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Publication

A History of the County of Essex: Volume 8

Author

W. R. Powell (editor), Beryl A. Board, Nancy Briggs, J. L. Fisher, Vanessa A.
Harding, Joan Hasler, Norma Knight, Margaret Parsons,

Year published

1983

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Pages

149-158

Citation

'Harlow Town', A History of the County of Essex: Volume 8 (1983),
pp. 149-158. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=63850 Date
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Contents

HARLOW TOWN
Economic History. Local Government. Public Services. Parliamentary Representation. Churches. Roman Catholicism. Protestant Nonconformity. Judaism. Other Religions. Education. Footnotes

HARLOW TOWN

Harlow Town was established in 1947 to relieve overcrowding in
north-east London. (fn. 1)
It occupies a rectangular site of 2,500 ha. (6,177 a.) extending west and south
from Old Harlow. The land rises from the valley of the Stort to over 100 m. at
Rye Hill in the south, and is intersected by the Todd brook, flowing westwards.
Before 1947 it was an area of villages and hamlets, the largest being at Old
Harlow. (fn. 2)

The master plan, for a town of 60,000, was drawn up for the development
corporation by (Sir) Frederick Gibberd, and was approved by the government in
1949. The population limit was raised to 80,000 in 1952, and to 90,000 in 1966,
but there was no increase in the designated area, and the additional numbers
were accommodated by building to a greater density in the later stages. With
that exception the town was developed as originally planned. There are four main
areas or 'clusters', situated on high ground and separated by open land in the
valleys. Within each cluster are from two to four residential 'neighbourhoods',
and there are two more neighbourhoods in the south-west. The northwest cluster
includes the town centre, the High, while each of the three other clusters has a
'neighbourhood centre' containing 30 or 40 shops, a church, a public house, a
library, and a small industrial area. A neighbourhood is composed of smaller
housing areas which are served by a sub-centre or 'hatch', a primary school, a
hall, and a public house. The 'green wedges' of open land between the clusters
carry the main roads into the town centre, and accommodate secondary schools,
playing fields, the town park in the north, and a golf course in the north-west.
Harlow village, renamed Old Harlow, and Potter Street to the south, have been
enlarged into neighbourhoods, while existing cottages at Latton, Parndon,
Netteswell, Tye Green, and Commonside Road have been incorporated into the new
neighbourhoods. (fn. 3)
There are two large industrial areas, in the northeast, and in the west, which
are linked by a main road running parallel to the railway along the Stort
valley. (fn. 4)

HARLOW 1980

The town centre, 3 km. south-west of Old Harlow, was the first in a new
town to incorporate a pedestrian precinct. The market square, on two levels, is
at its northern end, with parades of shops leading south to the civic square,
where are located the council offices, the public library, the town church, the
technical college, and the theatre.

In 1947 the population of the area designated for the new town was
c. 4,500. It was still only 5,571 in 1951, but it then increased rapidly
to 17,000 in 1954, 37,000 in 1957, 53,680 in 1961, and 78,087 in 1971. It
reached a peak of 81,000 in 1974, but fell to 77,000 in 1976 and to 73,000 in
1979. The town's new residents came at first from the boroughs of Edmonton,
Tottenham, and Walthamstow, and later from a wider area of north-east London.
Most of them were young couples, and the consequent high birthrate caused Harlow
to be called a 'pram town'. By 1979, the age structure, except for a relatively
low proportion of old people, had become normal, a process which together with a
decrease in the number of new arrivals accounted for the decline in population
after 1974. (fn. 5)

The building of Harlow began slowly because of the post-war shortage of
materials and labour. Civil engineering work started in 1948, and late in 1949
construction began of 120 houses at Chippingfield, Old Harlow, for members of
the corporation staff and employees of the main contractors. Work on the new
town proper began in April 1950. Mark Hall North in the north-east quarter was
chosen for the earliest development since there was easy access to shops and
other amenities in Old Harlow. From there building followed the roads south,
west, and finally southwest, each area being almost complete before work started
on the next. Industrial development kept pace with housing. Temple Fields was in
use by 1950, and Pinnacles from 1956. By 1954 Mark Hall North was complete,
including 'the Lawn' tower block and the small shopping centre at Ward Hatch;
Mark Hall South and Netteswell were nearing completion; and work was in progress
at Hare Street in the west and Potter Street in the east. The Stow, at the
junction of First Avenue and Howard Way, the first of the neighbourhood centres,
was open. (fn. 6)
Work began next on the town centre roads and the market square area, where the
first shops opened in December 1955. In that year development started at Little
Parndon. By the late 1950s the northwest and south-east areas were almost
finished and the neighbourhood centre at Bush Fair was open. In 1960 Great
Parndon and Passmores in the south-west were under construction and work on the
High continued, but with three quarters of the town complete the pace of
building became slower. Stewards, Kingsmoor, and the neighbourhood centre of
Staple Tye were built mainly between 1965 and 1974. The last neighbourhoods, at
Katherines and Sumners, were begun in 1974. By 1977 some 24,000 dwellings had
been completed. It was intended that housing development should be finished by
late 1980, leaving only some infilling to be done. The final phase of the High
was the Harvey Centre, a covered complex of shops and an office block, which was
under construction in 1980. (fn. 7)

