History
During the Middle Ages the Rayners Lane road was used when transporting grain to the mill on Pinner Green. The road was originally called Bourne Lane as it crossed several streams including the Yeading Brook. During the first half of the nineteenth century the area was in the hands of the Rayner family, who owned a farm. The area was drastically built up between 1929 and 1938 by Harrow's biggest interwar housebuilder T.F. Nash, who created a shopping parade on Alexandra Avenue. The area to the north of the tube station was originally named Harrow Garden Village by its developer, and was one of Metro-land's flagship points.
Former Cunard officer Commodore Harry Grattidge, one of the last captains of the RMS Queen Elizabeth, lived at number 33 High Worple, Rayners Lane until his death in the 1970s.
The area is most widely known as the location of Rayners Lane tube station, first built in 1906, and most of the settlement is built around the tube station. The station links both the Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines and therefore has good connections with the rest of London.
The other principal point of architectural interest is the former cinema, an Art Deco building featuring a curved projection on the front somewhat resembling an elephant's trunk. This is a listed building. It is currently being occupied by the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe, and is used as a Zoroastrian centre - the only official temple of its type in the UK.
Despite being a relatively small area, it boasts many retail chains, mainly due to the presence of the tube station, including Sainsbury's Local, Tesco Express, Pizza Hut, Subway and KFC. Also located in Rayners Lane is the head office of the bookmaking and e-gaming company Ladbrokes. The area has two banks, NatWest and Santander UK.
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