Harlow is a new town and local government district in Essex, England. It is located in the west of the county and on the border with Hertfordshire. The town is nearby to the M11 motorway and forms part of the London commuter belt. The district has a current population of 78,768 (2005 estimate).^[1] Essex districts File links The following pages link to this file: Harlow Categories: GFDL images ... Essex is a county in the East of England. ... Non-metropolitan districts or commonly Shire districts are a type of local government district in England. ... Essex is a county in the East of England. ... Area is the measure of how much exposed area any two dimensional object has. ... This is a list of districts of England ordered by area. ... To help compare sizes of different geographic regions, we list here areas between 10 km² (1000 hectares) and 100 km² (10,000 hectares). ... Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ... The region, also known as Government Office Region, is currently the highest tier of local government subnational entity of England in the United Kingdom. ... The East of England is one of the nine official regions of England. ... The Office for National Statistics coding system is a hierarchical code used in the United Kingdom for tabulating census and other statistical data. ... In physics, density is mass m per unit volume V. For the common case of a homogeneous substance, it is expressed as: where, in SI units: ρ (rho) is the density of the substance, measured in kg·m-3 m is the mass of the substance, measured in kg V is... The figures are mid-year estimates for 2005 from the Office for National Statistics [1]. See also: List of English cities by population - List of English counties by population - List of Ceremonial counties of England by Population - List of English districts by area - List of English districts by ethnic diversity... Arms of Harlow District Council. ... The United Kingdom is divided into four parts, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. ... NOC can refer to: National Olympic Committee, a group eligible to enter athletes and teams into an Olympic Games. ... This is a list of MPs elected in the UK general election, 2005 to the House of Commons for the Fifty-Fourth Parliament of the United Kingdom at the United Kingdom general election, 2005, arranged by constituency. ... William Ernest Bill Rammell (born 10 October 1959) is a politician in the United Kingdom. ... Below is a list of some of the new towns in the United Kingdom created under the various New Town Acts of the 20th century. ... Essex is a county in the East of England. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 967 AD  Area  -  Total 130,395 km²  50,346 sq mi  Population  -  2007 estimate... Hertfordshire (pronounced Hartfordshire and abbreviated as Herts) is an inland county in the United Kingdom and part of the East of England Government Office region. ... This page is about the M11 motorway in England. ... Commuters from East Anglia arrive at Liverpool Street Station The London Commuter Belt or London Metropolitan Area is the name given to the built-up area surrounding and running into Greater London but not administered as part of it. ...

History

Etymology

The name Harlow derives from the Anglo-Saxon words 'here' and 'hlaw', meaning "army" and "hill", which could refer either to the hill on which the Romano-British temple is situated or the Bronze Age barrow, later known as Mulberry Hill, which was used as the moot or meeting place for the district. The original village, mentioned in the Domesday book, developed as a typical rural community around what is now known as Old Harlow, with many of its buildings still standing. Old English (also called Anglo-Saxon) is an early form of the English language that was spoken in parts of what is now England and southern Scotland between the mid-fifth century and the mid-twelfth century. ... Old Harlow is the historic part of the new town and district of Harlow, Essex in England. ...

Early history

There was a Roman settlement dating from around the 3rd century. Excavations during the 1970s unearthed a roman temple and a mosaic floor, itself built on top of an earlier Iron Age temple. The oldest finds in the town were axe heads made in about 6000 BC.^[2]

The new town

The new town was built after World War II to ease overcrowding in London at the same time as the similar orbital developments of Basildon, Stevenage and Hemel Hempstead. The master plan for the new town was drawn up in 1947 by Sir Frederick Gibberd.^[3] The development incorporated the market town of Harlow, now a neighbourhood known as Old Harlow, and the villages of Great Parndon, Latton, Tye Green, Potter Street, Churchgate Street, Little Parndon and Netteswell. The town is divided into neighbourhoods, each self supporting with their own shopping precincts and community facilities. Harlow has one of the most extensive cycle track networks in the country, connecting all areas of the town to the town centre and industrial areas. Below is a list of some of the new towns in the United Kingdom created under the various New Town Acts of the 20th century. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Basildon (IPA, ) is a New Town located in south Essex, England at . It was designated as a New Town after World War II in 1948 to accommodate the London population overspill. ... Stevenage is a town and district in Hertfordshire, England. ... Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire, England with a population of 81,143 at the 2001 Census. ... Frederick Gibberd (1908-1984) was a British architect. ... The market town is a medieval phenomenon. ... Old Harlow is the historic part of the new town and district of Harlow, Essex in England. ...

