BIG #8

Community faith

Making a living

diversity through religion

creative housing: past and present

Bu i l d / I n n o v a t e / Gr o w Ha r r o w ISSUE 8

Bu i l d / I n n o v a t e / Gr o w Ha r r o w ₈

Working in partnership Hyde is an award winning housing association with c.50,000 homes in management across London, the South East and East of England. We make a significant contribution to meeting housing need and improving people’s quality of life; delivering 1,285 new homes last year alone. Hyde develops homes of all tenures, with a particular focus on boosting affordable housing to rent or buy through shared ownership.

Partnerships are important to our success. Over the past year we have partnered with a range of organisations to deliver on our ambitious growth plans which are focused on putting customers first and building high quality new homes and communities. We offer a range of partnership options including:

Our two schemes in Harrow are part of a joint venture with Barratt London. It is a 50:50 structure which motivates both parties and drives value for money. The strong civic leadership and relationship we have built with the council aids delivery of this complex scheme by sharing expertise and experience of all parties.

Harrow Square

Eastman Village

The 318 new apartments surround Alexander Square, a new focal point for the town centre and a vital part of the Harrow Square masterplan.

The development is formed of 30 affordable rented homes, 21 shared ownership and 267 open market apartments. The homes have been designed completely tenure blind. The scheme is being delivered six weeks ahead of programme.

Eastman Village in the ‘Heart of Harrow’ zone now has detailed planning consent for two phases of the three phases. The site was purchased in April 2017 as part of the joint venture with Barratt London with outline planning consent for 1,150 homes (circa 40% will be affordable) and 32,000m2 of commercial space. Historical features of the site will be retained.

Joint venture models such

l

as our partnership with Brighton & Hove City Council and housebuilders such as Barratt London in Harrow and Countryside on Rochester Riverside.

Acting as the development

l

agent for local authorities and others wishing to invest in new housing

Traditional regeneration

If you would like to know more about our work or our approach to partnerships please contact:

l

opportunities

Stock transfer or contract

l

management opportunities.

Tom Shaw Managing Director – Development tom.shaw@hyde-housing.co.uk

Kate Krokou Partnerships and Regeneration Director katherine.krokou@hyde-housing.co.uk

Or visit our website www.hyde-housing.co.uk/partnerships

Working in partnership Hyde is an award winning housing association with c.50,000 homes in management across London, the South East and East of England. We make a significant contribution to meeting housing need and improving people’s quality of life; delivering 1,285 new homes last year alone. Hyde develops homes of all tenures, with a particular focus on boosting affordable housing to rent or buy through shared ownership.

Partnerships are important to our success. Over the past year we have partnered with a range of organisations to deliver on our ambitious growth plans which are focused on putting customers first and building high quality new homes and communities. We offer a range of partnership options including:

Our two schemes in Harrow are part of a joint venture with Barratt London. It is a 50:50 structure which motivates both parties and drives value for money. The strong civic leadership and relationship we have built with the council aids delivery of this complex scheme by sharing expertise and experience of all parties.

Harrow Square

Eastman Village

The 318 new apartments surround Alexander Square, a new focal point for the town centre and a vital part of the Harrow Square masterplan.

The development is formed of 30 affordable rented homes, 21 shared ownership and 267 open market apartments. The homes have been designed completely tenure blind. The scheme is being delivered six weeks ahead of programme.

Eastman Village in the ‘Heart of Harrow’ zone now has detailed planning consent for two phases of the three phases. The site was purchased in April 2017 as part of the joint venture with Barratt London with outline planning consent for 1,150 homes (circa 40% will be affordable) and 32,000m2 of commercial space. Historical features of the site will be retained.

Joint venture models such

l

as our partnership with Brighton & Hove City Council and housebuilders such as Barratt London in Harrow and Countryside on Rochester Riverside.

Acting as the development

l

agent for local authorities and others wishing to invest in new housing

Traditional regeneration

If you would like to know more about our work or our approach to partnerships please contact:

l

opportunities

Stock transfer or contract

l

management opportunities.

Tom Shaw Managing Director – Development tom.shaw@hyde-housing.co.uk

Kate Krokou Partnerships and Regeneration Director katherine.krokou@hyde-housing.co.uk

Or visit our website www.hyde-housing.co.uk/partnerships

It is our mission to redefine the way the world lives and bring it together in one Co-Living community.

