Todd Brook - the High
Todd Brook – tributary to the river Stort
Todd Brook flows south west towards the Stort
Post to the east Netteswellbury
Post to the west Hare Street
Town centre
This was laid out as set out in Gibberd’s overall plan. the “Chief Shopping Area” to be in the centre with “Civic Squares” and council offices in the south of the centre focussed and local activities around Market Square to the north. Now much of the original street structure has been removed
Broad Walk
Seen as a unifying element in the original plan.
Redstone House restricts the original links with the Town Centre South as seen in the original plan
Obelisk by Gibberd, concrete faced with Portland stone, erected in 1980 to commemorate the building of Harlow
College Square
St. Pauls Church. Harlow’s main parish church built in 1957-9 to the designs of Humphreys and Hurst. It is in brown stock brick with lots of windows. A covered way goes over a platform to a bell tower and wayside pulpit. The bells in the tower were brought from a bomb-damaged East London church. Inside it is all bright colours, with Furniture and fittings by Reginald Hurst. The Binns organ came from Monmouthshire and was rebuilt in 1967. There is a 16th sculpture of the virgin and other artistic elements including a Mural by John Piper his first mosaic. It was designed to be able to compete with surrounding tower blocks and big buildings. It is joined with St. Marys church Little Parndon
College. Harlow Technical College was originally sited near the Town Hall. It was originally West Essex College of further education, and was built between 1957 and 1968. It became an area technical college and was renamed and began to expand into neighbouring buildings. It has since moved to a new campus. Housing has been built on the old college site.
Cross Street
Harlow Central Library
Crown Gate
Beaufort House. Job Centre and other Government offices
Dad’s Wood
Housing on the site of Harlow College.
Harberts Road
Northbrook Sports field
Trinity United Reform Church. Opened 1954
Northbrooks House now an adult training centre. Former community centre
Veteran cedar tree beside Northbrooks House
Toddbrook House now a veterinary surgery. This was Oldhouse Farm and has a 17th stair and turret
Synagogue. Harlow’s Jewish Community dates to the 1950's. In 1966 a Terrapin prefabricated building was erected in two days and in 1987 a new building was consecrated.
The Golden Swift, pub
Harvey Centre.
Opened in 1981. The centre was provided under Gibberd’s plan for which he was consultant and is a good example of an early British example of a large indoor shopping mall. Now owned by Great Portland Estates
Kitson Way
New road introduced outside of Gibberd’s master plan to allow for serving of shops
William Aylmer, Wetherspoon's pub. Built in 1958, Alymer House is named from a family who lived at Moor Hall, the earliest known member of which was William Aylmer, in the 14th
Little Grove Field
Hare Street Primary School. Built in the 1950s.
Meadows Children’s Centre
Second Avenue
Harlow Leisure Zone. Newly built.
Netteswell Plantation. Woodland with a stream, and willow
Heliport. Opened in 1955. Originally it was a level grass in an "L," each arm being 100ft by 150ft with a concrete raft in the centre of each arm. There were no buildings and no landing fees are being charged. It was opened by Royal Air Force Marshall Lord Douglas of Kirtleside, arriving in a B.E.A. Bristol Sycamore. It is rarely used.
South Gate
Harlow Magistrates court
Odeon cinema. Rank’s first new cinema after the war which opened in 1960. It was designed by T. P. Bennett & Son. In 1987, it closed for tripling and the rear stalls were converted into two small cinemas. It was refurbished in 2001 but was closed in 2005.
Playhouse Theatre. In 1957, a Theatre Working Party was set up but it was only in 1970 that a foundation stone was laid by Jennie Lee, Minister for the Arts. The theatre belonged, as it still does, to Harlow Council. The Box Office (a hut which stood where Iceland is now) opened in 1971, and The Playhouse opened with a Gala Show starring, Lulu.
Terminus Street
Bus station
The High
The area of the town centre
The Water Gardens
The Water Gardens was designed by Gibberd with Gerry Perrin of Harlow Development Corporation Architect’s Department in 1958/59. However they have been greatly changed by the redevelopment of the town centre and the demolition of Gibberd’s Town Hall. It is sited on the highest part of the area and the Town Hall tower was a focus. The gardens were three parallel terraces with canals, fountains and ponds. The south side of the square open up views of the Essex countryside. Two 250 yard canals were at the top with fountains and sculptures below. The retaining wall was in blue mosaic with seven concrete ‘lions head’ bas reliefs designed by William Mitchell in 1963 and through them water flowed into the lower canal. Seven smaller pools were below this surrounded by hedges. Rodin’s Eve, was put here in 1966, Bronze Cross by Henry Moore in 1963, Hebe Comerford’s Bird in 1985 and Elisabeth Frink’s Boar 1954 albeit replaced with a bronze. The whole area however is being filled up with shops and restaurants and the like. It is now officially described as a shopping centre.
Civic Centre built in 2004
Town Hall, Designed by Gibberd and now demolished. Designed to strengthen the identity of the town centre with taller buildings so there was a tower with a rooftop observation pavilion
The Gibberd Gallery exhibition space in Harlow Civic Centre. It in clued Harlow Council’s permanent art collection, the 'Frederick Gibberd Collection of British Watercolours and Drawings’.
Third Avenue
The manor of Passmores was near the Todd brook and the Netteswell boundary. It is in Domesday and by the 12th belonged to St. Mary Overy, Southwark. In 1200 it was held by someone called Passemer.
Passmores House. This was the site for Harlow Museum which has now moved. It is now a centre for people with a substance misuse problem. A house of 1623 survives within the present building which was extended in 1727, 1832 and 1921. The southern arm of a moat survives as a pond.
