Posted on

Harrow-on-the-Hill

Our first six weeks here, we stayed in a small, functional-but-not-comfortable flat in Harrow. One Tuesday, I went for a walk and explored the area while Kurt was working. I put on my walking shoes and headed in a new direction, away from the shops and Tube station. I crossed the bridge over the train tracks, passed the police station, and crossed a busy road to go up the nearby hill.

Walking up that hill was like entering another world. The tree-lined street was far less busy, and the sounds of the city faded away. I passed a house built in 1863 and then a letterbox with the royal cypher of King George V. It felt like going back in time. I continued up the hill and realized I was walking through Harrow School. Coming around a bend in the road, a statue of Elizabeth I on the side of a building almost seemed to greet me.

An Adorable Village

I kept walking and admiring the architecture when suddenly school boys in uniforms and boater hats flooded the street as they hurried to class. I couldn’t help but smile. They quickly sorted themselves into the various buildings, and the sidewalks were clear once again.

There was a pillar-style postbox, and curious, I checked its royal cypher—Queen Victoria. I already regretted not bringing my camera, now this! The buildings were beautiful, and there’s a little village beyond before crossing the main street and heading down a smaller street. I admired the façade of an old pub, The Castle, but didn’t stop. I knew Kurt and I would be back for a visit. Continuing down the narrow street, I realized the doors to the homes I was passing were shorter than me. Some of the houses had names; the Hatmaker’s House, the Coalkeeper’s Cottage. Oh, why didn’t I at least bring my phone to take pictures? Spying another pillar box on the other side of the road, I crossed to check the royal cypher—Edward VII. Three different cyphers in one village!

Adventure and Exploration

About the time I decided it was time to turn around, I noticed a sign for a footpath. I couldn’t see where it went, but since this was an adventure walk, I followed the sign. It wound through houses and opened onto a grassy hill. I noticed benches near the top, so I followed a path worn in the grass to a bench and sat down, huffing and puffing. It’s quite a hill (and I’m out of shape). I could see for miles to the west: fields, houses, buildings, roads, cranes towering over construction sites, and multiple church steeples.

After catching my breath and taking in the view, I saw an opening in the trees and bushes behind the bench. I wondered where it went, so I walked over and saw that it leads to the church at the top of the hill. So, up I went. The steep walkway runs along the southern boundary of the church graveyard. Reading headstones as I walked up, I felt the love and grief expressed in the epitaphs.

At the top, stairs lead to the main churchyard. Just to the right of those stairs is a bench and a plaque. Curious, I walked over and read that this was Lord Byron’s favorite spot to write poetry when he was a student at Harrow School. One of his poems is etched in stone next to the plaque. There’s a grave covered with a metal cage to protect it—we learned later that people had taken to breaking pieces off the headstone as souvenirs of their visit.

Byron’s poetry place, St. Mary’s Church, Harrow-on-the-Hill

I walked by the church, its steeple covered in scaffolding, and out the main entrance of the churchyard, which led me right back into the heart of the school. In front of me was a spectacular view of the library with Wembley Stadium and central London in the background. I knew I would be back with a camera the next day.

Harrow School

Walking back to our little flat, I thought about all the pictures I wanted to take. On the website for Harrow School, I learned that Elizabeth I issued the school’s charter, which explained the statue. I also saw that they do public tours three times a year. To my delight, the next public tour was in a few days on Saturday. I bought tickets immediately.

I repeated my walk the next day, and several other days, with camera in hand. But, the real treat was the school tour that Saturday. We can’t recommend it highly enough. On the day of the tour, there was snow on the ground and frigid wind blowing. However, our tour guide gave us such a warm welcome that we forgot about the weather and enjoyed every minute of the tour.

Vaughan Library in the snow
Fourth Form Room at Harrow School
Students traditionally carved their names carved on the wood paneling of the fourth form room, including some famous former students like Byron and Churchill.

Starting in the Fourth Form Room in the original school building, we saw where Lord Byron, Winston Churchill, and many other students carved their names in the wood paneling.

Harry Potter at Harrow School
Fourth Form Room window. Do you recognize it from Harry Potter?

More recently, this was the filming location for a Harry Potter scene. You may recall the students learning to levitate a feather and Hermione saying, “You’re saying it wrong. It’s leviOsa, not leviosA!”

We toured the magnificent D-shaped Speech Room where assemblies, events, and performances are held. There are seven plaques commemorating prime ministers who attended the school.

There are also paintings of famous Old Harrovians including Sir Winston Churchill, King Hussein of Jordan, Sir Robert Peel (founder of the Metropolitan Police), and Anthony Trollope (novelist and inventor of the pillar box). This beautiful room has also been used as a filming location. We recognized it in an episode of The Crown (where it was portrayed as Eton, a rival school).

The Speech Room

The tour took us on a solemn walk through memorials for the many former students lost in military service, particularly in the World Wars. Finally, we crossed the street and visited the church and library, two beautiful examples of Victorian-era architecture. The rear windows of the library sport an even more stunning view to central London, which we learned is preserved by the lands adjacent to the school having been purchased by faculty and staff and gifted to the school in order to preserve the school’s country feel and view.

Worth a Visit

It’s a remarkable school in a remarkable location next to a charming village amid the hustle and bustle of a busy borough of London. It’s off the regular path of where most tourists go, but easily accessible by Tube or bus. If you’re looking for something a little different than the typical tourist fare, whether you like art, architecture, history, or literature, this may be just the thing. If you go, have lunch at The Castle or afternoon tea at The Doll’s House on the Hill.