WWW.THECOLLECTIVE.CO.UK

Proudly supporting Harrow

Contents

News

News

Shaun Wallace, the ‘dark destroyer’ from ITV quiz show The Chase, joined in the celebrations to mark new and improved facilities becoming available at Harrow Leisure Centre. He opened the refurbished gym following investment of £400,000 in the site. The gym has been custom-designed following feedback from users and has 192 fitness stations and a refurbished group studio that includes a spring-loaded floor and new mood lighting.

“I felt a bit like royalty opening the gym and it was a tremendous honour to be asked,” said Wallace. “Everyone was very welcoming from the moment I arrived in reception, while I toured the site and in the gym itself when we cut the ribbon. After that, I enjoyed a great audience for my talk and plenty of interest in my work on The Chase and my new autobiography. It was especially pleasing to have so many youngsters in the audience, asking really good questions.”

To celebrate the opening, the centre offered free activities including swimming, football and badminton sessions, soft play and rollerskating.

Local people turned out in force to celebrate the launch event of the scheme to renew a key corner in Rayners Lane town centre, close to Charles Holden’s iconic underground station.

New paving, planting and seating creates a welcoming space that will also feature a structure for community events and activities.

Residents had joined forces with the London Business Partnership, Young Harrow Foundation and Harrow Council, as well as shoppers and commuters to campaign for the work to be carried out and raise the money, which included a crowd-funding appeal.

Harrow’s mayor, ward councillors, businesses, churches, residents and children from a local school attended the pre-Christmas event.

News

There were 170 responses to a consultation on a new library, which is a key element of new public space in the centre of Harrow. The library, built within the Harrow Square development close to Harrow on the Hill station, will be located in a new square with the existing church, new shops and four new residential blocks. The square has pedestrian entrances from three locations, with public art and a covered area adding to the mix of activities.

Among questions about the services people would like to see, and choices about the decorative finishes and furniture, respondents said the overall feel of the library should be peaceful and light.

Leaders

Aiming high

W

hen I joined Harrow Council as chief executive in February, my very first message to staff and partners emphasised my desire to accelerate the borough’s growth and regeneration.

Public and private schemes that are coming forward here present great opportunities to improve the lives of local people, by providing the good quality homes, workspaces and leisure opportunities that they want and need, at prices they can afford.

I have previously been chief executive at Bolton Council in Greater Manchester and Lambeth Council in central London, and Harrow is every bit as ambitious and dynamic as those higher-profile centres for investment.

What has already struck me about Harrow is its absolute ambition for growth. This borough is a hive of industry, full of tenacious entrepreneurs and passionate residents of all ages who are proud to live here, and share our ambition to build a better Harrow.

I have also been struck by the commitment from public and private sector organisations alike to make a positive difference to Harrow’s amazingly diverse mix. Put simply, that means increasing opportunities for Harrow people: creating more jobs, more homes and more communities.

In previous roles, I have overseen rapid development and change, and I see the next two years as an intense period of activity and growth for this thriving part of London.

If you want to play a part in that, I hope I will have the opportunity to meet with you over the coming months.

If you would like to be part of our programme to Build a Better Harrow, please contact regeneration@ harrow.gov.uk.

Leaders

2019, many of those ambitions are becoming a reality.

F

ive years ago, we set out our ambitions for Harrow’s growth and development.

In consultation with thousands of our residents, whose interests we serve, and whose future we always work to improve, we gave our plans a name: Building a Better Harrow.

At the heart of Building a Better Harrow was a determination to build the right kind – and the right number – of good quality homes for Harrow’s people. But Building a Better Harrow was about much more than housebuilding. Right from the start, we were clear, our goal was to create jobs and opportunities for our young people; shops, workplaces and schools; places for them to be proud of.

It gives me the greatest of pleasure that at the start of

We’ve built our first council homes in a generation. We’ve helped sustain existing businesses and created new ones – our town centre has one of the lowest vacancy rates in the country. We’ve provided thousands of new good and outstanding school places. And new housing is rising up to redefine Harrow’s internationally recognised skyline.