The town centre is notable being the location of Britain's first pedestrian precinct,^[4] and first residential tower block, The Lawn,^[5][6] constructed in 1951; it is now a Grade II listed building. From 1894 to 1955 the Harlow parish formed part of the Epping Rural District of Essex.^[7] From 1955 to 1974 Harlow was an urban district.^[8] It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles. ... Buckingham Palace, a Grade I listed building. ... Epping Rural District was a local government district in Essex, England from 1894 to 1955. ... In the British Isles an urban district was a type of local government district which covered an urbanised area. ...

The town centre, and many of its neighbourhood shopping facilities have undergone major redevelopment, along with many of the towns original buildings. Most of the towns buildings, built at a time when concrete was widely used in construction, now suffer from conditions relating to this, both practical and aesthetic. Subsequently, many of the original town buildings, including most of its health centres, the Staple Tye shopping centre and many industrial units have been rebuilt. The most notable of these has been the demolition of Gibberd's original town hall, a landmark in the town, and its replacement of a new civic centre and shopping area.

Redevelopment

The town has already experienced expansion, with the Church Langley estate completed in the 1990s, and its newest neighbourhood "New Hall" nearing completion. The Harlow Gateway Scheme is currently underway, with the relocation of the Harlow Football Stadium to Barrow's Farm in early 2006, and the building of a new hotel, apartments and a restaurant adjacent to the train station being complete. The next stage of this scheme involves the completion of the 530 eco-homes being built on the former sports centre site, and the centre's relocation to the nearby former college playing field site. A major scheme underway in Harlow, Essex, UK. It involves the regeneration of a significant area in the towns centre, and relocation of many key services. ...

Other major developments under consideration include both a northern and southern bypass of the town, and significant expansion to the north, following the completed expansion to the east. The Harlow North^[9] plans, currently awaiting permission, involve an extension of the town across the floodplains on the town's northern border, into neighbouring Hertfordshire. The plan is supported by MP Bill Rammell, all three political groups on Harlow Council, and the East of England Regional Assembly and opposed by a local group based in neighbouring East Hertfordshire.^[10] Hertfordshire (pronounced Hartfordshire and abbreviated as Herts) is an inland county in the United Kingdom and part of the East of England Government Office region. ... East of England region The East of England Regional Assembly is the regional assembly for the East of England region of the United Kingdom. ...

The south of the town centre also underwent major regeneration, with the new civic centre being built and the towns famous water gardens being redeveloped, a landscape covered by English Heritage. With this came a range of new shops, a major superstore and several restaurants and cafés. It is likely that this development will be continued throughout the rest of the shopping district, with plans awaiting planning permission to be granted. English Heritage is a United Kingdom government body with a broad remit of managing the historic environment of England. ...

Economy

Built originally with most employment in manufacturing, with two major developments of the Pinnacles and Templefields providing the biggest employment to the region, Harlow has shifted in several directions.

The original manufacturing took the form of a Biscuit Factory, on the Pinncales. Owned and run as a Co-Op, it provided employment to the town for over 50 years, before closing in 2002. It has since been demolished and the site is now small industrial units. At its peak, the factory employed over 500 people. At the time of its closure the owner was Burton's foods limited. An £8 million production line, installed in 1999, was left to rust in the car park at the closure of the factory.

There is a large commuter population, into the financial centres of central London and more recently growth at the nearby Stansted Airport has provided a population growth and many jobs to the area. It is also the 2nd most important town for research^{[citation needed]} second only to Cambridge, with major employers including Raytheon Systems and GlaxoSmithKline both having large premises within the town. Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) is a major United States military contractor based in Waltham, Massachusetts. ... GlaxoSmithKline plc (LSE: GSK NYSE: GSK) is a British based pharmaceutical, biologicals, and healthcare company. ...

Unemployment is currently around 10%, higher than the national average in the UK. Harlow also has a large number of people in social housing, almost 30%^[1] of dwellings being housing association and local authority owned, and many more privately rented.

Politics

See also: Harlow (UK Parliament constituency)

Labour MP Bill Rammell was re-elected in the 2005 general election, with a majority of only 97 after considerable gains by the Conservative Party since the 1997 and 2001 elections. The local authority is run by a joint administration of Liberal Democrats and Labour as none of the three major parties has secured overall control. Harlow is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the principal political party of the left in England, Scotland and Wales. ... William Ernest Bill Rammell (born 10 October 1959) is a politician in the United Kingdom. ... The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005. ... The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), the largest in terms of public membership, and is the second oldest extant political party in the world. ...

