Harlow: Difference between revisions

This article is about the town and district in England. For other uses of "Harlow" see Harlow (disambiguation)

For other places with the same name, see Harlow (disambiguation).

Template:Infobox England place with map Harlow is a New Town in North West Essex, England, bordering Hertfordshire. It is situated just west of the M11, and is the closest major town to and is part of the London commuter belt.

It has a population of about 80,000 (2005 estimate) and is likely to see considerable expansion with the government's planned expansion of nearby London Stansted Airport and the M11 Corridor, with its newest Neighbourhood "New Hall" nearing completion and the Harlow Gateway Scheme already partially built, with the development of 530 homes in Fifth Avenue and a state of the art sports centre under construction, and the opening of Harlow's new football stadium at Barrow's farm and a Travelodge hotel and commuter apartments completed adjacent to Harlow Town train station.

History and naming

There is evidence of ancient occupation in the area. The oldest find, axe heads made about 6000 BC have been found in the town. A Roman temple was discovered during building work in the Templefields area of Harlow in the 1970's, with several other Roman buildings. A mozaic floor was also discovered in this Roman settlement, dating from around the 3rd Century.

The name derives from the Saxon here meaning army and hlaw meaning hill that was the meeting point of the local Saxon tribe. The hill is identified with the mound beside Dick's Pond (The Green Pond) off Gilden Way to the North East of the town. The village was noted later in Magna Carta and developed as a typical rural area. The name has changed over time, with Herlawe(1045) and Herlaua (1086) being some of the documented spellings.

Built in the post Second World War period to ease overcrowding in London along with other developments around the capital including Basildon, Stevenage and Hemel Hempsted. The master plan for the New Town was drawn up in 1947 by Sir Frederick Gibberd [1], and the development incorporated the market town of Harlow, now a neighbourhood within known as "Old Harlow", and the villages of Great Parndon, Latton, Tye Green, Potter Street, Churchgate Street, Little Parndon and Netteswell. The town is divided into neighbourhoods, each self supporting with its own shopping precincts and community facilities. Harlow also has one of the most extensive cycle track networks in the country connecting all areas of the town.

It is renowned for having Britain's first pedestrian precinct, in the town centre and Britain's first tower block, The Lawn [2], constructed in 1951, now a Grade II listed building. A significant proportion of the original new town buildings have now been removed due to "concrete cancer". The southern part of the original town centre has recently been extensively redeveloped, including the replacement of Gibberd's original 9-storey Town Hall with a new Civic Centre, and the construction of new shops and restaurants, including a new Water Garden.

Politics

Labour MP Bill Rammel was re-elected in 2005, with a majority of only 97 after considerable gains by the Conservative Party since the 1997 and 2001 elections. The local authority is made up from a Liberal Democrats-Labour coalition though none of the three major parties secured overall control. See also Harlow (UK Parliament constituency)

Economy

Built originally with most employment in manufacturing, with two major developments of the Pinnacles and Templefields providing the biggest employment to the region, Harlow has shifted in several directions.

There is a large commuter population, into the financial centres of central London and more recently growth at the nearby Stansted Airport has provided a population growth and many jobs to the area. It is also the 2nd most important town for research, second only to Cambridge, with major employers including Raytheon Systems and Glaxo-Smithkline both having large premises within the town.

Unemployment is currently around 10%, higher than the national average of the UK. Harlow also has a large number of people in social housing, almost 30% of dwellings being Housing Association and Local Authority owned, and many more privately rented.

Transport

Rail

It is on the London to Cambridge mainline. This line is operated by 'one'. The reasonably rapid connections to the capital allow Harlow to be part of the London Commuter Belt, and has helped Harlow's growth and its shift towards a commuter town to London.

Road

Bishop's Stortford is reached by junction 7 of the M11 motorway, which also runs from London to Cambridge, placing it within a short distance of Stansted Airport and the A120 and the orbital M25 motorway. Running through the town is the A414, a major road from Hertford to Chelmsford and linking the town with the A10 to the west. This road is often a cause of major congestion to the town and is awaiting a decision of both a Southern and Northern bypass to the town, with the Harlow North proposal including the latter as part of its bid to secure planning permission for 8,000 homes to the North of the town. It is unlikely to be built in the near future however.

Air

Bishops Stortford is the closest large town to Stansted Airport, though Harlow is seen as having great potential being only a short distance away from this major hub. The government has indicated it still wishes to see a second runway built at this airport by 2012 despite local opposition, with Harlow being in the main flightpath to it, and is likely to fuel more growth in the region.

Bus

Harlow has an extensive bus network and serves as a regional hub for the local area. Major routes include the 510 service linking it to Stansted Airport through Bishops Stortford, the important 724 Route linking it to Heathrow Airport through Hertford,Hatfield, Watford and Stevenage and the 500/501 Routes providing a connection to the South East of the county, with Epping, Loughton and Romford being important links.

Famous inhabitants

Former England football coach Glenn Hoddle used to live in the town, as did the infamous Jade Goody of reality TV fame. Celebrity Jodie Marsh is rumoured to have lived here. Nearby celebrities to the town include David & Victoria Beckham, who's "Beckingham Palace" estate borders the town on the Sawbridgeworth Border and Michael Barrymore's infamous Essex Home is in Roydon, bordering Harlow's West side.

Twin towns

Velizy-Villacoublay, France 
Havirov, Czech Republic 
Stavanger, Norway

Education

Harlow contains 6 secondary schools. Brays Grove, Mark Hall, St Marks, Burnt Mill, Stewards and Passmores. Although Brays Grove is due to be closed down in 2007.

Harlow College offers further education and BAs in Journalism.

Leisure and entertainment

Harlow Town F.C. play in the Isthmian League First Division. In October 2006 they moved into a new ground at Barrows Farm, and their old ground at the Harlow Sportcentre is being demolished to make way for new housing facilities as part of the Gateway Scheme, which will also see a brand new Sportscentre complex built in centre of the town, on the former Harlow College playing field.

town park

Climate

The town is dryer than the UK average, with the driest place in Britain, Maldon being a short distance away. The town in recent years is known for a relatively low snow fall, and a mild in general climate with the South East of England often seeing higher temperatures than the rest of the country. Although unusual, significant snowfall has in the past caused chaos, for instance in 2003 the entire M11 motorway stretch past Harlow came to a complete standstill during a blizzard and motorists were trapped overnight in the ice and snowfall.

Environment

A major feature to the new town is its green wedges, with over 1/3rd of the town being parkland or open space. Harlow Town Park is one of the largest urban parks in Britain, and occupies a large chunk of the central town. Each estate is also separated by open space, and the entire town is in the green belt

Trivia

• The Harlow Sportscentre was the first Sportscentre in Britain.

• Harlow has around 170 listed buildings, including 5 Grade I and about 160 Grade II.

External links

• [3] - Official Site
• [4] - Roys guide to Harlow
• [5] - Offical Harlow Scultpture Collection Site

51°47′N 0°10′E