupils.
Weldon Park Junior School
and Weldon Park Infant School
are built on separate sites in Wyvenhoe Road. The original school opened in 1910 and was known as Welldon Park Primary School. It served pupils from age 4 to 11 years and had a reputation for academic rigour under the headship of Mrs. Cooper in the 1950s and '60s. More recently it was separated into Weldon Park First School and Weldon Park Middle School before changing age ranges and names along with schools in the rest of the Borough.
Whitmore High School was formed in 1974 and is now a sixth form specialist science school. It is in the process of being completely rebuilt by September 2010, following a £30 million grant.
routes serve South Harrow (correct at 26 May 2010):
. Scotland Yard
announced that the explosion could have been a murder
, but it was later found to be an accident.
Roxeth
Roxeth was a hamlet in the ancient Harrow on the Hill parish, which now forms part of the London Borough of Harrow in Greater London, England.The ancient parish of Harrow on the Hill, or simply Harrow, was one of the largest parishes in Middlesex...
as a result of urbanization
Urbanization
Urbanization, urbanisation or urban drift is the physical growth of urban areas as a result of global change. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008....
and easier access from Central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
by rail
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
. South of the old village centre (located at the bottom of Roxeth Hill), and beyond the newly developed shopping area, lies South Harrow tube station
South Harrow tube station
South Harrow is a London Underground station on the Uxbridge branch of the Piccadilly Line. The station is between Sudbury Hill and Rayners Lane. It is located on Northolt Road . The station is in Travelcard Zone 5...
and the High Street
High Street
High Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic name of the primary business street of towns or cities, especially in the United Kingdom. It is usually a focal point for shops and retailers in city centres, and is most often used in reference to retailing...
(Northolt Road).
History
Much of the local history, before the railways, comes from when South Harrow was known as RoxethRoxeth
Roxeth was a hamlet in the ancient Harrow on the Hill parish, which now forms part of the London Borough of Harrow in Greater London, England.The ancient parish of Harrow on the Hill, or simply Harrow, was one of the largest parishes in Middlesex...
.
South Harrow has several old recreational grounds
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
, one of which was named after Queen Alexandra
Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark was the wife of Edward VII of the United Kingdom...
, who frequently visited the area. South Harrow's Alexandra Park is a large recreation ground, with football and cricket pitches, allotments and rough grassland immediately to the west of 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...
's Piccadilly line
Piccadilly Line
The Piccadilly line is a line of the London Underground, coloured dark blue on the Tube map. It is the fifth busiest line on the Underground network judged by the number of passengers transported per year. It is mainly a deep-level line, running from the north to the west of London via Zone 1, with...
.
A bowling green
Bowling green
A bowling green is a finely-laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of lawn for playing the game of lawn bowls.Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep on them...
, operated by Roxeth Bowls Club, closed in mid-2008, following rent increases from Harrow Council. This recreation ground was donated to the people of South Harrow in the early 20th century and is known as Roxeth Park. During the Second World War
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...
it was made into a market garden; it was then returned to recreational use.
Various Religious denominations have places of worship in South Harrow, including: Anglican, Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, Free Church
Free Church
The proper noun Free Church may refer to:Europe-wide:* Evangelical Lutheran Free Churchin Germany:* Evangelical Lutheran Free Church * Independent Evangelical-Lutheran Churchin Iceland:*Reykjavík Free Churchin Norway:...
, Methodist, Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
and Welsh Congregational
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
. Tamils
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
and Koreans meet in churches on Sunday afternoons.
Shops on Northolt Road (the main shopping street in South Harrow) sell Sri Lankan
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
and Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
groceries. There are five Halal
Halal
Halal is a term designating any object or an action which is permissible to use or engage in, according to Islamic law. The term is used to designate food seen as permissible according to Islamic law...
butchers, nine public houses
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
and four chicken shops.
Education
Built in 1938, Roxbourne Junior SchoolJunior school
A junior school is a type of school which caters for children, often between the ages of 7 and 11.-Australia:In Australia, a junior school is usually a part of a private school that educates children between the ages of 5 and 12....
and Roxbourne Infant School
Infant school
An Infant school is a term used primarily in the United Kingdom for school for children between the ages of four and seven years. It is usually a small school serving a particular locality....
share a site in Torbay Road. The schools were known as Roxbourne Middle School
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
and Roxbourne First School
First School
First school and lower school are terms used in some areas of the United Kingdom to describe the first stage of primary education. Some English Local Education Authorities have introduced First Schools since the 1960s...
between 1974 and 2010, when the London Borough of Harrow adopted a comprehensive
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
system of education that transferred children to secondary schools at age 12 (after year 7). In 2010 the borough changed the age ranges catered for, and took the opportunity to replace the additional wing that had been added in 1974 to accommodate year 7, which contained asbestos. The new classrooms are used by Reception and year 6. At the same time a Nursery class was added to the Infant school. The Infant school now covers ages 4 to 7 as Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and year 2. The Junior school covers ages 8 to 11, as years 3, 4, 5 and 6. The Roxbourne schools have three classes in each year, each class numbering up to thirty pupils.