The predominant influence on the architecture of the new town was that
of Gibberd, who settled at Old Harlow and as architect-planner advised the
development corporation on the choice of architects as well as designing the
civic centre and many housing and commercial buildings himself. Most of the
other architects who were awarded design contracts in the early years of the
town came from the small circle who had established themselves as followers of
the modern movement before 1939. They included F. R. S. Yorke, Maxwell Fry and
Jane Drew, W. Crabtree, Ralph Tubbs, Guy Morgan, and Richard Sheppard. Gibberd's
ten-storeyed 'the Lawn' of 1951 is often referred to as the first tower block in
Britain and it set a precedent for other high blocks which provide variety. By
1980 some thirty private firms had designed houses in the town, and they worked
alongside the architects of the development corporation and the district
council. The result has been a great variety of designs within the master plan.
Variety was also achieved by the use of different types of brick and of
weatherboarding or plaster facings. (fn. 8)
In addition to the council housing some small areas were designated for private
development. They are characterized by low density, detached houses of
traditional form. Most of the large commercial buildings were designed by
architects commissioned by the occupiers. They include Harlow Town station, the
adjacent offices of the Longman Group, A. & W. Gilbey's offices and
distillery near the town centre and their warehouse at River Way, and the
British Petroleum office tower on the western edge of the town. (fn. 9)

The principal roads form an irregular grid. Four main roads run east to
west to join the old London-Cambridge road, which was realigned in 1961 to
bypass Potter Street. Since 1975 that road has been linked with the
LondonCambridge motorway south-east of the new town. (fn. 10)
The new town's road system made little use of existing roads, which became
cycleways or footpaths connecting residential areas and open spaces. (fn. 11)

The main railway line from London to Cambridge, running through the
Stort valley, was electrified in 1961, and the station at Burnt Mill was rebuilt
as the main station and renamed Harlow Town station. The former Harlow station
became Harlow Mill station, a halt serving Old Harlow. (fn. 12)
A heliport, south-east of the High, was opened in 1955, but is seldom used. (fn. 13)

It was expected that the provision of local shopping centres and
cycleways, and the proximity of housing to industry, would obviate the need for
internal public transport except for bus services along the main roads to the
town centre, where a depot was opened in 1961. In Harlow as elsewhere, however,
the inadequacy of bus services, especially for journeys across the town,
stimulated the growth of car ownership, leading in turn to a decline in the
number of passengers and further cuts in services. In 1974 an experimental
'pick-me-up' service, arranged by telephone or postcard, was opened between Old
Harlow and the town centre. (fn. 14)

A branch post office was opened in 1952 at the Stow, Mark Hall. A
second branch, opened in the High in 1956, became the head office in 1957. There
are also branch offices at Bush Fair, Staple Tye, and Old Harlow. An automatic
telephone exchange was opened in Fourth Avenue in 1965. (fn. 15)

Stone Cross hall, the High, was opened by the development corporation
in 1956. It was taken over in 1966 by the U.D.C., renamed the Birdcage and
modernized, especially for teenage entertainment. In 1972 it was converted by
Mecca Ltd. into a dance hall called Tiffany's. A temporary cinema, the Regal,
was opened in 1952 in a factory on the Temple Fields industrial estate. It
operated until 1960 when the Odeon, the High, was opened. The Playhouse, the
High, comprising two theatres seating 450 and 150, an exhibition room, and
restaurant was opened by the U.D.C. in 1971 and is run by a trust. The Alberni
string quartet, which has an international reputation, was formed in 1963 in
Harlow with a grant from the Calouste Gulbenkian foundation, and later received
support from the district council. (fn. 16)
The Harlow Music association, founded in 1957, and the Harlow Arts council
(1964) are also assisted by local authority grants. An annual arts festival has
been held since 1965. The Harlow Art trust (1953) collects works of art, chiefly
modern sculpture, for display in the town. Its original funds were provided by
the Elmgrant trust and the development corporation. By 1978 at least 29 items
had been purchased, including works by Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, and
Elisabeth Frink. (fn. 17)
Cultural links with foreign countries were established by 'twinning' in 1960
with Stavanger (Norway) and in 1977 with another new town, Velizy Villacoublay
(Seine et Oise, France).

Sporting facilities include an outdoor centre and artificial boating
lake beside the river Stort, a roller skating rink in the town park, and indoor
and outdoor bowling greens at Tye Green. A bowling alley, opened in West Gate,
the High, in 1961, was converted into a bingo hall in 1973. In 1980 the bingo
club moved to a new hall in Terminus Street, leaving the West Gate site to be
redeveloped. The Lucania snooker hall, above the central library extension, was
opened in 1979. (fn. 18)
In 1980 there were at least 80 cultural and recreational societies in Harlow,
besides those connected with churches and political groups. There are five youth
clubs including Square One, formerly the Y.W.C.A. Galaxy club, Fourth Avenue.
Six community associations sponsor evening classes and social activities,
meeting in 4 community centres, 19 residents' common rooms, and the Sumners
family centre, opened in 1979, which is a joint school and community centre. The
town show is held annually in August in the town park.

Economic History.

The provision of employment was essential to the growth of the town,
and the construction of two major industrial estates formed part of the master
plan. (fn. 19)
The development of two centres rather than one was planned in order to ease the
flow of traffic, and to avoid the division of the town into separate working and
living areas. The larger industrial estate, and the first to be developed, lies
north-east of the town at Temple Fields; the smaller lies west at Pinnacles. A
main road (Edinburgh Way, Elizabeth Way) connects them to each other, to the
town centre, and to the railway. Both estates were built to a geometric plan: a
grid of roads forming a series of rectangular 'superblocks'. The larger
industries occupy the main road frontage, leaving space for expansion at the
rear. At Temple Fields, north of Edinburgh Way, there is access to the railway
from sidings. Smaller industries are accommodated in multiple units. Most
factories were built by the development corporation, but some were built by
industrialists to designs approved by the corporation. All are leased for
periods between 21 and 99 years. There are two smaller estates, adjoining Bush
Fair and Staple Tye centres, where service industries are located, and two
warehouse areas at Burnt Mill and Riverway.

Industrial expansion was slow before 1950, because of the difficulties
of obtaining building licences and the complex regulations surrounding them. By
1950 there were twelve firms at Temple Fields. In 1956, when the first factory
opened at Pinnacles, Temple Fields was almost fully developed, with space only
for expansion by existing industries. The Bush Fair and Staple Tye industrial
areas were opened in the late 1950s and the 1960s respectively. By 1967 there
were 94 firms at Temple Fields, Pinnacles, and Bush Fair. Many industries were
transferred or expanded from sites in London and brought their own
employees.

