The London Borough of Harrow joins Harrow, Harrow on the Hill, Pinner, Stanmore, Harrow Weald and Wealdstone, places that were once in Middlesex. Its history includes a name first written down in 767, Pinner Fair (held since 1336), Harrow School (founded in 1572), King Charles I's last look at London in 1646, the railway station of 1880 at Greenhill, where a new town centre grew, the Kodak works in Wealdstone, and RAF Bentley Priory, where the Battle of Britain was controlled in 1940.
Oldest first
Newest first
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Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages
Before AD 43
54 BC
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Caesars Pond
Stanmore's name means 'stony pool'. One possible candidate for the pool is a pond on Stanmore Common that is still sometimes called Caesars Pond, after a battle believed to have taken place nearby in 54 BC, during Caesar's raid in force on Britain.
From the records: “The Domesday book of 1086 records the two manors of Stanmore as Stanmere, the name deriving from the Old English stan, 'stony' and mere, 'a pool'.”
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Anglo-Saxons and Vikings
410 – 1066
767
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Gumeninga Hergae
The Peterborough Chronicle first recorded Harrow Hill in 767, as Gumeninga Hergae. One of the earliest records of the name Harrow is from 1398, as Harrowe atte Hille.
From the records: “Etymology before 1398 derives from Harrow, & The Saxon Chronicles/The Peterborough Chronicle, which first recorded Harrow Hill in 767 as Gumeninga Hergae.”
793–1086
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Stanmere
A manor called Stanmore is first recorded in 793. Domesday Book (1086) records the two manors of Great and Little Stanmore as Stanmere, from the Old English stan, 'stony', and mere, 'a pool'. Both had changed owners after the Norman Conquest.
From the records: “A manor called Stanmore is first recorded in 793 AD, and the Domesday book of 1086 describes pre-existing manors (estates) of Great and Little Stanmore as having changed ownership in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest.”
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Middle Ages
1066 – 1485
1094
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St Mary's Church
St Mary's Church on Harrow on the Hill was consecrated by St Anselm in 1094.
From the records: “It was consecrated by St Anselm in 1094.”
1231–1234
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Pinnora
Pinner began as a hamlet, first recorded in 1231 as Pinnora. Its church started as a chapel of ease to St Mary's Church, Harrow on the Hill, and was first mentioned in 1234.
From the records: “Pinner was originally a hamlet, first recorded in 1231 as Pinnora,”
1247–1334
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Grenehulle
Greenhill, where Harrow's town centre is today, was not recorded in Domesday Book. One or more families called Greenhulle or Greenhill lived there from at least 1247, and probably took their name from the place. Greenhill was written down in 1334 as Grenehulle.
From the records: “The modern town centre of Harrow developed at the foot of the hill, in an area historically called Greenhill, following the opening of Harrow-on-the-Hill station on the Metropolitan Railway in 1880.”
1321
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St John the Baptist, Pinner
Pinner's parish church of St John the Baptist was consecrated in 1321, on the site of an earlier Christian place of worship. Its west tower and south porch date from the 1400s.
From the records: “Pinner's St John the Baptist parish church was consecrated in 1321, but built on the site of an earlier Christian place of worship.”
1336
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Pinner Fair
Pinner Fair goes back to 1336, when King Edward III granted it by Royal Charter. In 1973 the fair in Pinner High Street appeared in Sir John Betjeman's BBC film Metro-Land.
From the records: “Pinner Fair has been held annually since 1336, when it was granted by Royal Charter by King Edward III.”
1300s
Still here today
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Headstone Manor
Headstone Manor, from the 1300s, is one of the oldest surviving buildings in what is now Harrow. It is Grade I listed.
From the records: “One of the oldest surviving buildings, in what is today Harrow, is the Grade I listed Headstone Manor from the 14th century.”
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Tudors and Stuarts
1485 – 1714
About 1565
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The Cottrell cottages
Until the late 1800s Stanmore was a small country community. One of its really old surviving buildings is the Cottrell cottages, built in about 1565.
From the records: “Until the late 19th century, Stanmore was a small rural community.”
1572
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Harrow School
Harrow School, an independent boarding school for boys, was founded in 1572.
From the records: “An independent boarding school for boys, founded in 1572, Harrow School is considered one of the finest secondary schools in the world.”
1646
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A king's last look at London
On 27 April 1646 King Charles I was fleeing Oxford on his way to Southwell, where he was due to surrender to the Scottish Army. He stopped at Harrow on the Hill, near St Mary's Church, to take a final look at London and to water his horses.
From the records: “On 27 April 1646, King Charles I, when fleeing Oxford on his way to Southwell, where he was due to surrender to the Scottish Army, stopped at Harrow on the Hill near St Mary's Church, so that he could take a final glimpse at London and also to water his horses.”
