Explore Harrow's history
First mentioned in 767, Harrow has a wealth of history for you to get out and discover. Rich cultural heritage and a strong legacy of people and events characterise the borough today. Follow the trail of the mysterious Grim's Dyke which snakes its way through Harrow's leafy countryside.
Take in one of the most romantic ruins in London at St John the Evangelist church. Follow in the footsteps of Sir Winston Churchill on a stroll past the private buildings of Harrow School.
Visit the 900 year old St Mary's Church on Harrow on the Hill, and gaze out across London from the churchyard where Lord Byron frequently sought inspiration. Visit Harrow and let the past come to you.
Grim's Ditch
Grim's Ditch is a late Iron Age earthwork that runs for three miles between Harrow Weald Common and Pinner Green. Designated an Ancient Monument, archeological excavations have uncovered a fire hearth, which dates back to the first century AD. The earthworks origins remain unknown but the name was given to them in Saxon times.
Bentley Priory
The original Bentley Priory was founded in the12th century but passed into secular hands in 1546. The lavish mansion, further north, took its name, and became a celebrated meeting place for celebrities and political figures in the late-eighteenth and mid-nineteenth centuries. The RAF took up residence at Bentley Priory in 1926, and it became the headquarters of RAF Fighter Command during World War II. Sir Hugh Dowding controlled the Battle of Britain from it in 1940. The Priory is now the Defence Aviation Safety Centre.
Guided tours of Bentley Priory are available if booked in advance.
£2.50 per person. (group tours only)
Tel: 020 8838 7000, (ext.7149) Website: www.raf.mod.uk
St Lawrence Church
St Lawrence’s Church is one of the very few painted Baroque churches in existence today and is grade 1 listed. The ornate walls and ceilings were painted by the French artist Laguerre, while the church's famous wood carvings were created by Grinling Gibbons. St Lawrence's Church played host to Handel when he was resident composer to the Duke of Chandos.
Guided tours are available on Sundays between 2-5pm in summer and 2-4pm in winter. Tel: 020 8952 0019. Website: www.little-stanmore.org
St John the Evangelist Church
Dating from 1632, the original church of St John the Evangelist is described as being “truly picturesque – one of the best ruins in London” by Pevsner. The red brick church was used until its partial demolition in 1851. The tomb of the Victorian Prime Minister and Harrow school old boy Lord Aberdeen was recently discovered in the church crypt. The present church of St John was designed in the Decorated Gothic style by Henry Clutton, and was consecrated in 1850.
Free guided tours of the ruin are available every Saturday between 2.30pm-4.30pm between April - September.
Tel: 020 8954 3853 Website: www.stjohnsstanmore.org.uk
Harrow Arts Centre
The Arts Centre occupies buildings belonging to a school for orphans of commercial travellers. The main building, the Elliot Hall, was openend in 1905. The Arts Centre is now the thriving hub of the borough’s arts and culture life with year-round events and performances from visiting theatre companies and orchestras.
Tel: 020 8428 0124
St John the Baptist Parish Church
Standing on the hilltop above the High Street, Pinner church was consecrated in 1321 and its layout is that of a typical medieval parish church. The well-proportioned tower is 70 feet high and is capped by a 30 foot Tower Cross originally erected in 1637. The cross is particularly impressive when floodlit at night. Several of the church’s stained glass windows were designed by Louis Davis, a leading figure in the “Arts and crafts” revival of the late Victorian and Edwardian period.
Tel: 020 8866 2676 Website: www.pinnerparishchurch.org.uk