View source for Harold Hill

{{about|the place|other uses|Harold Hill (disambiguation)|people named Harry Hill|Harry Hill (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2015}}
{{infobox UK place
| country                  = England
| region                   = London
| official_name            = Harold Hill
| coordinates              = {{coord|51.6100|0.2322|display=inline,title}}
| os_grid_reference        = TQ545925
| london_borough           = Havering
| postcode_area            = RM
| postcode_district        = RM3
| post_town                = ROMFORD
| dial_code                = 01708
| constituency_westminster = [[Hornchurch and Upminster (UK Parliament constituency)|Hornchurch and Upminster]]
| population               = 
| population_ref           = 
| charingX_distance_mi     = 16.6
| charingX_direction       = WSW
| static_image_name        = View from St George's Church, Chippenham Road, Harold Hill, Romford - geograph.org.uk - 1131154.jpg
| static_image_caption     = View from St George's Church, Chippenham Road, Harold Hill
}}
'''Harold Hill''' is a [[suburban]] area in the London Borough of Havering, East London. {{convert|16.6|mi|km|1}} northeast of [[Charing Cross]]. It is a district centre in the [[London Plan]]. The name refers to [[Harold Godwinson|King Harold II]], who held the [[manor of Havering-atte-Bower]], and who was killed at the [[Battle of Hastings]] in 1066. The suburb is peripheral to London, forming an eastern edge of the [[urban sprawl]].

The extensive [[List of London County Council housing developments|London County Council housing development]] of Harold Hill was conceived in the [[Greater London Plan]] of 1944 in order to alleviate housing shortages in Inner London. Before construction of the estate, which was completed in 1958, it was the location of [[Dagnam Park]] house and grounds, and in the [[Municipal Borough of Romford]] and the county of [[Essex]], but was transferred to [[Greater London]] in 1965. The first [[Greater London Council]] tenant to buy their council house did so here in 1967.<ref name=pathe>{{cite web | url=http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=71982 | title=First GLC tenant to buy | year=1967|website=Britishpathe.com }}</ref> The area is part of a long-term regeneration project led by [[Havering London Borough Council]].

==History==
===Local government===
The area that became Harold Hill formed part of the [[Harold Wood]] and [[Noak Hill]] wards of the parish of [[Hornchurch]]; the large ancient parish occupied the same area as the [[royal manor]] and [[liberty (division)|liberty]] of [[Royal Liberty of Havering|Havering]]. The boundary between Harold Wood and Noak Hill was formed by a tributary of the [[River Ingrebourne]]. In the Harold Hill area the manor was subdivided into Dagnams, Cockerells and Gooshays. The Havering courts and Romford vestry were the principal local government in the area. The Havering liberty was abolished in 1892 and the vestry in 1894. Following the [[Local Government Act 1894]] the area was split between the parishes of Romford Rural (in the west) and Noak Hill (in the east), each with a [[Parish councils in England|parish council]] and within the [[Romford Rural District]]. In 1900 the Romford Rural parish was abolished and the area was then split between the [[Romford Urban District]] (in the west) and Noak Hill in Romford Rural District (in the east). In 1934 Romford Urban District absorbed Noak Hill, bringing the whole area under the authority of Romford Urban District Council. Romford was incorporated as a [[municipal borough]] in 1937 governed by Romford Borough Council, which was the local authority during the construction of the estate. The Municipal Borough of Romford was abolished in 1965 and Harold Hill became part of the [[London Borough of Havering]] in Greater London.

===Urban development===
Harold Hill was a planned community, conceived as part of the [[Greater London Plan]] in 1944 as a satellite town on the edge of the built up area.<ref group="notes">[[New towns in the United Kingdom|New towns]] by contrast were planned to be further away from London and provide more diverse development.{{fact|date=September 2021}}</ref>

Land for the estate, which consisted of the remaining {{convert|850|acre|abbr=off|lk=on}} of [[Dagnam Park|Dagnams]], was purchased in 1947 by the London County Council.<ref>Nikolaus Pevsner (2005). London 5: East.</ref> The rest of Dagnams had been sold off in 1919, with the land used for the estate consisting of parkland, woodland, and farmland. The area was within the designated [[Metropolitan Green Belt]], but an exception was made for the development because of the exceptional housing need in London following the [[Second World War]].{{fact|date=September 2021}}

