Moving to Harrow

[Cheeseandbiscuits]

Hi everyone,
We are looking at moving to Harrow from Central London. We don't really know the area and so would welcome any top tips.

We have a 7 month old daughter and so would like to be able to be close to nice cafes/pubs/restaurants etc. COuld anyone recommend any specific areas?

Is there a lot to do there with little ones?
Thanks in advance

hello, which bit of harrow were you thinking of? it's quite big and varied. hatch end has nice cafes and restaurants. north harrow has headstone park and museum, which is nice for a cup of tea and the playground. harrow-on-the hill has a few nice restaurants but it is up a steep (though leafy) hill. harrow town centre has all the high street coffee shops and clothing. i can recommend tiny tots drop-in playgroup and i hear good things of pinner playtime in pinner (which also has very nice cafes, restaurants and park). other areas are often suburban, no nice cafes, pound shops etc. i wouldn't think restaurants or pubs are at all useful with a 7-month-old though. parks and playgroups and friends much more pleasant. there are quite a few toddler activities though like gymboree and monkey music and tumbletots etc if that's what you fancy. or you can get on the fast train to euston from harrow+wealdstone for the british museum or the met line to baker street for regent's park. hope this helps.

Harrow's nappy valley is West Harrow. All the roads around St Peter's Church on Colbeck Road - lots and lots of families with young children. Lots of baby stuff at the Church and Doctors Surgery within it. Very friendly and well appointed local park. Walkable to Harrow on the Hill where there are some nice cafes, pubs and restaurants.

Harrow on the Hill is very nice indeed - doesn't look like the rest of Harrow, more like Richmond or something - but the housing stock is incredibly limited and massively overpriced IMO. Roads leading up to it like Roxborough Park and Whitehall Avenue are very nice.

I live in the County Roads (stretch along the Pinner Road when you look on a map) which are always listed as 'desirable' (closer to main tube station on the whole) and again, quite a lot of young families, but I think West Harrow is a better bet personally (we didn't know the area either when we moved here - I would have gone to West Harrow had I known). The houses in the County Roads are a bit bigger than those on most roads in West Harrow I think.

Avoid anything around the Kenton side of Harrow I would say. Sorry. And well clear of South Harrow. Sorry again.

Roads directly around Radnor Avenue etc are nice, to the north of the main town centre. As you get over to the Sheepcote road side of that set of housing, it seems to go downhill a bit.

Pinner is good for cafes etc. If we stay in this area long term, we would likely move to Pinner.

Harrow town centre is not very nice - more functional than anything else.

There is plenty for kids in and around Harrow, definitely. And it's an easy run out to proper countryside too.

I live in Eastcote (just over border into Hillingdon but Pinner postcode and address, strangely) and used to live in Pinner. I'd recommend Pinner for cafes/restaurants and the lovely Oddfellows Arms pub, plus some nice shops and a handy big Sainsbury's plus an M&S food. It also has lots of community activities going on, and really good schools.

I also live in the County Roads, and it's true that the houses here are a bit bigger. However there are not many cafes/pubs/restaurants between here and Harrow town centre (admittedly only a 20 minute walk). You might instead think of Ruislip Manor, which nice cafes, or Pinner if you can afford it.

With little ones, Harrow's parks and playgrounds are good. There's a model railway in the park between Eastcote and Rayners Lane. My son (just turned 3) likes to walk in the forest, either Ruislip Forest (together with a ride on the steam train) or Harrow Weald Common. Saturday mornings are cheap at the cinemPr

Harrow is nice, top tips..live close to a met line tube station. Harrow on the Hill is on the fast stops list for it. Also one street is very different from another..so yes..walk around and you will notice the difference.

The Hill in itself is lovely with loads of public walkways, DS and I walk around for quite long periods of time. They have a cafe called Dolls House which does a lovely children's menu and have loads of high chairs. The town centre is ok, you will get what you want/ need. Its not too far from Brent Cross (by bus and car) and Westfield (Shepherd's Bush) for all things you dont get at Harrow. A decent M&S and a few nice small shops. Loads of beauty and hair salons which cut baby's hair for a tenner. Parking in town centre sometimes works out cheaper than retrun Bus/Oyster travel (which will be nice after central London i suppose).