1713–1724
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Cannons
Between 1713 and 1724 the 1st Duke of Chandos built Cannons house in Little Stanmore.
From the records: “Between 1713 and 1724, the 1st Duke of Chandos built Cannons house in Little Stanmore.”
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Georgians
1714 – 1837
1766
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Pinner's own parish
Pinner had been a chapelry of Harrow on the Hill. In 1766 it became a separate parish.
From the records: “Pinner was a chapelry of Harrow on the Hill until 1766 when it was made a separate parish.”
1775–1788
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Bentley Priory
In 1775 the businessman James Duberley asked Sir John Soane to design a large mansion north of the original Bentley Priory. Soane greatly extended it in 1788 for John Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Abercorn.
From the records: “The wealthy businessman James Duberley commissioned Sir John Soane to design a large mansion house north of the original Bentley Priory in 1775.”
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Victorians
1837 – 1901
1837
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Harrow & Wealdstone station
Harrow & Wealdstone station, on the West Coast Main Line, opened in 1837. It was further from Harrow, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of the hill.
From the records: “Harrow & Wealdstone station on the West Coast Main Line had opened in 1837, but was more distant from Harrow, lying 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of the hill.”
1849
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Queen Adelaide
Bentley Priory was the final home of the Dowager Queen Adelaide, queen consort of William IV. She died there in 1849.
From the records: “The Priory was the final home of the Dowager Queen Adelaide, queen consort of William IV, before her death there in 1849.”
1850
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A local board
In 1850 the central part of the old parish of Harrow on the Hill, including the old village and the hamlets of Greenhill, Roxeth and Sudbury, became a local board district. An elected board oversaw public health and was responsible for providing infrastructure.
From the records: “In 1850 a local board district was established for the central part of the ancient parish of Harrow on the Hill, including the old village and the adjoining hamlets of Greenhill, Roxeth, and Sudbury.”
1860s
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Photographers on the hill
In the 1860s the photography company Hills & Saunders had a studio on Harrow on the Hill, photographing the schools, families and local area.
From the records: “The Hills & Saunders photography company had a studio on Harrow on the Hill in the 1860s photographing the schools, families and local area.”
1865–1896
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New roads at Greenhill
By 1865 roads called College, Roxborough, Kymberley, Headstone, Clarendon, Byron and St Anns had been built in Greenhill, but there were few houses. St John's Church was built on a farm in 1866, and Greenhill became a separate church parish in 1896.
From the records: “By 1865, a series of roads had been built in Greenhill, including College, Roxborough, Kymberley, Headstone, Clarendon, Byron and St Anns - but few houses.”
1880
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A new town centre
For almost a thousand years the centre of Harrow was on top of the hill. In 1880 Harrow-on-the-Hill station opened on the Metropolitan Railway, at the foot of the hill in Greenhill. It led to a housebuilding boom, the population reached 4,892 by 1902, and the modern town centre of Harrow grew up there.
From the records: “For almost a millennium, the centre of Harrow was atop the hill, but this began to change during the 19th century.”
1882–1899
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A hotel and a railway
In 1882 the hotel millionaire Frederick Gordon bought Bentley Priory and turned it into a country house hotel. In 1890 he opened the Stanmore branch line, the first railway to reach Stanmore, to make Bentley easier to get to. His businesses at Stanmore were not successful, and in 1899 he sold the railway to the LNWR.
From the records: “In 1882 Bentley Priory was acquired by the hotel millionaire Frederick Gordon, who turned it into a country house hotel for wealthy guests.”
1890–2016
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Kodak Harrow
In 1890 the American company Eastman Kodak built a large factory in Wealdstone, for the photographic industry. By 1965 Kodak Harrow had over 100 buildings on a 55-acre site, including a research centre, and employed 5,500 people. The factory closed in 2016.
From the records: “Harrow contributed to the growing photographic industry in the UK; a large industrial premises was built in 1890 by the American Eastman Kodak company in Wealdstone, and by 1965 there were over 100 buildings on a 55-acre site at Kodak Harrow, employing 5,500 people, including a research centre.”
1894
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Wealdstone's own council
In 1894 a new law turned local board districts such as Harrow on the Hill into urban districts. Wealdstone became an urban district and a parish of its own, formed from part of Harrow on the Hill.
From the records: “The Local Government Act 1894 converted local board districts such as Harrow-on-the-Hill into urban districts, and established elected parish and district councils.”
1899
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An early car accident
A roadside plaque, unveiled in 1969, says the first recorded motor accident in Great Britain in which the car's driver died happened on Grove Hill, Harrow on the Hill, on 25 February 1899.
