Harrow Weald is the northernmost part of the town of Harrow in Greater London, England. It is formed from a leafy 1930s suburban development along with ancient woodland, 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. 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 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 with Hertfordshire. The area is one of the highest in Greater London; the highest point in Middlesex is near the woods at. 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 countryhouse of W. S. Gilbert. Gilbert and Sullivan'scomic 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 Friends Of Harrow Weald is based at Harrow Weald Recreation Ground.
Demography
The 2011 census showed that in the Harrow Weald ward, 53% of the population was white. The largest non-white group was Indian at 19%. Of the 4,160 household tenures, 68.4% of them are owned, 15.9% are socially rented and 13.7% are privately rented. The unemployment rate of economically active people was 4.9%. The median age of the population is 39.
routes 140, 182, 186, 258, 340, 640, H12, H18, H19 and N18 operate through the area. The N140 bus also goes through Harrow Weald, it was introduced on the 17th June 1972.
Local councillors
As of May 2018, the local councillors for Harrow Weald are: , and
