West Harrow

West Harrow
West Harrow  West Harrow shown within Greater London
Population	10,373 (2011 Census. Ward)[1]
OS grid reference	TQ145875
London borough	Harrow
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	HARROW
Postcode district	HA1, HA2
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
EU Parliament	London
UK Parliament	Harrow West
London Assembly	Brent and Harrow
List of places UK England London

Coordinates: 51°34′47″N 0°21′12″W / 51.579710°N 0.353380°W / 51.579710; -0.353380

West Harrow is an area in the London Borough of Harrow.

Location

As its name suggests, West Harrow is located on the western side of the London Borough of Harrow, and roughly halfway between the north and south boundaries of the borough. To the south east of West Harrow is Harrow on the Hill, to its north east is Greenhill, to its west is Rayners Lane, to its north is North Harrow, and to its south are Roxeth and South Harrow.

Arts and Culture

West Harrow, considered to be the bohemian part of Harrow, boasts the first and only contemporary artist-led gallery in the borough which was set up in 2010 by the Usurp Art Collective. The space is called the Usurp Art Gallery & Studios and was converted from an old butchers shop. Usurp Art provides professional support to artists and runs the only public artists studios in the borough. It is a flagship project for Arts Council England.^[2][3][4][5] The neighbourhood also has strong musical connections: keyboardist and composer Rick Wakeman grew up here and it is currently (2015) home to a number of jazz musicians including pianist Alex Webb (musician),^[6] and bass players Jeremy Brown and Miles Danso, part of the significant Harrow jazz community which also includes Courtney Pine and Gary Crosby.^[7]

West Harrow Park, boasts a cafe, free gym equipment and has a large children's and under-fives play area for local families.

Zoning information

West Harrow is almost exclusively residential, with a few threads of localized commercial zoning around its edges and an occasional small shop dotted within the residential areas.

History

Prior to the early 20th century West Harrow was overwhelmingly rural. The construction of the Uxbridge extension to the Metropolitan line in 1904, and specifically the new West Harrow tube station, triggered a steady growth of homes in the area, spreading out from the location of the new station. In his 1973 BBC TV film about London suburbia, Metroland, Sir John Betjeman stands in Vaughan Road and delivers a piece to camera about the development of the area in the 1900s.^[8] The remaining open pockets of West Harrow were filled with small council and retirement estates in the second half of the 20th century.

Several of the roads in West Harrow are named after teachers at Harrow School, as described by Betjeman in his film: Drury Road (Joseph Drury); Vaughan Road (Charles Vaughan); Butler Road (Montagu Butler); Bowen Road (Edward Ernest Bowen); Sumner Road (Robert Carey Sumner); and Heath Road (Benjamin Heath).^[9]

Area amenities

• West Harrow Park, The Ridgeway, West Harrow
• St. Peter's Church (Church of England), Sumner Road, West Harrow
• West Harrow Station, The Gardens, West Harrow

Transport and locale

Tube/Train

• West Harrow Station - Metropolitan line

Geography

Nearest Settlements

	North Harrow	Headstone	Harrow & Wealdstone
	Rayners Lane North Harrow		Harrow-on-the-Hill Station and commercial heart Harrow
		West Harrow
	Northolt	South Harrow	Harrow-on-the-Hill The hill & historic high street

Gallery

• 
  West Harrow Park
• 
  West Harrow Station on the Metropolitan line

References

London Borough of Harrow
Districts	Belmont Canons Park Greenhill Harrow Harrow on the Hill Harrow Weald Hatch End Headstone Kenton Little Stanmore North Harrow Pinner Pinner Green Queensbury Rayners Lane Roxeth South Harrow Stanmore Sudbury Wealdstone West Harrow
Attractions	Harrow Museum Harrow School Headstone Manor St. Mary's, Harrow on the Hill
Parks and open spaces	Bentley Priory Nature Reserve Chandos Recreation Ground Harrow Weald Common Kenton Recreation Ground Pinner Park West Harrow Recreation Ground
Constituencies	Harrow West Harrow East Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner
Tube and rail stations	Canons Park Harrow & Wealdstone Harrow-on-the-Hill Hatch End Headstone Lane North Harrow Northolt Park Pinner Rayners Lane South Harrow Stanmore Sudbury Hill Sudbury Hill Harrow West Harrow
Other topics	Council Grade I and II* listed buildings People Public art Schools