Harlington, London facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Harlington
The Grade I Listed parish church is the oldest of the listed buildings in Harlington. The War Memorial was designed by C. O. Scott.
Harlington
OS grid reference	TQ085775
• Charing Cross	13.5 mi (21.7 km) E
London borough	Hillingdon
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	HAYES
Postcode district	UB3
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
EU Parliament	London
UK Parliament	Hayes and Harlington
London Assembly	Ealing and Hillingdon
List of places UK England London 51°29′09″N 0°26′11″W / 51.4859°N 0.4364°W / 51.4859; -0.4364

Harlington is a district in Hayes, located in the London Borough of Hillingdon. It's one of the historic areas that helped form parts of London Heathrow Airport and its surrounding businesses. Harlington is about 13.6 miles (21.9 km) west of Charing Cross in central London. It is next to Hayes and shares a train station, Hayes & Harlington railway station, which is on the Great Western Main Line. Harlington is in the west of Greater London and was part of Middlesex county until 1965.

Harlington as seen on an old map from 1822–1890, with the railway added in 1891.

What's in a Name? (Etymology)

The name Harlington comes from an old Anglo-Saxon phrase, Hygereding tun. This means "Hygered's people's farmstead."

Harlington's Past (History)

An old print of Dawley House (now gone), which was north-west of the station.

A photo of Dawley House in 1902. This was the remains of the house of famous people like Bolingbroke and Ossulston.

A photo of the old Dawley House and barns in 1902. It was located between the Great Western Railway and the canal.

The first time Harlington is mentioned in writing is in a document from the 9th century. This document describes land in nearby Hayes and says its western edge was near "Hygeredington," which is Harlington. The border between Hayes and Harlington was later marked by roads like North Hyde Road and Dawley Road.

How Harlington Was Governed (Administrative History)

In the 1800s, local people worked together to improve Harlington. For example, in 1824, they hired a doctor for the poor in Harlington and Cranford. They also worked together to open Harlington's National School in 1848 and a small hospital in 1884.

Here's how Harlington's local government changed over time:

In 1924, the local council asked for street lights, which were installed a year later. A cemetery was opened in 1936. The council also started community gardens (allotments) in 1895.

Keeping Harlington Clean (Sanitation)

A big job for local government in the late 1800s and early 1900s was building sewers. As more people moved to Harlington and flush toilets became common, proper waste disposal was very important. For example, there were cases of typhoid (a serious illness) in 1912 and diphtheria in 1916.

In the 1920s, plans were made to build sewers. Harlington's local council decided to join with Hayes in 1930 because it seemed like the best and cheapest way to get sewers built quickly. A full sewer system for Harlington was finished in 1934.

Harlington Today (Present Day)

The Dawley Wall, in the northern part of Harlington, seen from the inside in 2014.

Harlington Library is located in the northern part of the village.

The area has six public houses (pubs): Captain Morgans', The Great Western, The Pheasant, The Red Lion, The Wheatsheaf, and The White Hart. There are two churches: a Baptist church and the Church of England church, St Peter & St Paul's. Harlington School is one of the local schools.

Hellenic Imperial Airways has its UK offices in Harlington. The Harlington Locomotive Society operates a miniature railway on the High Street, on the site of an old orchard. Harlington also has its own community radio station, 91.8 Hayes FM.

Churches

• S.S. Peter and Paul's Church has sculptures by famous artists like Edgar Boehm and William Theed. It also features beautiful stained glass by Charles Eamer Kempe.

Gallery

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  Harlington's Baptist Church, from the north-west, 2014.

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  South portal and tympanum of the church of Saints Peter & Paul, Harlington.

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  Underside of the famous yew in churchyard of church of S. Peter & S. Paul, Harlington, Middlesex, 2014.

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  West end and tower of church of S. Peter & S. Paul, Harlington, 2014. It's from the 15th century and was restored around 1880.

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  West end of SS. Peter & Paul.

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  Tower of church of Saints Peter & Saint Paul, 2014, from the south.

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  Harlington's war memorial, showing the side for 1914-18.

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  Detail of the south entrance of SS Peter & Paul. (2013).

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  Side view of the chancel, an obelisk, and the war memorial of Church of S.S. Peter & Paul, 2014.

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  The grave of Catherina Barbara Warren, also known as Lady De Tabley (died 1869). Photo taken before 1881.

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  Harlington church's porch, engraved by John Pye, drawn by L. Francia, for the Beauties of England and Wales, 1812.

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  Church of St. Jerome, Dawley, (west Hayes), opened in 1934, designed by Harold Gibbons, (in June 2015).

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  Bridge 196 over the Grand Union Canal at Dawley, Harlington.

