With the quaintly named Frogs Ditch, and nearby Cranford Park, this neighbourhood has ample opportunity for exploring outdoor space. Running through the centre, the High Street is within close and easy walking distance of the surrounding residential properties, offering a wide range of amenities, the majority of which are locally owned. There are a number of public houses in this neighbourhood, six to be exact, each boasting their own unique identities, whether that be The Wheatsheaf, which is famed for its steaks and cosy interior, or The White Hart, a traditional 200-year old inn serving ‘hearty pub grub’. With its close proximity to Heathrow, the area is in a prime location for employment at the airport, or surrounding airport related industries. Alternatively, there are a number of thriving industrial and trading estates in nearby Hayes, which also provide many job opportunities for those in the area.

The oldest remaining building in this neighbourhood area is the Church of St. Peter & St Paul. It was first built in the 12th century, and is grade I-listed. The church is a palimpsest of history as there are many layers of different architectural styles within the structure we see today, as successive parts have been added over time. The oldest of those parts is the nave, which has been dated back to the 12th century. In the 14th and 16th century, the chancel was incorporated into the site, whilst the next development wasn’t until the 19th century with the addition of the north aisle. Apart from the re-tiling of the roof, the most recent supplement to the church has been the choir vestry, which was completed in 1966.

You may or may not know the famous English composer of the 16th century, William Byrd. Well, old Bill lived in Harlington, and the William Byrd School in this neighbourhood was so named in honour of his time here. This neighbourhood is also home to the Imperial College Sports Ground, which Chelsea (1970s – 2005) and Queens Park Rangers (2005 – ongoing) have used as their training fields.

This area is situated between a number of main transport routes including the M4 to the north, and the A4 to the south. Alongside, this it is in very close proximity to Heathrow and is situated within the flight path. The culmination of these factors creates a lot of noise, which has the potential to be very disruptive to those living there. Despite this, there are added benefits of its proximity to these routes, as it facilitates ease of transportation.

Due to the proximity of this neighbourhood area to Heathrow Airport, it will be affected by the potential expansion of the airport and the development of a third runway. Harlington is not within the immediate compulsory purchase zone, where the land is already confirmed as space to be used for the runway; however, it does fall under the Wider Property Offer Zone (WPOZ). It is acknowledged that people living here will be affected by the airport’s expansion and therefore, the majority have been offered the chance to sell their property to Heathrow. That said, the Heathrow expansion initiative has been a controversial and unpredictably changing project: new emissions targets make the expansion difficult to achieve, the 2020-2021 pandemic has led to new projections that push the need for expansion 5 years to the future, and the government’s recent revolving door of Prime Ministers and ministerial heads has create a political rollercoaster with regard to whether the expansion has political support or not.