Rayners Lane | |
---|---|
Shops on the junction of Rayners Lane and Village Way | |
Location within Greater London | |
Population | 9,143 (2021, ward) [1] |
OS grid reference | TQ128873 |
London borough | |
Ceremonial county | Greater London |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Harrow |
Postcode district | HA2 |
Post town | Pinner |
Postcode district | HA5 |
Dialling code | 020 |
Police | Metropolitan |
Fire | London |
Ambulance | London |
UK Parliament | |
London Assembly | |
Rayners Lane is a suburban district in the London Borough of Harrow that forms the western part of Harrow in northwest London. Located between Pinner and West Harrow, [2] it takes its name from a road in the area, also called Rayners Lane (formerly also spelt Rayner's Lane) which runs from Marsh Road in Pinner to Eastcote Lane in South Harrow.
The first documented use of Rayner as a place name in Pinner was from 1856 when two fields, Upper Rayners Field and Lower Rayners Field, were mentioned in a conveyance. These were named after the Rayner family, who moved from Ruislip to Pinner at the start of the 19th century. [3] It is assumed the Rayners Lane roadway was given that name sometime before the Rayner family left the area in the 1870s. [3] The roadway was often called Bourne Lane, because it crossed several streams, including the Yeading Brook. [3] During the medieval period, it functioned as a nameless service road linking Pinner and Roxeth. [4] It was used to transport grain to the mill on Pinner Green.[ citation needed ]
The Metropolitan Railway was extended to Uxbridge from Harrow on the Hill in 1904, passing across Rayners Lane.[ citation needed ] A halt was built at Rayners Lane, opening in 1906. Despite this, the area remained rural, with a single farmstead north of the halt. [5]
The area saw wide-ranging development in the 1930s. The developments were part of the Metropolitan Railway’s plans to bring customers to its railway by developing the surrounding countryside – an area marketed as Metro-land. [6]
The first development in Rayners Lane was in 1927 when Metropolitan Railway Country Estates Ltd. purchased land north of the station. The development, named Harrow Garden Village, was built by E.S. Reid and was laid out on garden suburb principles. [7]
Further developments followed after Tithe Farm south of the Piccadilly Line was sold to T.F. Nash Ltd. in about 1930. This was the widest-scale development in the Pinner area and consisted of cheap, mostly terraced housing. [8] Nash excelled at advertising the estate, [5] and in 1933 he constructed a temporary 35-foot illuminated wooden arch across Alexandra Avenue as part of an advertising promotion. [8]
Other developers were also active in the area. H.J. Mark was a prolific architect who designed many buildings on the Alexandra Avenue shopping parade. [5] Charles Holden and Reginald Uren redesigned the station which was completed in 1938 [9] and served the Metropolitan and Piccadilly tube lines.
In October 2002, Rayners Lane Conservation Area was designated by Harrow Council. This covers the area around the station and the shopping parades on Alexandra Avenue. The designation aims to protect the character of the area and identify opportunities to preserve and improve it. [5]
Rayners Lane lies within the London Borough of Harrow, governed under the local authority of Harrow London Borough Council. The Rayners Lane ward was established in The London Borough of Harrow (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1978, [10] comprising areas that were previously part of the Pinner South and Roxbourne wards. [11] The first elections in the ward were held in May 1978 in which three Conservative councillors were elected. [10] [12]
Ward boundaries were revised in 2000 [13] and most recently in 2020, taking effect in the 2022 council elections. [14] As a result of the 2020 changes, the Rayners Lane ward lost the Harrow Garden Village area north of the station to the Pinner South ward. It also had its total number of councillors reduced from three to two. [14] In 2022, Krishna Suresh (Labour) and Thaya Idaikkadar (Conservative) were elected as councillors to represent the ward [15] while the Conservative Party took control of the council. [16]
Rayners Lane is in the Brent and Harrow constituency for the London Assembly which has been represented since 2021 by Krupesh Hirani (Labour). [17] It is also in the Harrow West parliamentary constituency [18] which has been represented since 1997 by Gareth Thomas (Labour). [19] The Pinner South ward is part of the Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner parliamentary constituency [18] represented since 2019 by David Simmonds (Conservative). [20]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Krishna Suresh | 1,399 | 44.1 | +1.2 | |
Conservative | Thaya Idaikkadar | 977 | 30.8 | +1.9 | |
Labour | Tarza Ahmed Sharif | 962 | 30.3 | −8.6 | |
Conservative | Mala Morjaria | 886 | 27.9 | +0.0 | |
Liberal Democrats | Chris Noyce | 665 | 20.9 | −15.9 | |
Independent | Sockalingam Yogalingam | 559 | 17.6 | N/A | |
Liberal Democrats | Gerri Noyce | 426 | 13.4 | −14.7 | |
Green | Rowan Nicholas Charles Langley | 182 | 5.7 | N/A | |
Independent | Herbie Crossman | 166 | 5.2 | N/A | |
Turnout | 3,175 | 45.0 |
Rayners Lane is located in the upper part of the Crane Valley within the catchment area of the River Crane. [21] The east and west branches of Yeading Brook, the dominant source of the Crane, pass through the surrounding area. [22]
Built atop a railway bridge, the Underground station marks the highest point in the area. It is a focal point of the Rayners Lane conservation area, which includes the shopping parades north and south of the station. Beyond this area, terraced and semi-detached houses built in the 1930s form much of the district. [5] In the 2021 census, 49.04% of households were reported to be terraced, the highest proportion of any ward in the London Borough of Harrow. [23] The remainder were 32.29% semi-detached, 11.25% flats and 3.51% detached. [1] Despite being a relatively small area, it boasts many retail chains.
