| Stanmore | |
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Stanmore
Stanmore shown within Greater London |
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| 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 |
| 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 | |
Stanmore is a suburban area of the London Borough of Harrow, in northwest London. It is situated 11 miles (18 km) northwest of Charing Cross. The area is home to Stanmore Hill, one of the highest points of London, 152 metres (499 ft) high.
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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.
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.
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.
The first Parish Church was the 14th century St Mary's, built on the site of a wooden Saxon church which was itself probably built on the site of a Roman compitum shrine.[1][2]
This building was replaced by a new one built on the current site consecrated in 1632 and dedicated to St John the Evangelist.[1][2] Its ruin still stands near the present church which was consecrated in 1850.
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 popular eateries such as Prezzo and Caffè Nero situated in the centre of the town. Stanmore's extensive residential areas are leafy and predominantly affluent, with many residents commuting daily to jobs in central London and the City.
Stanmore Park is located 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 vast acres of turf which are marked into individual football pitches with respective goal frames.
Situated on the border of Stanmore and Bushey is Stanmore Cricket Club, one of the oldest in the Middlesex county championship league celebrating 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 Stanmore College (a government further education establishment) and a local library run by the London Borough of Harrow. North London Collegiate, one of the top public schools is in Stanmore. The suburb also hosts the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital - known as RNOH - which is famed for its spinal unit.
Stanmore has affluent, Christian, Shia Muslim, Hindu, Jain, Jewish and Catholic communities, including its local Synagogue, Stanmore and Canons Park Synagogue on London Road (which has the largest membership of any single synagogue in Europe),[3] an Islamic Centre, KSIMC Of London (Hujjat)[4] and new Hindu Temple[5] on Wood Lane.
The following London bus routes serve Stanmore:
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