West Harrow

For other uses, see Harrow (disambiguation).

West Harrow
St Peter's Church on Sumner Road
West Harrow Location within Greater London
Population	10,373 (2011 Census. Ward)
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
UK Parliament	Harrow West
London Assembly	Brent and Harrow

West Harrow is a locality directly to the west/southwest of Harrow town in the London Borough of Harrow, in the county of Greater London and historically in the county of Middlesex.

History

At the start of the 20th century, fields and farmland comprised 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 developed into what became known as the Bessborough Estate. The Roxeth farmhouse still stands and gained Grade II listed status in 1951.

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 the ‘80s or ‘90s”. As the Metropolitan Railway extended to Harrow late in the 19th century, residential developments, including on the nearby Roxborough Park, sprung up in the surrounding area. In the early 20th century, the Metropolitan Railway would market such developments as Metro-land.

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 was added in 1923 and house building further west of the estate near Shaftesbury Avenue continued into the 1930s.

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 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.

Geography

West Harrow is located on the western side of Harrow, roughly covering the area to the west of Bessborough Road, to the south of Pinner Road and to the north of Whitmore Road. To the south east of West Harrow is Harrow on the Hill, to its north east is the town centre of Harrow, to its west is Rayners Lane, to its north is North Harrow, and to its south are Roxeth and South Harrow.

Demography

Harrow is the second safest borough in the Greater London Authority area.

West Harrow Park

Transport

West Harrow Station on the Metropolitan line

• West Harrow Station