The largest ethnic group in Rayners Lane ward in the 2011 census was Indian (28%), followed by White British (27%) and other Asian (21%). [24] It has one of London's largest Tamil communities. [25]
According to the 2021 census, 56.1% of the population identified as Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh (including 30.43% as Indian and 20.65% as other Asian), followed by White (25.5%) and Other ethnic group (10.32%). [1] The ward ranked 22nd in the London Borough of Harrow for people identifying as White and first for those identifying as Other ethnic group. [23]
In the 2021 census, 39.9% of respondents identified as Hindu–the highest of all wards in the London Borough of Harrow [23] –followed by 28.1% as Christian and 13% as Muslim. [1] No Religion was answered by 8.8% of respondents. The ward also ranked first in Harrow among those identifying as Sikh at 2.44%. [23] In the 2011 census, it was reported that 34 adherents of Zoroastrianism lived in the Rayners Lane ward. [25]
Of Rayners Lane’s residents aged 16 or over, 62.56% were reported as economically active. The main occupations were 'Professional occupations' and ‘Managers, directors and senior officials’. [23]
Ethnic group | 2011 Census [24] | 2021 Census [1] [Note 1] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Population | % | Population | % | |
Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh [Note 2] | 6,064 | 54.5 | 5,135 | 56.1 |
Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African [Note 3] | 588 | 5.3 | 447 | 4.9 |
Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups | 361 | 3.2 | 292 | 3.2 |
White | 3,840 | 34.5 | 2,330 | 25.5 |
Other ethnic group | 271 | 2.4 | 944 | 10.3 |
Total | 11,124 | 100.0 | 9,148 | 100.0 |
The principal point of architectural interest is the Grade II* listed former Ace Cinema, an Art Deco building designed by F.E. Bromige that opened in 1936. [26] Notably, it features a stylised elephant’s trunk on the entrance canopy. [5] The building was acquired in 2000 by the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe and is now known as the Zoroastrian Centre. [27] It is the only temple of its type in the UK.[ citation needed ]
Charles Holden and Reginald Uren designed the station building at Rayners Lane tube station which opened in 1938. It was Grade II listed in 1994, noted for the mature design of its frontage and the variety of the surviving signage and fixtures. [9]
The Rayners Public House was Grade II listed in 2006 by Historic England. It is a notable example of 1930s public house architecture retaining much of its original joinery and fittings. [28] It closed as a public house in 2006 and is now occupied by the Christ the Redeemer religious training college. [29]
The shops at 464-472 Alexandra Avenue are locally listed by Harrow Council. [30] They were built in the International style by R.C. White-Cooper and S.R. Turner in 1937. [5]
Roxbourne Primary School is the only school in the Rayners Lane ward. Outside the ward, nearby schools include Longfield Primary School; Newton Farm Nursery, Infant and Junior School; and Buckingham Preparatory School. A library used to be located on Imperial Drive, but was closed in 2015 as part of budget cuts by Harrow Council despite objections raised during a public consultation. [31] [32]
In addition to the Zoroastrian Centre, Rayners Lane Baptist Church and a Quaker Meeting House reside nearby. The Baptist church was founded in 1934 and dedicated to Janet Hoare, a missionary who died in India while still young. [33] Her father became the first minister of the church. The Quaker Meeting House was the first in Harrow, erected in 1935. [33]
Rayners Lane F.C. and Broadfields United F.C. play at the Tithe Farm Sports & Social Club. [34] As of the 2024/25 season, Rayners Lane play in the Isthmian League South Central Division. [35] In 2021, Broadfields United entered a groundshare agreement with Rayners Lane having previously groundshared with Harefield United. [36] They play in the Combined Counties League Premier Division North as of the 2024/25 season. [37]
Rayners Lane also has a sports club called Harrow Town Sports Club which has been in existence since the 1890s.[ citation needed ] It is the home of the Harrow Town Cricket Club who have played in the Middlesex County Cricket League since 2002. [38] Venceremos FC and the HT Tennis Club are also based at the sports club.[ citation needed ]
