Stories of Harrow
How well do you know Harrow?
Harrow’s history is shaped by the many communities who have made the borough their home over the past 75 years. Their experiences, traditions, achievements and memories are an important part of our shared local heritage.
Stories of Harrow project brought together 16 community organisations to explore, celebrate and preserve the diverse stories that make Harrow what it is today. Through oral histories, photographs, exhibitions, creative projects and shared memories, these organisations have captured stories that reflect the richness of Harrow’s communities and created valuable resources for future generations.
Digital and other project materials have been donated to the Harrow Archive at Headstone Manor & Museum, helping to preserve these stories for future generations. Once the archiving process is complete, full interviews will be available free of charge to researchers, either through file transfer or via a dedicated terminal on site [The Harrow Archive].
Made possible thanks to funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and delivered in collaboration with Harrow Council and Headstone Manor Museum.
Stories of Harrow has been shortlisted for a prestigious Museums Change Lives Award 2026 in recognition of a pioneering community heritage project that brought together people from across Harrow to share and celebrate their stories. [More Details]
The 16's Legacy
Bereavement Care
Losing someone you love can change everything. Grief is something we all share, yet no two experiences are the same.
The charity Bereavement Care explored the different cultural customs and rituals surrounding bereavement, recording deeply personal experiences and reflecting on how customs have changed over the years. These stories raised awareness, empathy and increased understanding between the diverse communities of Harrow.
12 audio podcast conversations were recorded during the participation of Bereavement Care in the ‘Stories of Harrow’ Heritage Project 2025. You will hear deeply personal experiences that explore the universal experience of loss, noting the diverse range of cultural and spiritual influences on customs and rituals. Hosted by Dr John Spencer and Marie Ken, this series was created to offer support, foster connection, and illuminate the many ways we say goodbye.
From the 24-hour burial traditions of the Somali Muslim community and the 13-day mourning periods in India to the celebratory West Indian wakes and the meticulous rituals of the Jewish Hevra Kadisha, these stories highlight the resilience of the human spirit.
Experiences of Grief and Healing and the influence of Culture and Faith.
Every Person is Capable (EPIC)
During the 1980s, Hip Hop Culture was giving vulnerable young people of Harrow a voice and a positive form of expression. There were ‘Hip Hop Jams’ taking place at the Trinity Bar where young people could learn to DJ, Breakdance, Graffiti and Rap.
Through a documentary, exhibition and jam, Every Person is Capable (EPIC) shared the history and impact of this subculture which offered a way for young people to raise their voices and find an alternative to crime and violence. Young people who were part of Hip Hop programs run by EPIC & Ignite Youth were also part of the project, sharing their stories and learning more about the historical and cultural significance of the movement they were involved in.
Families in Action Together (Wealdstone Baby Bank)
Families in Action Together celebrated the vibrant, diverse community of women in Wealdstone who have been attending the Families in Action Parents’ Group. They explored and documented personal stories as the women came together in a shared space to support each other and reclaim permission to shape their own lives. These shared experiences became part of the local heritage, creating a tapestry of unity, strength and connection.
Stories were told through the cherished objects these women brought with them – objects that connect them to their home countries while anchoring them in their new lives, highlighting the strength of community and the beauty of shared humanity.
A collection of personal stories and portraits celebrating the lives, memories and everyday strength of people in our community. These stories have been shared by local parents and residents, capturing journeys of migration, family, friendship, faith, belonging and starting again. Each story is told in the storyteller’s own voice and accompanied by photographs that hold meaning – moments of joy, resilience and identity.
Harrow African-Caribbean Association (HACAS)
After WW2, Britain ran an advertising campaign to recruit nurses from their Caribbean homelands to work in the NHS. In their thousands they answered the call, yet upon arrival found a cold and often inhospitable country. But the NHS would not have been possible without them. This contradiction has shaped the lives of both these nurses and their families and communities for generations.
Bringing together the audio recordings of real lived experiences with historical records, the charity HACAS (Harrow African-Caribbean Association) brought to life the memories of these ‘Nightingales from the Caribbean’ and their huge contribution to Harrow’s past and present, in spite of often open hostility and discrimination.
HCAS brought together the audio recordings of real lived experiences with historical records, the memories of these ‘Nightingales from the Caribbean’ and their huge contribution to Harrow’s past and present, in spite of often open hostility and discrimination.
Harrow Association of Disabled People (HAD)
From the institutions of the 60s to the assisted living of the 2000s, disabled people’s homes have always been a topic of controversy and struggle, which has reflected our society’s shifting ideas about what it means for us to have identity, humanity and autonomy. As local authorities began raising the idea of institutions again to save money, Harrow Association of Disabled People (HAD) asked, who gets to decide where we live, and what are our choices worth?
Drawn from the real life stories of disabled people over the decades in their own words, HAD took members of the community through the little-known and deeply vital history of how disabled people lived here from 1965 to the present day, sharing with them the heritage of some of Harrow’s most marginalised and most interesting residents.
Harrow Association of Somali Voluntary Organisations (HASVO)
Without brave journalists, the world would never know what really happened during civil wars.
Mahamoud Dualeh is a renowned Somali journalist who settled in Harrow in the 1980s. He played a pivotal role in Somali radio, television, and the BBC World Service, chronicling key moments in the Somali community’s journey from civil war to rebuilding lives in the UK.