The development corporation encouraged diversity: light engineering,
electronics, printing, and glass, food, and furniture manufacturers became
established. In 1973 electrical engineering firms employed 36.2 per cent of the
working population. The largest factories are those of the International
Telephone and Telegraph Corporation, Edinburgh Way, and its associates Standard
Telephones and Cables, West Road, and Standard Telecommunication Laboratories,
London Road, which together employed 8,000 in 1979, in the manufacture of
electronic equipment. Cossor Electronics, a subsidiary of the A. C. Cossor
Group, and owned by the Raytheon Co. U.S.A., design and manufacture electronic
products. The company, which originated in Clerkenwell, London, in the 1890s,
opened with 200 workers, in Edinburgh Place, Temple Fields, where the first
British V.H.F. radios were made, before moving in the late 1950s to Elizabeth
Way, where in 1979 some 1,800 were employed. (fn. 20)
B. & R. Relays, South Road, Temple Fields, part of Greenbrook Securities,
making automatic starter controls, switches, and electro-magnetic relays, opened
in 1955 and by 1979 employed c. 250 workers. The Electrical Remote
Control Co., Bush Fair, makers of electronic and electromechanical timers, began
work in South Road before moving to Bush Fair.

In 1973 mechanical engineering firms employed 15 per cent of the
workforce. Pitney-Bowes at Elizabeth Way, a subsidiary of Pitney-Bowes Inc.
U.S.A., manufacturers of franking machines, in 1979 employed 1,500 workers.
Other engineering firms operating in 1980 include Raymond F. Thompson,
toolmakers, and Beard and Fitch, gear cutters, both in Edinburgh Way; Greenpar
Engineering, Station Works; and Smith's (Harlow), Barrows Road, precision
engineering. There are many small light engineering firms. Harlow Engineering
Training Centre Ltd. was opened in 1967 at Staple Tye. Precious metals are
refined by Johnson Matthey Metals, Edinburgh Way, which originated in 1954 as
the Harlow Metal Co., the production division of Messrs. Johnson and Matthey and
Co. In 1977 there were 200 employees. (fn. 21)

Chemical and allied industries include Revertex Chemicals, Edinburgh
Way, and its associate Harlow Chemical Co., Central Road, employing 1,170 in
1979 in making emulsions for paints and adhesives, and polymers for paper
coating. The Beecham Group has a medicinal research centre, extended in 1978, in
Coldharbour Road, Pinnacles, (fn. 22)
Lorilleux and Bolton, South Road, Temple Fields, and Colora Printing, Harolds
Road, Pinnacles, manufacture printing inks. In 1980 there were eight printing
firms, including Shenval Holdings, South Road; Dorstal Press, West Road, part of
the British Printing Corporation, who are also bookbinders; and Thos. Preston
(Harlow), a subsidiary of the Jefferson Smurfit Group (Eire). At Pinnacles the
Kores Manufacturing Co., West Road, makes carbon papers, stencil and typewriter
ribbons, while E.S.A. Creative Learning, Horsecroft Road, manufactures
educational stationery and equipment; in 1979 each had over 250 employees.

Other large industries include U.G. Glass Containers, Edinburgh Way,
which originated as Key Glassworks, one of the first factories at Temple Fields.
The Quadrant Glass Co., Harolds Road, Flo-rite Glassware, Horsecroft Place, and
G. Springham and Co., South Road, manufacture scientific and laboratory
glassware. Blakdale N.S.E., Howard Way, employed 600 in 1979 making steel office
equipment. The largest furniture manufacturers, employing 2,500 workers in 1979,
are Schreiber Furniture, Howard Way, a subsidiary of the General Electric Co.
The timber mills of Walter Gould and Sons are at River Way. The Co-operative
Wholesale Society has a large biscuit factory at Barrows Road, Pinnacles.

Commercial development was planned as part of the economic growth of
the town, but the building of large office blocks was delayed until work began,
in the late 1950s, on the town centre. (fn. 23)
Local and central government departments, insurance, banking, finance and
business services were attracted. Aylmer House was opened in 1959; Crown Gate
offices, later Beaufort House, and the eight-storeyed Rank House were complete
by 1961; Adams, Terminus, Rothwell, and Westgate Houses and the Rows are
multi-storey office blocks completed by 1975. Harvey House, a nine-storeyed
block and part of the final phase of building in the town centre, was expected
to accommodate 300 more office workers by 1981. (fn. 24)
Offices, a bonded warehouse, and a distillery were opened in Fourth Avenue,
north of the High, in 1963 by International Distillers and Vintners, the holding
company of Gilbey's, wine and spirit merchants, later part of Grand
Metropolitan. The company opened a distribution warehouse, the largest in
Europe, in 1972 in Riverway. (fn. 25)
George G. Sandeman & Sons, port and sherry shippers, opened offices and a
warehouse in 1973 in Elizabeth Way. British Petroleum in 1966 completed new
offices on 1.6 ha. (3.95 a.) in Third Avenue, and in 1977 were employing 950.
(fn.
26) The Longman Group, publishers, has occupied Longman House, Burnt Mill,
since 1968.

The High is also a shopping precinct and has 160 shops, including
branches of the main multiple stores and two department stores. Another 177
shops are located in four centres at the Stow, Bush Fair, Staple Tye, and Old
Harlow, and in 18 sub-centres. A market, opened in 1956, is held in the market
square, the High, every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Harlow District Council. Vert between three lozenges argent a pair of
dividers or enfiled by a mural crown also argent two flaunches of the last each
charged with a mascle gules. [Granted 1957]

Local Government.