Weldon Park Junior School
Junior school
A junior school is a type of school which caters for children, often between the ages of 7 and 11.-Australia:In Australia, a junior school is usually a part of a private school that educates children between the ages of 5 and 12....
and Weldon Park Infant School
Infant school
An Infant school is a term used primarily in the United Kingdom for school for children between the ages of four and seven years. It is usually a small school serving a particular locality....
are built on separate sites in Wyvenhoe Road. The original school opened in 1910 and was known as Welldon Park Primary School. It served pupils from age 4 to 11 years and had a reputation for academic rigour under the headship of Mrs. Cooper in the 1950s and '60s. More recently it was separated into Weldon Park First School and Weldon Park Middle School before changing age ranges and names along with schools in the rest of the Borough.
Whitmore High School was formed in 1974 and is now a sixth form specialist science school. It is in the process of being completely rebuilt by September 2010, following a £30 million grant.
Nearby railway stations
- South Harrow tube stationSouth Harrow tube stationSouth Harrow is a London Underground station on the Uxbridge branch of the Piccadilly Line. The station is between Sudbury Hill and Rayners Lane. It is located on Northolt Road . The station is in Travelcard Zone 5...
(Piccadilly LinePiccadilly LineThe Piccadilly line is a line of the London Underground, coloured dark blue on the Tube map. It is the fifth busiest line on the Underground network judged by the number of passengers transported per year. It is mainly a deep-level line, running from the north to the west of London via Zone 1, with...
) - Northolt ParkNortholt Park railway stationNortholt Park railway station is a Network Rail station in Northolt, Greater London. It is in Cadogan Close and spans the boundary between the London Borough of Harrow and the London Borough of Ealing, with a footbridge connecting the north side to the south side .The service to the station has...
(Chiltern Main LineChiltern Main LineThe Chiltern Main Line is an inter-urban, regional and commuter railway, part of the British railway system. It links London and Birmingham on a 112-mile route via the towns of High Wycombe, Banbury, and Leamington Spa...
) - Harrow-on-the-Hill stationHarrow-on-the-Hill stationHarrow-on-the-Hill station is a London Underground station served by National Rail and London Underground trains. It is located between College Road and Lowlands Road in the Greenhill area of Harrow, about half a mile north of the locality from which it takes its name.-Railway geography:The...
may be reached by a short walk or by bus (140/114).
Bus routes
The following London busLondon Buses
London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London that manages bus services within Greater London, UK. Buses are required to carry similar red colour schemes and conform to the same fare scheme...
routes serve South Harrow (correct at 26 May 2010):
- 114 Ruislip Stn to Mill Hill Broadway
- 140London Buses route 140London Buses route 140 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. The service is currently contracted to Metroline.-History:Route 140, at its inception, followed a very different route to the one it does today...
Heathrow Airport to Harrow Weald (24-hour service) - 258London Buses route 258London Buses route 258 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, UK. The service is currently contracted to Arriva Shires & Essex.-History:...
South Harrow Stn to Watford Junction - 395 Harrow - Greenford
- 398 Ruislip Stn to Wood End (Monday to Saturday only)
- 487 South Harrow Stn to Willesden Junction
- H9/H10 Harrow Circular (harrow bus station)
- H12London Buses route H12London Buses route H12 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Metroline.-History:...
South Harrow Stn to Stanmore Stn - 640 South Harrow to Harrow Weald (schooldays only)
Football clubs
- Harrow Borough F.C.Harrow Borough F.C.Harrow Borough Football Club is a semi-professional English association football club based in Harrow, in Greater London. The club are currently members of the Isthmian League Premier Division and play at Earlsmead Stadium....
of the Isthmian LeagueIsthmian LeagueThe Isthmian League is a regional football league covering London and South East England featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs. It is sponsored by Ryman, and therefore officially known as the Ryman League. It was founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area...
Premier Division - Rayners Lane F.C.Rayners Lane F.C.Rayners Lane F.C. are a football club based in Rayners Lane in the London Borough of Harrow, England. They joined the Hellenic Football League in 1978 and reached the 2nd round of the FA Vase in 1974. Currently they are members of the Hellenic Football League Division One East.-History:The club was...
of the Hellenic Football LeagueHellenic Football LeagueThe Hellenic Football League is an English football league covering an area including the English counties of Berkshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, southern Buckinghamshire, southern Herefordshire, western Greater London, and northern Wiltshire. There is also one team from Hampshire.The league...
