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.

North Harrow

I am still on the Metropolitan Line with this station which is on the branch line to Amersham.

This is the 23rd station on this line , leaving me 12 more to visit before completing the Metropolitan line. Due to the long journey out to these stations (it takes about an hour and a half each way), I am hoping to photograph two stations today. Thunderstorms are forecast so I need a little luck on my side today. North Harrow is not that far from other stations I have visited in the area such as Harrow-on-the-Hill, West Harrow and Harrow and Wealdstone on the Bakerloo line.

The Metropolitan Railway first opened in 1863 and ran between Paddington and Farringdon, becoming the first underground railway in the world. Due to the success of this initial section the company extended the line to Harrow by 1880 and Pinner by 1885. As the popularity of the Pinner extension grew, developers looked to build housing estates alongside the line. The general manager of the Metropolitan Railway, Robert Selbie was extensively petitioned by these developers to open a station between Harrow and Pinner and in 1912 the board of the company agreed to build a station at North Harrow. The station was redeveloped in 1931 and has changed little since then.
 

Another of Mark Wallinger's Labyrinths. This one is no 12 out of the 270 he designed. I am hoping that I will find no 1 at the end of this line.

The platforms are above ground so I needed to go down the stairs to the exit. On either side of the stairwell were lots of pieces of artwork.

The art work is centred around the 100th anniversary(2008) of the roundel - the symbol for London Underground and London's transport system. This exhibition for North Harrow features work by local students of fine art and photography. It is all part of the 'Art on the Underground' scheme which offers the tube as a unique opportunity to exhibit work by well established artists or those at the beginning of their careers.

Leaving the station I was surprised by the number of shops. I thought there would just be a few. 

Not many cafes though.

One road I turned down took me into a car park which had this Home Guard Club at the end. The name refers to the Home Guard that was formed in May 1940 in response to the expected invasion by the German Armed Forces. It was made up of volunteers who were either waiting to be called up into the regular forces or were medically unfit to join. Initially the plan was that this lightly armed force would guard key local places such as the transport and the utility services. As time went on the importance of their role increased as they provided prisoner escorts and assisted with anti aircraft and searchlight operations. At the end of WW2 when the Home Guard regiments were disbanded, each of the volunteers were given a bonus of £10 (the equivalent of about £450 today). Using their bonuses a group.of volunteers clubbed together in North Harrow and bought a hut and the North Harrow Home Guard club was born in Dec 1945. The club was moved to this site in 1982.

Behind the club were open fields and then woodland.

I walked through the park and back out onto the road. This is the Wealdstone Motors art deco clock tower dated 1933. It was built as part of a parade of shops with flats above. It was originally known as Morris House as it was built for Stewart and Arden, exclusive sellers of Morris cars in Greater London. I wandered down a few roads. I am still in Betjeman's Metroland with its 1920/30s housing and tree lined streets.  It gave the impression of a  lovely, quiet residential area in which to live but probably not much for me to photograph or write about. 

I then saw a sign for Headstone Manor Park and decided to have a look. As I entered the park I noticed sections of it had been fenced off which seemed unusual.

 

On reading the information boards I discovered that this was the Headstone Manor Park Flood Alleviation Scheme which aims to address surface water flooding in the North Harrow area. The scheme provides basins in the park that will temporarily store water and reduce the risk of the downstream drainage system exceeding capacity during heavy rainfall.

The land that the park is now on has a history dating back to 823 when an Anglo Saxon princess gave it to the Archbishop of Canterbury. Headstone was a working farm for the next 1100 years. During that time it belonged to many influential people including Henry VIII.  The Headstone Manor and museum site consists of four separate buildings with the museum being based in the Manor House itself. The Manor House and its moat were originally built in 1310. They remained symbols of wealth and status until the 1800s.

This is the moat surrounding the house. In 1332 the house was sold to Robert DeWoodhouse, the Keeper of the King's Wardrobe and Chancellor of the Exchequer. Twelve years later the house was sold to the Archbishop of Canterbury and became the Archbishop's main residence in Middlesex. Since 1344 Headstone Manor had belonged to the Archbishops of Canterbury. The farm was let to the Redings who provided services to the Archbishop as part of their rent. These included food and use of the house when the Archbishop and his men visited.  In 1546 Henry VIII seized the entire Headstone estate during the reformation.

Installed when the bakehouse was built in the early 1600s, the window is in a typical Elizabethan style. The fact that a glazed window was included in a functional space demonstrates the high status of the owner. This glass is modern and parts of the frames would have been replaced over the centuries.

The Buttery was the true heart of the medieval Manor House. This space has changed the least since the house was built in 1310. The Buttery would have been used to store food which on special occasions would have provided for the Archbishop's feasts in the Great Hall.

This is the Great Hall where the Archbishops dined in state, conducted their business and entertained visitors. The Great hall is part of the house built around 1310 by the prosperous Ramesey family. Headstone was a house of the highest quality with large flint foundations supporting great oak timbers two storeys high.

With pegged joints and intricate carpentry to the winders and vertical supports, this medieval or early Tudor staircase led from an adjoining space demolished in the mid 1700s. No evidence of the staircase in the room above is visible as it has been boarded over.

Next to the manor house is the Small Barn which was built  around 1550 and until the 1920s  was probably used for keeping livestock such as pigs and goats. Today it is a Grade II listed building.The Small Barn was part of a series of buildings that enclosed the farmhouse. Archaeological discoveries beneath the existing Small Barn show that earlier buildings once stood here. 

The Great Barn formed one side of the farm courtyard. It was mainly used by tenant farmers to store their grain and stable their horses when Headstone Manor was a working farm. The 500-year-old Barn is now a Grade II listed building. It was also the centre of local home front activities in the area during World War II as well as the first home of the museum in the 1980’s.

The Great Barn is now used for specials events and weddings.

The granary was built c1760 to store cattle feed. Originally constructed at Pinner park Farm about a mile away. By the 1980s the Granary had fallen into disrepair so the decision was made to dismantle, restore and rebuild it here at Headstone Manor where it opened in 1991. The building is now used as the Museum's Learning Centre.

Outside the Granary is this wheel showing different forms of transport through the ages and how long journeys would take. For instance being carried in a  Sedan Chair in Tudor times would take you 45mins to get to Harrow school.
 I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to North Harrow and Headstone Park and before moving on to the next station I took advantage of there being a cafe on site to enjoy  a sandwich and cup of tea.