This website offers a snapshot of the rich history of the Harold Hill estate which is positioned at the eastern end of Romford, Essex (UK).
Published in the summer of 2004, this project was 18 months in the making.
Having been involved in the community activism, I knew that there was a story
to tell.
But writing this story was a difficult job. Previously, there had been a few essays and two exhibitions celebrating the 40th and 50th anniversary of Harold Hill respectively, but most of the material for this work came from either old newspapers- the Romford Recorder and the Romford Times in particular - or through oral testimony given willingly by those whose memories stretch back to the 50’s and beyond.
Harold Hill: A People’s History neither harps back to a golden age nor presumes that all subsequent change over the decades has been for the common good.
Some things have changed for the better, others for the worse.
But, somewhere along the line, something tangible seems to have been lost, as one email from a former resident noted:
‘I only spent a relatively short time on Harold Hill, from the age of 16 to 19 but it made a huge impression on my life. Was it the age I was? My sisters lived there a lot longer than me and a couple of them along with my parents still do. Is it just Harold Hill or are there other places like it? Was Harold Hill a sort of mini world created to be different from anywhere else?’
Hopefully this project may illuminate the nature of the changes that have taken place.
This website, though, is not directly about contemporary Harold Hill. It looks at the reasons why the estate was built in the 1940s, and the experiences of the residents during the first few decades. The last reference point is the 1980s.
My passion to create this project came from different angles: finding a useful purpose for my history degree and a good knowledge of web design were two significant factors.
But mostly importantly as a youth I experienced that feeling of rootlessness
which is a common feature of growing up on a suburban estate.
The local area can seem bland and without history, a collection of households
whose ‘good people are in bed before nine o'clock’, to borrow
a line from an old Python Lee Jackson song.
This is an attempt to give an identity to this area through history. A history, which this website proves, is unique to all other surrounding areas in the London Borough of Havering.
Originally launched in 2004, I undertook a major website redesign
in the summer of 2007.
In many ways, this project is at an end, but please feel free to fill in
the form below with your memories of the estate – and not necessarily
the positive ones either – and I will add them to the guestbook.
Or alternatively you can email me at history@haroldhill.org
Any new photos would also be very welcome.
Andy Walpole, July 2007
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[Chapter One: Beginnings and Foundations] |
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[Chapter Two: Recreation, Education, Disillusionment and Joy] |
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[Chapter Three: Money, Work, Religion and Politics] |
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[Chapter Four: Youth Movements] |
