HARROW & WEALDSTONE (Bakerloo Line) LONDON TUBE RAMBLES
There is just one place to visit from Harrow & Wealdstone Tube, and that is Harrow Museum. Here you will find a cluster of ancient barns and a very old Grade 1 listed Manor House - all on a comparatively small site. Worth the boring brisk 15 minutes walk from the station, (though I suggest you cheat and take a bus - see below).
The buildings themselves are the real attraction, although there are plenty of exhibits aimed at instructing/entertaining children.The Tithe Barn and Small Barn belonged to Headstone Manor, recently the subject of an intensive restoration programme. Parts of this intriguingly rambling building date back to the fourteenth century, but it has undergone many changes and additions over the centuries. The original timber frame is so fragile and distorted that modern steelwork, some of which has been left discreetly visible at the southeast end of the house, has been used to underpin and generally support the old structure. The high social status of the original owner of the house (the Archbishop of Canterbury) is indicated by the fact that it is completely surrounded by a moat. Unusually, this is still filled with water, which comes from Yeading Brook. There are tours of this historically important manor at summer weekends - some might prefer to visit before the old place is completely cleaned up and sanitized. For a romantic glimpse of the rear of the house across the moat, follow the brick path to the right of the museum entrance. During ordinary opening hours (check museum website) you can explore the Great Barn (1506) (but see below) and the Small Barn (1550). There is also a Granary (c1800), brought from nearby Pinner Park Farm in the 1990’s to save it from disintegration.
The Great Barn is a staggering 45m long and 15m wide. It has two gabled wagon porches which enabled carts to go right inside to unload crops of various kinds. Farm animals were housed here and there was still room for farm machinery to be stored. Usually it is a reception/education centre and music venue, but please note that the building is closed for refurbishment until late 2015.The Small Barn was vandalized and burnt down in the 1970’s. It was restored in 1995 – you can still see some blackened timbers. There are plans to landscape the surrounding parkland and reinstate historic gardens. Personally I would like to see a few chickens running round the place, but I gather beehives are on the way, which will add a little more life to what once must have been a noisy (and smelly) farmyard. Most helpful and friendly staff, by the way.
Directions:
Harrow & Wealdstone is a complicated station, due to the fact that it’s actually two stations joined by a long bridge over the platforms, but there are passenger lifts for those who need to avoid the steps. The northbound side buildings (1875) are low, pale and rather elegant. In contrast, the brick entrance (1911) on the other side is a slightly pompous affair squashed into an awkward corner site. The large Doric column at the foot of the steps in the ticket hall seems out of scale with the comparatively small area. Buses: From the station you need the H9 stop accessed via the southbound platforms exit. Look left and you will see the stop in Ellen Webb Drive. You should get off at Pinner View. Confusingly, on the return, it's the H10, which stops to the right as you exit Pinner View. This is a reasonably frequent service, except on Sundays when it’s half-hourly. It is to be hoped that as the museum grows, this unhelpful policy will be revised.
Walking: take the Harrow exit, and go up a few steps to turn right (signed to the Crown Court) into Sandridge Close. Turn right up Princes Drive. When you reach the Crown Court complex, cross at the lights and walk left along Headstone Drive past the Waverley Industrial Estate (Kodak). At the crossroads go straight over Harrow View to Headstone Gardens. Nearly there! Finally, take the fourth turning on the right, Pinner View, where things become a bit more rural. On one side are allotments sheltered by trees and on the other a line of semi’s enlivened in September by a mass of bright dahlias. After a short while you can leave the residential road for a few minutes (just take a track into the woodland) and walk by Yeading Brook. At the end of the road is the museum. ‘Nanny’ note: express trains roar through the station frequently and at a speed that might frighten small children (they scare the wits out of me), so do keep little ones well behind the yellow safety lines.
Photos:
Great Barn
Granary
Front of Manor House
Moat and small barn
Closer look at Manor House
Rear of Manor House
MAP
Harrow & Wealdstone is just one walk from the many to be found at London Tube Rambles. There are architectural gems, beautiful country views, historic places and quirky buildings even in the most unpromising areas covered by the outer London Underground stations. Usually the discoveries are within a mile of the Tube - often only five minutes walk away. If you reached this as an individual page via a search engine, you might like to go to www.londontuberambles.co.uk to see the other destinations explored. You'll be amazed at what's out there!
© DR
