58-544: West Harrow is a suburban area in the London Borough of Harrow that forms the western part of Harrow , historically in the county of Middlesex . The area was rural until the late 19th century when the Metropolitan Railway expanded into Harrow. In the early 20th century, the area was developed into predominantly residential estates. At the start of the 20th century, fields and farmland comprised
116-480: A Music Service which provides instrumental tuition for 15% of all Harrow state sector pupils (the national figure is 8% of all state pupils receiving instrumental tuition) and a range of ensemble opportunities for pupils. The independent schools of the Borough are dominated by the presence of Harrow School and John Lyon School for boys and North London Collegiate School for girls which consistently rank as among
174-578: A car or van, 1.6%. Harrow is twinned with: A coat of arms was granted to Harrow Urban District Council in 1938. Supporters to the arms were granted in 1954, when the urban district was incorporated as a municipal borough. The municipal borough became the London Borough of Harrow in 1965, with unaltered boundaries, and thus the council retained use of the arms. The arms are also used by Harrow Borough F.C. The motto reads as "Salus Populi Suprema Lex" which translates from Latin as "The well-being of
232-530: A carnival parade, information and stalls, health promotion, a world food zone and outside radio broadcast. Faith in Harrow (2021) Harrow is the most religiously diverse local authority area in the UK, with a 62% chance that two random people are from different religions, according to Office for National Statistics, October 2006. According to the 2011 census, 25.3% of Harrow's population identified themselves as Hindu -
290-408: A handful of large tertiary colleges. For a long time the secondary schools of Harrow did not feature integrated sixth form education, with all school leavers having to join the tertiary colleges such as Harrow College and Stanmore College , or the faith-based St Dominic's Sixth Form College . The tertiary system was implemented in 1987 after years of discussions and delays, with Harrow becoming
348-458: A large increase in property redevelopment of its existing Edwardian and 1920s to 1940s housing stock. Harrow is a diverse borough, having 63.8% of its population from the BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) communities, with the largest group being of Indian ethnicity (specifically those from Gujarat and South India ). The borough can also claim to have the largest concentration of Sri Lankan Tamils in
406-602: A single pre-1965 district with no changes to its boundaries. There has since been an adjustment to the borough's northern boundary, where the village of Elstree straddled Harrow and Hertfordshire ; on 1 April 1993 Elstree was placed entirely in Hertfordshire (and its district of Hertsmere ). The local authority is Harrow Council, which meets at the Harrow Arts Centre in Pinner and has its main offices at
464-407: A subsequent failure to raise enough funds to build a new one, the club moved to Elstree in 2011. Harrow also had a professional rugby league team when London Broncos played at The Hive Stadium in 2014 and 2015. The club relocated to Ealing from 2016 onwards. The borough is often perceived as having a good educational record, and features many state-funded primary and secondary schools as well as
522-459: A teacher, which he completed in 1992. In 1996, he studied for a Master of Arts (MA) degree in Imperial and Commonwealth Studies at King's College London . Thomas was first elected to represent Harrow West at the 1997 general election when he defeated the incumbent Conservative, Robert Hughes , with a majority of 1,240 votes. He was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at
580-488: A town centre, but its proximity to Harrow town centre and North Harrow provides residents with walkable alternatives for amenities. In the area near West Harrow station , Victorian and Edwardian terraces dominate the urban landscape. Many of these have now been converted into flats. Further south near Shaftesbury Circle, the neighbourhood consists of mostly inter-war housing stock, including many maisonettes. There are also shopping facilities on Shaftesbury Circle itself. In
638-609: Is in the Brent and Harrow constituency for the London Assembly which has been represented since 2021 by Krupesh Hirani (Labour) . It is also in the Harrow West parliamentary constituency which has been represented since 1997 by Gareth Thomas (Labour) . West Harrow is located on the western side of Harrow , roughly covering the area west of Bessborough Road, south of Pinner Road and north of Whitmore Road. The area lacks
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#1732781073191696-491: Is the second safest borough in the Greater London Authority area. Vaughan Primary School and Grange Primary School provide primary education to the area while Whitmore High School (previously Lascelles Boys Secondary School and Lascelles Girls Secondary School) provides secondary education and sixth-form studies. In 2007, Harrow Council successfully bid for a £31.5 million redevelopment of Whitmore under