The Harlow development corporation was established in 1947 by the
Ministry of Town and Country Planning, from the Advisory Board set up under the
New Towns Act, 1946. (fn. 27)
The corporation was financed by the government by means of loans for up to 60
years, and had wide powers to acquire land, to provide basic services, and to
direct the building of the new town. It worked closely with Essex county council
and private enterprises to provide schools, welfare facilities, and police and
health services. The chairman and eight members of the board of the corporation
were appointed for their knowledge of town planning, housing, social welfare,
and local government. From 1955 the board also included local councillors
appointed by the government. There have been four chairmen: Sir Ernest Gowers
(1947–50); (Sir) Richard Costain (1950–66); (Sir) John Newsom (1966– 71); and
Mr. Bernard J. Perkins (from 1971). The Board appointed a working committee
composed of a general manager and seven chief officers, each responsible for his
own department. From 1955 the corporation began to hand over its functions to
the newly formed Harlow district council. By 1978 the corporation's work was
virtually complete. It was intended that by the end of 1980 its remaining
industrial and commercial assets should be transferred to the Commission for the
New Towns and it should then be disbanded.

The area designated for the town comprised the civil parishes of
Harlow (including Latton), Great Parndon, and Netteswell (including Little
Parndon), all in Epping rural district. (fn. 28)
It originally included also a small strip of land in Eastwick (Herts.) but that
was omitted from the final plan. The constituent parishes in 1949 formed a joint
committee to negotiate with the development corporation. In 1955 the three
parishes were merged in the new parish and urban district of Harlow. (fn. 29)
The U.D., whose boundaries were those finally designated for the town, comprised
7 wards with 18 councillors, including 5 from the old communities and 13 from
the new ones. New wards were created as the town grew, and by 1974 there were 14
wards with 42 councillors. The council offices were at Netteswell Hall and
Netteswell House until the opening of the town hall, in the High, in 1960. (fn. 30)
The new council, Labour-controlled from its inception, took over from the
corporation many functions, including highway maintenance, refuse collection,
and the provision of parks, recreation areas, sports facilities, and public
entertainments, but in housing it controlled only property built before 1947.
(fn.
31)

Harlow district, formed in 1973, has the same area as the former urban
district, the same number of wards and councillors, and the same political
control. In 1978 the council assumed full responsibility for housing when 18,500
rented dwellings were handed over by the development corporation. (fn. 32)

Harlow is an Essex police division. A new police station was opened in
1957 in Crown Gate, the High. In 1959 a new court house was built on an
adjoining site, and the first county court was held in 1961.

Public Services.

The master plan for Harlow included the provision of public services
and amenities, which were to be extended as the town grew. (fn. 33)
Gas and electricity, supplied by the Eastern Gas and the Eastern Electricity
boards, were available from the beginning. Water was supplied by the Herts. and
Essex Water Co., from 1960 part of the Lee Valley Water Co., at first from deep
bores in the chalk in Hertfordshire. A reservoir was opened in 1954 at Rye Hill
(Herts.) and in 1955 headworks came into use at Sacombe (Herts.). Sewerage was
provided as part of the Middle Lee regional drainage scheme, by the development
corporation, acting as 'caretaker authority' from 1956 to 1974, when the Thames
Water Authority was formed. A main trunk sewer opened in 1952 and the first
stage of Rye Meads (Herts.) sewage works was built between 1950 and 1956. A
second stage was complete by 1965.

Housing was almost entirely provided and managed by the development
corporation until 1978, when responsibility was transferred to the D.C. The
corporation built a few houses for sale, the first, in the mid 1950s, being at
Upper Park, Little Parndon, and some private building was allowed, at Latton
Bush and elsewhere. Between 1971 and 1974 the corporation sold 3,500 dwellings
to sitting tenants. In 1979 the D.C. owned 21,000 dwellings.

Open spaces were an essential part of the master plan. Four major
green 'wedges' were designed to penetrate the town centre between the built-up
areas. The northern wedge became the site of the town park, which comprises 66
ha. (163 a.) Formal playing fields and playgrounds were provided between the
housing areas. Existing woods were preserved and opened to the public, and a
nature reserve was established at Parndon wood. In 1960 a sports centre, managed
by a trust and comprising an athletic arena and stadium, was opened west of the
town park. It was extended in 1964, 1970, and 1975, and provides both indoor and
outdoor facilities, including a ski-slope. (fn. 34)
In 1964 an 18-hole golf course at Canons Brook, Elizabeth Way, designed by Henry
Cotton, was leased by the trust. A swimming pool was opened in 1961 north of
First Avenue.

The local health service was among the most original of those designed
for the new towns. It was based on the creation of group practice health centres
for doctors, dentists, and county council welfare clinics, served by a central
hospital. The project was financed by the Nuffield Provincial Hospitals trust;
the buildings, rented by the users, were designed and managed by the development
corporation. From 1962 Harlow had a separate health area sub-committee, whose
functions were transferred in 1974 to Essex area health authority. The first
family health centre opened in 1952 in temporary premises at Haygarth House. In
1955 Nuffield House, the Stow, replaced Haygarth House, and two new centres were
opened, Sydenham House, Pypers Hatch, to serve Netteswell, and Osler House,
Prentice Place, for the Potter Street area. By 1977 there were eight
group-practice centres and two specialist centres. Princess Alexandra hospital,
Hamstel Road, with 450 beds, was built in three stages between 1958 and 1966.
Harlow industrial health service, founded in 1955 and initially financed by the
Nuffield Provincial Hospitals trust, is supported by contributions from member
firms. It has three centres: Edinburgh House, Temple Fields; Perry Watlington
House, Pinnacles; and the engineering training centre, Staple Tye. Parndon Wood
crematorium and cemetery, Great Parndon, were opened in 1961 by the U.D.C. (fn. 35)
A fire station was completed in 1957 in Fourth Avenue, north of the High.