Transport

Rail

Harlow is served by two railway stations, which are both on the 'one' West Anglia Main Line, running from Liverpool Street station in London to Cambridge. Harlow Town railway station is the main station with frequent trains to Cambridge, London and Stansted Airport. The reasonably rapid connections to the capital allow Harlow to be part of the London Commuter Belt, and has helped Harlow's growth and its shift towards a commuter town to London. The second station is Harlow Mill railway station serving part of the eastern area of the town. ‘one’ is the brand name of London Eastern Railway Ltd, which operates local, suburban and express services from London Liverpool Street in the City of London to East and North London, Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and East Anglia, otherwise known as the Greater Anglia network. ... The West Anglia Main Line is one of the two main lines which run from London Liverpool Street, the other being the Great Eastern Main Line. ... Liverpool Street station, also called London Liverpool Street, is a mainline railway station and connected London Underground station in the north eastern corner of the City of London, the main financial district, with entrances on Bishopsgate and Liverpool Street itself. ... The front of Cambridge station, showing the arms of several Cambridge Colleges Cambridge railway station is a railway station serving the city of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire, England. ... Harlow Town railway station serves the town of Harlow in Essex, England. ... Commuters from East Anglia arrive at Liverpool Street Station The London Commuter Belt or London Metropolitan Area is the name given to the built-up area surrounding and running into Greater London but not administered as part of it. ... Harlow Mill railway station serves the town of Harlow in Essex, England. ...

Road

Harlow is reached by junction 7 of the M11 motorway, which also runs from London to Cambridge, placing it within a short distance of Stansted Airport and the A120 and the orbital M25 motorway. Running through the town is the A414, a major road from Hertford to Chelmsford and linking the town with the A10 to the west. This road is often a cause of major congestion to the town and is awaiting a decision of both a Southern and Northern bypass to the town, with the Harlow North proposal including the latter as part of its bid to secure planning permission for 8,000 homes to the North of the town. It is unlikely to be built in the near future however. Another major road running from Harlow is the A1184, which also leads to the nearby town of Bishops Stortford. This page is about the M11 motorway in England. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The M25 motorway looking south between junctions 14 and 15, near Heathrow Airport. ... The A414 is a major road in England. ... Hertford (standard pronunciations /hɑtֽfəd/ and /hɑֽfəd/; local pronunciation /[h]ɑːʔֽfəd/) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is in the East Hertfordshire district of that county. ... Chelmsford Borough Council Coat Of Arms Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England. ... The A10 is a major road in England. ... Bishops Stortford is a town in Hertfordshire, England. ...

Air

Bishops Stortford is the closest large town to London Stansted Airport, though Harlow is only a short distance away from this major hub, and therefore benefits hugely from its presence. The government has indicated it still wishes to see a second runway built at this airport by 2012 despite local opposition, with Harlow being in the main flightpath to it, and is likely to fuel more growth in the region. Bishops Stortford is a town in Hertfordshire, England. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Bus

Harlow has an extensive bus network and serves as a regional hub for the local area. Major routes include the 510 service linking it to Stansted Airport through Bishops Stortford, the important 724 Route linking it to Heathrow Airport through Hertford,Hatfield, Watford and Stevenage and the 500/501 Routes providing a connection to the South East of the county, with Epping, Loughton and Romford being important links. Bishops Stortford is a town in Hertfordshire, England. ... Hertford (standard pronunciations /hɑtֽfəd/ and /hɑֽfəd/; local pronunciation /[h]ɑːʔֽfəd/) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is in the East Hertfordshire district of that county. ... Arms of the former Hatfield Rural District Council Hatfield, originally Bishops Hatfield, is in the Welwyn Hatfield district of Hertfordshire, in the south of England. ... Watford is a town and district in Hertfordshire, England, situated 34 km (21 miles) northwest of London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. ... Stevenage is a town and district in Hertfordshire, England. ... High Street in Epping Epping is a market town and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of the county of Essex in the United Kingdom. ... For other places with the same name, see Loughton (disambiguation). ... Romford is a large suburban town in east London, England and the principal settlement of the London Borough of Havering. ...

Famous present and former inhabitants

• Glenn Hoddle, former footballer and football manager
• Jade Goody, Reality TV contestant
• Jakki Brambles, Former Radio 1 DJ
• Nick Kamen, Levi's Model and singer
• John Mann, comedian
• Rik Mayall, Comic and Comedian
• Jessie Wallace, Actress
• Ray Winstone, Actor

Glenn Hoddle (born October 27, 1957 in Hayes, London) is a football manager and former player for Tottenham Hotspur and England. ... Jade Goody (born 5 June 1981) is a British reality television celebrity, gaining publicity after first appearing on Big Brother in 2002. ... Jakki Brambles is a British television and radio presenter and reporter. ... Nick Kamen (born April 15, 1962) is a model and singer from Essex, England, most famous for his 1980s Levis commercials where he strips to wash in a public laundromat (showing him in boxer shorts, dramatically increasing their popularity. ... Levis is a brand of riveted denim jeans manufactured by Levi Strauss & Co. ... There are several public figures named John Mann. ... Richard Michael Rik Mayall (born on March 7, 1958 in Harlow, Essex) is an English comedian and actor. ... Jessie Wallace (born Karen Wallace on September 25, 1971) is a British actress who trained at the The Poor School. ... Please wikify (format) this article as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ...

