Harrow, London

infobox UK place
country = England
map_type = Greater London
region= London
population=
official_name= Harrow
london_borough= Harrow
constituency_westminster= Harrow East
Harrow West
post_town= HARROW
postcode_district = HA1
postcode_area= HA
dial_code= 020
os_grid_reference= TQ145885
latitude= 51.5836
longitude= -0.3464 Harrow is a town in the London Borough of Harrow, North West London. It is a suburb situated 12.2 miles (16.4 km) west northwest of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Harrow is widely known for Harrow School, attended by Winston Churchill and Indian Prime Minister Nehru, however Harrow County School also had a tradition of noted staff and pupils, e.g. Sir Paul Nurse, Sir Nigel Sheinwald, Michael Portillo, Clive Anderson and Geoffrey Perkins. Harrow is home to a large University of Westminster campus near Northwick Park Hospital (although both these landmarks actually lie within the London Borough of Brent). Harrow was a municipal borough of Middlesex before its inclusion in Greater London in 1965.

Etymology

Its name came from Old English "hearg" = "(heathen) temple", which was probably on the hill of Harrow, where St. Mary's Church stands today. [Room, Adrian: “Dictionary of Place-Names in the British Isles”, Bloomsbury, 1988. ISBN 0 7475 0170 X]

Present day

Harrow features a moderately large shopping area in the town centre. The main shopping district is located near Harrow-on-the-Hill tube station and Harrow Bus Station, and has two shopping centres. The St. Ann's Shopping Centre (formerly the site of Heathfield High School for Girls), opened by Princess Diana in 1987, is the older of the two and contains an extensive food court. St. George's opened by Catherine Zeta Jones is a smaller mall, but features a gym and a 9-screen vue cinema. Complementing the shopping centres are a number of high street shops and a large Debenham's department store.

Transport

The area has good public transport links and is served by the Metropolitan Line of the London Underground and also by the National Rail services of Chiltern Railways, London Midland and Southern (train operating company). Stations in the area are:

*Harrow-on-the-Hill station (Metropolitan Line & Chiltern Railways)
*Harrow and Wealdstone station (Bakerloo Line, London Overground, London Midland & Southern (train operating company))
*North Harrow tube station (Metropolitan Line)
*Northolt Park railway station (Chiltern Railways)
*West Harrow tube station (Metropolitan Line)
*South Harrow tube station (Piccadilly Line)
*Sudbury Hill tube station (Piccadilly Line)
*Rayners Lane tube station (Metropolitan Line & Piccadilly Line)Harrow is near to the A40/M40, M25 and the M1 motorways.

The town centre also has a major bus station adjacent to Harrow-on-the-Hill station that serves as an important hub for buses in the area. Many routes to North and West London pass through this station. Notable routes serving Harrow include:

*The 140 route starting and terminating at Harrow Weald and Heathrow Airport
*The 182 route starting and terminating at Harrow Weald and Brent Cross
*The 183 route starting and terminating at Pinner and Golders Green Bus Station
*The N18 nightbus which starts at Trafalgar Square and terminates at Harrow Weald
*The 258 route starting and terminating at Watford Junction and South Harrow Station
*The 114 route starting and terminating at Ruislip Station and Mill Hill.

On 8th October, 1952, three trains collided at Harrow and Wealdstone station killing 112 people. Of the dead, 64 were railway employees on their way to work.

Nearby districts

*Harrow on the Hill
*North Harrow
*South Harrow
*West Harrow
*Harrow Weald
*Brent
*Hendon
*Hatch End
*Kenton
*Pinner
*South Harrow
*Stanmore
*Wealdstone

Twinning

Harrow is twinned with:
*flagicon|France Douai, France.

Notable residents

:see London Borough of Harrow

References

External links

* [http://www.harrowtimes.co.uk/ Harrow Times newspaper]
* [http://www.harrow.gov.uk Harrow Council Homepage]