Harlow: A short walk on roads and cycle tracks

Difficulty Easy Access

Walking time 25 minutes

Length 1.2km / 0.8mi

Route developer: Geoff Sharman

Route checker: Joan Miller

Start location Osler House Medical Centre

Route Summary A short walk on roads and cycle tracks

*move mouse over graph to see points on route

Getting there

Buses 19, 20, 21 and 55 stop near the Surgery.

Description

[1] Leave Osler House Health Centre and walk straight ahead along Potter Street, past the shops on the right, to reach the Red Lion public House.

[2] Cross Potter Street using the zebra crossing at the Red Lion and turn left to return along Potter Street, crossing Southern Way and passing the Baptist Chapel on the right. Continue until reaching Church Road on the right and The White Horse public house, across the road, on the left.

[3] Turn right into Church Road and follow it to the end, passing St Mary Magdalene church and Harlow Masonic Hall, both on the right.

For a slightly longer walk, continue along Potter Street until reaching a war memorial on the right. Just after this, where there is a signpost for a cycle track to the town centre, turn right into Latton Street and bear right between two metal posts to follow the path to return to waypoint [4]

[4] At the end of Church Road turn right into Latton Street and continue until the road merges into a cycle track. Continue straight ahead past the junction where another cycle track leads off to the left and goes through a subway.

[5] When the cycle track reaches a road, turn right into Southern Way and cross the road at a safe point. Pass a sign on the left which gives a brief history of Potter Street and then a children's playground on the left. Continue to the end of Southern Way and turn left onto Potter Street to cross the road using the zebra crossing opposite the Red Lion public house [2] and turn right to return to Osler House [1].

Be aware of cyclists and always walk on the pedestrian side of cycle tracks.

Watch for traffic on Southern Way

POI information

A. Potter Street Baptist Church

This Baptist Church began in 1662, when, because of religious persecution, a group of Christians met in secret in Parndon Woods, Harlow. When freedom of religion was granted, Baptists could meet openly, and a plot of land was acquired here in Potter Street. Following the death of William Woodward the congregation spread its ministry and became two Baptist churches. Harlow Baptist Church is based in Fore Street, Old Harlow and Potter Street.

Buildings. The current chapel was built in 1756. The chapel is one of the oldest meeting houses of its type and was extended backwards a few years later. The rear extension housed schoolrooms on two floors. There was a wide gallery round three sides of the chapel. In 1905 the organ was installed.

http://www.psbc.co.uk/history.html

B. St Mary Magdalene Church

The first place of worship at this location in Church Road was a chapel built in 1834. At that time this parish was within the boundaries of St. Mary's, Old Harlow, one of the first Anglo-Catholic parishes outside Oxford, and it was in the care of the assistant curates that the Faith was taught. A model of the first church may be seen beneath the West window, which also records the association with four different dioceses: St Albans; Rochester; London; and Chelmsford.

Most of the structure now visible was built in the later part of the nineteenth century when the church was enlarged to serve the needs of Potter Street Village.

http://www.mmharlow.co.uk/about.php

C. Sign giving brief history of Potter Street.

D. Children's playground with splashpark.

E. War memorial on Potter Street

Notes No details available.

Acknowledgements No details available.