The county library opened its first Harlow branch in 1955 in the Stow.
(fn.
36) The central library, the High, was opened in 1963, and extended in 1979,
by which date there were also branches at Bush Fair, Old Harlow, Potter Street,
and Staple Tye. Harlow museum opened in 1973 in Passmores, a converted Georgian
house, south of Third Avenue. (fn. 37)

Parliamentary Representation.

Harlow county constituency was formed in 1974 from parts of the old
Epping constituency. It includes the town and adjoining rural parishes. At all
elections up to 1979 it returned a Labour member. (fn. 38)

Churches.

Six ecclesiastical parishes came into the town at its formation in
1947: Harlow, St. Mary with St. John; Harlow, St. Mary Magdalene; Latton;
Netteswell; Great Parndon; and Little Parndon. They were reorganized in 1957.
(fn.
39)

The parish of Harlow, St. Mary with St. John, based on Old Harlow,
remained largely unchanged, but included two small areas of Latton east of the
main London road. By 1979 the church of St. John was redundant. (fn. 40)

The parish of Harlow, St. Mary Magdalene, centred on Potter Street,
was extended to include the southern part of Latton, east of the main road to
London, from Mark Hall wood south, and the area south of Commonside Road. (fn. 41)

The parish of Harlow New Town (Town Centre parish) was formed from
that of Little Parndon (excluding the detached southern portion), the northern
parts of Great Parndon and Netteswell, and a small strip of Latton. A new parish
church, in the High, was consecrated in 1959, and St. Mary's, Little Parndon
became a chapel of ease. The advowson was vested in the trustees of J. H. L.
Arkwright. In 1977 a patronage board was set up on which were represented the
bishop, Mr. J. H. L. Arkwright, the Church Pastoral Aid Society, and the
parochial church council. The church of ST. PAUL, designed by Humphrys
& Hurst, is a cruciform building of yellow brick with a tapering,
copper-covered spire and a detached bell tower. (fn. 42)
The north transept contains a baptistery with choir gallery above. The chapel of
the Holy Spirit, at the eastern end of the south aisle, is separated from the
church by a glass partition. The interior has much colour: red for the aisle
roofs, doors, kneelers, standing candlesticks and sanctuary carpet; blue, white,
and lemon yellow for the main roofs; gold for the altar hangings; and white and
amber glass in the windows. At the east end is a large mosaic mural by John
Piper, depicting Christ with two disciples at Emmaus. The tower contains six
bells brought from the church of Holy Trinity, Barking Road, West Ham. (fn. 43)

The church of ST. BARNABAS, Hare Street, dedicated in 1956 as a
mission of St. Mary, Great Parndon, became part of Town Centre parish in 1957
and was used for worship until the completion of St. Paul's, when it became a
church hall. It was sold by 1972 and the money was used to build a new hall,
conference room, and curate's flat at St. Paul's. The church of ST.
MICHAEL, Netteswell, which originated in 1956 as a mission of St. Andrew's,
Netteswell, became a district church of Town Centre parish in 1957. It was
closed in 1980. The mission hall at Netteswell Cross was acquired in 1968 by the
Youth Hostels association and became an international centre in 1970. (fn. 44)

The parish of Great Parndon with St. James, Southern Way, Staple Tye,
was formed from the southern part of the ancient parish of Great Parndon, the
detached part of Little Parndon, and a small strip of Netteswell, to serve the
south-west area. The church of St. Mary the Virgin, which remained the parish
church, was by 1980 shared with the Methodists. (fn. 45)
The church of ST. JAMES was dedicated in 1958. It is a square, brick
building with an octagonal roof and lantern. It also is shared with the
Methodists.

The parish of Tye Green with St. Andrew, Netteswell, was formed from
the southern part of Netteswell parish and a small strip of Latton, to serve the
south-east area. The old church of St. Andrew remained the parish church until
1964, when the new church of ST. STEPHEN, Tawneys Road, Tye Green, was
built. (fn. 46)
St. Stephen's is of rustic brown brick with a tower over the porch. The interior
is of concrete with large folding doors to the adjoining hall. The advowson is
vested in Mr. J. H. L. Arkwright.

The parish of St. Mary at Latton, Mark Hall, comprising the northern
part of the ancient parish of Latton and the detached area of Harlow parish,
serves the north-east area. The church of St. Mary the Virgin remains the parish
church. (fn. 47)

Roman Catholicism.

From 1951 Roman Catholics in the new town used the church of Our Lady
of the Assumption, Mulberry Green, Old Harlow. (fn. 48)
As the population increased four sites were developed. (fn. 49)

The north-east parish at Mark Hall was formed from that of Harlow.
From 1955 mass was held in the church hall until the church of OUR LADY OF
FATIMA, Howard Way, was opened in 1960. It was designed by Gerard Goalen on
a T-shaped plan, with a copper-covered needle spire. The stained glass was
designed and made at Buckfast Abbey (Devon). (fn. 50)

Two parishes were formed in 1957. The southeast parish is served by
the church of THE HOLY CROSS, Tracyes Road, opened in 1963. The
north-west parish comprises Hare Street and Little Parndon neighbourhoods; the
church of ST. THOMAS MORE opened in 1965.

A parish was formed at Great Parndon in 1962 for the south-west area.
Mass is held in the church hall of ST. LUKE, Perry Road, opened in
1966.

Protestant Nonconformity.