There are several open spaces in or near Rayners Lane including Rayners Mead, Newton Park and Roxbourne Park. [39] Yeading Brook runs through Roxbourne Park which has a miniature railway open to the public on Sundays and provides access to the Roxbourne Nature Reserve. [40]
Newton Farm Ecology Park is a small area of meadows and woodland located between Alexandra Avenue and Rayners Lane that was converted into a nature reserve in 1990. It is situated on what was once a floodplain where the east branch of Yeading Brook and the Roxbourne River converge. [41]
The Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines converge at Rayners Lane Station. Both lines run services westbound along the same track towards Uxbridge. Eastbound Metropolitan line services run into central London via Harrow-on-the-Hill while eastbound Piccadilly line services run via South Harrow and Acton Town. Some westbound Piccadilly line trains terminate at the station by making use of a reversing siding.
Four bus routes serve the area. The H12 runs between South Harrow and Stanmore; the H9 and H10 run anticlockwise and clockwise routes of Harrow respectively and the 398 runs between Wood End in Northolt and Ruislip tube station.
"Rural Rayners Lane" is mentioned in John Betjeman's poem The Metropolitan Railway (Baker Street Station Buffet). It was published in his 1954 anthology A Few Late Chrysanthemums and his Collected Poems in 1958. [42]
Former Cunard officer Commodore Harry Grattidge, one of the last captains of the RMS Queen Elizabeth, lived at number 33 High Worple, Rayners Lane until his death in the 1970s.[ citation needed ]
Dev Patel is a BAFTA award-winning internationally renowned British actor who grew up in Rayners Lane. [43]
Jai Paul is an electronic music recording artist signed to XL Recordings, whose influential songs of the 2010s have been sampled by Drake and Beyoncé. He and his brother A. K. Paul grew up in Rayners Lane. [44]
Northolt is a town in West London, England, spread across both sides of the A40 trunk road. It is 11 mi (17.7 km) west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the seven major towns that make up the London Borough of Ealing. It had a population of 30,304 at the 2011 UK census.
Pinner is a suburb in the London Borough of Harrow, northwest London, England, 12 miles (19 km) northwest of Charing Cross, close to the border with Hillingdon, historically in the county of Middlesex. The population was 38,698 in 2021.
The London Borough of Haringey is a London borough in north London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation of three former boroughs. It shares borders with six other London boroughs. Clockwise from the north, they are: Enfield, Waltham Forest, Hackney, Islington, Camden, and Barnet.
Wealdstone is a district located in the centre of the London Borough of Harrow, England. It is located just north of Harrow town centre and is south of Harrow Weald, west of Belmont and Kenton, and east of Headstone. The area accommodates most of Harrow's industrial and business designated land. Wealdstone was the location of the Kodak Harrow factory; it closed in 2016. Wealdstone is centred on the High Street, and much traffic is bypassed from here by the George Gange Way flyover built in 1996. Its western boundary is formed by Harrow View, across which Headstone Manor lies, whereas on the east is Byron Park and the Belmont Trail. Harrow & Wealdstone station and the council offices are located at its southern end.
Wembley is a large suburb in the London Borough of Brent, north-west London, 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Charing Cross. It includes the neighbourhoods of Alperton, Kenton, North Wembley, Preston, Sudbury, Tokyngton and Wembley Park. The population was 102,856 in 2011.
The London Borough of Harrow is a London borough in northwest London, England; it forms part of Outer London. It borders four other London boroughs – Barnet to the east of ancient Watling Street, Brent to the southeast, Ealing to the south and Hillingdon to the west and the Hertfordshire districts of Three Rivers and Hertsmere to the north. The local authority is Harrow London Borough Council. The London borough was formed in 1965, based on boundaries that had been established in 1934. The borough is made up of three towns: Harrow, Pinner and Stanmore, but also includes western parts of Edgware.