From the records: “A roadside plaque unveiled on 25 February 1969 states that the first recorded motor accident in Great Britain to have involved the death of the car driver took place at Harrow on the Hill on a road called Grove Hill seventy years earlier, on 25 February 1899.”
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The World Wars
1901 – 1945
1914
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Sopers
A department store named Sopers opened on Station Road in 1914.
From the records: “In 1914, a major department store named Sopers opened on Station Road.”
1918
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A novel set in Harrow
The 1918 novel The Return of the Soldier is based in Harrow.
From the records: “The 1918 novel The Return of the Soldier is based in Harrow.”
Early 1900s
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Capital of Metro-land
In the early 1900s Harrow became the unofficial 'capital' of the Metroland suburbs, and by the 1950s it was described as the 'capital city of Metro-land'. Much of the borough's leafy, suburban character is a legacy of the Metroland developments.
From the records: “Harrow became the unofficial "capital" of the Metroland suburbia in the early 20th century.”
1932
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Stanmore station
In December 1932 the Metropolitan Railway opened a new electric railway with a station at Stanmore, now on the Jubilee line. The old Stanmore Village station closed in 1952, and the Stanmore branch line from Harrow & Wealdstone closed in 1964.
From the records: “In December 1932 the Metropolitan Railway (MR) opened a new electric railway with a station at Stanmore (now the London Underground station on the Jubilee line).”
1934
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A bigger Harrow
In 1934 the urban district of Harrow on the Hill was enlarged to take in Wealdstone, Harrow Weald, Pinner, Great Stanmore and Little Stanmore, and it was renamed just Harrow.
From the records: “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.”
1936–1937
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New cinemas
An art deco cinema called the Dominion opened in 1936 next to Lower Mead football ground, on much of the site of Greenhill Farm. The Granada Theatre opened on Sheepcote Road in 1937.
From the records: “An art-deco cinema called Dominion opened in 1936 adjoining Lower Mead football ground, on much of the site of Greenhill Farm.”
1940
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RAF Bentley Priory
Bentley Priory was taken over by the RAF, and in 1940 the Battle of Britain was controlled from RAF Bentley Priory. RAF Bentley Priory closed in 2009.
From the records: “Bentley Priory was taken over by the RAF, and in 1940 the Battle of Britain was controlled from RAF Bentley Priory.”
22 August 1940
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An early air raid
The Blitz is usually said to have started on 7 September 1940, but many sources say one of the earliest bombing raids by the Luftwaffe was on Harrow and Wealdstone, on 22 August 1940.
From the records: “Although The Blitz is generally claimed to have started on 7 September 1940, many sources state that one of the earliest bombing raid from the Luftwaffe occurred in Harrow and Wealdstone on 22 August 1940.”
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Modern times
Since 1945
1952
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The 1952 rail crash
On 8 October 1952 three trains collided at Harrow & Wealdstone station, and 112 people were killed.
From the records: “On 8 October 1952, three trains collided at Harrow & Wealdstone station, killing 112 people.”
1938–1954
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A coat of arms and a borough
Harrow Urban District Council was granted a coat of arms in 1938. On 4 May 1954 Harrow became a municipal borough, and supporters to the arms were granted.
From the records: “A coat of arms was granted to Harrow Urban District Council in 1938.”
1965
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The London Borough of Harrow
In 1965 the borough moved from Middlesex to Greater London. The London Borough of Harrow was the only London borough unaffected by boundary changes.
From the records: “In 1965 the borough was transferred from Middlesex to Greater London under the London Government Act 1963.”
1973–1974
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The Civic Centre
The council's Civic Centre on Station Road in Wealdstone was built in 1970–1972 and opened on 6 May 1973. In 1974 the Kodak Mural, designed by Pentagram, was finished on its first floor.
From the records: “The borough's council Civic Centre building complex was built in 1970–1972, opened 6 May 1973, on Station Road in Wealdstone.”
1987
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Skipping Katie
In the 1980s St Anns Road was pedestrianised, and in May 1987 the council unveiled a statue called 'Skipping Katie' to celebrate. That autumn Diana, Princess of Wales officially opened the new St Anns shopping centre, amid a large crowd of locals.
From the records: “The town underwent regeneration in the 1980s with the building of a bus station in College Road and the pedestrianisation of St Anns Road.”
1994–1995
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Before the Oyster card
In a £2 million trial that started in February 1994, London Transport gave out cards at Harrow bus station that could be used on 21 bus routes in Harrow. It was the largest trial of its kind in the world. It ended in December 1995 as a success, and led to the development of the Oyster card in 2003.
From the records: “In a £2 million trial that started in February 1994, cards were provided by London Transport at the bus station and could be used on 21 bus routes in Harrow, the largest trial of its kind in the world.”