Rediscovering Britain's Hidden Gems: A Journey Through Three Overlooked Towns
In the concluding chapter of a series dedicated to underexplored and bypassed towns across the United Kingdom, the author returns to three locations loosely connected to different phases of his life. Relocating often feels like a grand-scale vacation, with the initial months in a new place offering a fresh, untainted perspective. Years later, revisiting these spots becomes a blend of pilgrimage and reflection, revealing layers of history and character often missed by tourists.
Harrow: The Suburban Enigma in North-West London
The lexicon of suburbia—commuting, dormitory, cul-de-sac, privet hedge—often resonates with a sense of invisibility. In densely populated north-west London, uncovering the occluded past requires digging with eyes, books, and boots. Harrow, originally known as Gumeninga hergae in a 767 charter, meaning "heathen temple of the Gumeningas tribe," was a natural site for worship due to its small hill. By the time of the Domesday Book in 1086, it was a sizeable settlement with 70 ploughlands, 117 households, and a diverse population including villagers, knights, and a priest.
Trees once outnumbered people, and the medieval manor featured a 100-hectare deer park in Pinner. The name Harrow Weald derives from Old English for woodland, referencing the Forest of Middlesex that stretched from London to these outer reaches, providing autumn feeding for 20,000 pigs. During the 16th and 17th centuries, Harrow attracted gentry who could easily reach court and parliament by coach. John Lyon founded Harrow School by royal charter in 1572, cementing its educational legacy.
By 1868, Harrow on the Hill was a scattering of houses surrounded by parks and school fields, with the London and North Western Railway arrowing away to Birmingham and Crewe. In the 1930s, greenery and wildlife inspired local naturalist Tom Harrisson to publish Birds of the Harrow District. However, Metro-land development by the 1950s submerged the area in housing, connecting it to London and creating suburbs for over 200,000 people. When the author moved there in 1987, he experienced a populous, less-planned version, commuting on the Metropolitan line to a dreary office job in Blackfriars.
Understanding these historical layers helps explain the sacrificial feel of Harrow, an amorphous sensation of inhabiting a populous nowhere. Key attractions include walking section 9 of the Capital Ring, visiting Headstone Manor Museum, and exploring the Zoroastrian Centre, formerly the Ace Cinema.
Clitheroe: The Resilient Lancashire Town
A slow approach to Clitheroe is recommended to fully appreciate its setting. Walking into town allows time to admire the hill crowned by the ruins of a Norman castle, featuring the second smallest surviving stone keep in England. From the summit, views encompass weather from the west, the Bowland Fells, slivers of Yorkshire's Three Peaks, and Pendle Hill.
Before the A59 became a bypass in the late 1960s, traffic clogged Moor Lane and Castle Street, parts of the high street that retain narrow, low-slung 17th- and 18th-century shopfronts, reminiscent of Tudor towns like Totnes. Clitheroe represents archetypal Lancashire, relatively intact compared to struggling textile boomtowns south of Pendle Hill, weathering economic booms and busts better due to its resilience and new investment.
Former spinning blocks, weaving sheds, and offices have been transformed into Holmes Mill, a combined deli-bar, luxury cinema, brewery, alehouse, hotel, and wedding venue catering to affluent Lancastrians. Lively local pubs dot the town, with Camra groups being key visitors. The New Inn offers riotous cosiness, while Georgeonzola specialises in cheese and wine. At least three cocktail bars add a modern touch, dispelling stereotypes of clogs and caps.
Living a couple of miles outside Clitheroe, the author reflects on its distinction from other parts of Lancashire like St Helens and Warrington. Locals refer to it as "Pennine Lancashire," with harsher rain and wind, but it remains a likable knot of streets and stonework. Attractions include Edisford Bridge for summer swimming, walks up Pendle Hill or on the Ribble Way for winter, Whalley Abbey accessible by bus or train, and the No 11 bus to Bowland and Pen-y-ghent.
Princetown: Devon's Sole Flirtation with Grimness
Devon is known for its balmy summers, rolling pastures, and mild winters, but Princetown stands as its sole flirtation with grimness. Tourists do visit, often looking shocked upon arrival, due to the dominant feature: the granite-grey Dartmoor prison, which defines the township's existence. Founded by MP Thomas Tyrwhitt on land from the Prince of Wales's Duchy estate, it served as a depot for Napoleonic war prisoners, chosen for its remoteness and inhospitable conditions.
The first prisoners arrived in 1809, leading to overcrowding and deteriorating conditions, especially with the addition of US prisoners from the War of 1812, where diseases like pneumonia and typhoid became death sentences. After closing post-conflicts, it reopened in 1850 for common criminals, housing figures such as future Irish premier Éamon de Valera. The prison temporarily closed in 2024 due to high radon levels, a cancer-causing gas from decaying uranium.
Tyrwhitt built a railway to transport quarry stone and supplies, used by prisoners and passengers until its closure in 1956. Today, the old railway is a track for runners and cyclists escaping Dartmoor's anti-twee atmosphere. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stayed at the Duchy hotel, now the national park visitor centre, and featured an escaped convict in The Hound of the Baskervilles. For modern visitors, the moor offers wild camping and vitality, while HMP Dartmoor stands as a tragic set.
Things to see and do include mountain bike tracks from Princetown to Burrator Reservoir, the Dartmoor Prison Museum, and Foggintor Quarry. This journey through Harrow, Clitheroe, and Princetown reveals the rich, often overlooked tapestries of British towns, blending history, culture, and personal reflection.
