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Northwood Hills
Northwood Hills photos
Displaying the first of 17 old photos of Northwood Hills. View all Northwood Hills photos
Northwood Hills maps
Historic maps of Northwood Hills and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Northwood Hills maps
Northwood Hills area books
Displaying 1 of 13 books about Northwood Hills and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Northwood Hills
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memories of Northwood Hills.
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Northwood Hills in The 1970's
I moved to Northwood in 1978 when my work transferred from Glasgow to London. Although most of my local shopping was done in Northwood itself, sometimes my wife and I would come down to Northwood Hills as there were a few things we couldn't get locally.
This view is taken from the pavement outside Northwood Metropolitan LIne station looking towards the roundabout at the north end of the parade. Just round the corner to the left on the roundabout was a branch of "MacFisheries". Remember them? Whatever became of their shopping chain?
On the right just before the roundabout was lovely lighting shop. My wife bought two attractive lamps here which I still use more than 30 years later to read music when I play my piano.
A Childhood Memory
I was born and brought up in Northwood Hills, and lived there until I was 24. I have never been back, but whenever I thought of it I couldn't help wondering how accurate my memories were. I'm amazed, looking at these pictures how clearly I have remembered it! My favourite shop was the Swiss baker Degeners who made the most delicious cakes. I can't remember the name of the grocer my mother went to, though I do remember that my auntie shopped at Sainsbury's just along the road. There was a little toy shop near the station, and a bicycle shop nearby. I also remember Macfisheries and Patersons - Scotch Butcher where my mother shopped every week. There was sawdust on the floor when I was little and the meat was marvellous. It's quite ironic that I've lived in Scotland for most of my life since I left. We loved going to the Rex cinema and a special treat was a visit to the... Read more
Delivering The Post in Northwood Hills
I worked for the post office as a "Christmas Casual" in 1962 and the crafty regular postmen dumped all the unpopular rounds on the young students doing a couple of weeks casual work. I was given an armband with a numbered badge and minimal training to sort the letters on my "walk".
The sorting office was in Bridge Street, Pinner but my round was in Northwood Hills delivering to Alandale Drive, Lyndhurst Gardens and Avenue, and Dale Close. This was a good two miles away - and uphill too! I rode my ropey old post office bike which in those days had no front pannier so you carried your letters in satchels over your shoulder. At Christmas this needed two satchels!
I fell off my bike one morning while cycling past the traffic lights in Pinner Green because my load was so heavy it overbalanced me as I turned the corner! Folks rushed from the nearby bus stop to pick me up! Gosh I was tired that... Read more
Greater London memories
Unchanged Northwood !
We moved to Northwood in 1978 and the shops in Green Lane were pretty much like this view. Maybe there were yellow lines on the road to stop parking! Just beyond the lorry on the right of the picture was a small department store which I recall had a toy department downstairs - our young son David bought a stuffed toy rabbit there in 1980. He will be 31 next month (February 2008) and I think we still have that rabbit tucked away in a cardboard box for our granddaughter Annalise to play with! Further down the road on the right is Oaklands Gate - a short cul-de-sac leading to the library and the Methodist Church. In the late 1970s the minister here was the Reverend Ernest Goodridge - a kind and caring priest who worked extremely hard and well for the benefit of the 6th Northwood Scout Group in particular. There was a fine community spirit at this time in Northwood but sadly the madly escalating property prices of... Read more
'May to December' TV Series Filming
Does anyone remember the name of the greengrocer's shop in Northwood Hills that was used as a location in the TV series 'May to December'? Also, whereabouts the shop was?
A Traditional English Pub!
The Queen's Head is little changed - maybe a horse trough on the pavement but the front of the building is pure English village pub! It was the starting point for many a village pub crawl and some fun times pushing wheelbarrows of tipsy teenage friends on charity fundraising days in the 1960's. Some of the black and white photographs of these adventures can still be seen hanging on the wall in the gents at the back of the pub to this day! Little did I realise back in 1966 that forty years later I would still be calling at the Queen's Head but instead of pushing a wheelbarrow I would be playing an accordian for the Whitethorn Morris Dancers! It has been a popular venue for morris dancers and mummers - particularly on St George's Day - April 23rd.
183 Bus to The Pinner Red Lion
All buses going to Pinner in the 1950's had the destination "Pinner Red Lion" as there was an old pub of that name on the corner of Love Lane and Bridge Street. The bus in this photo has continued its journey having passed The Red Lion and is lumbering up Bridge Street towards The Langham Cinema at the top of the hill (the photographer is probably standing on the pavement in front of either the cinema or the adjacent post office). Perhaps it was a 183 going to Pinner Green (destination "The Bell") or to Northwood - or maybe a 98 or a 209 going to Hatch End and on to Wealdstone bus garage (209) or North Harrow (98)? The Red Lion is no more, having fallen victim to developers, and the only remaining clue to its existence is that the modern row of shops at the bottom of Bridge Street is named Red Lion Parade. If you now get on a bus and ask for Pinner Red Lion all... Read more
