Harlow in General

...the town.

Harlow is situated in West Essex (on the Hertfordshire border) the town is 25 miles north east of London and less than 40 miles from Cambridge.
It is close to the M11 (Junction 7) and M25 (Junction 27) motorways. This important M11 corridor links London and the South to the Midlands and the North. The town is also on the Sustrans national cycle network.

London's third airport at Stansted is just 20 minutes ...
...Tunnel .

Harlow New Town is, just as the name suggests, a new town, built after the Second World War to cope with housing shortages and overspill from London. During the war few houses were being built while many were destroyed in bombing raids, particularly in the capital, there was also an increase in the birth rate. It was these factors which gave rise to several new towns of which Harlow was one.

It is not just the ... more

It would not be fair of me if I did not write an opinion about the town in which I live, Harlow. there is much more to this town that at first meets the eye. To many it is just another New Town, another blot on the landscape. What people often fail to appreciate is the rich history that there is surrounding the town.

Harlow is situated in West Essex (on the Hertfordshire border) the town is 25 miles north east of London and less than 40 miles from Cambridge.
It is close to the M11 (Junction 7) and M25 (Junction 27) motorways. This important M11 corridor links London and the South to the Midlands and the North. The town is also on the Sustrans national cycle network.

London's third airport at Stansted is just 20 minutes away by road and a fast train service also links the town to the airport, as well as London (Liverpool Street Station) and Cambridge. The East Coast and Kentish ports are also easily accessed, as is the Channel Tunnel .

Harlow New Town is, just as the name suggests, a new town, built after the Second World War to cope with housing shortages and overspill from London. During the war few houses were being built while many were destroyed in bombing raids, particularly in the capital, there was also an increase in the birth rate. It was these factors which gave rise to several new towns of which Harlow was one.

It is not just the recent history of Harlow New Town that is of interest, history in the area links back to Pre-Roman times while the origin of the name Harlow dates back to Saxon times and is composed of two words, 'here', meaning an army or host, and 'hlaw' meaning hill. I will now take you on through a glimpse back in time and hopefully you will gain an insite into the history surrounding Harlow.

Prior to the development of the new town, boreholes were drilled to determine the types of subsoil on which the town was to be built. These revealed several layers of laminate clay and sand (boulder clay) indicating that on three occasions the area had been covered by thick ice sheets during the Ice Age.

Additional to the ice deposits of the boulder clay was evidence of a wide platform in the clay which appears to be the remnants of a river bed which once flowed through the area. This river bed is most likely to be that of the river Thames which would have flowed through this area almost half a million years ago through Bishops Stortford and Hatfield before before being pushed progressively southwards to the rivers current flow by subsequent ice advances.

Evidence of prehistoric man have been located in the area from the Great Interglacial period; a period of warm climate lasting about 150,000 years between Ice periods. Several flint tools have been located at sites in the Lea Valley and by the river Stort amongst them Acheulian type hand axes. The area on which much of modern day Harlow now stands was once the path of the great river which cut through the area at a depth of 60 feet and was then subsequently built up again by ice deposits from the Riss Glaciation period.

The glacial periods came to an end about 10,000 B.C. and temperatures increased giving way to a warmer climate, the gradual increase in temperature saw forests spread across much of Europe and the age of Mesolithic man. Evidence of this new age in the shape of flint tools and weapons has also been found locally.

Other finds in the Harlow area have consisted of Neolithic flints found in the Great Parndon and High Beech areas. Neolithic pottery known as 'Grooved ware' has been found at Pishobury near Sawbridgeworth along with other flints and bone tools and weaponry.

Evidence of Bronze Age man was uncovered at an excavation of the Harlow Temple Site when several pieces of urns were uncovered dating back to between 1400 and 1000 B.C and evidence dating to the Iron age has been found at both Great Parndon and the Roman Temple Site by the current Harlow Mill Rail Station.

Perhaps the most obvious sign of Roman occupation in Harlow can be found at the site of the Roman Temple near to Harlow Mill Railway Station. Here there is evidence of a religious site built on a hillock rising some 20 feet above the water level of the river Stort's flood plain. Several Roman gold coins were uncovered at this location. Further evidence was found in the shape of rubbish pits in which several pieces of pottery and a brooch dated to A.D. 90 (possibly of Belgic origin) were located. Also found near by in what is now Priory Avenue were many pieces of Romano-British pottery and a quantity of Roman coins.

Another site where evidence of the Roman occupation in and around Harlow was found was at Water Lane near to Tylers Cross. At this location in 1953, during the construction of Harlow New Town, a red cement floor and fragments of marble were located about 6 feet below the present surface. Later found and excavated at the same site was another rubbish pit containing more examples of Roman pottery. Many of the items found can be seen in the Harlow Museum.

During 1940 German bombs which were dropped on the common at Bush Fair uncovered Romano-British cooking vessels and storage jars and, more recently, pottery was uncovered in the garden of a house in Felmongers.

The original hill where the Saxons settled would have been at the centre of the land upon which these early settlers built and would have been the central meeting place for them. The hill also served as a convenient look-out post. The original hillock can still be seen to the South of Gilden Way although its size has reduced in hight over time.

So what has Harlow got to offer today? Harlow has two museums, one a museum of local and surrounding history, the other a cycle museum which houses the countries largest collection of bicycles and provides a fascinating insight into the history behind this mode of transport.

Excellent sports facilities are available throughout the town which has an active sports programme, and until very recently there was a ski slope which sadly suffered from subsidence and has had to be dismantled. A petting zoo at Pets Corner is provided for educational as well as casual visitors and there is an excellent park with minature golf. A fine swimming pool stands near to the town centre and an excellent golf course at Cannons Brook is available.

A recent addition of a ten pin bowling alley has proved to be a significant draw and is always packed.

Education is important to the town and there is an excellent colledge recently modernised and extended and six secondary and about 15 primary schools all providing quality education.

Night life is particularly good with a great choice of pubs, restaurants and night clubs, not that I go clubbing any more apart from the occassional night out with friends.

Many businesses base them selves in Harlow, the largest being Smith Kliene Beecham Pharmacutecals who have a massive science and research park on the west side of town.

Shopping is excellent with both outdoor and indoor centres, all the usual names are here plus a few other more localised traders which is pleasing to see in the current ecconomic climate where small firms go under as the result of pressure from major retail chains. There is an excellent market open Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday with many stalls providing a wide sellection of goods.

So there you have it, an insight into Harlow, it's history and what it has to offer today. To many Harlow is 'just another new town', I live here and I can certainly tell you that it is far more than just that.

 

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