Northwood, London facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Northwood
Former Central Post Office, today a restaurant
Northwood
Population	22,047 (2011 Census
OS grid reference	TQ095915
• Charing Cross	11.5 mi (18.5 km) SE
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	NORTHWOOD, LONDON
Postcode district	[[HA postcode area postcode area|HA postcode area]]
Dialling code	020, 01923
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
EU Parliament	London
UK Parliament	Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner
List of places UK England London 51°36′04″N 0°25′03″W / 51.601°N 0.4176°W / 51.601; -0.4176

Northwood is a lovely area in North West London, part of the London Borough of Hillingdon. It's about 14.5 miles (23.3 km) north-west of Charing Cross, a famous spot in central London. Northwood used to be part of an old parish called Ruislip in Middlesex. Since 1965, when it became part of Greater London, it sits right on the border with Hertfordshire.

The area includes two main parts: Northwood and Northwood Hills. Both have their own train stations on the Metropolitan line of the London Underground, making it easy to get around. In 2011, Northwood had about 10,949 people living there, and Northwood Hills had about 11,578.

Northwood is right next to the beautiful Ruislip Woods National Nature Reserve, which is a great place for nature lovers. You might also recognise parts of Northwood from the old BBC TV show The Good Life, where it pretended to be Surbiton!

Exploring Northwood's Past

What's in a Name?

The name Northwood was first written down in 1435. It comes from two old English words: 'north' and 'wode'. This simply means 'the northern wood', because it was north of Ruislip.

How Northwood Grew

Way back in 1086, the Domesday Book (a big survey of England) showed that the area around Northwood had huge forests. These woods were so big they could feed 1,500 pigs a year! There was even a special park for wild animals.

The small village of Northwood started along the north side of the road between Rickmansworth and Pinner. One important old road in Northwood was Ducks Hill Road, which is still there today.

In 1248, Northwood had a special farm called a "grange." This farm was owned by monks from the Bec Abbey who lived at Manor Farm, Ruislip in Ruislip. By 1565, there were only a few small houses in Northwood. Two hundred years later, not much had changed, except for the addition of Holy Trinity church.

In the 1700s and 1800s, large parts of the forest around Ruislip were "inclosed." This means that land which used to be shared by everyone (called common land) was turned into private property. This helped shape Northwood and Northwood Hills, giving them lots of open spaces instead of just houses. This is why you see so many parks and golf courses there today! The open, green spaces also attracted several hospitals to the area, like Mount Vernon Hospital.

Northwood Becomes a Town

Houses built in Northwood during the late 1900s.

A survey in 1565 found only ten houses and a few farms in Northwood. But by 1881, the population had grown to 257 people living in 62 houses.

A man named David Carnegie owned a large area called the Eastbury Park Estate. In 1887, the Metropolitan Railway train line was extended to Rickmansworth, and Northwood station opened. Carnegie sold his land to Frank Carew, who started building new houses. He even set prices for the houses, hoping that staff working in the bigger homes could afford the smaller cottages. The first shops opened in 1895 on the High Street, including a hairdresser and a butcher.

By 1902, Northwood had grown to 2,500 people, with 500 houses and 36 shops! In 1904, the Emmanuel Church opened in Northwood Hills. It was designed by Sir Frank Elgood, a local architect.

Northwood and Pinner Cottage Hospital, built in 1926.

The Northwood and Pinner Cottage Hospital was built in 1926. It was a special memorial to the brave people who fought in the First World War.

Northwood is also home to Northwood Headquarters. This is a very important place where the British Armed Forces plan and control their overseas military operations. It's also where the NATO Maritime Command is located. The Royal Air Force first used this site in 1939.

In 2012, a new community centre opened on the High Street. It's called the Kate Fassnidge Community Centre, named after a lady who gave some of her land to the area.

The 1948 Air Disaster

On 4 July 1948, a sad event happened over Northwood. A Scandinavian Airlines plane flying from Amsterdam to RAF Northolt crashed into an RAF plane coming from Malta. All 39 people on both planes sadly died.

Northwood's Location and Landscape

Northwood is a hilly area, with heights ranging from about 177 feet (54 metres) to 374 feet (114 metres) above sea level. This creates a landscape with many ups and downs.

A special part of Northwood, including the old High Street, Chester Road, and Hallowell Road, is protected for its beautiful Victorian houses. There are also 22 "listed buildings" in the area, which means they are important for their history or architecture.

Nearby Places

	across Moor Park Golf Course and House Batchworth	Eastbury Moor Park	across Oxhey Woods South Oxhey
	across hills and Bishops Wood Country ParkHarefield		across Pinnerwood Park and Pinner Green, Pinner Hatch End
		Northwood
	across hills and Bishops Wood Country ParkSouth Harefield	across two Golf Clubs and Ruislip Woods Ruislip (specifically Ruislip Common)	Eastcote Pinner

Northwood's Weather

Local Areas

Northwood Hills

Early 21st-century houses in Northwood Hills.