754-541: The 2020 Labour leadership contest . He has served on the Official Opposition frontbench as Shadow Minister for International Trade since April 2020. Thomas is a member of Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East and a founder member of Labour Friends of India. 2024 General Election Thomas retained his seat with a majority of 6,642 in the 2024 General Election whereupon was appointed
812-461: The 2021 census , 31.5% of households in the ward were reported as semi-detached, 28.3% terraced, 24.5% flats and 10.9% converted or shared properties. West Harrow ranked first in the London Borough of Harrow for households classified as Caravan or other mobile structure, with a total of 4 (0.11%). Religion in West Harrow ward (2021) According to the 2021 census , 39.5% of the population of
870-648: The Building Schools for the Future programme. The new building opened in 2010 and a sixth form block was added in 2015. The Anglican church of St Peter’s, consecrated in 1913, serves the area. Falling attendance led to a temporary closure in 1982 before reopening in 1989. The building is considered of architectural interest and was Grade II listed in 1980. The original site of the Shri Kutch Satsang Swaminarayan Temple
928-496: The Department for International Development in 2003. The same year, Thomas made an early attempt to ban smoking in restaurants via a Private Members' Bill. After a June 2007 reshuffle, Thomas remained at International Development whilst also being part of the new Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform , being appointed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade Policy and Consumer Affairs. He had
986-521: The Local Government Act 1894 , which also said that parishes could no longer straddle district boundaries. The parts of the old parish of Harrow on the Hill outside the urban district were therefore split into three new parishes called Harrow Weald , Wealdstone and Wembley (the latter now part of the London Borough of Brent ). Wealdstone and Wembley were both made into urban districts at
1044-492: The London Borough of Harrow , governed under the local authority of Harrow London Borough Council . The West Harrow ward dates back to 1934 when it was established as a ward of the Harrow Urban District , albeit ward boundary revisions since then have changed the area it represents. Ahead of the 2022 revisions, focus groups noted the ward lacked community identity. The changes proposed by the council compacted
1102-506: The Office for National Statistics in 2005 it was found that the London Borough of Harrow had the second highest proportion of land being domestic gardens: 34.7% of all 326 districts in England; this compared with the London Borough of Sutton 's 35.1% (highest proportion nationally) and Bournemouth 's 34.6%. The first and only contemporary artist-led gallery in Harrow was set up in 2010 by
1160-504: The 1961 census, the borough had a population of 209,080, making it the most populous local government district in the administrative county of Middlesex. In 1965 the borough was transferred from Middlesex to Greater London under the London Government Act 1963 . It kept the same boundaries, but was renamed the London Borough of Harrow, becoming one of the 32 London Boroughs. It was the only London borough which comprised
1218-692: The 2015 general election the Conservative Party candidate Hannah David produced a significant swing from Labour to the Conservatives, reducing his majority to 2,208. Thomas received his worst general election result to date at the 2015 election. In the 2016 European Union referendum , Thomas campaigned for the UK to remain a member of the European Union (EU) and has consistently supported the United Kingdom's membership of
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#17327810731911276-557: The Council Hub on Kenmore Avenue in Wealdstone. Since 2000, for elections to the London Assembly , the borough forms part of the Brent and Harrow constituency. Its site on and near the green belt and ease of access to central London (20 minutes by train to Marylebone and 12 minutes to Euston via West Midlands Trains ) make Harrow a convenient place to live. Rising property prices in all London areas have helped to see
1334-462: The EU. Thomas supported Owen Smith in the 2016 Labour Party leadership election . After Jeremy Corbyn 's re-election as Labour leader, Thomas was one of the first Labour MPs to return to the frontbench, as Shadow Minister for Local Government until June 2017. In 2017, he voted against the bill permitting the government to start negotiations on withdrawal from the EU by sending an article 50 notice to
1392-517: The EU; in doing so he broke the party whip . In the 2017 and 2019 general elections , Thomas was re-elected as the Member of Parliament for Harrow West with majorities of 13,314 and 8,692 respectively. Thomas organised Harrow's first university fair at Whitmore High School in 2016, allowing students to engage with leading universities within the UK and abroad. The event has been held annually since, and due to its success an additional careers fair