Posted on

Mind the Gap

 

On the morning of my first day at work here, I stepped out of our temporary apartment into the February cold and tried to keep my mind focused on the immediate task: just getting there. Walking through the station parking lot, I fingered the new Oyster card in my pocket. How hard can this be? I thought. It’s one train. It’s a few minutes on one train.

We’d made a trip the day before to go shopping in Watford, just up the line from Northwood, so I (sort of) knew the stops along the way: North Harrow. Pinner. Northwood Hills. Northwood.

After swiping my Oyster card to get through the turnstiles, I stopped. Which platform? Northbound or southbound? And what’s this National Rail Services? Impatient people mostly avoided running into me while I puzzled. How hard can this be, indeed. Northbound. I need northbound.

I took the stairs down to the northbound platforms. Yes, there were two. A train rolled up. I looked at its destination board: Metropolitan Line. All Stations. Uxbridge.

I dove on, found a seat, and relaxed. There. That’s taken care of.

“This is a—Metropolitan Line Train to—Uxbridge” said the automated announcer in her pleasing, presumably neutral accent with odd, fill-in-the-blank gaps.

The doors beeped a warning, then closed and we got rolling. “The next station is—West Harrow.”

I’m sorry, what? I looked up in alarm. Did I get on the wrong train? I GOT ON THE WRONG TRAIN!

At the time, I was mortified. When I got off the train at West Harrow, I was sure everyone knew what I’d done. I trudged over to the other platform, burning with shame.

Now, of course, I know that everyone gets on the wrong train sometimes. It happens. I also know how to navigate Transport for London’s magnificent transit system a bit better than I did, so getting around town isn’t such a daunting prospect any more.

Whether you’re here for a visit or moving here, your first step on arrival should be to buy an Oyster Card. This is a pre-paid travel card that costs £5 initially, plus whatever advance fare you put on the card. You can probably get away with £20 initially, bringing the total outlay to £25. You’ll find ticket booths at the airports and rail stations, or you can purchase from an automated kiosk. Our advice: choose pay-as-you-go as it’s cheaper than the “Day Travelcard” option. One card per person!

You can use those same kiosks to “top up” or add more credit to your Oyster Card. We had no trouble using our US debit cards in the kiosks. If you’re staying, once you have a UK debit card, you can register your Oyster Card to top up automatically so pay-as-you-go travel will be fairly hassle-free.

Your Oyster Card will get you on any London City bus (the modern red ones), Underground and Overground rail, RiverBus, some National Rail Services trains within Greater London, and the Emirates Air Line aerial tramway.

By now, you’re probably wondering how the Oyster Card got its name. Three reasons: the card is essentially a protective shell around a traveler’s cash the way an actual oyster is a hard shell containing a pearl, the association between London and oysters in the River Thames, and the idea that with the freedom to travel, “the world is your oyster.” (The more you know.)

As I discovered on my first morning commute, it helps to have the proper tools to navigate the TfL system. If you have a smart phone, download the Tube Map and Bus London apps. These make it possible to plan a trip without having to stand in front of the map at a bus or Tube stop while you puzzle out the connections between where you are and where you want to go. They’ll also tell you how long you’ll have to wait for your bus or train and warn you if there are any delays expected.

A word of caution about those apps: Don’t use the travel times they give you as gospel. That 42-minute travel time from Eastcote to Liverpool Street on the Metropolitan Line begins when you actually board a train, so factor in the time you’ll be waiting for a train’s arrival. Usually, that’s not a big deal; I’ve rarely had to wait more than eight or nine minutes for the next train, and it’s usually less than five minutes. Even so, if you’re planning to catch a train out of town, that short wait for the Tube at the beginning could make you miss your departure.

We quickly came to love the Tube. It’s so well laid out that it doesn’t take many trips to understand where the connections are located on your local line. If you’re like us, that’ll give you a sense of connection with this wonderful city and make you feel a little like a native.

Plus, there’s something primal about climbing up to the street from below ground, like a metaphorical rebirth. Not all Tube lines are completely underground; once you’re out of central London, they tend to run above ground. But the famous places you’ve dreamed about—Covent Gardens, Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus—you get to by being underground.

My first look at Piccadilly Circus, and you guessed it, I’d just come up out of the Tube station.

Historic buses have made way for more modern double-deckers with hybrid engines. They’re cool, but not THIS cool.

Except for those romantic double-decker buses, London’s bus system is undoubtedly similar to any you’re familiar with. There is one key difference: They don’t take cash. Here, your Oyster Card is essential, unless you have a UK contactless debit card.

 

Once you’re on the bus, though, go ahead and climb up to the upper level, take a seat, and enjoy the view. Please be careful coming back down. The stairs are steep and it’s easy to take a tumble, especially if the bus is moving.

While we’re on the subject of safety: They’re not kidding when they say, “Mind the gap between the train and the platform.” There may be a height difference between the floor of the train and the platform, particularly for the older trains, many of which date back to the 1970s when there was less concern for passengers with mobility challenges. Another hazard to look out for is that some platforms are curved, and while trains bend, the individual carriages don’t. That can leave a surprisingly large gap between the floor of the carriage and the platform, big enough to step into. Really, please do mind the gap.

When you get here, don’t let the bowl of spaghetti that is the London Tube map intimidate you. Take a few minutes to plan your trip before you go somewhere new, and before long, there’ll be a moment when you realize you understand how the brilliantly laid out system works. It’ll probably happen on a train.