Wealdstone

Wealdstone (/ˈwiːldstoʊn/) is a district of Harrow, located in the London Borough of Harrow. It is located just north of Harrow town centre, south of Harrow Weald, west of Belmont and east of Headstone.

Wealdstone

High Street, Wealdstone
Wealdstone
Location within Greater London
Population11,394 (2011 Census. Ward)[1]
OS grid referenceTQ155895
London borough
Ceremonial countyGreater London
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townHARROW
Postcode districtHA3
Dialling code020
PoliceMetropolitan
FireLondon
AmbulanceLondon
London Assembly
The former Eastman Kodak factory on Headstone Drive, Wealdstone. It was Kodak's first outside the U.S., opened in 1891 and closed 2016, now demolished.
A mural of Queen Victoria on the sidewalls of Harrow & Wealdstone station

History and name

The eponymous Weald Stone is a sarsen stone, formerly marking the boundary between the parishes of Harrow and Harrow Weald. It is located outside the Bombay Central restaurant,[2] which was a former public house (previously known as the Weald Stone Inn and prior to that, the Red Lion), outside 328 High Road, Harrow Weald.[3]

  • Close up of The Weald Stone from the south
  • The Weald Stone is in the bottom right of this picture of Bombay Central

Wealdstone Urban District was created under the Local Government Act 1894 in 1894, and absorbed by Harrow Urban District in 1934.

Much of the housing stock in central Wealdstone consist of older Victorian and Edwardian terraces along with new flatted developments in High Street and George Gange Way.[4]

At the corner of High Street and Graham Road sat the former Herga Cinema which opened in 1939 but closed in 1951.[5] The building was variously used throughout its lifetime afterwards until Harrow Council confirmed in 2018 that the building will be knocked down and replaced by flats.[6]

Sport

The Harrow Leisure Centre is located in Wealdstone and facilities include swimming, badminton, snooker, martial arts and a gym run by Harper's Fitness. One of the country's oldest remaining skate parks, Harrow Skate Park, is next to the leisure centre. The park is a major centre of the British skateboarding scene and draws visitors from all over the country.

Wealdstone FC have a long association with the town. In 1903 they played at the College Farm ground situated in Locket Road, then later played in Belmont Road before moving in 1922 to Lower Mead, which was located behind the ABC Cinema (now the Safari Cinema) on Station Road, prior to its controversial sale to Tesco for retail development in 1991. After many years of without a home stadium of their own, Wealdstone FC is now based nearby in Ruislip, having currently abandoned plans to relocate within the borough of Harrow at Prince Edward Fields, Canons Park, now the home stadium of Barnet FC. Famous former players include Stuart Pearce, Vinnie Jones and Jermaine Beckford.

Demography

According to the 2011 census, Wealdstone is the youngest ward in the borough of Harrow.[7] The largest ethnic group in Wealdstone ward is White British (25%), followed by 20% Indian and 13% Other Asian.[8] Marlborough ward (which covers southern parts of Wealdstone) was 24% Indian, 23% White British, 11% Other Asian and 10% Other White.[9]

Crime

Wealdstone used to have the highest crime rate in the borough, as the town suffered from antisocial behaviour and drug crime, higher than the borough's average. However, the Wealdstone Antisocial Behaviour Partnership (WASP), started by the Metropolitan Police to tackle crime in the town in 2010, has seen impressive results with crime figures now below the average in the borough. Wealdstone was one of only four Harrow wards to show a fall in reported Crime from April 2015 to March 2016.[10]

Transport

Tube/Trains

There is one station in the district:

Bus routes

Seven London Buses routes run during day, as well as a school bus (640). There are two night routes serving Wealdstone: 140 and N18.

Notable people
gollark: IT SPREADWHAT IS HAPPENING
gollark: OH NO
gollark: Google appears to have the best results for apioform, linking the heav-4 page, the apioform videos, the UD entry and esowiki.
gollark: I honestly do not know what he has to do with apioforms and how he appears there.
gollark: This is very mysterious.

References
  1. "Harrow Ward population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  2. "Agenda item - Application for a new premises licence in respect of Mumbai Central, 328 High Road, Harrow, Middlesex, HA3 6HS". 1 December 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  3. T F T Baker, J S Cockburn, R B Pugh (eds.) (1971). "Harrow, including Pinner: Introduction". A History of the County of Middlesex: volume 4. Victoria County History. pp. 169–172. Retrieved 29 November 2009.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  4. https://www2.harrow.gov.uk/documents/s152635/Ward%20boundary%20-%20Appendix%20B.pdf
  5. http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/17998
  6. https://www.harrowtimes.co.uk/news/16186322.wealdstone-metro-land-cinema-site-to-become-flats/
  7. https://www.harrow.gov.uk/downloads/file/23432/2011-census-second-release-a-look-at-harrow-s-wards
  8. http://www.ukcensusdata.com/wealdstone-e05000304
  9. http://www.ukcensusdata.com/marlborough-e05000296
  10. http://www.harrowtimes.co.uk/news/8205307.New_police_team_to_tackle_problems_of_Wealdstone/
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