1450-559: The H19 and 183 routes and on Treve Avenue for the H11, 140 and 114 routes. The 640 school service and the N140 night bus also stop on Treve Avenue. References Sources London Borough of Harrow The London Borough of Harrow ( / ˈ h ær oʊ / ) is a London borough in northwest London , England ; it forms part of Outer London . It borders four other London boroughs – Barnet to
1508-424: The London Borough of Harrow are: Whitefriars High School (co-ed); Bentley Wood High School (girls); Canons High School (co-ed); Harrow High School (co-ed); Hatch End High School (co-ed); Nower Hill High School (co-ed); Park High School (co-ed); Rooks Heath School (co-ed); Whitmore High School (co-ed). Mountview High School in Wealdstone - a comprehensive school formed out of Whitefriars Secondary Modern in
1566-788: The Tithe Farm Social Club. Barnet F.C. are also based in Harrow, having moved into The Hive Stadium from the neighbouring London Borough of Barnet in 2013 after disagreements with the local authority over their former home Underhill Stadium . Five of the 30 cricket clubs which play in the Middlesex County Cricket League are based in the London Borough of Harrow: Harrow, Harrow St Mary's, Harrow Town, Kenton and Stanmore. Hatch End Cricket Club previously played at Shaftesbury playing fields in Hatch End but following an arson attack on their clubhouse and
1624-523: The UK and Ireland as well as having the highest density of Gujarati Hindus in the UK. Wards with the highest white British population were: The lowest wards meanwhile were: Since 2005, on the last Sunday in June Harrow Council hosts Under One Sky - Harrow's largest festival, to celebrate and the joint communities of Harrow. This has a programme of dance, world music, sports activity, youth music, spoken word, free children's activity,
1682-747: The Usurp Art Collective. The space is called the Usurp Art Gallery & Studios and is based in West Harrow, a bohemian part of Harrow. 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. There are 289 listed buildings located in the London Borough of Harrow, including more than 80 in Harrow-on-the-Hill ward and over 50 in Pinner ward . Grade I and II* buildings in
1740-506: The West Harrow ward identified as White, followed by Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh at 36.3% and Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African at 10.7%. The ward ranked first in the London Borough of Harrow for people identifying as Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups at 5.66%. In the 2021 census, 37.0% of respondents identified as Christian followed by 19.6% as Hindu and 18.4% as Muslim . The ward ranked third in Harrow among those identifying as No Religion at 15.86%. Harrow
1798-494: The area that is now present-day West Harrow. Situated on Bessborough Road at the western foot of Harrow Hill , three farms (Honeybun, Roxborough, and Roxeth) were later developed into what became known as the Bessborough Estate. The Roxeth farmhouse still stands and gained Grade II listed status in 1951. As the Metropolitan Railway extended to Harrow late in the 19th century, residential developments, including on
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1856-466: The area. The Bakerloo and Jubilee lines terminate in the borough, at Harrow and Stanmore respectively. Meanwhile, the Piccadilly and Metropolitan lines pass through the southern edge of the borough on shared track before both terminating at Uxbridge . The Northern line terminates just outside Harrow at Edgware tube station in the London Borough of Barnet . The London Overground also serves
1914-533: The best schools in the country. Notable independent primary schools include Orley Farm School and Reddiford School, both of which are co-educational . There are also a number of voluntary aided schools in the Borough. These include: Salvatorian College (Roman Catholic, boys), Sacred Heart Language College (Roman Catholic, girls) and Moriah Jewish Day School (Jewish, co-ed). There are two special needs high schools; Kingsley High School (co-ed) and Shaftesbury High School (co-ed). Other state secondary schools in
1972-617: The borough include the Church of St Lawrence, Stanmore and Headstone Manor , and Grade II listed buildings include Bentley Priory , Grim's Dyke and Harrow and Wealdstone station . Major employers included Kodak , the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital and Ladbrokes , which formally has its headquarters in Harrow. Crime figures are generally lower compared to the Greater London average;
2030-680: The borough had 2,618 notifiable offences in April 2009, compared with an average of 2,204 across London's boroughs. Between the annual year of June 2017 to June 2018, Harrow was ranked 28th out of the 32 London boroughs in terms of number of criminal offences, and recording just one murder in the period. The Pinner South ward was recorded as having the lowest crime rate out of all wards of Greater London in 2014/15. The London Borough of Harrow has 4 non league football clubs, including Wealdstone FC who play at The Vale , Harrow Borough F.C. who play at Earlsmead Stadium and Rayners Lane F.C. who play at