This eighth edition of BIG demonstrates the rich variety that Harrow has to offer and to those who have already committed investment, we are delighted to work with you. To those who are looking for an exciting opportunity to work with us, come on in and join us – you will have the warmest of welcomes.

Religious buildings

Keeping Faith

Words Jane Thynne

Religious buildings

F

aith plays a crucial role in Harrow: not only were 110 places of worship identified in the last census, but only 9.6% of people who responded said they ‘have no religion’, compared to a national average of 24.7%. As London’s second most religiously diverse borough, there’s an eclectic mix of places of worship, some hidden away from view. Hindu temples stand shoulder-toshoulder with synagogues, while lesser-known religions such as Jainism and Zoroastrianism have made Harrow their home.

“The wealth and richness these groups bring to the area are visible not just on the outside of the buildings but also within,” says artist and resident Juliet Goodden, who specialises in portraying Britain’s religious landscapes.

“I have found them more open than you would think and unquestionably welcoming,” she adds. “The churches represent all the places from which people have come. They are planting a piece of the world in suburban London, creating something unique, not just visually but communally too.”

A landmark project, the Krishna Avanti school in Edgware is the UK’s first statefunded Hindu primary school, built in 2008, at a cost of £12 million.

Designed by Cottrell & Vermeulen Architecture, the school is built around its own 10sq m temple built from handcarved Makrana marble from Rajasthan, the same material used to build the Taj Mahal, following the Vastu Shastra model, the traditional principles of Hindu architecture.

Nitesh Gor, chief executive of Avanti Schools Trust, says: “The temple is literally and figuratively the heart of the school. In fact, when we asked the children what they would want the school to look like they said they would like to see the shrine from all the classrooms.” Consequently the school is built in a quadrangle and also features a meditation garden and outdoor amphitheatre. “The school has been very successful and we are massively oversubscribed with applicants from both the Hindu and non-Hindu community.”

Religious buildings

The Greek Orthodox community was first established in Harrow in 1975, worshipping in several borough churches until it purchased the site comprising the former Holy Spirit Church with its hall and vicarage in 1994.

Modelled on St Paul’s Cathedral, complete with bronze dome, the basilica-style church cost £3.5 million and was the first Greek Orthodox church to be built in London for 134 years. The interior features stunning iconography in the Byzantine tradition.

Serving 10,000 worshippers, the church plays a significant part in the lives of London’s Greek community across the boroughs of Harrow and Brent. Along with regular services, St Panteleimon’s also

hosts a Hellenic College for the study of the Greek language and culture, a nursery, youth group and football team. “We are not a Greek island,” says parish priest Father Anastasios Salapatas. “We are very open and welcome everyone. We are very proud to be part of the Harrow community. In fact, we have a lot of Hindu visitors who come in to engage in quiet prayer. Society moves so fast, it is important for our church to keep the lines of communication with the whole community open.”

Dating back to the 11th century, this Grade I-listed Christian church stands proudly at the top of Harrow on the Hill adjacent to the famous school, and was restored and extended during the mid-19th century. Past parishioners have included Lord Byron, who as a young Harrovian, would sit and dream of ‘his favourite tombstone’, the Peachey Tomb.

The highest building in Middlesex, the church also acts as a navigational reference point for planes operating in and out of RAF Northolt, and its flagpole doubles as a signal booster to aid the emergency services.

As well as hosting children’s clubs and activities, St Mary’s is an active partner in the night shelter scheme and is a

local food bank site. “We are celebrating our 925th anniversary this year,” says the reverend, James Power. “We are very much part of a multi-faith society here in Harrow, made up of volunteers who do some remarkable work in a very quiet way. The church provides so much, from affordable food in the Spire Café to a bicycle repair project. I can’t see why we shouldn’t be here for another 900 years.”

Religious buildings

Jainism began in India in the 6th century. Its devotees follow the teachings of Mahavira, aiming to live a life of ‘harmlessness and renunciation’. Harrow has the largest concentration of Jainists in Britain at just over 5,000, out of around 30,000 overall.

A group of Jainist followers purchased the former health centre building, situated in a residential area, in 1994 and used it in its original form until 2004 when it was transformed into a temple. The temple or mandir contains a small courtyard featuring a series of paintings based on the religion’s ancient scripture. The temple also houses the Swadhyay Hall which is used for a number of activities including worship and study.

