Roxeth was a
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
in the ancient
Harrow on the Hill
Harrow on the Hill is a locality and historic village in the borough of Harrow in Greater London, England. The name refers to Harrow Hill, ,Mills, A., ''Dictionary of London Place Names'', (2001) and is located some half a mile south of the mod ...
parish, which now forms part of the
London Borough of Harrow
The London Borough of Harrow () is a London borough in northwest London, England; it forms part of Outer London. It borders four other London boroughs Barnet to the east of ancient Watling Street (now the A5 road), Brent to the southeast, Ea ...
in
Greater London,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
The ancient parish of Harrow on the Hill, or simply Harrow, was one of the largest parishes in
Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...
. Apart from Harrow Town, it encompassed a number of smaller settlements, including Roxeth itself, Greenhill,
Harrow Weald
Harrow Weald is a suburban district in Greater London, England. Located about north of Harrow, Harrow Weald is formed from a leafy 1930s suburban development along with ancient woodland of Harrow Weald Common. It forms part of the London Boro ...
,
Kenton,
Preston, Uxendon,
Tokyngton
Tokyngton, also locally known as Monks Park, is a locality that forms the southeastern part of the town of Wembley in Greater London, in the London Borough of Brent, England. Most refer it as being either Wembley or Stonebridge, as the name ''T ...
,
Sudbury,
Wembley
Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...
and
Alperton
Alperton () is an area of north west London, England, within the London Borough of Brent. It forms the southern part of the town of Wembley and is west north-west of Charing Cross. It includes a handful of high-rise and many mid-rise buildings ...
.
Roxeth village was adjacent to Harrow on the Hill, along the main road to the south. The name ''Roxeth'' is thought to derive from a contraction of 'Rooks Heath' and much of the land between Roxeth and Sudbury was indeed heathland as far as the early 19th century. A mediaeval moated manor existed until the mid-20th century. On its site stands a council housing estate.
Development around the crossroads at the bottom of Harrow on the Hill, an area known as Roxeth Corner, was under way in the early 19th century, using brick from the nearby brickworks in Lower Road. A
Wesleyan
Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan– Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charle ...
Chapel was built soon after 1817 on London Hill (now called Roxeth Hill). In 1864, the Wesleyans moved to a new larger chapel in Lower Road, which has since become the Welsh Congregational Chapel. By 1880, the former Wesleyan chapel had been converted to an elementary school which it remained until at least the 1930s. Christ Church on Roxeth Hill, which was built in 1862 by the celebrated architect George Gilbert Scott as a chapel of ease to St Mary's Harrow on the Hill, has cemetery records that begin in 1863 and go on till at least 1942. In 1906, the stone was laid for a Salvation Army Hall (presently vacant) on Roxeth Hill, adjacent to the Half Moon Pub which was there since at least 1880.
South Harrow and Roxeth railway station, on the Marylebone to High Wycombe mainline, was opened in 1926 at the far end of the village and renamed
Northolt Park Station in 1929.
Northolt – Introduction , British History Online
/ref> Roxeth is now also served by South Harrow tube station
South Harrow is a London Underground station on the Uxbridge branch of the Piccadilly line. It is between Rayners Lane and Sudbury Hill stations. It is located on Northolt Road ( A312). The station is in Travelcard Zone 5. There are several ...
.
The name of the parish lives on as a current Ward of the London Borough of Harrow and in local schools, Roxeth First and Middle Schools as well as Rooks Heath School
Rooks Heath School (formerly known as Rooks Heath High School,Rooks Heath College and before that Roxeth Senior School) is a state secondary school and Sixth Form, in South Harrow in the London Borough of Harrow. It is a mixed comprehensive sch ...
(formerly known as Rooks Heath High School and, before that, Roxeth Manor Secondary School for Boys and Roxeth Manor Secondary School for Girls), as well as in the name of the parish church, Christ Church Roxeth. Also the oldest children's voluntary group in the Borough, the Roxeth & Harrow Company of the Church Lads' and Church Girls' Brigade
The Church Lads' and Church Girls' Brigade is an Anglican youth organisation with branches in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Bermuda, Kenya, South Africa, Barbados, Newfoundland and St Helena. Its origins lie in the formation in 1891 of the Chur ...
, was formed on 1 October 1894. It received the Freedom of Entry to the Borough, the first civilian group to be such honoured, in 1994. This was “In recognition of its centenary and the outstanding continuous service provided by the Brigade to the Harrow Area.” Their near neighbours, the Royal British Legion and 1454 Sqn Air Training Corps received same in 1996 and 2014 respectively.
Roxonian Football Club was formed in 1933. It is now called Harrow Borough F.C.
Harrow Borough Football Club is an English football club based in Harrow, London. They were founded in 1933 and compete in the . Harrow Borough's home ground is Earlsmead Stadium, which has a capacity of 3,070. Harrow Borough moved into Earl ...
and plays at Earlsmead Stadium
Earlsmead Stadium is a football stadium in Harrow, north-west London, England. It is the home ground of Harrow Borough F.C. The stadium has a capacity of 3,070 people, which includes 350 seats and standing under cover for 1,000 people. The re ...
on the west side of Roxeth, on former common land known as Dobbs Field.
References
*Bartlett, T L, The Story of Roxeth (1948, Foy Publications for the Friends of Roxeth)
{{LB Harrow
Districts of the London Borough of Harrow
Areas of London
Places formerly in Middlesex