2088-508: The borough's secondary schools, which led to the first admission of school sixth form students in September 2008. Both Catholic faith-based Salvatorian College and Sacred Heart Language College were unaffected, the students of which could transfer to St Dominic's Sixth Form College. From September 2010, the primary sector was modified to enable transfer to secondary education at age 11 in line with other London Boroughs. The Borough has
2146-647: The borough, sharing track with the Bakerloo line between Queens Park and Harrow & Wealdstone before it continues beyond the latter station to eventually terminate at Watford Junction. The numerous National Rail , London Overground and London Underground stations in the borough are: In March 2011, the main forms of transport that residents used to travel to work were: driving a car or van, 27.5% of all residents aged 16–74; underground, metro, light rail, tram, 5.9%; bus, minibus or coach, 5.9%; train, 4.5%; on foot, 4.3%; work mainly at or from home, 3.5%; passenger in
2204-532: The early 1970s - closed in 1986 with the site being partially redeveloped into industrial units. The catchment area was dispersed between Nower Hill and Hatch End Schools. Middle schools include Whitchurch Middle School . All of Harrow's pupils have the chance to be elected onto the Harrow Youth Parliament. This is a group of around 50 young people in the Borough who come together to work on projects that benefit other young people. They are also
2262-608: The east of ancient Watling Street (now the A5 road) , Brent to the southeast, Ealing to the south and Hillingdon to the west and the Hertfordshire districts of Three Rivers and Hertsmere to the north. The local authority is Harrow London Borough Council . The London borough was formed in 1965, based on boundaries that had been established in 1934. The borough is made up of three towns: Harrow , Pinner and Stanmore , but also includes western parts of Edgware . The area of
2320-578: The first London borough with a complete change to tertiary; the Pinner Observer called it an education "revolution". There have been critics of the tertiary colleges, with many arguing the standard of education does not continue the standard set by the Borough's secondary schools. The council eventually went into another re-organisation, creating the Harrow Sixth Form Collegiate, a co-ordinated partnership between many of
2378-488: The highest in the UK. A large number of Jewish people live in Stanmore and Hatch End . The Stanmore and Canons Park Synagogue boasts the largest membership of any single synagogue in the whole of Europe . Harrow also has a sizable Muslim community, about 1 in 10 of its population. As per the 2011 census, Harrow has a larger than average Jewish, Hindu and Muslim population. In a national detailed Land Use Survey by
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2436-550: The lease on the gallery space was not renewed. The site of the former gallery is now occupied by oneforty, a multipurpose arts venue. West Harrow Station is on the Uxbridge branch of the Metropolitan line . Trains run northbound services to Uxbridge via Rayners Lane and southbound into central London via Harrow-on-the-Hill . Bus services don’t serve the station directly. There are stops nearby on Pinner Road (A404) for
2494-399: The modern borough broadly corresponds to the three ancient parishes of Harrow on the Hill , Great Stanmore and Little Stanmore (also known as Whitchurch), all of which were historically in the county of Middlesex . Harrow on the Hill was the largest of the three parishes. Pinner was a chapelry of Harrow on the Hill until 1766 when it was made a separate parish. The central part of
2552-468: The nearby Roxborough Park, sprung up in the surrounding area. In 1898, development began on the roads in the Bessborough Estate and they were largely completed by 1911. The roads in the estate were named after former Harrow School headmasters including Charles John Vaughan (Vaughan Road), George Butler or Henry Montagu Butler (Butler Road and Butler Avenue), Robert Carey Sumner (Sumner Road) and Joseph Drury (Drury Road). West Harrow Recreation Ground
2610-541: The official youth voice for the council and are in constant communication with the council on all youth matters. The London Borough of Harrow was historically in the heart of an area known as " Metro-land " and therefore is very well served by the London Underground compared with other boroughs in Outer London . It is located near the northwestern extremity of the modern-day network, with 4 lines serving
2668-510: The parish of Harrow on the Hill was made a local board district in 1850, with an elected board overseeing public health and responsible for the provision of infrastructure. The local board district covered the original hilltop village and the adjoining hamlets of Roxeth , Sudbury and Greenhill . Greenhill subsequently developed into the modern town centre of Harrow following the opening of Harrow-on-the-Hill station there in 1880. Such districts were reconstituted as urban districts under