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  Part of a Thomas Kitchin map showing Dawley and Harlington, around 1770.

Great Western Railway and part of the former HMV & EMI factory at Harlington, looking east, 2014.

Getting Around Harlington (Transport)

Harlington is served by Hayes & Harlington railway station. You can catch Elizabeth Line trains from here to places like London Paddington, Shenfield, Abbey Wood, Heathrow Airport, and Reading.

Several bus routes also serve Harlington:

• 81 Hounslow Bus Station - Slough
• 90 Feltham - Northolt
• 111 Kingston - Heathrow Central
• 140 Heathrow Central - Harrow Weald
• 222 Hounslow Bus Station - Uxbridge
• 285 Kingston - Heathrow Central
• H98 Hounslow Bus Station - Hayes End

Old Ways to Travel (Historic Transport)

The Grand Junction Canal (now part of the Grand Union Canal) runs through the Dawley area of Harlington. It was built between 1794 and 1800.

In the late 1830s, the main line of the Great Western Railway was also built across what was once Dawley Park. However, the Hayes & Harlington railway station didn't open until 1864. Before that, people had to use stations in West Drayton or Southall, or take an omnibus (a type of bus) or carrier service to London.

A road that went south-east towards Hatton was removed when Heathrow Airport was built.

Former Cottage Hospital

The Harlington, Harmondsworth and Cranford Cottage Hospital was located on Sipson Lane. It opened in 1884 but was taken down in 1977. Today, a branch of the Sant Nirankari Satsang Bhawan is on its site.

Special Old Buildings (Listed Buildings)

"Listed buildings" are important buildings that are protected because of their history or special design.

Old Buildings That Are No Longer Here (Former Listed Buildings)

Some historic buildings in Harlington have been taken down over time:

Manor Farm was taken down between 1930 and 1940. It was too old to be officially listed as a protected building. Shops in Manor Parade and nearby roads are now on its site.

Famous People from Harlington (Notable People)

Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke, a famous politician and philosopher. He owned Dawley House from 1724 to 1737 or 1738.

Lady De Tabley is buried in the SS Peter & Paul graveyard.

Many interesting people have lived in or been connected to Harlington:

• John Derby Allcroft (glove maker and helper of others) lived at Harlington Lodge.
• Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington (1618–1685), a statesman who worked for King Charles II, was born in Harlington and took his title from the area. His family owned a large estate in Harlington, including Dawley House.
• Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke (1678–1751) was a politician and philosopher who lived at Dawley House. He bought the house in 1724 and worked on its large park and gardens.
• Dame Lettice Poyntz (died around 1610) left £100 to the village, which was used to buy land to support good causes.
• Richard Tattersall (1724–1795), who founded the famous horse auction company Tattersalls, started a horse breeding farm at Dawley (also called Dawley Wall Farm) around 1779. Famous racehorses like Glencoe and Middleton were kept there.
• Composer William Byrd (1539/40-1623) lived in Harlington as a Catholic from 1578 to 1588.
• Sports organizer Simon Clegg was born in Harlington.
• Former professional footballer and manager Paul Goddard was born in Harlington.
• The de Salis family owned a lot of land in Harlington, especially in the north, including Dawley House. Several family members are buried in Harlington's churchyard.
• John Kite (died 1537) was the Rector of Harlington until 1510 before becoming a Bishop.
• William Roper (around 1496 – 1578), who was the son-in-law of Thomas More, owned the manor of Harlington with his son from 1551 to 1583.
• Roger, Earl of Shrewsbury was the Lord of the Manor in 1086.
• Joseph Trapp (1679–1747) was the rector of Harlington from 1733 to 1748. He was also a scholar, poet, and writer.
• Animal scientist Eric Underwood (1905–1980) was born in Harlington.
• Wigot of Wallingford was the Lord of the Manor during the time of Edward the Confessor.
• Football clubs like Chelsea (until 2005), Queens Park Rangers (2005-2023), and Wycombe Wanderers (from 2024) have used the Imperial College Sports Ground, also known as Harlington Sports Ground.

Tattersall's famous horse Glencoe was kept at Dawley in 1835.

Shackle's Barn, Harlington, Middlesex, seen from the west in October 2014.

A wheat field next to the M4 motorway, which was once part of Dawley Manor Farm in Harlington. Photo from July 2015, looking south-east.

Sports in Harlington (Sport)

A greyhound racing track opened in Harlington in the 1930s, near the Bath Road. This was an "independent" track, meaning it wasn't part of the main racing organization. In 1959, plans were made to build two large hotels (The Skyways and Ariel, now Sheraton and Holiday Inn) to serve Heathrow Airport. This meant the track had to be taken down, and the last race was on January 22, 1962. The Holiday Inn today is very close to where the track used to be.