“It is extremely important for us to have a place to worship,” says temple member Nirav Gudhka. “Daily prayer is one of the tenets of our religion, as is study, so the temple is very well used.” The building also hosts a Sunday school and provides a space for many social activities. “It is a place that links our community. When members of our faith are new to this country, they can come here and feel at home and welcome.”

One of the oldest religions, Zoroastrianism dates back to 6th century Persia (modern-day Iran). Its followers, mainly of Middle Eastern descent, believe in one god and have practised in this country since the mid-19th century.

In 2000, the Zoroastrian church bought the former Grosvenor picture house in Alexandra Avenue, a dramatic but deteriorating Grade II* Art Deco gem, for £1.3 million.

Built in 1936, the single-screen cinema, which seats over 1,000 people, was the work of local architect F.E. Bromiage but the picture house doors were closed in the mid 1980s. As the venue changed hands, serving as a nightclub and then a bar, it was on English Heritage’s at-risk list by the time it was bought. It took five years and a further £2.2 million to restore and renovate the building both inside and out.

The Pinner community, comprising worshippers from Moor Park, Northwood, Rickmansworth and further afield, was established in 1940, with the current synagogue or shul opening in 1981.

Part of the Orthodox United Synagogue movement, its members number between 500-700 households.

The purpose-built structure was built on the site of a Christian chapel and has incorporated elements of the old building, such as the stained glass windows, within its design. The Henry Jackson Centre was added

“We are very proud of what we have achieved - the building is a local landmark for the people of Harrow,” says Malcolm Deboo, president of the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe. “Our work has meant that it is now no longer on the at-risk list.

Each September we open the doors and people come in and reminisce about their time here. We are now the main centre for our religion in Europe and we are very grateful to have such a building in such a good place.”

around 17 years ago and is used mostly for community events, classes and groups.

The Pinner shul is particularly busy and is used on a daily basis for both adult and young people’s services. Alongside the Cubs, Scouts and Brownies is the Pinups netball team and Pinner Care, which provides volunteer support and befriending services for those in need. “The word synagogue means house of prayer or meeting house,” says Jonathan Mindell, chairman of the synagogue. “And ours very much follows the lines. It is the heart of our community. There

is always something going on; we are open seven days a week and people of all ages are welcome at all times.”

Religious buildings

Members of Khoja Shia Ithna Asheri Muslim community made their home in Britain following the expulsion of Muslims from East African states in the 1970s. They met at venues across London until the community purchased Warren House in 1984, which was the former 90-room mansion of 19thcentury architect Sir Robert Smirke, designer of the Royal Mint and British Museum.

Today, the building has been transformed by the work of volunteers and funds raised from within the Muslim community into a thriving centre and mosque. The structure is listed and members have worked hard to retain and restore many of the property’s original features, including the stained glass windows.

The Quakers, or the Religious Society of Friends, have had a presence in Harrow for more than a century and today attract members from the surrounding boroughs of Brent, Ealing and Hillingdon.

Designed by architect Hubert Lidbetter, who is also responsible for the Friends House in central London, Rayners Lane meeting house was built in the simple Quaker style: plain brick with a white-

As well as a place for prayer, the 5,000-strong Husaini community runs a Montessori nursery, senior citizens’ groups and sports squads. “It is a wonderful multi-functional space,” says member Ummulbanin Merali. “We use the centre for sports, education and social gatherings. It is very important to us. We have everything in one place. It is our everything.”

painted interior and parquet flooring.

As befits the religion, the bungalow was built to look unassuming and follows the Metroland architectural style to blend in with neighbouring properties.

Today, the building shares its home with community groups that rent its space. “It’s a place where we meet, perform marriages, study and have social gatherings,” says Stephen Wright, clerk to Harrow meeting house. “It is open to people of all faiths or to those of no faith. The aim of the centre is that it is a welcoming, useful and peaceful place.”

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BUGLER GROUP HAS WORKED AND INVESTED IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY OF HARROW FOR OVER 20 YEARS, CREATING MORE THAN 350 HOMES.

