West Harrow is a suburban area in the London Borough of Harrow that forms the western part of Harrow, historically in the county of Middlesex.
The area was rural until the late 19th century when the Metropolitan Railway expanded into Harrow. In the early 20th century, the area was developed into predominantly residential estates.
History
At the start of the 20th century, fields and farmland comprised the area that is now present-day West Harrow. Situated on Bessborough Road at the western foot of Harrow Hill, three farms (Honeybun, Roxborough, and Roxeth) were later developed into what became known as the Bessborough Estate. The Roxeth farmhouse still stands and gained Grade II listed status in 1951.
thumb|left|Victorian era houses on Butler Avenue
As the Metropolitan Railway extended to Harrow late in the 19th century, residential developments, including on the nearby Roxborough Park, sprung up in the surrounding area. In 1898, development began on the roads in the Bessborough Estate, and they were largely completed by 1911. West Harrow Recreation Ground was added in 1923, The Metropolitan Railway marketed the developments of the early 20th century as Metro-land. In John Betjeman's acclaimed documentary Metro-land (1973), he stands on Vaughan Road as he ponders the "nice little speculation" at the "foot of Harrow Hill, alongside the Metropolitan electric trains", "built in the '80s or '90s".
The Metropolitan Railway laid tracks through the area in 1904 as it extended towards Uxbridge. Initially, no station was built in the area. However, as the Bessborough Estate expanded, landowners and residents pressured the Metropolitan Railway to build one nearby (Harrow-on-the-Hill being the closest at the time). In 1913, a wooden halt accessible from Vaughan Road was built. The station platforms were reconstructed in 1971, and the station further renovated in 1989.
In 2024, Harrow Council recommended a resident consultation after proposing West Harrow Recreation Ground and parts of Butler Road and Lance Road for designation as Local Areas of Special Character (LASC). The well-preserved quality of Victorian and Edwardian architecture was noted, as was the historical association of the street names to Harrow School. albeit with ward boundary revisions which have since changed the area it represents.
Ahead of the 2022 revisions, focus groups noted the ward lacked community identity. The changes proposed by the council compacted the ward and transferred some areas from neighbouring wards, including Harrow on the Hill, to reflect what the community identifies as West Harrow. Additionally, the number of councillors representing the ward was reduced from three to two. while the Conservative Party took control of the council.
West Harrow is in the Brent and Harrow constituency for the London Assembly which has been represented since 2021 by Krupesh Hirani (Labour). It is also in the Harrow West parliamentary constituency, which has been represented since 1997 by Gareth Thomas (Labour).