From 1947 the Baptist chapels at Fore Street, Harlow, and Potter
Street, the Methodist churches at Harlow and Burnt Mill, Netteswell, and the
Gospel hall at Great Parndon, renewed and extended their work to meet the needs
of the new town. (fn. 51)
Many new places of worship were opened, common rooms or private houses being
used until new churches were built. (fn. 52)

The Harlow Methodist Mission circuit was formed in 1952. (fn. 53)
The church of St. Andrew opened in 1954 in the Stow, Mark Hall South. It is a
combined church and hall of brick, with adjoining classrooms. St. James, Staple
Tye, opened in 1958, is shared between Methodists and the Church of England. (fn. 54)

Trinity United Reformed (formerly Presbyterian) church, Harberts Road,
Hare Street, was opened in 1954. In 1979 there were 47 members. David
Livingstone U.R. (formerly Congregational) church, Maddox Road, Netteswell, was
opened in 1958. In 1979 there were 21 members. (fn. 55)

The Evangelical Lutheran church of the Redeemer, Tawneys Road, Bush
Fair, began in a wooden building in 1959. A permanent church, with hall,
offices, and manse attached, was opened on the same site in 1967. The church has
a low, domed roof, folding doors, and movable seating. The whole building is
surrounded by a high white wall. (fn. 56)

Other places of worship in 1980 include the Society of Friends meeting
house, opened in 1962 in Church Leys, Tendring Road, Tye Green; (fn. 57)
the Salvation Army Citadel, established by 1967 in Tendring Road, Passmores;
Harefield Evangelical church, Momples Road, Mark Hall South, opened 1957; (fn. 58)
Oakwood Interdenominational and Evangelical chapel, Spring Hills, Little
Parndon, developed from a Sunday school in the 1950s; (fn. 59)
Elim (Pentecostal) church, Parndon Wood Road, opened 1973; (fn. 60)
the Assemblies of God, Purford Green, Brays Grove, opened 1969; (fn. 61)
Christian Science society premises, Mowbray Road, Mark Hall North, from 1967;
Harlow branch of the church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, Tysea
Road, Latton Bush, in use by 1977; Jehovah's Witnesses, Kingdom Hall, Hodings
Road, Little Parndon, from 1968.

Judaism.

A synagogue was opened in 1966 in Harberts Road, Hare Street. (fn. 62)

Other Religions.

A Buddhist Society, founded in 1968, meets at the Dana Centre, Staple
Tye. (fn. 63)
A Baha'i Faith group, formed in 1975, meets in private houses in Harlow. (fn. 64)

Education. (fn. 65)

The provision of schools for Harlow was one of the main concerns of
the Essex education committee in the 1950s. The committee was hampered by
shortages of money, labour, and materials, and diverted to the new towns
resources needed for the improvement of old rural schools. (fn. 66)
The initial plan for Harlow schools had to be revised frequently in the
following years to match the changing pace and location of house building. Many
of the schools were designed by private architects, although the county
architect's department was the coordinating authority and designed some of the
larger units. (fn. 67)
The first new primary school was opened in 1951 and the first secondary school
in 1954. By 1979 thirty-four county schools had been built, including 3 which
were closed in the 1970s, and 2 special schools. The Church of England opened a
new primary school, the Roman Catholics a secondary school and 3 primary
schools. In the following accounts of primary and secondary schools temporary
enlargements are omitted and an address is not given when it is part of the
school's name. Unless otherwise described, they are county schools, the primary
schools are for juniors and infants, and the secondary schools are mixed.

Primary schools. Tany's Dell schools opened in 1951 as a
temporary school at Mark Hall and moved to new buildings in 1952. Mark Hall was
used as an annexe until 1960 when 2 classrooms were added at Tany's Dell. (fn. 68)
Broadfields schools, Freshwaters, opened in 1954 and were enlarged in 1955 and
1959. (fn. 69)
An English language centre for immigrant children in West Essex was opened there
in 1969. The Spinney schools, Cook's Spinney, opened in 1954 and were enlarged
in 1955. Potter Street junior school, Carter's Mead, opened in 1954 to replace
the junior department of the Common Church school, and the adjacent infant
school opened in 1958 when the Church school closed. The old school, later a
Masonic hall, was used as an annexe in the 1960s. (fn. 70)

Hare Street schools, Little Grove Field, opened in 1955. Little
Parndon schools, Park Mead, which were opened in 1955, received children from
Rivermill and Spring Hills schools in 1974 and 1975. (fn. 71)
The Downs school, the Hides, opened in 1955, was enlarged in 1958 and 1961, and
rebuilt after being badly damaged by fire in 1968. (fn. 72)
Purford Green schools opened in 1956 in the former Common Church school and
moved to new buildings later that year. St. Alban's Roman Catholic school, First
Avenue, opened in 1956. Spring Hills school, Fold Croft, opened in 1958 and
closed in 1975, when the remaining children were transferred to Little Parndon
school, to which the Spring Hills buildings were temporarily annexed. (fn. 73)
Jerounds schools, Pyenest Road, originated in 1958 as Great Parndon temporary
school, in the buildings of the former Church school. In 1963 the schools were
renamed and the juniors moved to a wing of Stewards secondary school. The
infants moved to new buildings in 1964 and the juniors in 1965. The schools were
enlarged in 1968. Pear Tree school, Trotters Road, opened in 1959.

Holy Cross Roman Catholic school, Tracyes Road, opened in 1960 and was
enlarged c. 1965. (fn. 74)
Waterhouse Moor school opened in 1961 and in 1962 was reorganized as separate
junior and infant schools, which were reunited in 1970. In 1977 the former
infant building was annexed to Harlow technical college. Abbotsweld junior
school opened in 1961 and the adjacent infant school in 1964. Both were enlarged
in 1967. Rivermill school, Hodings Road, opened in 1961, was reorganized in 1973
as a junior school, and closed in 1974 when the remaining children went to
Little Parndon school. Latton Green schools, Riddings Lane, opened in 1962 in
the infant building. The junior school was completed in 1963. Peterswood junior
school, Paringdon Road, completed in 1964 before the neighbouring houses were
built, was temporarily used by children from Abbotsweld area. (fn. 75)
The adjacent infant school was completed in 1966, and both schools were enlarged
in 1968. St. Luke's Roman Catholic school, Pyenest Road, was opened in 1965 and
enlarged in 1966 and 1972. Kingsmoor junior school, Ployters Road, opened in
1966, was used by juniors and infants until the adjacent infant school was ready
in 1967. The schools were enlarged in 1972. Westfield school, Tendring Road,
opened in 1968 and closed in 1977 when the remaining children went to Abbotsweld
schools.

