South Harrow
Coordinates: 51°33′50″N 0°21′09″W / 51.564°N 0.35241°W
| South Harrow | |
 South Harrow
South Harrow shown within Greater London |
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| OS grid reference | TQ143863 |
|---|---|
| London borough | Harrow |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | London |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HARROW |
| Postcode district | HA2 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| EU Parliament | London |
| UK Parliament | Harrow East |
| Harrow West | |
| London Assembly | Brent and Harrow |
| List of places: UK • England • London | |
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).
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[edit] History
Much of the local history, before the railways, comes from when South Harrow was known as Roxeth.
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.[1] 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.
[edit] Education
Built in 1938, Roxbourne Junior School 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.
[edit] Transport
[edit] Nearby railway stations
- South Harrow tube station (Piccadilly Line)
- Northolt Park (Chiltern Main Line)
- Harrow-on-the-Hill station may be reached by a short walk or by bus (140/114).
[edit] Bus routes
The following London bus routes serve South Harrow (correct at 26 May 2010):
- 114 Ruislip Stn to Mill Hill Broadway
- 140 Heathrow Airport to Harrow Weald (24-hour service)
- 258 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)
- H12 South Harrow Stn to Stanmore Stn
- 640 South Harrow to Harrow Weald (schooldays only)
[edit] Football clubs
- Harrow Borough F.C. of the Isthmian League Premier Division
- Rayners Lane F.C. of the Hellenic Football League Division 1 East
[edit] Notable people
- Dame Janet Baker, opera singer, was born in South Harrow
- Musician Bill Bartlett, guitarist of 1960s psychedelic pop group The Lemon Pipers, was born in South Harrow
- Actor Todd Carty, star of Grange Hill, EastEnders and The Bill, grew up in South Harrow
- Actor Kenneth Connor (1918-1993), best known for his appearances in the Carry On films, lived in South Harrow
- Musician Tom Fletcher, singer and guitarist of pop group McFly, was born in South Harrow
- British rock and roll legend Johnny Kidd (1935-1966) lived in South Harrow
- Robin Leach, Brit presenter of US TV hit Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, was born in South Harrow
- Screaming Lord Sutch (1940-1999), musician and founder of the Monster Raving Loony Party, lived in South Harrow at the time of his death
- Musician Rick Wakeman, keyboardist of prog rock band Yes, grew up in South Harrow
- Ernie Wise (1925-1999), of comedy duo Morecambe and Wise, lived in South Harrow
[edit] 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 evacuated. Scotland Yard announced that the explosion could have been a murder, but it was later found to be an accident.[2]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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