Outbuilding 18th Timber-framed and black weather boarded
Todd Brook flows south west towards the Stort
Post to the east Netteswellbury
Post to the west Hare Street
Town centre
This was laid out as set out in Gibberd’s overall plan. the “Chief Shopping Area” to be in the centre with “Civic Squares” and council offices in the south of the centre focussed and local activities around Market Square to the north. Now much of the original street structure has been removed
Broad Walk
Seen as a unifying element in the original plan.
Redstone House restricts the original links with the Town Centre South as seen in the original plan
Obelisk by Gibberd, concrete faced with Portland stone, erected in 1980 to commemorate the building of Harlow
College Square
St. Pauls Church. Harlow’s main parish church built in 1957-9 to the designs of Humphreys and Hurst. It is in brown stock brick with lots of windows. A covered way goes over a platform to a bell tower and wayside pulpit. The bells in the tower were brought from a bomb-damaged East London church. Inside it is all bright colours, with Furniture and fittings by Reginald Hurst. The Binns organ came from Monmouthshire and was rebuilt in 1967. There is a 16th sculpture of the virgin and other artistic elements including a Mural by John Piper his first mosaic. It was designed to be able to compete with surrounding tower blocks and big buildings. It is joined with St. Marys church Little Parndon
College. Harlow Technical College was originally sited near the Town Hall. It was originally West Essex College of further education, and was built between 1957 and 1968. It became an area technical college and was renamed and began to expand into neighbouring buildings. It has since moved to a new campus. Housing has been built on the old college site.
Cross Street
Harlow Central Library
Crown Gate
Beaufort House. Job Centre and other Government offices
Dad’s Wood
Housing on the site of Harlow College.
Harberts Road
Northbrook Sports field
Trinity United Reform Church. Opened 1954
Northbrooks House now an adult training centre. Former community centre
Veteran cedar tree beside Northbrooks House
Toddbrook House now a veterinary surgery. This was Oldhouse Farm and has a 17th stair and turret
Synagogue. Harlow’s Jewish Community dates to the 1950's. In 1966 a Terrapin prefabricated building was erected in two days and in 1987 a new building was consecrated.
The Golden Swift, pub
Harvey Centre.
Opened in 1981. The centre was provided under Gibberd’s plan for which he was consultant and is a good example of an early British example of a large indoor shopping mall. Now owned by Great Portland Estates
Kitson Way
New road introduced outside of Gibberd’s master plan to allow for serving of shops
William Aylmer, Wetherspoon's pub. Built in 1958, Alymer House is named from a family who lived at Moor Hall, the earliest known member of which was William Aylmer, in the 14th
Little Grove Field
Hare Street Primary School. Built in the 1950s.
Meadows Children’s Centre
Second Avenue
Harlow Leisure Zone. Newly built.
Netteswell Plantation. Woodland with a stream, and willow
Heliport. Opened in 1955. Originally it was a level grass in an "L," each arm being 100ft by 150ft with a concrete raft in the centre of each arm. There were no buildings and no landing fees are being charged. It was opened by Royal Air Force Marshall Lord Douglas of Kirtleside, arriving in a B.E.A. Bristol Sycamore. It is rarely used.
South Gate
Harlow Magistrates court
Odeon cinema. Rank’s first new cinema after the war which opened in 1960. It was designed by T. P. Bennett & Son. In 1987, it closed for tripling and the rear stalls were converted into two small cinemas. It was refurbished in 2001 but was closed in 2005.
Playhouse Theatre. In 1957, a Theatre Working Party was set up but it was only in 1970 that a foundation stone was laid by Jennie Lee, Minister for the Arts. The theatre belonged, as it still does, to Harlow Council. The Box Office (a hut which stood where Iceland is now) opened in 1971, and The Playhouse opened with a Gala Show starring, Lulu.
Terminus Street
Bus station
The High
The area of the town centre
The Water Gardens
The Water Gardens was designed by Gibberd with Gerry Perrin of Harlow Development Corporation Architect’s Department in 1958/59. However they have been greatly changed by the redevelopment of the town centre and the demolition of Gibberd’s Town Hall. It is sited on the highest part of the area and the Town Hall tower was a focus. The gardens were three parallel terraces with canals, fountains and ponds. The south side of the square open up views of the Essex countryside. Two 250 yard canals were at the top with fountains and sculptures below. The retaining wall was in blue mosaic with seven concrete ‘lions head’ bas reliefs designed by William Mitchell in 1963 and through them water flowed into the lower canal. Seven smaller pools were below this surrounded by hedges. Rodin’s Eve, was put here in 1966, Bronze Cross by Henry Moore in 1963, Hebe Comerford’s Bird in 1985 and Elisabeth Frink’s Boar 1954 albeit replaced with a bronze. The whole area however is being filled up with shops and restaurants and the like. It is now officially described as a shopping centre.
Civic Centre built in 2004
Town Hall, Designed by Gibberd and now demolished. Designed to strengthen the identity of the town centre with taller buildings so there was a tower with a rooftop observation pavilion
The Gibberd Gallery exhibition space in Harlow Civic Centre. It in clued Harlow Council’s permanent art collection, the 'Frederick Gibberd Collection of British Watercolours and Drawings’.
Third Avenue
The manor of Passmores was near the Todd brook and the Netteswell boundary. It is in Domesday and by the 12th belonged to St. Mary Overy, Southwark. In 1200 it was held by someone called Passemer.
Passmores House. This was the site for Harlow Museum which has now moved. It is now a centre for people with a substance misuse problem. A house of 1623 survives within the present building which was extended in 1727, 1832 and 1921. The southern arm of a moat survives as a pond.
Outbuilding 18th Timber-framed and black weather boarded
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