St. James's Church of England school, Paringdon Road, opened in 1972.
Maunds Wood school, Parnall Road, and Milwards school, Paringdon Road, opened in
1973. Katherine's school, Brookside, opened in 1974. Sumners school opened in
1977 in temporary premises at the former Westfield school and moved to new
buildings in 1978. Harlowbury school, off Watlington Road, opened in 1978.

Secondary schools. The schools, originally planned as
experimental bilateral schools, had become comprehensive by 1957 and were so
named in 1964. (fn. 76)
Mark Hall school, First Avenue, was opened in 1954 as a modern/technical school,
and enlarged in 1973. Netteswell school, the Hides, was opened as a
modern/grammar school in 1955 and enlarged in 1967 and 1970. Brays Grove school,
Tracyes Road, was opened in 1957, and enlarged in 1967. (fn. 77)
Latton Bush school, Southern Way, opened in 1959, was enlarged in 1972, and
Passmores school, Tendring Road, opened in 1959 in part of Latton Bush school,
moved in 1961 to new buildings which were enlarged in 1969. Burnt Mill school,
First Avenue, opened in 1962 in part of Passmores school and moved later that
year to new buildings, which were enlarged in 1969. Stewards school, Parnall
Road, opened in 1963 and was enlarged in 1969. St. Mark's Roman Catholic school,
Tripton Road, opened in 1965 in part of Holy Cross primary school and moved to
new buildings in 1966. It was enlarged in 1967 and 1975.

Special Schools. Units for partially hearing children opened at
Tany's Dell infant school in 1968 and at Burnt Mill secondary school in 1969. A
unit for the physically handicapped was opened at the Spinney infant school in
1969 and others for the maladjusted at Broadfields infant school in 1968 and
temporarily at Waterhouse Moor infant school in 1971. (fn. 78)

The Mead school, Tendring Road, originated in 1961 when three classes
for the educationally sub-normal were started in the former Nazeing primary
school, Bumble's Green. In 1964 it moved to new buildings in Tendring Road and
in 1971 it was reorganized for children aged 5–12 years. (fn. 79)

Tye Green school, Tendring Road, for the severely educationally
sub-normal, originated as a junior training centre, which was transferred in
1971 from the regional hospital board to the county council and renamed. It was
enlarged in 1973. (fn. 80)

The Commonside school for the educationally sub-normal originated in
1968 when a class from the Mead school moved to the former Westfield primary
school as the nucleus of a special secondary school. It moved to new buildings
in 1971. (fn. 81)

Further Education. Harlow technical college, the High,
originally West Essex college of further education, was built in three phases
between 1957 and 1968. (fn. 82)
By 1961 advanced work had been developed there because of the difficulty of
travelling to South West Essex technical college, Walthamstow. (fn. 83)
In 1962 the college became an area technical college and was renamed. (fn. 84)
In the 1960s and 1970s neighbouring church and club premises were used to
relieve overcrowding, and in 1977 an annexe was established in the former infant
school at Waterhouse Moor. (fn. 85)
Evening institutes opened at Burnt Mill c. 1963 and Latton Bush c.
1962.

Educational Charity. The Tom Parkin charity was founded by deed
of trust in 1977 by Harlow Rotary club, which raised £523 for the promotion of
education in Harlow, Sheering, Matching, and High and Little Laver, in memory of
Tom Parkin of Bishop's Stortford (d. 1974). The initial investment was augmented
by gifts to provide three annual grants to students of £20 each in 1977 and £50
each in 1978 and 1979. (fn. 86)

Footnotes

1

Below, Local Govt. This article was completed in 1980.

2

Above, Harlow Ancient Parish; O.S. Map 1/50,000, sheet 167 (1977
edn.). Section based on Intro. to Harlow (1975); Harlow
Achievement (1979); Harlow Milestones (1975); Harlow
Official Handbk. (1957 and later edns.); Harlow Dev. Corp. Ann.
Rep. (1974, 1977–9); Bateman, Harlow, 130–45.

3

F. Gibberd, Plan for Harlow (1949, 2nd. edn. 1952).

4

Below, Econ. Hist.

5

Census (1951, 1961, 1971); Harlow Expansion (1974); Min.
of Housing and Loc. Govt. Circular No. 29/53 (May 1953); inf. from
Harlow dev. corp.

6

Above, plate 24.

7

Harlow Housing Areas and Densities (1980); Pevsner,
Essex (1st edn. 204–7,
2nd. edn. 223–31); Harvey Centre News
(Feb. 1980).

8

Above, plate 38.

9

For an appraisal see G. E. Kidder Smith, New Archit. of Europe
(1962), 57.

10

Above, plate 3.

11

Gibberd, Plan for Harlow (1949, 2nd
edn. 1952); Harlow Dev. Corp. Transportation Study (1968).

12

The Builder, 7 Oct. 1960.

13

Ind. Archit. Sept. 1963.

14

The Times, 16 Dec, 1977; E.C. xxii. 38–9.

15

Inf. from Harlow head post office.

16

The Times, 24 Mar. 1980.

17

Harlow Sculpture (1973, supplement 1978).

18

Harvey Centre News (1978–80).

19

Section based on Gibberd, Plan for Harlow (1949); Intro. to
Harlow (1975); Industry & Commerce in Harlow (1975);
Progress at Harlow (1957); Harlow Achievement (1979);
Harlow Industrial Firms (1980); Harlow Industries (1975);
Harlow Official Handbk. (1957 and later edns.); Pevsner,
Essex, 225–6, 229; Bateman, Harlow, 133; inf. about parent
companies and employment figures from Kompass (1979); Who owns
Whom (1979/80).

