Harrow Road

File:The Flora pub and hotel, Harrow Road, London.jpg

The Flora Hotel, 525 Harrow Road

The Harrow Road is an ancient route in London which runs from Paddington in a northwesterly direction towards Harrow, northwest London. With minor deviations in the 19th and 20th centuries, the route remains otherwise unaltered. There are dozens of other existing roads throughout the United Kingdom using the same name which do not lead to or from Harrow but merely use the name of the town or, in some cases, a person of that name.

Description

Before urbanisation the entire road was known as the "Harrow Road" but, as various local authorities came into existence and imposed independent numbering schemes and more localised descriptions on the parts of the road within their respective boundaries, the principal name was replaced in a number of places along its course. The current street names (with road numbers) running from Paddington to Harrow are as follows:

Starting at the junction of Harrow Road and Edgware Road at Paddington Green in the current City of Westminster:

• Harrow Road (Paddington), A 404, passing through Maida Hill, Kensal Town, Kensal Green. This stretch runs partially alongside and underneath the Westway urban motorway.

At the junction of Ladbroke Grove the road leaves the City of Westminster and forms the boundary between the London Borough of Brent and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (except for the length between Kensal Green station and the entrance to Kensal Green Cemetery where it is entirely within Brent) until reaching Scrubs Lane where it becomes entirely within the borough of Brent.

• High Street (Harlesden), A 404
• Craven Park, A 404
• Hillside, A 404
• Brentfield, A 404

Passing over the River Brent which formed the pre-1965 boundary between the former Municipal Borough of Willesden and the Metropolitan Borough of Wembley (both now defunct) and from which the modern borough takes its name:

• Harrow Road (Wembley), A 404

Which passes through Tokyngton

• High Road (Wembley), A 404
• Harrow Road (Sudbury), A 404, changing to A 4005 at the junction with Watford Road (which continues the A 404)

Passing from the London Borough of Brent into the London Borough of Harrow at the Sudbury Court Drive junction:

• Sudbury Hill, A 4005
• London Road (Harrow), A 4005, changing to B457 at junction with Roxeth Hill
• High Street (Harrow), B 457

The road finishes at the town centre on Harrow Hill (the main shopping area of the borough is actually in Greenhill and is not the town centre proper).