Harrow - Great War

Harrow () is a town in Greater London, England, and serves as the principal settlement of the London Borough of Harrow. Lying about 9.5 miles (15.3 km) north-west of Charing Cross and 5.4 miles (8.7 km) south of Watford. In 2022, the town and localities had an estimated population of 117,651, whereas the wider borough (which also contains Pinner and Stanmore) had a population of 261,185. The original settlement was at Harrow on the Hill, atop the 408 feet (124 m) Harrow Hill. The modern town centre of Harrow developed at the foot of the hill, in an area historically called Greenhill, following the opening of Harrow-on-the-Hill station on the Metropolitan Railway in 1880. Harrow became the unofficial "capital" of the Metroland suburbia in the early 20th century. Harrow & Wealdstone station on the West Coast Main Line had opened in 1837, but was more distant from Harrow, lying 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of the hill. Workers were drawn to the area by the opening of several factories in Wealdstone; Harrow was the base of the large Kodak factory, used for the manufacture of photographic materials and R&D, which was in operation for more than a century. Historically in the hundred of Gore in the county of Middlesex, Harrow became part of Greater London in 1965. Today, the historic area is distinguished as Harrow on the Hill and is a conservation area with listed buildings of Georgian architecture and home to Harrow School, one of the seven major boys' boarding schools in England as defined by the Public Schools Act 1868. The modern-day town meanwhile is an established commercial centre of outer north-west London and houses a campus of the University of Westminster.