Visit Harlow Places

Welcome to Visit Harlow Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Harlow

  

Harlow Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Harlow

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Harlow history

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Early history

The earliest deposits are of a Mesolithic (circa 10,000 BC) hunting camp excavated by Davey in Northbrooks in the 1970s. Large amounts of debitage litter the area and tools found include axe heads, hammers, blades, dowels and other boring tools.

Later history

The original village, mentioned in the Domesday Book, developed as a typical rural community around what is now known as Old Harlow, with many of its buildings still standing. This includes for instance the Grade II listed St Mary’s Church in Churchgate Street.

The New Town

Harlow was, along with Basildon, Stevenage and Hemel Hempstead a result of the New Towns Act of 1946. The town was planned from the outset and was designed to respect the existing landscape. A number of landscape wedges – which later became known as Green Wedges – were designed to separate the neighbourhoods of the town.

Redevelopment

Since becoming a new town, Harlow has undergone several stages of expansion. The town has further expanded with the Church Langley estate completed in 2005. Newhall has completed the first stage of its development, with the second stage underway in 2013. Other major developments under consideration include a northern and southern bypass of the town.

Permitted development (office to residential) flats

A government policy to allow developers to convert office space to residential has led to a proliferation of new ‘rabbit hutch’-sized flats. These are erected under permitted development rights which mean the local authority cannot refuse planning permission.

Harlow etymology

There is some dispute as to where the place name Harlow derives from. One theory is that it derives from Anglo-Saxon words ‘here’ and ‘hlaw’, meaning ‘army hill’ The other theory is that it derives from an Iron Age burial mound, later a Roman temple site on River Way.

You can visit Harlow places with Walkfo Harlow to hear history at Harlow’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Harlow has 24 places to visit in our interactive Harlow map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Harlow, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Harlow places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Harlow & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 24 audio facts unique to Harlow places in an interactive Harlow map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Harlow Places Map
24 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Harlow historic spots	Harlow tourist destinations	Harlow plaques	Harlow geographic features
Walkfo Harlow tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Harlow

  

Best Harlow places to visit

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Harlow has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Harlow’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Harlow’s information audio spots:

Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow The Princess Alexandra Hospital is an acute general hospital in Harlow, Essex, England. It is managed by the Princess Alexandra Hospitals NHS Trust.

Eastwick, Hertfordshire Eastwick is 7 miles (11 km) east of Hertford, in the East Hertfordshire district. In 2011 the parish had a population of 194. The parish touches Gilston, High Wych, Hunsdon and Widford.

Harlow Town Park Harlow Town Park is a 164 acre Grade II listed park located in Harlow, Essex, England. The park includes Spurriers House, Pets’ Corner, Bandstand, aventure playground, Water Garden, Newfoundland Garden, Peace Wood and Peace Wood.

Harlow Mill railway station Harlow Mill is on the West Anglia Main Line serving the eastern part of Harlow in Essex. It is 24 miles 36 chains (39.3 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street. Its three-letter station code is HWM. All trains serving it are operated by Greater Anglia.

Manor of Groves Manor of Groves Hotel is Grade II on the English Heritage Register. It was remodelled over an existing older building in 1823 by a prominent London lawyer. The house was a private residence for many distinguished people over the next 150 years. In 1988 it was converted to a hotel and caters for events such as weddings.

Visit Harlow plaques