Reflecting the urgency of the problem, housing was initially prefabricated. Construction of 7,631 permanent homes, housing 25,000 people, began in 1948 and was complete by 1958. The development is fairly low density with large sections of parkland retained in the centre and edges of the estate. The estate was constructed primarily in [[brick]], with mostly terraces of houses and some flats. Provision was made for community facilities and three shopping areas were planned to break up the size of the development. Some industrial development already existed to the south and adjacent to the [[A12 road (England)|A12 road]] and this was retained.{{fact|date=September 2021}}

==Governance==
[[File:HornchurchUpminster2007Constituency.svg|thumb|Hornchurch and Upminster constituency in Greater London]]
Harold Hill is located within the [[Heaton (Havering ward)|Heaton]] and [[Gooshays (ward)|Gooshays]] electoral wards, with Heaton covering the west and Gooshays the east. Each ward elects three councillors to [[Havering London Borough Council]]. All of Harold Hill is within the [[Hornchurch and Upminster (UK Parliament constituency)|Hornchurch and Upminster]] UK Parliament constituency and the [[Havering and Redbridge (London Assembly constituency)|Havering and Redbridge]] London Assembly constituency.

==Geography==
Harold Hill is situated on the north-eastern edge of London's urban sprawl, almost {{convert|17|mi}} from Charing Cross. The district has clear geographic boundaries formed in the south by the [[A12 road (England)|A12 road]], in the east by the [[M25 motorway]] and in the north where the built up area ends at Noak Hill Road. Large sections of parklands and woodlands are in the middle and on the edges of the estate, including [[Central Park, Havering|Central Park]] and [[Dagnam Park]]. The land is gently undulating, the most significant feature being a tributary of the [[River Ingrebourne]] called Carter's Brook and Paine's Brook, which runs north to south through the middle of Harold Hill. To the south is [[Gidea Park]], to the north is Noak Hill, to the west is [[Collier Row]] and to the east is [[Great Warley]]. Harold Hill is part of the Romford [[post town]] in the [[RM postcode area|RM3]] postcode district, which also includes Harold Wood and Noak Hill. Climate data for Harold Hill is taken from the nearest weather station at [[Greenwich]].{{fact|date=September 2021}}
{{Greenwich weatherbox}}
<!--==Demography==-->
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==Transport==
The nearest railway station is at [[Harold Wood railway station|Harold Wood]], approximately {{convert|1|mi|km}} south of the centre of the estate, and is one of the stations on the [[Elizabeth line]]. The nearest London Underground station is at [[Upminster station|Upminster]], approximately {{convert|3|mi|km}} to the south. [[Transport for London]] provides bus routes 174, 256, 294, 346, 496, 499 and N86.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-route-maps/harold-hill-a4.pdf | title=Buses from Harold Hill |work=Transport for London |access-date=13 May 2019}}</ref>

==Education==
{{main|List of schools in the London Borough of Havering}}
;History<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42821 | title=Romford: Education and charities |website=British-history.ac.uk}}</ref>
By the early 1960s, Harold Hill had six secondary schools:
* Broxhill Secondary Modern (Mixed), near the corner of Broxhill Road and Noak Hill Road. Amongst its notable former pupils is Dr David Scurry, Dean of Undergraduate Programmes, Oxford Brookes University, 1989–2008.
* Harold Hill Grammar School (Mixed), in Appleby Drive
* Harrowfield Secondary Modern School (Boys), in Settle Road
* Harrowfield Secondary Modern School (Girls), in Settle Road – adjacent, but run separately
* Quarles Secondary Modern School (Boys), in Tring Gardens
* Quarles Secondary Modern School (Girls), in Tring Gardens – adjacent, but run separately

These schools had been built to cope with the post-Second World War "baby-boom", but because of government education policy, Broxhill and Harold Hill Grammar merged to form Bedfords Park Comprehensive. Then because of demographic changes, Quarles Boys' and Girls' Schools later merged with Harrowfield to form the Neave School (later [[King's Wood School|King's Wood]]). 
;Present
After further name changes and closures, Harold Hill now has just one secondary school, [[Drapers' Academy]], on the site of the former Harrowfield/Neave/King's Wood schools.
Havering College, a mixed college of further education, is situated on the site of the former Quarles Secondary Modern Schools, in Tring Gardens.