The London Borough of Hillingdon is a London borough in Greater London, England. It forms part of outer London and West London, being the westernmost London borough. It was formed in 1965 from the districts of Hayes and Harlington, Ruislip-Northwood, Uxbridge, and Yiewsley and West Drayton. The borough includes most of Heathrow Airport and Brunel University, and is the second largest of the 32 London boroughs by area.
Rayners Lane is a London Underground station in the district of Rayners Lane in north west London, amid a 1930s development originally named Harrow Garden Village. The station is on the Uxbridge branch of both the Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines. On the Metropolitan line, the station is between Eastcote and West Harrow stations. On the Piccadilly line, it is between Eastcote and South Harrow stations. The station is located to the west of the junction of Rayners Lane, Alexandra Avenue and Imperial Drive (A4090). It is in Travelcard Zone 5. Just east of the station, the Piccadilly and Metropolitan lines tracks join for services to Uxbridge and separate for those to Central London.
Harrow is a large town in Greater London, England, and serves as the principal settlement of the London Borough of Harrow. Lying about 9.5 miles (15.3 km) north-west of Charing Cross and 5.4 miles (8.7 km) south of Watford, the entire town including its localities had a population of 149,246 at the 2011 census, whereas the wider borough had a population of 250,149.
Eastcote is a London Underground station in Eastcote in the west of Greater London. The station is on the Uxbridge branch of both the Metropolitan line and Piccadilly line, between Ruislip Manor and Rayners Lane stations. The station is located on Field End Road. It is in Travelcard Zone 5.
South Harrow is a London Underground station in South Harrow, north-west London. It is on the Uxbridge branch of the Piccadilly line between Rayners Lane and Sudbury Hill stations. It is located on Northolt Road (A312). The station is in Travelcard Zone 5. There are several bus stands outside the station as well as overnight train stabling sidings.
Ickenham is a London Underground station located in Ickenham in the London Borough of Hillingdon. The station is on the Uxbridge branch of both the Metropolitan line and Piccadilly line, between Ruislip and Hillingdon stations. It is in Travelcard Zone 6.
West Harrow is a suburban area in the London Borough of Harrow that forms the western part of Harrow, historically in the county of Middlesex.
Harrow West is a constituency in Greater London created in 1945 and represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. Until 1997, it only returned Conservative MPs; since then, it has elected the Labour Co-operative MP Gareth Thomas on a fluctuating majority. Since 2010, this has been bolstered by the loss of Pinner from the seat and the gain of a favourable ward for Labour from Harrow East.
Harrow on the Hill or Harrow-on-the-Hill is a locality and historic village in the borough of Harrow in Greater London, England. The name refers to Harrow Hill, 408 feet (124 m), and is located some half a mile south of the modern town of Harrow. The village dates back to early medieval times, built around the 11th-century St Mary's Church, and is the location of Harrow, St Dominic's and John Lyon schools.
The London Borough of Harrow is one of the northern outer London boroughs: as such much of the Metropolitan Green Belt land is within the Borough boundaries. Parks and open spaces range from the large area around Harrow-on-the-Hill to the smaller gardens and recreation grounds; there are also a number of spaces taken up with golf courses. It has been suggested that Harrow is continuously losing its green space and trees.
South Harrow is the southern part of the town of Harrow, located south-west of Harrow-on-the-Hill in the London Borough of Harrow. Its development originally spread south and west from the hamlet of Roxeth in the urbanisation process and easier access from Central London by rail. Six roads now converge at Roxeth hamlet centre at the bottom of Roxeth Hill. Its areas include, in the west, the area of Shaftesbury Circus/Avenue and in the south a shopping area, South Harrow tube station and the high street, Northolt Road.
Yeading Brook is the dominant source of the River Crane, in outer North West then West London. The western branch flows 25.8 km (16.0 mi) south. It rises in the far south of suburban Pinner and drains all of the western suburbs of Harrow, insofar as they have not been by historical practice connected into sewers.
Roxbourne was a hamlet in the London Borough of Harrow west of Rayners Lane in the north west of Greater London. It includes the Yeading Brook and Roxbourne Park which provides 26 hectares of open space including football and cricket facilities; the Roxbourne Rough Nature Reserve, enriched with wildlife; and the Roxbourne (miniature) Railway.
Elections for Harrow London Borough Council in London were held on 2 May 2002. It was a part of the wider 2002 London local elections. The Conservatives won 50.4% of the vote in the district. The turnout was 31.5%.