St Georges Church Field, Pinner View

Former Harrow Hotel, Pinner Road

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Le Bon Court, St John’s Road

Heritage

Gadget Man Words Debbie Ashford

Heritage

T

he present day challenge of squeezing the maximum number of new homes into the precious space available in London and other cities is one that many who build homes, as well as those who are looking for one, will recognise.

It was an issue that also concerned artist and illustrator William Heath Robinson as society went through far-reaching upheaval in the years after the first world war. Few households were able to maintain domestic sta at pre-war levels. Better public transport made it possible for people to work in town but live in a suburban version of the country.

The new suburban houses were smaller and flats became fashionable.

Illustrating the consequences of moving into these smaller homes proved a rich source of amusement and inspiration for Heath Robinson, and brought him considerable success through the magazines of the day.

This work was brought together in a special exhibition called Home Life at the museum in Pinner that is dedicated to his work and life. Heath Robinson, who lived from 1872 to 1944, started married life in various flats in north London, close to where he had grown up. In 1908, with a growing family, he moved out to Hatch End, near Pinner in rural Middlesex, and then into the village itself. It was in Pinner that he created some of the finest of his book illustrations, as well as much of the work that established him as a popular humorist.

His work reflects the changes that were taking place in Harrow, when London was expanding into what became known as Metroland following the extension of the Metropolitan railway from Baker Street out to towns like Aylesbury and Amersham. The new homes

that were aordable and spacious compared to inner London were a great success and the populations of villages such as Pinner and Harrow Weald grew by 800%. Many of the buildings took a modernist or Art Deco style, featuring square or rectangular facades, flat roofs and strong angles or rounded corners.

The Home Life exhibition featured Heath Robinson’s drawings and rare photographs of the humorous scenarios and potential over-complicated space-saving solutions he suggested, tongue-in-cheek, could overcome new ways of living and make domestic life more comfortable. They were produced from as early as 1921 when Heath Robinson was increasingly dependent on his humorous work for his living. Examples include a carpet doubling up as a games board, a cardshuffling machine for bridge parties, and revellers dancing on a mattress floor to music heard through headphones, so they would not disturb the neighbour below - a prototype of the silent disco seen today. In 1934, his model of an ideal home, The Gadgets, was created at the Ideal Home Exhibition at Olympia.

The house was nearly six metres high and stood on a site 15m by 9m. It was peopled with more than 30 moving figures carrying out their daily tasks assisted by numerous contraptions. One scene which portrayed ingenious mechanical devices to propel a husband and wife through trap doors from bed into the kitchen where breakfast was waiting for them, provided the inspiration for the opening scenes of the Wallace and Gromit film The Wrong Trousers.

Later a series of ‘How to...’ books established Heath Robinson as the ‘gadget king’. It began with How to live in a Flat in 1936 in which he not only described the many gadgets that could make flat life more comfortable, but also satirised modernist architecture and

Heritage

design, with corner windows and balconies that can be recognised in modernist buildings much in evidence. The book was followed by similar titles on being a perfect husband, a motorist, and gardener. The illustrations combine social observation with the new ways of living which were felt to be very upto-date, but which one had to get accustomed to. Although Robinson was never known as an architect, Bartlett professor of architecture and urbanism at University College London, CJ Lim has said that his spatial skill is beyond question: “Heath Robinson looks at the relationship between political and social issues and space-making, which is creating exciting contemporary architecture. He has an amazing spatial inventiveness, which is clumsy but a form of spatial entertainment.”

Michael Rosen, novelist, poet and former Children’s laureat who was brought up in Pinner and formally opened the museum in

2016, said: “When you look across his work, William Heath Robinson really did document an era. He showed how people were living and he showed the mentality of people by gently - and sometimes subversively – poking fun at it. He had a lovely mockery towards modernism but at the same time enjoying the architecture and the way people lived.”

Heath Robinson’s name entered the language as early as 1912 and is still a synonym for absurd, ingenious and over-complicated makeshift devices, like the ones he spent his life designing, yet he has inspired many artists, designers, architects and engineers.

