Northwood Hills

I am anticipating a small station in a rural setting surrounded by hills. The previous station was a wonderful surprise with its medieval buildings so I am excited to see what this one is like. 

The station had a couple of floral displays brightening up the platforms.

There are just the two platforms at this station. One for northbound and the other southbound as it only services the Metropolitan Line. This numbers 25 on my list of Metropolitan stations visited.

I had to go back and find this station's labyrinth. Now that I'm on a mission to find the first one I don't want to miss any on this section of the line.

The station opened in 1933 and was followed by much building of houses over the next 20 years or so.

Outside the station were enamelled wall murals showing a rural setting.

It wasn't as rural as I thought but the row of trees down the centre of the High Street leading to more trees and a hill in the distance gave a first impression of maybe more rural than urban.

The usual map that you find outside underground stations had been removed for updating. This was unfortunate as I rely on these maps to give me some idea of anything of interest nearby.

 

One shop stood out as being a bit different as you don't often see a guitar shop on a small High Street. This one not only sold guitars but also a large selection of guitar effect pedals. With more time and nerve I would love to have gone in and played around.

I had a late start this morning and it was already midday so I decided to have lunch somewhere before starting my walk. This cafe looked very pleasant and I was assured they had a brunch menu. Only three other tables occupied so it seemed perfect. I ordered a cheese and tomato omelette. My food arrived after a 20 minute wait.

The fluffy omelette I was expecting turned out to be two well cooked, hard pancakes with cheese and tomato in the middle. Yuk! When I mentioned to the waitress that this was not an omelette she didn't say anything but brought the menu back to me which showed that omelette was under the heading 'Crepes'. To say I was disappointed was an understatement. My fault I suppose for not spotting the heading. After tasting this strange concoction I no longer felt hungry and left. (yes I did pay as it was my mistake).

The Namaste Lounge used to be called the Northwood Hills Pub. Sir Elton John started his career here at the age of 16 by playing here on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. He was paid a £1 per night plus whatever was given as well as  a whip round amongst the public. Pictures of the pub are featured on some of his album covers. The pub is now an Indian restaurant.

I moved swiftly on and spotted the library, always a good source of information about the local area. I had just found the local history section when I was told they were closing and I would have to leave.

I continued walking through the village and followed the road uphill which led to a private golf course.

I was now high enough to see above the roof tops.

I walked back down the hill and did a circular walk back towards the station. Other than houses there was nothing else of any real interest.

This green area is known as Hog's Back and was originally part of Hundred acre farm until the mid 20th century when it was sold to Hillingdon Borough Council. By the 1950s the building of housing estates had begun and by the 1960s houses had been built on three sides of the open space. Since then this area has become a site of importance for Nature Conservation and will not be built on. 

At the end of the road were three houses with flat roofs which look unusual. I thought they might have been listed but I could find no information about them.

Turning left I arrived back at the station. Although a pleasant place to live it didn't make much impact on me. I expect I will remember Northwood Hills for having one of the worst lunches on this Underground Challenge.

Pinner

 This is the second station I visited on the same day but fortified by lunch at Headstone Manor I am ready to explore this totally new area for me. 

Pinner is the 24th station I've visited on the Metropolitan Line and is the only line serving this station The station was opened in 1885. It was the terminus for the Metropolitan Railway until 1887 when the line was further extended to Rickmansworth. As mentioned in earlier posts, in 1915 the Metroland project was promoted to move people out of Central London into the surrounding rural areas. It was in July 1933 that the Metropolitan railway amalgamated with other underground railways to become part of the London Passenger Transport Board and was then known as the Metropolitan Line.

Don't often see a coffee shop on the platform of an outer London station. I looked at the entry/exit figures for this station. There has been a huge decrease over the last five years, from 3.43million in 2017 to 1.28 million in 2021. Covid will have played a huge part in this decrease as so many people now work from home. It will be interesting to see what the future holds. As a comparison I looked at the figures for another station on this Line, Harrow-on-the-Hill: 10.96m in 2017 to 4.76m in 2021.

This one is no 11 /270 of the Mark Wallinger's Labyrinth

The entry/exit barriers. Exit barriers began to make an appearance in the late eighties. Before that tickets were checked/collected by hand. Nowadays I rarely see anyone at these outer London stations. There will be someone on duty somewhere I expect.