20

Inf. from Cossor Electronics.

21

The Times, 16 Dec. 1977.

22

Harlow Dev. Corp. Ann. Rep. (1978).

23

Commercial inf. is based on Harlow Service Industries and
Offices (1980); Harlow Milestones (1975).

24

Harvey Centre News (Feb. 1980).

25

Inf. from Gilbey's.

26

The Times, 16 Dec. 1977.

27

Section based on Bateman, Harlow, 127–46; W. Eric Adams, New
Town of Harlow (1954); Harlow Achievement (1979); Intro. to
Harlow (1975); Harlow Milestones (1975); Harlow Official
Handbk. (1957 and later edns.); Harlow Dev. Corp. Ann. Rep.
(1978, 1979).

28

Essex Conf. Order 1949; above, Harlow, Latton, Netteswell, Great and
Little Parndon, introductions.

29

Essex Conf. Order 1955.

30

Above, plate 2.

31

Below, Public Services.

32

Harlow District Council, Intro. Harlow Council (1979).

33

Section based on Harlow Official Handbk. (1957 and later
edns.); Intro. to Harlow (1975); Harlow Milestones (1975);
Harlow Achievement (1979); Harlow Health Centres (c.
1965); Middle Lee Regional Drainage Scheme (1973); Harvey Centre
News (Aug. 1979); Harlow Dev. Corp. Ann. Rep. (1977); Pevsner,
Essex, 223; Bateman, Harlow, 129–42.

34

Harlow Dev. Corp. Harlow Town Park.

35

Inf. from superintendent.

36

V.C.H. Essex, Bibliography, plate facing p. 311.

37

Below, Great Parndon, Manors.

38

The Times Guide to H. of C. (1979); Vacker's Parl.
Companion (1979).

39

Section based on E.R.O., D/DCPc 349 (Order in Council, 1957);
Harlow Official Handbk. (1957 and later edns.); Bateman,
Harlow, 112–13, 144; Chel. Dioc. Y. B. (1955–79); inf.
kindly supplied by Canon D. M. Knight, rector of St. Paul's, Harlow.

40

Above, Harlow Ancient Parish, Churches.

41

Ibid.

42

Above, plate 1.

43

Essex Churchman, (June 1959); Pevsner, Essex, 231;
E.C. xii. 300–3; V.C.H. Essex, vi. 120.

44

Above, Netteswell, Church; inf. from Harlow International Youth
Centre.

45

Above, Great Parndon, Church.

46

Above, Netteswell, Church.

47

Above, Latton. Church.

48

Above, Harlow Ancient Parish. Rom. Cath.

49

Section based on Essex Recusant, xviii. 42; Cath. Dir.
(1979); Harlow Official Handbk. (1957 and later edns.).

50

Pevsner, Essex, 228; E.C. xii. 300–3.

51

Above, Harlow Ancient Parish, Prot. Nonconf.; below: Netteswell, Prot.
Nonconf.; Gt. Parndon, Prot. Nonconf.

52

Section based on Harlow Official Handbk. (1957 and later
edns.); Bateman, Harlow, 144.

53

Inf. from Revd. J. D. Buxton.

54

Above, Churches.

55

United Reformed Ch. Yr. Bk. (1979).

56

Inf. from Mr. Roland Fry.

57

D. M. Butler, County Index to Meeting Houses (1967).

58

Harefield News (March 1979).

59

Inf. from Mr. C. G. Hill.

60

Inf. from Pastor W. R. B. Robb.

61

Inf. from Pastor J. Watson.

62

Harlow Official Handbk. (1967); inf. from Mrs. C.
Jackson.

63

Inf. from Mrs. Sue Donohue; Harlow Official Handbk.
(1977).

64

Inf. from Mrs. D. Reader; Harlow Official Handbk. (1977).

65

Section based on Educ. in Essex 1945–52, 16; 1952–6, 20–1, 23;
1956–60, 22; 1960–4, 19; 1964–73, 21, 23, 26, 29–30, 32, 34, 99; Essex
Educ. xxvii(2), 36–7; xxviii(2), 56–7; xxix(2), 49; xxx(2), 36;
xxxi(2), 36; xxxii(2), 36; inf. from Essex Educ. Dept.

66

E.R.O., C/ME 42, p. 170; C/ME 43, pp. 265–6, 364; C/ME 46, pp. 282–3,
489; C/ME 51, pp. 42, 285; C/ME 57, pp. 658–9; C/ME 59, pp. 302–3.

67

Pevsner, Essex, 223–31.

68

E.R.O., C/ME 45. P. 75; C/ME 50, p. 354; C/ME 54. p. 167.

69

Inf. from headmaster.

70

E.R.O., C/ME 49, p. 264; C/ME 55, pp. 488, 762; inf. from
headmaster.

71

E.R.O., N/CME 2, p. C57.

72

E.R.O., C/ME 54, p. 12; C/ME 56, p. 108; C/ME 63, P. A 145.

73

E.R.O., N/CME 2, p. C57.

74

E.R.O., C/ME 59, p. 43.

75

E.R.O., C/ME 59, pp. 815–16.

76

E.R.O., C/ME 58, pp. 697–8.

77

E.R.O., C/ME 67, p. E36.

78

E.R.O., C/ME 61, p. 518; C/ME 64, pp. D25, D26; C/ME 63, p. D64.

79

E.R.O., C/ME 55, p. 349; C/ME 58, p. 454.

80

E.R.O., C/ME 65, p. D9; C/ME 67, p. D28.

81

E.R.O., C/ME 63, p. D6.

82

Inf. from college.

83

E.R.O., C/ME 55, p. 341.

84

E.R.O., C/ME 56, p. 798.

85

E.R.O., C/ME 60, pp. 739, 756, 765; C/ME 61, p. 685; inf. from
college.

86

Char. Com. files; inf. from Mr. G.
Hardy.

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