Rayners Lane

infobox UK place
country = England
map_type = Greater London
region= London
population=
official_name= Rayners Lane
latitude= 51.5737
longitude= -0.3735
london_borough= Harrow
constituency_westminster= Harrow West
post_town= PINNER
postcode_area= HA
postcode_district= HA5
post_town1= HARROW
postcode_area1= HA
postcode_district1= HA2
dial_code= 020
os_grid_reference= TQ128873

Rayners Lane is a district in the London Borough of Harrow. It is named after the Rayners Lane tube station, which in turn is named after the long and winding road that expands through Pinner and West Harrow.cite web|url=http://www.hidden-london.com/raynerslane.html|title=Rayners Lane|publisher=hidden-london.co.uk|accessdate=2007-07-18]

History

During the Middle Ages the Rayners Lane road was used when transporting grain to the mill on Pinner Green. The road was originally called Bourne Lane as it crossed several streams including the Yeading Brook. During the first half of the nineteenth century the area was in the hands of the Rayner family, who owned a farm. The area was drastically built up between 1929 and 1938 by Harrow's biggest interwar housebuilder T.F. Nash, who created a shopping parade on Alexandra Avenue. The area to the north of the tube station was originally named Harrow Garden Village by its developer, and was one of Metro-land's flagship points.

Rayners Lane today

The area is most widely known as the location of Rayners Lane tube station, first built in 1906, and most of the settlement is built around the tube station. The station links both the Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines and therefore has good connections with the rest of London. The other principal point of architectural interest is the former cinema, an Art Deco building featuring a curved projection on the front somewhat resembling an elephant's trunk. This is a listed building. It is currently being occupied by the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe, and is used as a Zoroastrian centre - the only official temple of its type in the UK.

The area also has its own football club, Rayners Lane F.C. who currently play in the Hellenic Football League.

Rayners Lane is home to the headquarters of Ladbrokes, one of Britain's biggest gambling companies. It was also the filming set for the BBC2 programme Eyes Down, as the location of the Rio bingo hall.

Despite being a relatively small area, the area has many good retail chains, mainly due to the presence of the tube station, including Sainsbury's, Tesco, Woolworths, Subway and KFC.

Transport and locale

Nearby Places

*North Harrow
*South Harrow
*Eastcote
*Northolt
*Pinner
*Harrow

Nearest Tube Stations

"(closest first)"
*Rayners Lane tube station
*North Harrow tube station
*West Harrow tube station
*Harrow-on-the-Hill station
*Harrow & Wealdstone station
*Pinner tube station

Nearest Railway station

*Northolt Park railway station
*Harrow-on-the-Hill station
*Harrow & Wealdstone station

Bus routes

* 398 (To Ruislip or Greenford Westway Cross Retail Park)
* 615 (To Hatfield Business Park)
* H9 (To Harrow via South Harrow)
* H10 (To Harrow via North Harrow, Wealdstone and Kenton)
* H12 (To South Harrow or Stanmore)

References

ources

* [http://www.harrow.gov.uk/ccm/cms-service/stream/asset?asset_id=268417& Conservation Area Appraisal]