The area is predominantly centred on Harefield and South Harefield, with the former being the main village. Harefield village is set on two roads which bisect each other, Breakspear Road and Rickmansworth Road. The area has a distinctly rural vibe, with winding roads and detached and semi-detached houses being the standard. At the centre of Harefield lies the famous Harefield Hospital. South Harefield to the south is slightly more modern, but retains most of its larger sibling’s characteristics, though with fewer stores. The Grand Union Canal exists to the west of the area, and a few sailing clubs and mills dot the coast of the lake. The area is separated from the London sprawl by a large expanse of farmland and Ruislip Woods to the east.

The area has been inhabited since Neolithic times, and a Viking encampment was located in the area during the Danish invasions of the 10th and 11th centuries. The area was mostly moors and common land for most of its history until the 18th and 19th century, which saw some estates and country houses emerge in the area. The Grand Junction Canal (today the Grand Union Canal) would also arrive in this time, creating an industry for kilns and mills along the area. However Harefield’s ancient agricultural pattern still largely remained, owing to the absence of a main road or railway.

Harefield Hospital is the largest specialist heart and lung centre in the UK, first established during the First World War to take care of Australian and New Zealander soldiers. The hospital has seen many distinguished cardiologists, such as Paul Wood and Walter Somerville. Sir Magdi Yacoub performed the UK’s first heart and lung transplant at the hospital in 1983 and is today one of the pioneers of heart and lung transplants and artificial hearts. There is also a milepost near Harefield Marina in memory of Eily ‘Kit’ Gayford, who trained women to work as boat crews on the canals during the Second World War.

While Harefield has rural characteristics much like its neighbour Denham, the area is said to be a little rougher than the latter. Some residents have also noted that the area retains a lot more of its village heritage, which is good, but also means that newcomers to the area may find it slightly more difficult to integrate into the community.

To the south of Newyears Green, Harefield Place in Ickenham, a Grade II listed Georgian manor house built in 1786, has been converted into a new gated development of 25 converted and newly-built luxury flats. That said, refurbishment and development in the area is more sporadic and anecdotal. Nearly all the surviving farmland in the area has been incorporated into the Green Belt, largely stifling development in the neighbourhood.