Stanmore facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Stanmore
Pump at one of the Roman-era ponds at Little Common, which gave Stanmore its name
Stanmore
Population	23,700 (Stanmore Park and Canons wards 2011)
OS grid reference	TQ1691
London borough	Harrow
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	STANMORE
Postcode district	HA7, HA8
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
EU Parliament	London
UK Parliament	Harrow East
London Assembly	Brent and Harrow
List of places UK England London 51°37′05″N 0°18′50″W / 51.618°N 0.314°W / 51.618; -0.314

Stanmore is part of the London Borough of Harrow in London. It is centred 11 miles (18 km) northwest of Charing Cross, lies on the outskirts of the London urban area and includes Stanmore Hill, one of the highest points of London, at 152 metres (499 ft) high. The district, which developed from the ancient Middlesex parishes of Great and Little Stanmore, lies immediately west of Roman Watling Street (the A5 road) and forms the eastern part of the modern London Borough of Harrow.

Stanmore is the location of the former RAF Bentley Priory station - base of the Fighter Command during both world wars - along with its accommodating Bentley Priory mansion, notably the last residence of Queen Adelaide. Some members of the Bernays family were also based here, including Adolphus Bernays and his son and grandson who were both rectors of St John's church; the Bernays Institute and Bernays Gardens are public amenities in the centre of the old village.

The district increasingly developed into a London suburb during the 20th century, and in the latter half housed the Automobile Association's regional headquarters. Today it is a commuter town with a local tube station that is the northern terminus of the Jubilee line, and large green spaces.

Toponymy

The area was recorded in the Domesday Book as Stanmere, the name deriving from the Old English stan, 'stony' and mere, 'a pool'. There are outcrops of gravel on the clay soil here and the mere may have been one of the ponds which still exist. By 1574 the area had become known as Great Stanmore to distinguish it from Little Stanmore.

History

Stanmore Village railway station was open for train services between 1890 and 1952. Stanmore tube station opened in 1932.

Stanmore had an outstation from the Bletchley Park codebreaking establishment, where some of the Bombes used to decode German Enigma messages in World War Two were housed.

Andrew Drummond, the founder of the Drummond bank in Charing Cross purchased the Stanmore estate in 1729 .

Stanmore was also home to RAF Bentley Priory from where the Battle of Britain was controlled, also formerly to RAF Stanmore Park, HQ of Balloon Command. RAF Stanmore Park closed in 1997 and is now a housing estate and RAF Bentley Priory closed in 2009.

Parish Church

The first Parish Church was the 14th century St Mary's, built on the site of a wooden Saxon church which itself may have been built on the site of a Roman compitum shrine. It has now completely disappeared; one tomb survives in a back garden.

This building was replaced by a new one built in the current churchyard consecrated in 1632 and dedicated to St John the Evangelist. Built of brick and consecrated by Archbishop Laud, it is one of the relatively small number of churches built in Britain between the medieval period and the eighteenth century. By the nineteenth century, this church had become considered outdated and unsafe. After its replacement, its roof was pulled off and it became a ruin.

A new church was constructed in the Gothic Revival style from 1849-50. Queen Adelaide's last public appearance was to lay the foundation stone of the new church. She gave the font and when the church was completed after her death, the east window was dedicated to her memory.

Modern Stanmore

The suburb is characterised by numerous small restaurants and cafés, several public houses, many unique shops like a natural health store and boutique-style clothing stores. The centre of Stanmore is dominated by the presence of a large Sainsbury's supermarket and also a large Lidl supermarket. There are also eateries such as Prezzo and Costa Coffee in the centre of the town. Stanmore's extensive residential areas are mainly leafy and predominantly affluent, with many residents commuting daily to jobs in central London including the City.

The public amenity of Stanmore Park is at the foot of Stanmore Hill and right next to the local library. This is just one of the two outdoor leisure fields, the other being Whitchurch Playing Fields adjacent to Whitchurch First and Middle School and opposite to Stanburn First and Middle School. The playing field hosts many Sunday league football matches on the individual football pitches with respective goal frames.

On the border with Bushey is Stanmore Cricket Club, one of the oldest in the Middlesex county championship league which celebrated 150 years in 2003 and is still successful at the present. The club has nurtured two famous cricketers who have played Tests for England in the last two decades; Angus Fraser and Mark Ramprakash.

Stanmore is home to Park High School, Stanmore College (a government further education establishment) and a local library run by the London Borough of Harrow. North London Collegiate School, one of the UK's top public schools for girls is in Stanmore. The suburb also hosts the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital - known as RNOH - which is famed for its spinal unit.

Demography

St John the Evangelist church

The population of the London Borough of Harrow ward (Stanmore Park) was 11,229 at the 2011 Census. The Canons ward which covers Stanmore railway station and eastern areas had a population of 12,471 at the same census.

