One of a group of mid 20th century new towns, Harlow was built on countryside north of London in 1947.
Masterplanned by architect Sir Frederick Gibberd, who lived nearby and whose famous Grade II listed garden is open to the public in summer; the town was designed with green space as a priority. Cycle lanes linked residential and commercial areas of the town, interspersed with open parkland and the same is still true today.
Green space
A stone’s throw from Edinburgh Way is one of the largest and most spectacular of these green spaces, Harlow Town Park. Take a stroll through one of the five beautiful gardens including a water garden, a walled garden or the Stort Valley Meadows before enjoying refreshment in the park cafe. For the more energetic, there is a dedicated outdoor gym or take part in the free weekly 5k Park Run.
North of Edinburgh Way is the River Stort which winds its way through Harlow and beyond. Once a thriving commercial route for barges carrying grain to Bishop’s Stortford, it’s now a great route for country walks, cycle paths and heritage trails. Nearby Parndon Mill Lock is the start of the Stort Sculpture Trail, one of the largest public sculpture collections in the country. The very first work tells you the history of the canal and there are sculptures at each lock through Harlow.
Hi-tech enterprise
At the heart of Harlow is the new Enterprise Zone, located 5 minutes from junction 7 of the M11. The Enterprise Zone, split across three sites including a new 27 acre Science Park, carries on the tradition for innovation through dynamic businesses creating new technologies and products.
The Zone is one of 45 locations across the country designated by the UK Government to provide incentives for investment. Core objectives include the provision of high quality, modern business spaces to meet the needs of businesses in the information and communications technology, advanced manufacturing and life science sectors.
Business base
Outside of the Enterprise Zone, Harlow has a strong business base and is a sub-regional employment centre. The town is home to businesses such as GlaxoSmithKline and Pitney Bowes providing around 25,000 jobs for the local economy.
Further afield and with Harlow’s fantastic road and rail connections, additional employment opportunities can be found in the City of Cambridge and at Stansted Airport. Not only is Cambridge home to the renowned University of Cambridge, it is a centre of hi-tech and scientific excellence with over 100 companies located on the Science Park whilst at Stansted Airport over 12,000 people are employed across 200 companies.
Education Excellence
Harlow offers a wide range of educational institutions. As well as a proposed location for Anglia Ruskin University on the Enterprise Zone, the university already has a presence in the town in partnership with Harlow College. The Sir Charles Kao University Technical College provides science and technology programmes, complementing the target activities on the Enterprise Zone. The College is a major further educational centre, covering GCSE’s, A-Levels, and many vocational subjects.
Outstanding Options
Harlow contains many highly-rated schools including:
– Burnt Mill Academy
An ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rated school and one of the top achieving in the country.
– St Mark’s West Essex Catholic School
A successful, well-ordered, caring, multi-cultural and multi-faith school for boys and girls.
– Saint Nicholas School
All-through independent co-ed day school with a reputation for outstanding academic standards.
– Freshwaters Primary Academy
Within the catchment of Edinburgh Way and rated “good” by Ofsted.
Other ‘outstanding’ rated local schools and colleges:
– Hertfordshire & Essex High School, Bishops Stortford
– Leventhorpe High School, Sawbridgeworth
– Hockerill Anglo European-College, Bishops Stortford
– The Leys, Cambridge
London colleges and universities:
– University College London
– City, University of London
– SOAS University of London
– Cass Business School
– London School of Economics
