Toponymy The name Harold Wood was recorded in about 1237, when it was shown as
Horalds Wood. It was named after King
Harold Godwinson, who was defeated by
William the Conqueror in 1066. He held the surrounding
manor of Havering-atte-Bower. Some of the original roads are named after Anglo-Saxon kings such as
Æthelstan and
Alfred the Great.
Local government Harold Wood formed a ward in the ancient parish of Hornchurch, although the area now around the station was in the North End ward. The eastern and southern boundary of the parish was the
River Ingrebourne such that the area around Harold Court was in the parish of
Upminster. Although locally situated within
Essex the ancient Hornchurch parish formed the independent
Liberty of Havering and was outside county administration. Harold Wood ward came under the control of the vestry of
Romford chapelry, which also included Collier Row and
Noak Hill, however most of the current area of Harold Wood was in the North End ward which remained under Hornchurch parish vestry. In 1836 Romford and Hornchurch became separate
civil parishes and were grouped into the Romford
Poor Law Union. The area of the union, excluding the town of Romford, became a
rural sanitary district in 1875. The special status of the Liberty of Havering was abolished in 1892 and the area was reincorporated into Essex. Following the
Local Government Act 1894, the Romford parish was split with the northern part of the Harold Wood ward becoming a new parish of
Noak Hill and the southern part forming part of the Romford Rural parish, both within the
Romford Rural District. This split the administration of the area between the Hornchurch, Romford Rural, Noak Hill and Upminster parish councils, and the Romford Rural District Council. In 1900 the Romford Rural parish was recombined with Romford Urban (which consisted of the town of Romford) to form an expanded
Romford Urban District. With suburban house building, the population in the area started to rise soon after which prompted changes to the local government system. Hornchurch parish became the
Hornchurch Urban District in 1926 and Upminster was added to it in 1934. The area formed part of the
London Traffic Area from 1924 and the
London Passenger Transport Area from 1933. The whole area was included in the
London Borough of Havering in 1965 when it was transferred from Essex to Greater London.
Urban development Harold Wood Hospital, on Gubbins Lane, closed on 13 December 2006 with all patients moved to
Queen's Hospital in nearby
Romford. The site vacated by the hospital was earmarked for a 470-home housing development which faced fierce opposition from the local population. As of February 2023, the Kings Park estate has been completed. ==Education==