Old Harlow is the historic part of the new town and district of Harlow, Essex in England. Old Harlow is situated in the north-east area of the town and is the oldest area of the town. Old Harlow pre-dates the first written record in the Domesday Book of 1086, so it is unknown when the town first came into existence. Originally Old Harlow was going to be the central area of Harlow New Town, but due to the amount of demolition works and the loss of agricultural land it was decided to build Harlow New Town to the west of Old Harlow. As Harlow New Town was being built, Old Harlow seemed to be forgotten and fell behind in its development. It was not until 1977 that Old Harlow was improved with the building of a health service and a senior citizens day centre. Old Harlow still remains village-like with two Grade I listed buildings and many Grade II listed buildings. Old Harlow ward has a total population of 5,845 and comprises 2,498 homes.
History
Old Harlow was known as Harlow before the building of Harlow New Town, at which point it was renamed Old Harlow and became a ward of the new town. It has now become known to be an affluent area and it attracts a premium with its cottages and periodic manors. The housing market varies with detached properties pricing around £850,000 to periodic manors going for around £2,500,000. The High Street has an world leading Independent Electronic Components Distributor , Post Office two Indian restaurants, a Chinese restaurant, a chip and kebab shop and a two daytime Cafés. Opposite High Street runs Fore Street and Market Street, where there are three of the Old Town pubs, the Chequers, the Marquis of Granby and the Crown . The Crown has a wall of medieval painting, dating back to the 17th century. At the other end of High Street a short walk takes you to the Green Man Hotel . The town is served by Harlow Baptist Church and St Mary's Church. The town also contains a small extension campus of Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada.
The former manor of Harlowbury lies immediately to the north-east of the town. It was for a time a seat of the Addington family. An ancient chapel survives on the site.
Transport
Bus
Most bus services operate to nearby Harlow, with some buses also linking to other major towns such as Bishop's Stortford and Chelmsford. Most routes are operated under contract to Essex County Council, but some routes are operated commercially. Route 510 is the most frequent service, offering links to Harlow, Sawbridgeworth, Bishops Stortford and Stansted Airport 24-hours a day, including Christmas Day.