2726-716: The people is the highest law." The following people and organisations have received the Freedom of the Borough of Harrow. Gareth Thomas (English politician) Gareth Richard Thomas (born 15 July 1967) is a British Labour politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Harrow West since 1997 . He has served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Services, Small Business and Exports since July 2024. Thomas served as Minister of State for International Development and Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Consumer Affairs between 2008 and 2010. He
2784-580: The responsibility of co-ordinating trade policy between the two departments. Following Gordon Brown 's reshuffle of 3 October 2008, Thomas was promoted to Minister of State in both departments, taking on the portfolio of Trade, Investment and Consumer Affairs. In the June 2009 reshuffle DBERR was abolished, leaving Thomas to continue his role solely at International Development, with responsibility for consumer affairs passing to Kevin Brennan . In May 2010 he
2842-498: The same time. The urban district was significantly enlarged by the Middlesex Review Order 1934 to take in the neighbouring urban district of Wealdstone and the parishes of Harrow Weald, Pinner, Great Stanmore and Little Stanmore. The urban district was renamed from 'Harrow on the Hill' to just 'Harrow' as part of the 1934 expansion. Harrow Urban District was incorporated as a municipal borough on 4 May 1954. At
2900-424: The station further renovated in 1989. In 2024, Harrow Council recommended a resident consultation after proposing West Harrow Recreation Ground and parts of Butler Road and Lance Road for designation as Local Areas of Special Character (LASC). The well-preserved quality of Victorian and Edwardian architecture was noted, as was the historical association of the street names to Harrow School. West Harrow lies within
2958-425: The ward and transferred some areas from neighbouring wards, including Harrow on the Hill , to reflect what the community identifies as West Harrow. Additionally, the number of councillors representing the ward was reduced from three to two. In 2022 , Labour candidates Rekha Shah and Asif Hussain were elected councillors to represent the ward while the Conservative Party took control of the council. West Harrow
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#17327810731913016-529: The ‘80s or ‘90s”. The Metropolitan Railway laid tracks through the area in 1904 as it extended towards Uxbridge . Initially, no station was built in the area. However, as the Bessborough Estate expanded, landowners and residents pressured the Metropolitan Railway to build one nearby ( Harrow-on-the-Hill being the closest at the time). In 1913, a wooden halt accessible from Vaughan Road was built. The station platforms were reconstructed in 1971 and
3074-486: Was added in 1923 and house building further west of the estate near Shaftesbury Avenue continued into the 1930s. The Metropolitan Railway marketed the developments of the early 20th century as Metro-land . In John Betjeman’s acclaimed documentary Metro-Land (1973) , he stands on Vaughan Road as he ponders the “nice little speculation” at the “foot of Harrow Hill, alongside the Metropolitan electric trains”, “built in
3132-404: Was arranged for late 2020. In 2020, Thomas said the next Labour leader "should confirm they will not support nationalising the water and energy industries", claiming that voters were put off voting Labour because they did not believe these pledges were deliverable alongside calls for nationalisation of the railways and Royal Mail , which Thomas supports. Thomas supported Emily Thornberry in
3190-558: Was on Vaughan Road in West Harrow. It was established in 1976 but moved to a new location in Kenton in 1996 owing to the growing size of its congregation. West Harrow Recreation Ground provides access to various sports facilities, including tennis and basketball courts. A bowling green has been located in the park since its inception in 1923 and is home to the West Harrow Bowling Club. The Usurp Art Gallery and Studios
3248-529: Was opened in West Harrow in 2010 under the artistic direction of Poulomi Desai . It claimed to be the first and only artist-led space in Harrow with Desai describing it as an “experiment to see whether something can even be positioned in that space in that geographical location”. The gallery hosted workshops, exhibitions and other events for the community, with a stated emphasis on experimentatal media and engaging with culturally and neurodiverse communities. In 2019,
3306-423: Was re-elected as Member of Parliament for Harrow West with a reduced majority (based on a notional 2005 result). He was Shadow Minister for Higher Education and Science from October 2010 to October 2011, Shadow Minister for Civil Society from October 2011 to October 2013, Shadow Minister for Europe from March 2013 to October 2014, then Shadow Minister for Africa and the Middle East from October 2014 to March 2015. At
3364-550: Was the Chair of the Co-operative Party from 2001 until 2019, and stands for election as a Labour and Co-operative candidate. Thomas spent his childhood in the London Borough of Harrow , attending Hatch End High School and later Lowlands College . He gained a Bachelor of Science (BsC) degree in economics from Aberystwyth University , graduating in 1988. He later undertook a PGCE at Thames Polytechnic to become
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