There are a whole load of kiddy activities..toddler groups, play groups, YMCA activity clubs (all for under 1's). Born to Swim is a company which runs swimming lessons for babies at Harrow Boys School amongst other Harrow locations. There is a lot of domestic help around and also a lot of grocery options..plus all the superstores..Sainsbury, Waitrose, Asda, Tesco etc.

Its quiet and suburban but not in the back-of-the-beyond manner of other stops on the map post Harrow. Hope you like it here!

Gosh I've never heard of Ruislip Forest. Do you mean Ruislip Lido and Woods. have lived in the area since 1970. great place to be.

yes, that's what I meant.

Personally I wouldnt move to harrow lol....I am in the throws of selling up and moving to the coast............harrow (well south harrow actually) has changed so much over the years and its not the same as it once was 40 years ago when I first moved here. I am white english and whilst loads of my friends are of the ethnic persuasion, their views are very different to mine and they dont let their children mix with mine after school hours, so my grandsons of whom I am bringing up are very lonely children......indian children do so much more study - having said that they are such clever clever children, but I could never make mine work that hard, they just wont do it even if I wanted them to. Children need to interact after school with their peers as well as in school, but white english children in south harrow are in the minority and it makes school holidays very long and very boring for them.......its sad as my boys dont understand why their friends from school cant come for tea or play at weekends................but I am sure they will develop into happy well adjusted boys eventually, I am just a worry wart..................

I have also recently move from town out to Pinner ............ it is friendly, gentle and open with good cafes not a huge night life and good transport links .

Schools are good as far as we can tell childcare is cheaper and you get more for your money housing wise!!

good luck with the decision

m

Hi all i just shifted to Harrow and looking for preschool for my 2 and a half yr old dd. Since you are all staying here, have you heard about littlelearners Preschool which is in Welldon Crescent/ centre. Any one of you or friends circle, send the kids there. I have seen the place but i wanted a second opinion from all the moms. Thanks a lot.

Hello rosyeyes,
Did you hear any reviews about little learner preschool? Any other preschools in harrow on the hill, pls let me know many thanks

I was born in Harrow, my parents moved to the area over 40 years ago so know the area well. Generally a very safe area. I remember seeing a map during the London riots of all the places riots had broken out in London and there wasn't a spec of trouble in Harrow.

It is however extremely boring. The council are on a mission to flatten everything in site and build flats. There is nowhere to go and nothing to do in Harrow. People mostly just sit at home and watch TV.

If all you want to do is move here and raise a family and most of your enjoyment in life comes from what happens within the 4 walls of your home then Harrow is fine. But for anything to do outside of the home consider it one of the most boring places to live in London by far.

live in northwood.
The borough of harrow has few nice places such as hatchend, stanmore, pinner and a side of harrow on the hill near the school.
but for the rest it 's depressing as HELL. I wouldn't recommend at all.
South harrow, rayners lanes and West harrow are particularly ugly and unattractive,I wouldn't like to live in there personally. Most of harrow weald and headstone lane look a bit like ghetto.
Population wise, it is very diverse, the borough of Harrow has probably the most diverse community of London, with a high Asian population that could count easily 70% at least.
The schools are ok there.

Pinner high street, Hatch end high street, are lovely and have a good choice of eateries, restaurant and cafes...

Harrow on the hill although has a shopping mall it's not as enjoyable and nice as most of the malls in London that I 've seen . Watford and ealing neaby have a more cleaner and nicer shopping.

Hope this helps

How is Hatch end area, we heard of Pinner a lot but never of hatch end. We did visit the high street and adjacent roads (just at the back of high street) and they felt good but don't know how if it is good for schooling and kids activities and neighbours

Schooling is good, activities are between average and good. And you don't have to choose activities that are around only, you can shop for more activities nearby the neighbouring area, ruislip , harrow, stanmore, watford.......
Hatch end is good and count as pinner as they both shares the same ha5 postcode.
Neighbours and people are ok.

Hi, Ive been supporting a new mum who has just moved into your area. She has 3 children under 5 and is improving her English language so as to become more independent. I am looking for playgroups and centres where she and her children can make new friends.

Feedback so welcome.
Thank you.

Hi my name Sharon ginger and what to move out of Harrow to get back to Uxbridge because I need to be closer to my mum and dad when he are ill and Harrow will not help me please can someone help me thank you