Stanmore has Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jain, and Jewish communities, including its local synagogue, Stanmore and Canons Park Synagogue on London Road (which has one of the largest memberships of any single synagogue in Europe and the second largest in the UK behind Borehamwood), an Islamic centre, KSIMC of London (Hujjat) and a new Hindu temple on Wood Lane.

The 2011 census showed that in Stanmore Park ward, 56% of the population was white (47% British, 7% Other, 2% Irish) and 20% Indian. 31% was Christian, 22% Jewish, 15% Hindu and 11% Muslim. Canons ward (covering eastern areas) was 52% white (40% British, 10% Other, 2% Irish) and 24% Indian. 26% was Christian, 25% Jewish, 18% Hindu and 11% Muslim.

Transport

Road

A view of Honeypot Lane (dual carriageway), an ancient Roman-era track

Brockley Hill, road towards RNOH and Elstree

The A410 (London Road/The Broadway/Church Road/Uxbridge Road) runs east–west across Stanmore. To the west it goes towards Harrow Weald and Hatch End. To the east it meets the A5 (Brockley Hill and Stonegrove) at Canons Corner roundabout providing a connection to the M1 motorway and Central London. A short distance east of that is a junction for the A41 trunk road. Marsh Lane and Honeypot Lane travel south towards Queensbury while Stanmore Hill/The Common travels towards Bushey Heath and on to Watford.

Nearby places

An historic directional sign in Clamp Hill in Stanmore - dismantled in 2010

• Elstree
• Borehamwood
• Edgware
• Bushey
• Watford
• Harrow Weald
• Belmont

Tube/Trains

Stanmore tube station, terminus of the Jubilee line

Stanmore is the northern terminus of the Jubilee line, giving the area direct London Underground access to Central London. The Stanmore branch line, to Harrow and Wealdstone station closed in 1964.

Bus routes

Notable natives and residents

The grave of W. S. Gilbert at Stanmore

• Queen Adelaide (1792–1849), queen consort of William IV, lived at Bentley Priory, Stanmore from 1848 until her death.
• George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, Peelite Prime Minister (in office December 1852 – February 1855); was raised and is buried in Stanmore
• Frederick Gordon, hotel millionaire and builder of the first Stanmore railway
• W. S. Gilbert, English dramatist, librettist and illustrator; lived at Grim's Dyke and died in the lake there. His ashes are buried in Stanmore.
• Robert and Ellen Hollond lived here. He was a balloonist and MP, and she founded London's first créche.
• Clement Attlee, Labour Prime Minister in the first post-war government, lived in a large villa "Heywood", later replaced by mid-rise apartments.
• Chaz Jankel, singer and multi-instrumentalist, was born in Stanmore.
• Billy Idol, rock musician, was born in Stanmore.
• Mary Cholmondeley, Lady Delamere, heiress, born in Stanmore
• Dave Bassett, football coach, was born in Stanmore.
• Clive Anderson, radio and television presenter, was born in Stanmore.
• Peter Van Hooke, drummer, grew up in Stanmore.
• Linda Hayden, actress, was born in Stanmore.
• Anthony Horowitz, screenwriter and author, was born in Stanmore.
• Cyril Shaps, actor, lived in Stanmore.
• Roger Moore, actor, famous for his role as James Bond and in The Saint, lived in Stanmore.
• Patricia Medina, actress, lived in Stanmore.
• Richard Greene, actor, most notable for his role as Robin Hood, lived in Stanmore when he was married to Patricia Medina.
• Theo Walcott, footballer, was born in Stanmore.
• William Knox D'Arcy lived at Stanmore Hall and died there.
• Keith Vaz, MP, (Lab) and his family lived in Stanmore (2005–2016).
• Olly Mann, co-host of cult podcast Answer Me This!, grew up in Stanmore.
• James Bord, professional poker player
• Bacary Sagna, footballer, lived in Stanmore until 2014 while at Arsenal FC.
• Jay Foreman, musical comedian, grew up in Stanmore.
• Beardyman (Darren Foreman), performer and musician, grew up in Stanmore.
• Matt Lucas, performer and comedian, was born in Central London but grew up in Stanmore.
• Alexis Sánchez, footballer, lived in Stanmore while playing for Arsenal F.C.
• Nikki Grahame, television personality and model, lived in Stanmore.

Images for kids

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  Cottrell Cottages, The Broadway (16th century)

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  Bentley Priory (c.1800)

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  Opera librettist W. S. Gilbert in the library at Grim's Dyke (1891)

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  Stanmore Village railway station

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  The manor house on Old Church Lane built in 1930, separate from an older manor house nearby

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  Bernays Institute, a parish hall erected by Rev. Leopold Bernays

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  The Church of St John the Evangelist (1850), seen through the ruin of the 1632 building

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  A view of Stanmore Broadway

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  A view of London Road near Canons Corner

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  Former Vine public house, Stanmore Hill

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  Stanmore Country Park

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  Housing in Little Common

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  Housing in Morecambe Gardens

See also

In Spanish: Stanmore para niños