In today’s situation, his creative ideas for living in cramped apartments, from folding spare beds to residents practising ‘communal eurythmics’ on their tiny balconies, perhaps no longer seem that far-fetched. www.heathrobinsonmuseum.org

Map

Projects map

Projects

Projects Words Debbie Ashford

Projects

Projects

We’re Building Lives Less Ordinary At Willmott Dixon Construction we believe it is our responsibility to take the ordinary and make it extraordinary. That’s why every project we take on has to deliver a positive and memorable impact.

Thanks to the team for their wisdom and guidance, I shall use this experience as a stepping stone to bigger and better things.”

Local Harrow resident, 16 year-old Humam Hameed is studying Civil Engineering at City of Westminster College. We met Humam at a workshop to promote and recruit young people into construction. After putting candidates through a selection process in the form of interviews, Humam showed great enthusiasm and consequently secured himself a five week placement with Willmott Dixon, which included one weeks work experience at Welldon Park Primary School.

2018

Briefed by Community Engagement Manager, Matthew Weatherby, Humam initially noted “My first impressions of Welldon Park were remarkably positive. Admittedly, I had a false perception of construction work being dirty and unprofessional but the site was very organised and the different trades working together showed great technicality, attention to detail and expertise.”

£2.5m

Settling into a professional environment was noticeably challenging for Humam. It is a huge step, daunting even, to transition from a relaxed school environment to one that demands professionalism as quickly as he did.

We made time for Humam and allowed him to work at a comfortable pace, enabling him to kick start his growth. In the period of merely a week, we have seen a positive change in attitude in Humam.

Queen’s Award for Enterprise winners for Promoting Opportunity

£2.5 million community investment last year.

61,000

61,000 hours of staff time invested in the community.

7,293

Made a difference to the life chances of 7,293 young people since 2013.

Humam Hameed

Pictured above: Humam Hameed Pictured right: Welldon Park Primary

willmottdixon.co.uk

Culture

Culture clubs

Words Suruchi Sharma

Culture

I

t is common to expect that nothing in life is free. If you happen to be part of the culture forum in Harrow however, then you’re in luck. Charlotte Baldwin, senior programmer at Harrow Arts Centre (HAC) in Hatch End, brings together arts groups which regularly give each other support and advice. She says: “What we have at the forum is an offer board: when people come in they add something that they can provide free-of-charge to members.

It might be the use of a room for an hour, or a performance for an event.”

The initiative, which started last March, emerged from talks about developing Harrow’s cultural strategy, with the council’s ‘ambitious’ aim of cultural and artistic activities that can help shape the economy, as well as improving residents’ physical and mental health. The strategy, which was circulated for consultation, wants to ‘promote social inclusion and community cohesion’ so arts groups can thrive in Harrow, diverse communities will be drawn closer together and wellbeing can be a central part of people’s lives.

HAC is a leading light in this endeavour.

The venue, which opened in 1988, has been managed by the council since 2007 and has a range of events and classes that have outgrown the space available.

Baldwin, who is also part of the steering group created to drive forward the cultural strategy, believes arts venues can have a “massive impact” on communities. Talking about the popularity of HAC she says: “It’s an ecosystem that has grown over the years and allowed us to become a cultural hub. When people come through the doors they are immediately part of the arts centre community.” The centre offers film, theatre, dance, comedy and family

events and Baldwin believes these activities can help with physical and mental health. She says: “The results starting to be seen through arts and culture classes are often better than through medical intervention. For instance, someone with depression might get great benefit from taking a six-week course in drawing. We’re seeing really amazing results across the UK with other conditions such as dementia and stroke recovery.”

Baldwin cites advantages in the world of work too. She says: “Employers are always looking for creative thinkers and many skills are transferable. A person from a creative writing

class recently said that going to a weekly workshop where they’re offered feedback has given them increased confidence in the workplace. For young people, it’s about gaining self-esteem, as the fulfilment of completing a creative project or piece of work is often huge and can help them on to the job ladder. What has been great about the forum is rather than us running the whole thing, organisations have stepped up to host and help decide the content.”

One willing participant was Bentley Priory Museum in Stanmore, based at the famous second world war headquarters of RAF

Fighter Command. Since it was officially opened by Prince Charles in 2013, the museum has welcomed more than 40,000 visitors through its doors.

Director Eleanor Pulfer-Sharma says the aim is to offer an “enjoyable learning experience” and pass on stories to younger generations.