The long single-story station building is original. I left the station and followed the signs to the village, which was about a five minute walk away. It turned out to be a beautiful, sunny day and here I was looking along a village street that was jam packed with history. A number of Tudor properties with a 14th century church looking down on the village. 

Pinner is in the London Borough of Harrow, although it used to be in the county of Middlesex. It is about 12 miles north of Central London. Originally a hamlet, it is thought to be over a thousand years old. In 1336 King Edward III granted a fair to be held in Pinner at Midsummer, the feast of its patron saint St John the Baptist. 

The church had been completed in 1321 in the simple crucifix shape comprising of nave, aisles, chancel and transepts only. The tower, south and east window were added in the 15th century. More restoration work was carried out during the 19th century. As no influential or wealthy family lived in Pinner in medieval times, the church has no elaborate features. 

 

 Surrounding the church was a small neat graveyard but one monument stood out as the strangest one I have ever seen. This pyramid shaped stone structure with an iron  grille at the bottom and a stone coffin  sticking out, on either side, in the middle of it. I could find no reference to its history nearby. Further research informed me that this is the resting place of William Loudon who died in 1809 and his wife Agnes Loudon who died in 1841. Neither of them are interred in what is referred to as 'the floating coffin of Pinner' but are buried beneath the monument. Many theories and stories have been written about the floating coffin but nobody really knows the truth. One story I liked was that the Loudons had been given the tenancy of their home for as long as they remained 'above ground'. Taking the wording of the legacy literally and to prevent the loss of the family home after they died, their son buried them 'above ground'.

There are numerous listed buildings in Pinner. During Tudor times there was a butcher, a baker, a cobbler,  tailor and other essential trades people living and working in the street. A number of the premises are still here. This timber framed building of two and three storeys was built in the early 16th century.

The Queen's Head is Pinner's oldest inn. Records show there had been an inn on the site since 1540, although it is thought that there was an ale house here when King Edward III signed The Royal Charter to create Pinner's Annual Fair in 1336. During the 16th and 17th centuries the inn was called The Crown and only in 1715 was it renamed The Queen's Head. 

On this two storey 18th century building you can see the fire mark showing that this building was insured against fire.

Another 16th century timber framed building. Shop front built at a later date with 18th century and 19th century extensions.

Originally built in 16th century with 19th century shop fronts.The building in the middle was the old village bakery and still has the original baker's oven.

I walked back down the High Street wandering through a couple of narrow alleyways and discovered a stream running behind the old village street. One winding alleyway led me to a large modern supermarket. I retraced my steps to the end of the old village and walked round the corner where there was a modern High Street with the usual, familiar shop names. I seem to have lost this section of photos but I could have substituted a.n.other high street and you wouldn't know the difference. 

 One of Pinner's most famous residents is Sir Elton John who was brought up in Pinner. Another famous resident was William Heath Robinson (1872-1944), a cartoonist, illustrator and artist, best known for his drawings of elaborate machines to achieve simple objectives. In the UK his name is used as a by-word for eccentric inventions and makeshift solutions. Many years ago I had prints of his work which always made me smile. Being in the vicinity of the Heath Robinson Museum I obviously had to visit.

The small purpose built museum opened in 2016 next to West House in Pinner Memorial Park.

West House and its grounds were bought by the people of Pinner in 1947 and given as a memorial for those who die in war. The London Borough of Harrow now holds it in trust as an open space for recreation and pleasure. Vice Admiral Lord Nelson's grandson Nelson Ward lived at West House from 1873-1883.

'A simple way to crack a nut'.

'Doing away with servants in the dining room.'

(taken from the internet as my photo was blurred)

On the way back to the station i passed St Luke's church which is also a Grade II listed building. Built in 1957-8, it was built to designs by F X Velarde. There was a service going on at the time so I didn't enter the church. The large sculpture shows Mary with St Luke.

The Parish Hall is situated next to the church.

Pinner greatly expanded in the 20s and 30s with the development of a number of garden estates. The small village of Pinner was surrounded by new spacious homes for those commuting into London. Despite all the new developments Pinner has retained the feel of a small village and I felt I had had a day out of London rather than a visit to a greater London suburb.