Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Harlow (United Kingdom). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Harlow Greyhound Stadium, Harlow Town Park, and St Mary & St Hugh. Also, be sure to include The Square in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Harlow (England).
Table of Contents
Harlow Greyhound Stadium
Stadium in Harlow, England. Harlow Stadium is a greyhound racing track located in Harlow, Essex, England. The stadium also has executive suites, a restaurant, a number of bars and conference and banqueting facilities.
Racing takes place every Monday & Wednesday evening and every Friday, Saturday & Sunday Morning.[1]
Address: Roydon Rd,, CM19 5FT Harlow
Harlow Town Park
Park in Harlow, England. Harlow Town Park is a 164-acre Grade II listed public park located in Harlow, Essex, England. It includes multiple gardens, a petting zoo named the Pets' Corner, a bandstand, and the Spurriers House Café. Opened in 1957, it was listed by Historic England on 18 August 2020. Other Grade II listed buildings also sit within the boundaries of the park and include 6 School Lane, Greyhound Public House, Hill Hall Farmhouse, Hoppitts, and Marshgate Farmhouse; these buildings range in age from the 16th to the late 19th censuries. Harlow Town Park received a large £2.8m grant for renovations in 2014.[2]
Address: School Lane, Harlow, CM20 2QD Harlow
St Mary & St Hugh
St Mary & St Hugh's Church is a Church of England parish church in Churchgate Street, Old Harlow in Essex, England.
The church is of medieval origin and was given Grade II listed status on 5 July 1950. The church has a cruciform plan with a tower at the crossing with a tall shingled broach spire. It was completely restored by architect Henry Woodyer, 1878–80.[3]
Address: 6 Godsafe, CM17 0LR Harlow
The Square
Live music venue in Harlow, England. The Square was a 250 capacity independent live music venue in Harlow, Essex, England. It was managed by SquareOne Entertainment LLP who took over the venue in July 2008. After a five-month closure period from the end of 2015, The Square re-opened on Friday, 10 June 2016 before closing permanently in early 2017.
Prior to 2008 it was run by Essex County Council until funding was withdrawn and the venue was closed after over 35 years of service as a community resource.
The Square was one of the starting places for acts including Enter Shikari, George Ezra, and The Subways. Harlow bands Collapsed Lung and Morning Parade formed at the venue. Cornershop name the venue as the gig that got them signed, as well as being the first venue to pay them to play. BBC DJ Steve Lamacq broadcast a live Coldplay show from the venue in 2000.
The Square comedy club played host to Jack Dee, Eddie Izzard, Jo Brand, Phill Jupitus, Terry Alderton and was regularly hosted by John Mann.
In 2012, a live recording by the band Seymour (later Blur) from 1989 was included in the Blur 21 box set.
In May 2015, building owners Circle Housing announced plans for redevelopment of the site.
In July 2015, a series of gigs under the banner 'Back To Square One' was announced, with big-name acts coming back to play the venue one last time. The series includes Newtown Neurotics, The Members, Steve Harris British Lion, Buzzcocks, DragonForce, InMe, King Prawn, Attila The Stockbroker, The Beat, Nine Below Zero, Collapsed Lung, Gaz Coombes, Chas & Dave, and Secret Affair.
In October 2015, The Square was shortlisted for NME magazine's 'Britain's Best Small Venue' competition.
The Square finally closed on the morning of 31 January 2017, with one of the final bands playing the venue being Bristol's long standing band The Blue Aeroplanes on their 2017 UK tour. It was later demolished.[4]
Stort Navigation
River. The Stort Navigation is the canalised section of the River Stort running 22 kilometres from the town of Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, downstream to its confluence with the Lee Navigation at Feildes Weir near Rye House, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire.[5]
Contrapuntal Forms
Contrapuntal Forms is a stone sculpture by Barbara Hepworth, one of her first public commissions, made in 1950–51 for the Festival of Britain and installed outside the Dome of Discovery on South Bank, London. It was one of two Hepworth commissions for the festival: the other was an abstract rotating sculpture, Turning Forms.
The work stands 120" (3.04m) high and is carved from blue limestone from County Galway, Ireland. It depicts two semi-abstracted standing figures. The sculpture was commissioned by the Arts Council of Great Britain who presented it to the new town of Harlow in Essex in 1953. It was the first artwork acquired (though not the first commissioned) by the Harlow Arts Trust, and it is still sited at Glebelands in Harlow.
The sculpture was listed Grade II on the National Heritage List for England in April 1998.[6]
Church of St Mary the Virgin
St Mary the Virgin Church is located in Latton, Harlow, Essex, England. It is an Anglican church and is liberal catholic in tradition. The church building is Grade I listed.[7]
Gibberd Garden
Gibberd Garden is a garden in Harlow, Essex, England, which was created by Sir Frederick Gibberd. He designed the garden and added sculptures, ceramic pots and architectural salvage from 1972 till his death in 1984.[8]
Address: Marsh Lane, Harlow
Harlow Marsh
Nature reserve. Harlow Marsh is a 13.8 hectare Local Nature Reserve in Harlow in Essex. It is owned and managed by Harlow District Council.
The site is in three separate areas, Maymeads Marsh (or Honeymead Marsh), Marshgate Spring and Parndon Moat Marsh. Maymeads Marsh has a reed-filled pond with a bird hide, and wildflower meadows with many insects. Over 100 species of bird have been recorded, including the rare little ringed plover and ring ouzel. Parndon Moat Marsh has ponds, woodland, wildflower meadows, drainage ditches, sedge beds and a moat, which is a Scheduled Monument. Marshgate Spring has mature woodland with oak and hornbeam, and marshes with reed and sedge beds.
Maymeads Marsh is between the River Stort and the railway line, east of Harlow Town railway station. There is access from a footpath along the southern side of the river. West of Maymeads Marsh, a footbridge over the railway line gives access to a path to Edinburgh Way, and the entrance to Marshgate Spring is on this path. The entrance to Parndon Moat Marsh is on the west side of Allende Avenue, between the river and the railway line.[9]
Pets' Corner Harlow
Farm, Outdoor activities, Park, Zoo
Address: Edinburgh Way, CM20 2QG Harlow
Hawkenbury Meadow
Nature reserve. Hawkenbury Meadow is a 1.6 hectare Local Nature Reserve in Harlow in Essex. It is owned and managed by Harlow District Council.
The site is neutral grassland with a brook running through it. It has a variety of wild flowers including yellow rattle, common spotted orchid, cowslip, wild carrot and grass vetchling. There are strips of mature woodland along the margins, and a stand of willow trees. A damper area in the north of the site has marshland plants.
There is access from Paycock Road.[10]