The H11 Route

Thursday 5 June 2013

A bright, sunny day saw Linda and me on two brief but enjoyable bus trips around Harrow and Wembley.  We began at Mount Vernon Hospital, a place of less than pleasant memories form me, though I suppose one has to say 'all's well that ends well'.

We were off at about 10.20, and turned right and then left to head back towards Northwood Station, where we had arrived.  This bit of Northwood is very leafy and pleasant though, as we have said before, it does house the HQ of the armed forces of this part of the world.  We came past some attractive greenery before reaching Northwood High Street, with a dry cleaner called 'Pressed for Time' as well as a number of other interesting shops.  


We were impressed by the fine alliums growing outside Waitrose.  

We also noted the Sapnay School of Dance, though this seems to be a branch of the main enterprise, which is based closer into Harrow.  Bhangra dancing would certainly be a way to keep anyone fit, if only we had not left it too late!

There was a certain amount of grandparental child care on the bus, which we were able to admire as we passed into predominantly residential areas.  The houses were neat, with lovely hedges, almost up to the standard of the Hampstead Garden Suburb, even if most front gardens had been hardened.  We did see some wonderful ceanothuses and japonicas, as well as wisterias passing their best.

This was all very familiar to me, as we used to drive into London this way when we lived in Croxley Green, and heading under the blue metal bridge on the outskirts of Pinner was a nostalgic moment.  More recently, we have walked the Celandine Way, which follows the course of the River Pinn, and takes you from Pinner Park for 12 miles to join the Grand Union Canal just short of the Thames.

On through Pinner, and back among its residential streets, we passed what had clearly once been a pub and is now Sync, a bar which has not updated its website yet in 2013.


Next we came to Elm Park Court, a collection of apartment blocks with a sort of chinese entry gate, which still looked as 'desirable' as it did in the 1970s.  Sure enough, it is Grade II listed for its remarkable Art Deco-ness.

Once we had passed Pinner Station and Pinner Park, we felt we were heading fairly straight towards Harrow;  we were the only bus along here, and so the bus was fairly full, with few people getting off.

We went past the huge brick Church of St Alban, and reached Imperial Drive to go over the railway.  A growing number of offices to let signs indicated that we were getting into the middle of Harrow, and having passed that large unfinished building (we cannot remember how often we have remarked on the lack of progress in the work since we first bussed this way in 2009) we reached the new shiny Morrisons, as well as a way into the St George's Shopping Centre, where a lot of our  fellow passengers got off.  

We stayed on for a few more minutes, to arrive at Harrow Bus Station at 11.55, having enjoyed this small slice of the North West suburbs on a beautiful spring - or early summer -day.