She says: “The museum’s founding trustees included Battle of Britain veterans who wanted to ensure that its internationally important history during World War Two was not forgotten. They were particularly keen that young people learnt about the pivotal role of Bentley Priory during the Battle of Britain.”

Culture

Pulfer-Sharma highlights the tranquil nature of the venue and the positive impact of a visit. She says it endeavours to appeal to as many as possible: “We have a programme of events for a wide variety of ages, from family workshops to Friday morning history talks.

School workshops include learning how to plot the Battle of Britain, with the opportunity to dress up in uniforms. In the last few years we’ve also enhanced access and resources for families, and visitors with disabilities to support exploration of the museum.”

Artistic director Nina Rajarani MBE created Srishti, an Indian dance and music organisation, in 1991 along with her husband Y. Yadavan, who is a composer and vocalist.

She says dance allows her pupils to improve wellbeing and develop admiration for the art forms they learn. She says: “The biggest gift they get through learning dance is discipline, as well as organisation and time-keeping, and it helps in whatever profession they do in the future. It’s also about creating audiences for dance, because if someone has this in their childhood, then the love for it never dies.

They are your future audience members, and introduce their children to dance. It increases the longevity of the art form.”

Rajarani works both as choreographer and dancer, and Srishti, based in HAC, runs a dance school, two successful touring groups, and an educational outreach programme.

Rajarani’s career has taken her around the globe though she has a“particular affinity to Harrow.” She believes her own dance experiences, such as performing for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee visit to Harrow in 2012, help to enrich her teaching practices.

Rajarani set up touring youth group Srishti Yuva Culture in 2006 primarily to create

performance opportunities. She adds: “We’ve done projects, some funded by Harrow Council, with professionals helping the group bring arts to people who may not have access.

For example we’ve done work in pupil referral units and in care homes. We’ve used dance and music therapeutically, and through that been able to give people an experience they otherwise would not have had.”

Keeping patrons is certainly on the mind of those running arts organisations in the borough, and this has been the case for West House and Heath Robinson Trust chairman Cynthia Wells. West House in Pinner Memorial Park underwent a £1.5 million restoration in 2010 to become a community venue, while the Heath Robinson Museum was set up using £1.1 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund and opened by author Michael Rosen in 2016.

“The aim was to bring the works of Heath Robinson to the people, and now we have the largest collection in the world,” Wells explains. “With the exhibitions we try and combine learning and fun. When planning the museum, we felt it was important we gave people a reason to come back. Many families come along, and children use the activity studio to just play. We have more LEGO than anyone can ever imagine, and activities linked with the special exhibitions make it a great place to be creative.”

She believes that the museum has also helped improve the area’s economy. She says: “When we restored West House the transformation was absolutely extraordinary and it has become a community hub. Residents go to the café and use the community rooms for functions, and coffee shops and businesses on the route here have benefitted from footfall.

Culture

Something Usurp Art Gallery shares with West House is the desire to stimulate the mind and encourage visitors to participate in the arts. Opened in 2010 in West Harrow, the artist-led venue, which was previously a butcher’s shop, became the first public gallery in Harrow offering affordable art studios.

Artistic director and founder Poulomi Desai has created a performance space for poetry, films, music and dance. She said the venue takes risks with what it offers the public: “We cater for diverse communities and our audiences are also participants so they’re active in co-curating programmes. Arts and culture activities contribute to wellbeing, and to stronger mental health. This has always been a priority, which is why we’ve had so many public-facing events, as it’s crucial to enable people to put on their own work.”

Desai is appreciative of Usurp’s West Harrow location to bring its art to as many people as possible. She adds: “You get a range of people, and it’s close enough to the town centre so visitors can walk here. Our physical space is brilliant but we would love to be able to expand to deliver more to the community.”

In a growing trend to provide more public art, housing developers Elysian Residences is running a competition to find a sculpture for the centre of its Landsby scheme in Stanmore

providing luxury housing for older residents.

It is part of the planning agreement with Harrow Council and reflects a tenet of the local authority’s public art policy ‘to enhance the visual impact of the area.’