Northwood Hills includes a place called Haste Hill. It's mostly surrounded by green spaces, but it does touch Eastcote Village to the south. In 2008, about 11,441 people lived there.

A long time ago, the land where Northwood Hills and most of Northwood now stand was a huge forest called the Great Common Wood. This forest was about 860 acres big in the 1500s. Local people used it to let their animals graze and to collect firewood. Later, much of this land became private property. The remaining forest is now Copse Wood, part of the Ruislip Woods National Nature Reserve.

Many of the houses in Northwood Hills were built in the 1930s. The name "Northwood Hills" was chosen in a competition by a woman from North Harrow.

The Northwood Hills public house.

The Namaste Lounge Restaurant, which used to be called the Northwood Hills public house, is famous because it's where Sir Elton John first performed professionally! You can even see a picture of the pub on one of his album covers.

Every May, the 1st Northwood Scout group holds one of the biggest Scout Jumble sales in the country here.

Northwood secondary school and Sixth Form is located on Potter Street. Famous people like Olympic boxer Audley Harrison and Big Brother contestant Nikki Grahame went to this school.

Interesting Places to See

Northwood Grange

Northwood Grange is a historic building that includes parts from the 1400s and 1600s. Today, it is home to the Hall School, Northwood.

Tree Trunk Sculptures

You can find cool tree trunk sculptures on Green Lane, right across from Northwood Station. These are logs that have been carved into art!

London School of Theology

The London School of Theology is a college where people study religion.

Northwood Hills Tube Station

This train station was built in the early 1900s and was designed to be a local landmark. It fits perfectly into the high street today.

Who Lives in Northwood?

In 2021, the Northwood area had about 11,310 people. The biggest group of people living there are White (51.5%), followed by Asian (36.5%). Many different religions are practiced, with Christianity being the largest (39.4%), followed by Hinduism (19.5%), Islam (10.9%), and Judaism (4.7%). About 19.1% of the people said they were not religious. There are slightly more women (52.6%) than men (47.4%) living in Northwood.

Getting Around Northwood

Northwood is well-connected by public transport. You can use the London Underground at Northwood, Northwood Hills, and Moor Park stations, all on the Metropolitan line.

There are also many bus routes that connect Northwood to other nearby areas like Ruislip, Harrow, Uxbridge, and Ealing Hospital. You can also catch buses to places like Watford and Rickmansworth.

Schools in Northwood

For a full list of schools in the area, you can check out the List of schools in Hillingdon.

Community and Fun

Green Lane, Northwood town centre.

Local groups in Northwood work together to make the area even better. In 2011, the London Borough of Hillingdon even gave £400,000 to help improve Northwood Hills!

Sports in Northwood

If you love sports, Northwood has a lot to offer!

• Northwood F.C. is the local football club. They play at Chestnut Avenue.
• Northwood Town Cricket Club also plays at Chestnut Avenue.
• Northwood Cricket Club plays at their ground on Ducks Hill Road.

Famous People from Northwood

Many interesting people have connections to Northwood:

• Author Julian Barnes grew up here.
• Actress Kathleen Byron (1921–2009) lived in Northwood.
• TV and radio presenter Fearne Cotton was born in Northwood and went to Haydon School.
• Sir William Dickson (1898–1987), a former head of the British armed forces, was born here.
• Former Big Brother contestant Nikki Grahame (1982–2021) was born and raised in Northwood.
• Scientist Louis Harold Gray (1905–1965) worked at Mount Vernon Hospital and passed away in Northwood.
• Artist Roger Hilton (1911–1975), a pioneer of abstract art, was born here.
• Film director Derek Jarman (1942–1994), known for films like Jubilee, was born in Northwood.
• Actor Geoffrey Keen (1916–2005) lived in Northwood.
• Actress Betty Marsden (1919–1998) lived in Northwood.
• Actor David Quilter was born here.
• Actor Arnold Ridley (1896–1984), famous as Private Charles Godfrey in Dad's Army, lived in Northwood.
• Actress Patsy Smart (1918–1996) lived in Northwood.
• Actor Geoffrey Toone (1910–2005) lived in Northwood.
• The singer Elena Tonra grew up in Northwood.
• Theatre director Suzy Willson was born in Northwood.

Images for kids

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  Former Central Post Office, today a restaurant

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  Late 20th-century houses in Northwood

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  Northwood and Pinner Cottage Hospital, built in 1926

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  Early 21st-century houses in Northwood Hills

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  The Northwood Hills public house

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  Green Lane, Northwood town centre

See Also

In Spanish: Northwood para niños