Rayners Lane

Rayners Lane
Shops on the junction of Rayners Lane and Village Way
Rayners Lane Location within Greater London
Population	11,124 (2011, ward)
OS grid reference	TQ128873
London borough	Harrow
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Harrow
Postcode district	HA2
Post town	Pinner
Postcode district	HA5
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
UK Parliament	Harrow West
London Assembly	Brent and Harrow

Rayners Lane is a suburban district in the London Borough of Harrow that forms the western part of Harrow in northwest London. Located between Pinner and West Harrow, it takes its name from a road in the area, also called Rayners Lane (formerly also spelt Rayner's Lane) which runs from Marsh Road in Pinner to Eastcote Lane in South Harrow.

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.

Former Cunard officer Commodore Harry Grattidge, one of the last captains of the RMS Queen Elizabeth, lived at number 33 High Worple, Rayners Lane until his death in the 1970s.

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.

Despite being a relatively small area, it boasts many retail chains, mainly due to the presence of the tube station.

Geography

Rayners Lane is located in the upper part of the Crane Valley within the catchment area of the River Crane. The east and west branches of Yeading Brook, the dominant source of the Crane, pass through the surrounding area.

Built atop a railway bridge, the Grade II listed Underground station marks the highest point in the area. It is a focal point of a local conservation area, which includes the shopping parades north and south of the station. Beyond this area, terraced and semi-detached houses built in the 1930s form much of the district.

Demography

The largest ethnic group in Rayners Lane ward in the 2011 census was Indian (28%), followed by White British (27%) and other Asian (21%). It has one of London's largest Tamil communities.

Landmarks

The principal point of architectural interest is the Grade II* listed former Ace Cinema, an Art Deco building designed by F.E. Bromige that opened in 1936. Notably, it features a stylised elephant’s trunk on the entrance canopy. The building was acquired in 2000 by the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe and is now known as the Zoroastrian Centre. It is the only temple of its type in the UK.

Charles Holden and Reginald Uren designed the station building at Rayners Lane tube station which opened in 1938. It was Grade II listed in 1994, noted for the mature design of its frontage and the variety of the surviving signage and fixtures.

The Rayners Public House was Grade II listed in 2006 by Historic England. It is a notable example of 1930s public house architecture retaining much of its original joinery and fittings. It closed as a public house in 2006 and is now occupied by the Christ the Redeemer religious training college.

The shops at 464-472 Alexandra Avenue are locally listed by Harrow Council. They were built in the International style by R.C. White-Cooper and S.R. Turner in 1937.

• 
  Zoroastrian Centre
• 
  Rayners Lane Station
• 
  Rayners Public House
• 
  464-472 Alexandra Avenue (left)

Sport and Leisure

Rayners Lane F.C. and Broadfields United F.C. play at the Tithe Farm Sports & Social Club. As of the 2024/25 season, Rayners Lane play in the Isthmian League South Central Division. In 2021, Broadfields United entered a groundshare agreement with Rayners Lane having previously groundshared with Harefield United. They play in the Combined Counties League Premier Division North as of the 2024/25 season.

It also has a sports club called Harrow Town Sports Club which has been in existence since the 1890s. It is the home of the Harrow Town Cricket Club who have played in the Middlesex County Cricket League since 2002. Venceremos FC and the HT Tennis Club are also based at the sports club.

There are several open spaces in or near Rayners Lane including Rayners Mead, Newton Park and Roxbourne Park. Yeading Brook runs through Roxbourne Park which has a miniature railway open to the public on Sundays and provides access to the Roxbourne Nature Reserve.

Newton Farm Ecology Park is a small area of meadows and woodland located between Alexandra Avenue and Rayners Lane that was converted into a nature reserve in 1990. It is situated on what was once a floodplain where the east branch of Yeading Brook and the Roxbourne River converge.

Notable people

Dev Patel

Dev Patel is a BAFTA award-winning internationally renowned British actor who grew up in Rayners Lane.

Jai Paul

Jai Paul is an electronic music recording artist signed to XL Recordings, whose influential songs of the 2010s have been sampled by Drake and Beyoncé. He and his brother A. K. Paul grew up in Rayners Lane.

Transport

London Underground

• Rayners Lane Station (Metropolitan line and Piccadilly line)

Bus routes

• 398
• H9
• H10
• H12

Sources

• Conservation Area Appraisal