==Culture and community==
Every year in Harold Hill there is a community festival held in Central Park normally in early July called the Harold Hill Festival.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.haroldhillfestival.moonfruit.com | title=Harold Hill Festival|website=Haroldhillfestival.moonfruit.com}}</ref>

[[Ian Dury]] referenced Harold Hill in self-penned song, "This Is What We Find": {{cquote|"Home improvement expert Harold Hill from Harold Hill"<br/>
"Of do it yourself dexterity and double glazing skill"<br/>
"Came home to find another gentleman's kippers in the grill"<br/>
"So he sanded off his winkle with his [[Black & Decker]] drill"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genius.com/Ian-dury-and-the-blockheads-this-is-what-we-find-lyrics|title=Ian Dury and the Blockheads – This Is What We Find|access-date=23 October 2021|website=Genius.com}}</ref>|10px|10px|[[Ian Dury]]}} The song set all three of its verses in real places; the others were [[Turnham Green]] and [[Lambeth Walk]]. In his double CD, ''Retrospective Reasons To be Cheerful'' produced by [[Repertoire Records]], Dury stated that he never wrote another verse as good as Harold Hill's verse.

The area has been covered in relation to various murders<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00ss27z | title=BBC One - Crimewatch|website=Bbc.co.uk}}</ref> and attempted murders.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://news.sky.com/home/uk-news/article/15454974 |title=Flare Shooting: Man Arrested over Boy's Attempted Murder in Romford, Essex &#124; UK News &#124; Sky News |access-date=21 November 2011 |archive-date=22 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111022041642/http://news.sky.com/home/uk-news/article/15454974 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Despite its past, Harold Hill is  now one of the fastest improving boroughs since the council built the Myplace centre, a new community and performance space, allowing young people a safe location to spend time with their friends. The Prime Minister said  that since Draper's Academy opened in Settle Road, it has become one of the fastest improving schools in England helping Harold Hill improve in the future.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.romfordrecorder.co.uk/news/hornchurch_and_upminster_mp_angela_watkinson_praises_drapers_academy_harold_hill_in_prime_minister_s_questions_1_1704128 | title=Hornchurch and Upminster MP Angela Watkinson praises Drapers' Academy, Harold Hill, in Prime Minister's Questions|website=Romfordrecorder.co.uk| date=22 November 2012}}</ref> It has had so much success in the past year that the Queen visited Drapers Academy in October 2012, that being her first visit to Harold Hill.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.romfordrecorder.co.uk/news/queen_tickled_pink_during_first_visit_to_harold_hill_1_1671265 | title=Queen tickled pink during first visit to Harold Hill|website=Romfordrecorder.co.uk| date=26 October 2012}}</ref>

Bedrock <ref>{{cite web|title=Bedrock (Hospital Radio)|url=http://bedrockradio.org.uk|website=Bedrock (Hospital Radio)}}</ref> is the local [[hospital radio]] service available online to the local area and broadcasting a range of health-related information and locally produced entertainment. Radio Harold Hill<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.radioharoldhill.co.uk/|title = Radio Harold Hill|date = 2 February 2016|access-date = 9 February 2016|website = Radio Harold Hill|archive-date = 30 January 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160130163825/http://www.radioharoldhill.co.uk/|url-status = dead}}</ref> which started in 2013 is the local community radio station and broadcasts online on their website and on mobile apps.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.romfordrecorder.co.uk/news/harold_hill_radio_stars_want_to_talk_to_you_1_3215703|title = Harold Hill radio stars want to talk to you|date = 18 January 2014|website = Romford Recorder|publisher = The Romford Recorder}}</ref>

==Sport==
The area has its own non league football club, [[Harold Hill F.C.]] who currently play in the {{English football updater|HaroldHi}} at the Henderson Sports & social club, Kenilworth Avenue.<ref>The County Motor Works Vauxhall Mid-Essex: [https://book.flipboxapp.net/client/the-county-motor-works-vauxhall-mid-essex#page/16 The County Motor Works Vauxhall Mid-Essex], accessdate: February 22, 2020</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=notes}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.friendsofdagnampark.org.uk/ index]
*[http://www.haroldhill.org Harold Hill: A People's History]
*[http://www.haroldhillfestival.moonfruit.com HOME - haroldhillfestival]
*[http://www.haroldhillfestival.blogspot.com Harold Hill Festival] 
*[http://www.radioharoldhill.co.uk Loading...] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130163825/http://www.radioharoldhill.co.uk/ |date=30 January 2016 }}

{{LB Havering}}

[[Category:Areas of London]]
[[Category:Districts of the London Borough of Havering]]
[[Category:Planned communities in England]]
[[Category:1958 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Romford]]
[[Category:District centres of London]]
[[Category:Harold Godwinson]]