Elysian’s CEO Gavin Stein says the firm was thrilled to be providing a public art installation. He adds: “It will offer a focal point for our residents and the wider Stanmore community, something which is key to our ethos as a company.” He says the £50,000 winning sculpture, which will be unveiled in October 2019, will offer a “feeling of welcome” to the development on the old Jubilee House site in Merrion Avenue.

And further helping to cement its place in the community, HAC is to benefit from a £760,000 grant from the Greater London Authority, which Charlotte Baldwin says will pave the way for much-needed expansion of the venue that includes creating new artists’ studios. She adds: “We want the borough to be increasingly seen as a destination for culture and to see less inequality through engagement in arts and culture. We want arts and culture to bring people together and improve their quality of life.” It seems that in many ways these aims are already well on the way to being fulfilled.

Invest

Waltham Forest Encouraging investment in Waltham Forest

ISSUE 4

Ways to connect

With support from a local MP models of working and the council, co-operative from risks a achedare helping with problems co in Waltham Forest, workshops andched to self-employment to the food productio n. Lucy Clarke cost of renting reports

S

Festivals, film, focused design

Summer 2017

Issue 2

GA R D E N C I TY

Establishing the UK’s first garden city for more than 100 100 years

With the first tranche of homes already built, thousands more are planned

New communities are forged as first-time buyers flock to Ebbsfleet

Work is now underw City, starting the ay on the ambitious Ebbsfle timer ticking et Garden numbers speak towards completion. The for themselves

Industry experts collaborate to bring the project forward, as the first school opens

since Ebbsfleet Ebbsfleet Development Corporation – overseein the Implementation g Framework – was established

Evening economy, economy, established enterprise

Private/public: Private/public: pulling forces forces

Above: Indycube seeks to unionise self-employed people – such as graphic designers – to provide workers’ rights support.

Markets

Harrow

110+

Market fact-f ile

3rd

23rd

54%

69%

ÂŁ2m 88+ 95%

1st

2nd

2nd

t

H A RROW MEANS BUSINESS

Hatch End

Harrow Arts Centre

Canons Park

Headstone Lane

Artisan Place

Waxwell Lane

We’re already the most business-friendly borough in London – and whether you’re an entrepreneur or a multi-national, there’s something for you here in Harrow. Come and join us! tt

New Civic Palmerstone Rd Harrow View

Great things are happening in Harrow, and you can be part of it. Building a Better Harrow is transforming our borough, creating new homes for our families and workplaces and spaces for the 21st century. We understand that new communities need new opportunities and jobs just as much as they need homes and schools.

Queensbury

t

Harrow & Wealdstone

20 minutes to Baker Street

Byron Quarter

Harrow Poets’ Corner

t

Greenhill Way Lyon Rd College Rd Vaughan Rd tt

Harrowon-the-Hill

Cumberland Hotel

Kenton

Gayton Rd Northwick Park

20 minutes to Baker Street 14 minutes to London Euston

Harrow Council Projects Grange Farm

Private Sector Projects

tt

Haslam House

Roxeth Library t

t

t

H A RROW MEANS BUSINESS

Hatch End

Harrow Arts Centre

Canons Park

Headstone Lane

Artisan Place

Waxwell Lane

We’re already the most business-friendly borough in London – and whether you’re an entrepreneur or a multi-national, there’s something for you here in Harrow. Come and join us! tt

New Civic Palmerstone Rd Harrow View

Great things are happening in Harrow, and you can be part of it. Building a Better Harrow is transforming our borough, creating new homes for our families and workplaces and spaces for the 21st century. We understand that new communities need new opportunities and jobs just as much as they need homes and schools.

Queensbury

t

Harrow & Wealdstone

20 minutes to Baker Street

Byron Quarter

Harrow Poets’ Corner

t

Greenhill Way Lyon Rd College Rd Vaughan Rd tt

Harrowon-the-Hill

Cumberland Hotel

Kenton

Gayton Rd Northwick Park

20 minutes to Baker Street 14 minutes to London Euston

Harrow Council Projects Grange Farm

Private Sector Projects

tt

Haslam House

Roxeth Library t

t

Community faith

Making a living

Bu i l d

Innovate Ha r r o w

Gr o w

Bu i l d Innovate Gr o w Ha r r o w