Harold Wood
Harold Wood is named after a king who lost a fight with some developers from Normandy, and the place has taken planning applications personally ever since. It is London's last stop before Essex, fenced in by the A12, the A127 and the M25, which is a lot of tarmac guarding a suburb whose main ambition is to be left alone. The Elizabeth line runs straight through to Tottenham Court Road, so the West End is one seat away for anyone who can face it. When the old hospital site was earmarked for houses, the locals fought it with everything they had and the estate went up anyway, which is broadly how it went for Harold too.
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Data to May 2026 · Figures checked 3 October 2026 (what this means)