Harrow Weald

Harrow Weald
Harrow Weald Location within Greater London
Population	11,376 (2011 Census. Ward)
OS grid reference	TQ151907
London borough	Harrow
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	HARROW
Postcode district	HA3
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
London Assembly	Brent and Harrow

Harrow Weald is an area in northwest London, England. It includes a suburban development and forms part of the London Borough of Harrow.

Locale, geography and history

The word Weald is Old English in origin, meaning woodland. It was recorded as waldis in 1303 and welde in 1382, but the name Harrow Weald is not recorded until 1553. It was then part of the great Forest of Middlesex.

Harrow Weald is near Bushey Heath, Stanmore, Wealdstone, Headstone and Hatch End. It is in the HA postcode area.

The south of the area is a suburban development with houses, schools, small shops, supermarkets and pubs (notably the Weald Stone Inn, formerly the Red Lion). The area expanded around the First World War and continued to grow quickly: the population grew from 1,517 in 1901 to 10,923 in 1931.

The Harrow Weald campus of Harrow College (previously a grammar school, then a 16+ college) and Harrow Weald Cemetery are at the northern edge of the built up area. All Saints churchyard and its extension adjoin this cemetery and their most famous interment is of Leefe Robinson, a pilot who was awarded the Victoria Cross.

Ancient woodland on high ground fills most of the northern part of Harrow Weald on the border of Greater London (formerly Middlesex) with Hertfordshire. The area is one of the highest in Greater London; the highest point in Middlesex is near the woods at 502 feet (153 m). The eastern part of the woods merges into those of Stanmore and encompasses Bentley Priory. The priory's grounds are now Bentley Priory Nature Reserve, a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. Along the southern edge of the high ground runs the road Old Redding and a car park here gives views over parts of London. The western part of the woodland forms Harrow Weald Common, which adjoins Harrow Weald SSSI, a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest. Other smaller woods surround the Grim's Dyke Hotel, the former country house of W. S. Gilbert. Gilbert and Sullivan's comic operas are frequently performed here. The house is named after the nearby earthwork Grim's Ditch, a 3-mile long ancient monument that runs from Harrow Weald to Pinner Green. The monument remains largely mysterious but is known to have been named in the Saxon era. The ditch hints at a long history of habitation in the area and many artefacts have been found on the common to support this.

The Seven Balls public house in Kenton Lane is Grade II listed.

Demography

The 2011 census showed that in the Harrow Weald ward, 53% of the population was white (41% British, 6% Other, 5% Irish). The largest non-white group was Indian at 19%.

Transport

Buses

The following London Bus routes operate through the area:

Route	Start	End	Operator
140	Harrow Weald	Heathrow Airport	Metroline
182	Harrow Weald Oxhey Lane	Brent Cross	Metroline
258	Watford Junction	South Harrow	Arriva London
340	Harrow	Edgware	Arriva London
640	South Harrow	Harrow Weald Clamp Hill	Metroline
H12	South Harrow	Stanmore	Metroline
H18/H19 Circular	Harrow H18: anticlockwise	Harrow H19: clockwise	Arriva London
N18	Harrow Weald	Trafalgar Square	Metroline

Local councillors

As of May 2014, the local councillors for Harrow Weald are:

Councillor Ramji Chauhan, Councillor Stephen Greek and Councillor Pritesh Patel