Division 1 East
Notable people
- Dame Janet BakerJanet BakerDame Janet Abbott Baker, CH, DBE, FRSA is an English mezzo-soprano best known as an opera, concert, and lieder singer.She was particularly closely associated with baroque and early Italian opera and the works of Benjamin Britten...
, operaOperaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
singer, was born in South Harrow
- Musician Bill Bartlett, guitarist of 1960s psychedelic popPsychedelic popPsychedelic pop is a psychedelic musical style inspired by the sounds of psychedelic folk and psychedelic rock, but applied to a pop music setting...
group The Lemon PipersThe Lemon PipersThe Lemon Pipers were a 1960s psychedelic pop band from Oxford, Ohio, known chiefly for their song "Green Tambourine", which reached No. 1 in the United States in 1968...
, was born in South Harrow
- Actor Todd CartyTodd CartyTodd Carty is an Irish actor and director, who has grown up on television screens in a variety of roles. His stage work has varied from pantomime to serious drama, as well as radio plays, voiceovers, commercials, narrations, and films...
, star of Grange HillGrange HillGrange Hill is a British television drama series originally made by the BBC. The show began in 1978 on BBC1 and was one of the longest running programmes on British television...
, EastEndersEastEndersEastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
and The BillThe BillThe Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
, grew up in South Harrow
- Actor Kenneth ConnorKenneth ConnorKenneth Connor MBE was an English comedy stage, radio, film and TV actor, best known for his appearances in the Carry On films.-Career:...
(1918-1993), best known for his appearances in the Carry On films, lived in South Harrow
- Musician Tom FletcherTom FletcherThomas Michael "Tom" Fletcher is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as one of the lead vocalists and guitarists of English pop rock band McFly, in addition to being the group's founder and principal songwriter...
, singer and guitarist of popPop musicPop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
group McFlyMcFlyMcFly are an English pop rock band who first found fame in 2004. The band consists of Tom Fletcher , Danny Jones , Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd . They were signed to the Island Records label from their 2004 launch until December 2007, before creating their own label, Super Records...
, was born in South Harrow
- British rock and rollRock and rollRock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
legend Johnny KiddJohnny KiddJohnny Kidd, may refer to:*Johnny Kidd , singer best known as the vocalist for Johnny Kidd & The Pirates*Johnny Kidd , British pro wrestler-See also:*John Kidd...
(1935-1966) lived in South Harrow
- Robin LeachRobin LeachRobin Douglas Leach is an English celebrity writer famous for hosting his first show, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, in the mid-1980s and into the mid-1990s, which focused on profiling well-known celebrities and their lavish homes, cars and other materialistic endeavors...
, Brit presenter of US TV hit Lifestyles of the Rich and FamousLifestyles of the Rich and FamousLifestyles of the Rich and Famous is a television series that aired in syndication from 1984 to 1995. The show featured the extravagant lifestyles of wealthy entertainers, athletes and business moguls....
, was born in South Harrow
- Screaming Lord SutchScreaming Lord SutchDavid Edward Sutch , also known as "Screaming Lord Sutch, 3rd Earl of Harrow", or simply "Screaming Lord Sutch", was a musician from the United Kingdom...
(1940-1999), musician and founder of the Monster Raving Loony PartyOfficial Monster Raving Loony PartyThe Official Monster Raving Loony Party is a registered political party established in the United Kingdom in 1983 by musician and politician David Sutch , better known as Screaming Lord Sutch.-History:...
, lived in South Harrow at the time of his death
- Musician Rick WakemanRick WakemanRichard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
, keyboardist of prog rockProgressive rockProgressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band YesYes (band)Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
, grew up in South Harrow
- Ernie WiseErnie WiseErnest Wiseman OBE , known by his stage name Ernie Wise, was an English comedian, best known as one half of the comedy duo Morecambe and Wise, who became an institution on British television, especially for their Christmas specials.-Career:Ernest Wiseman was the eldest of five children, and changed...
(1925-1999), of comedy duo Morecambe and WiseMorecambe and WiseEric Morecambe and Ernie Wise, usually referred to as Morecambe and Wise, or Eric and Ernie, were a British comic double act, working in variety, radio, film and most successfully in television. Their partnership lasted from 1941 until Morecambe's death in 1984...
, lived in South Harrow
Gas explosion
On 7 May 2008 at 9.38pm two houses were destroyed completely and the third badly damaged by a gas explosion in South Harrow. Three people were treated by paramedics after being rescued by firefighters in the rubble. Two survived, but a man was pronounced dead at the scene. Residents of Stanley Road were evacuatedEmergency evacuation
Emergency evacuation is the immediate and rapid movement of people away from the threat or actual occurrence of a hazard. Examples range from the small scale evacuation of a building due to a bomb threat or fire to the large scale evacuation of a district because of a flood, bombardment or...
. Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
announced that the explosion could have been a murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, but it was later found to be an accident.