Twin towns

• Velizy-Villacoublay, France
• Havirov, Czech Republic
• Stavanger, Norway

A suburb of the French capital, Paris, this small town serves as a commuter town to the conurbation of Ile-de-France. ... Location of Havířov in the Czech Republic Havířov (Polish: ) is an city within the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. ... County Rogaland District Jæren Municipality NO-1103 Administrative centre Stavanger Mayor (1995-) Leif Johan Sevland (H) Official language form BokmÃ¥l Area  - Total  - Land  - Percentage Ranked 406 71 km² 68 km² 0. ...

Education

Harlow contains 6 secondary schools, all of which are now specialist colleges and 1 College

• Brays Grove - Visual arts and ICT specialist^[11]
• Mark Hall - Sports college^[12]
• St Marks - Business and enterprise specialist^[13]
• Burnt Mill - Performing arts college^[14]
• Stewards - Science specialist^[15]
• Passmores - Technology college^[16]
• Harlow Collge - College^[17]

Brays Grove is due to be closed down in 2008 due to falling numbers of school aged students in the town. Once this site is vacated, a new school is to be built for Passmores who are relocating to the Brays Grove site^[18]

In the 1980s a further two secondary schools were closed, Latton Bush (now a commercial centre and recreational centre) and Netteswell (now forms part of the Harlow College Campus)^[19] is a major further educational centre, covering GCSE's, A-Levels, and many vocational subjects including Hair and Beauty, Construction, Mechanics, ICT and a new centre for Plumbing due to open. The college is currently under major regeneration and is due to open a new university centre in partnership with Anglia Ruskin University, covering mostly Foundation degrees in a variety of subjects relevant to local employers needs. The revamped main entrance to Anglia Ruskin University on East Road, Cambridge. ...

Memorial University of Newfoundland also has a small international campus located in Old Harlow.

Leisure and entertainment

Harlow Town F.C. play in the Isthmian League Premier Division. In October 2006 they moved into a new ground at Barrows Farm, and their old ground at the Harlow Sportcentre is being demolished to make way for new housing facilities as part of the Gateway Scheme, which will also see a brand new sports centre complex built in centre of the town, on the former Harlow College playing field. Harlow is the location of The Playhouse theatre.^[20] There is an extensive town centre^[21] which boasts a farmers market on the third Saturday of the month in the market square.^[22] Harlow Town F.C. are an English football club based in Harlow, Essex. ... The Isthmian League is a regional football league covering London and South East England. ...

Environment

A major feature to the new town is its green wedges, with over 1/3rd of the town being parkland or open space. Harlow Town Park is one of the largest urban parks in Britain, and occupies a large chunk of the central town. Each estate is also separated by open space, and the entire town is in the.

The town is in a very dry area of the UK, with nearby Maldon being the driest area in the country. In 2006 the entire South East of England was affected by drought, with Harlow covered by a water restriction order, preventing unnecessary use of water. Freak snowfall caused chaos in early 2006 and 2007, as it did in 2003. The heatwave of the same year also saw the UK hit its highest ever recorded temperature, a short distance away in Gravesend, Kent. The area generally is much milder than most parts of the UK. Snow in the area is becoming more common in February. Bold textItalic textLink title:See also Malden. ...

The summer of 2006 also saw flash floods hit many parts of the town, causing major roads through the town to become temporarily impassable, and severe damage to many properties around the town. As a result the council is reviewing its flood defences and drainage systems.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Harlow District Council - Harlow: A Comparison with Essex 2001 Census
2. ^ Bill Rammell MP - About Harlow
3. ^ Gardens Guide - Frederick Gibberd
4. ^ Memorial University - Department of Geography - Harlow's History and Geography
5. ^ English Heritage - Images of England - The Lawn
6. ^ BBC News - Redeveloping Essex's fallen utopia
7. ^ Vision of Britain - Harlow parish
8. ^ Vision of Britain - Harlow UD
9. ^ Ropemaker Properties Limited - Harlow North
10. ^ Stop Harlow North Campaign Group
11. ^ Brays Grove School
12. ^ Mark Hall School
13. ^ St Marks School
14. ^ Burnt Mill School
15. ^ Stewards School
16. ^ Passmores School
17. ^ Harlow College
18. ^ Harlow Star - Passmores governors back move plan. 14 December 2006
19. ^ Harlow College
20. ^ The Playhouse
21. ^ Harlow Town Centre
22. ^ Essex Farmers Markets

External links

• Visit Harlow - a website from Harlow District Council
• The Harlow Star - local newspaper
• Harlow - White's Directory of Essex, 1848