Harrow Association of Somali Voluntary Organisations (HASVO) collected interviews with Mahamoud Dualeh, his colleagues, and family members, alongside archival materials such as radio and TV recordings and photographs to honour the legacy of this journalist and ensure that the rich history of Somali migrants in Harrow is celebrated and safeguarded for generations to come.
Mahamoud Dualeh is a renowned Somali journalist who settled in Harrow in the 1980s. He played a pivotal role in Somali radio, television, and the BBC World Service, chronicling key moments in the Somali community’s journey from civil war to rebuilding lives in the UK.
HASVO created a number of resources about Mahamoud including:
Harrow Carers
Harrow Carers explored the stories of unpaid carers from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Romania who provided care for elderly relatives, people with disabilities, and other dependents with great resilience and sacrifice, yet little or no recognition. The project captured personal stories, cultural traditions, and the informal networks they developed to support them, preserving the legacy of those who quietly sustain our community.
As part of the project, Harrow Carers have created a recipe book that brings together traditional dishes shared by carers from across our communities. Each recipe tells a story – of family, migration, memory and care. Alongside the food, they have captured the untold stories of our carers, voices that are rarely heard but are vital to understanding Harrow’s true heritage.
My Yard
“Friends and families built the community – and the community built the sound”
My Yard explored the backstory of Jamaican Sound System communities in Harrow, telling the story of its formation in the 1970s by the Windrush generation and what it meant to the community. My Yard captured the voices of the selectors and MCs who fueled the Sound System, the spaces that host it and the people it brought together, from front rooms to roadside corners, favourite meals to ludo games.
Oshwal Association of the UK (OAUK)
Many Oshwals, who originally from India and East Africa, arrived in the UK carrying their lives in a suitcase — a symbol of hopes, challenges, and resilience. Oshwals are largely followers of the Jain faith, an ancient religion originating from India. Through artefacts like handmade quilts, kitchen tools and traditional recipes, as well as audio recordings of personal stories, Oshwal Association of the UK (OAUK) shared the lived experiences of their community and offered an insight into how Oshwal families have shaped Harrow’s cultural, social, and economic life.
Romanian Culture and Charity Together (RCCT)
Everyone carries with them the memory of home and the embroidered threads of their ancestors.
For centuries, people have used embroidery to tell their stories and share their hopes and aspirations. RCCT CIC told the story of the Romanian community in Harrow using traditional techniques, whilst passing these skills and knowledge down to a new generation.
Members of the community joined RCCT’s embroidery workshops to learn how to tell their own stories with thread.
Reviving Links
Traditional Somali dance is deeply connected to the social fabric and identity of the Somali people. These dances have long been a means of storytelling, celebration, and community bonding. Reviving Links captured the memories of the role dance played in Somali life, objects associated with them and documented and preserved the intricate movements of the regional Somali dances from past and present dancers, creating living records for generations to come.
Srishti - Nina Rajarani Dance Creations
For over 35 years, Srishti has taught Bharatanatyam Indian Dance from their base at Harrow Arts Centre, nurturing generations of dancers and helping communities to connect with their cultural roots.
Bharatanatyam is a versatile classical Indian dance form originating in the temples of southern India. It is defined by its strong lines, geometric precision and expressive storytelling. Srishti restored and digitised materials, creating a physical and digital exhibition, and collaborated with local archives to celebrate Bharatanatyam’s evolution and significance in Harrow.
35 Years of Srishti film video
Sustaining Harmony (More Than Just A Choir)
Music carries memory, identity and belonging.
Sustaining Harmony (More Than Just A Choir) explored the connection between music, mental health, and community well-being within Harrow’s diverse communities. Through performances, exhibitions, and digital archives, Sustaining Harmony captured the great range of musical traditions and their impact on mental health in Harrow.
More Than Just A Choir is a community choir based in Harrow, north-west London, for adults affected by mental ill-health and social isolation. They created a book as a celebration of the first fifteen years of this extraordinary choir. It is full of stories, poetry, artwork, and memories celebrating the power of music to bring healing, and create community through song.
More Than Just A Choir – The First Fifteen Years: The Story So Far [Amazon Link]
Unique Community Charity
All languages carry political baggage.
Unique Community Charity explored how language can bring us both freedom and serve as a source of oppression and anguish. Bringing artists from Ukraine together with others who have recent experience of moving to Harrow, Unique developed a new musical, showcasing their journey and stories, and an exploration of the role of language in their lives.
Zest of Mind
Across generations, Afro hair has been shaped by culture, survival, care and self-expression. From cornrows used to map escape routes during enslavement, to styles passed down through mothers, aunties, barbers and friends, Afro hair has always told a story.
Zest of Mind passed on knowledge and skills to young people in intergenerational community workshops, with young people speaking about hair as a first lesson in identity — with moments of tenderness, frustration, creativity, and belonging, viewing Afro hair not as fashion, but as living heritage.
Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe
Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe celebrated the stories of Zoroastrians, followers of one of the world’s oldest monotheistic religions, who journeyed to England from countries including India, Africa and Iran. They captured experiences of migration, resilience, and adaptation, reflecting the enduring flame of a faith that has shaped civilisations for over 3,000 years.
This project will allow future generations and wider communities to understand and learn the unique stories that Zoroastrians hold; so that their memories, experiences, joys and hardships are not forgotten and cherished.
Through intergenerational workshops and oral history recordings, they captured the essence of migration: the struggles, the triumphs, and the unwavering faith that binds us. These stories reflect resilience, adaptation, and the enduring flame of Zoroastrian values: Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds, along with Truth, Charity, and Respect for Nature.
