History

Whats nice about Harrow is that you can have a gentle carve about if thats what you feel like doing… But if you want to get gnarly, you can GET GNARLY. And when you do so, ANY trick made in the pool or halfpipe really means something. And thats before we start talking about transfers..

Your name will go down in history for riding well here. Speaking of which, what a long and rich history Harrow has. We explore this a little bit on this website and on our Instagram. Its been free to get in for decades, which helps. The numerous distributors and brands which the park has spawned over the years, have in turn helped bring big names to this very special place.

As have the world class riders that grew up and cut their teeth here. The skatepark has been a second home for many people. Lifelong friendships started here, and some of the world greatest riders have visited.

We need to keep looking after this place. Its not only a unique skatepark, but also an extremely valuable cultural heritage asset.’ – Nick Zorlac

Jump to era

1970's
1980's
1990's
2000's
2010's
2020's

1970's

Harrow Park Build

“After winning a local skate contest I was given a job with Skateparks Ltd as a design consultant, I worked on a few parks around the country including Harrow where I also ended up helping Jim Rennie run the park. It was an amazing experience to be there through the boom of skating and it became home to the best skaters in the UK” – Rodga Harvey

Photos: Jim Rennie

Laurence Poole

“The best memory is definitely of Tony Alva skating the performance bowl on the opening day , very few English skaters (Mark Baker/Rodga) could skate that plus they had some sessions already. Alva with no practice dropped in, carved two wheels out and pulled a big frontside air, one of the best things I have ever seen” – Laurence Poole

Photos: Jim Rennie

Tony Alva

“Harrow, Big beautiful ‘n’ ruff. True British concrete built for 4 the strong of heart” Tony Alva

Photo: Frontside Air – Wynn Miller
Other Photos: Jim Rennie

Mark Baker

“I’ll never forget the first time I saw Harrow .. wtf !!! That giant bowl 😳 Its reputation as “challenging” was already spreading across the country. It was time to get down n’ dirty!! The first rides were Adrenalin boosters! The sheer size and vertical sections were .. daunting to say the least. I remember everyone was really friendly and supportive not a “locals only” mentality And the more we shredded the more the crowds cheered us on. I always tell the story of the infamous “drop in” (video available at markbakernewyork.com). The skate years I never really intended to do it. I was just putting on a show hahaha. I jumped up on the lip.. super thin and difficult to even stand.. and then everyone was waiting and cheering so I had to do it.. no backing out now.. it was such a loooong way down.. I thought I was gonna f’ing die… and boom! I just went for it.. and pulled it off! Followed up by a gnarly grinder and an air. You can see the relief as I come out of the bowl. The half pipe was gnarly too.. but I will say Harrow was def in my top 2 parks in England.. the whole vibe and experience was great.. Harrow will always be a major landmark in British skate history.. happy I got to experience it!” – Mark Baker

Photo: Steve Lilly

Jeremy Henderson

“Harrow was an international arena for a visiting pro of skilled vertical riders, I was luckily to be alive the perfect time to be one of these fellas! The sessions in the halfpipe were one main Reason Vert Caught on. Few people we’re true locals except Roger Harvey & Tony Atkins.. otherwise it was all a mix up of Skaters from afar like Shogo Kubo or Dave Ferry who moved to the area just to skate Harrow daily with the vast skilled LSD set! The Performance Bowl was sick for the day..with 4′ of true VERT… Marc Sinclair , Jules Gayton, John Sablosky & Niel Harding ruled the Performance bowl with Airs & grinds but the Bollyx were a favourite for those learning Ollies back in ‘79-80. London got to a professional level because of Harrow, Gillingham & Rolling Thunder, Before Ramps took over.” – Jeremy Henderson

Photo: Tim Leighton-Boyce

Dave Ferry

“after 40+ years I know Dave Ferry made an impact on me, I can’t remember the tricks but I certainly remember the power and style. I recently found out that Dave spent over a month in the UK and was from Venice, California, speaking with Rodga Harvey he still says today that Dave was the best skater he ever saw ride the halfpipe” – Steve Douglas

Photos: Tim Leighton-Boyce

Shogo Kubo

RIP Shogo Kubo!

“Shogo Kubo was our Harrow Resident Pro for a minute (3 months+) he met a girlfriend of Rodger Harvey named Terry. Then Shogo, Terry & Harrow we’re a thing… we got to party in a truly rare fashion in those Bruce Lee Dragon~dayz of LSD. Shogo tore a hole into our budding & magnetic culture most don’t recall as an actuality… that affected us like a soulful friend more than a Hero transplant! Shogo was an ambassador of the Real Shyte London needed like Jerry Valdez or Dave Ferry who also stayed in London longer than expected to Schralp themselves on our British ‘Crete” – Jeremy Henderson – June 2021

Photos: Tim Leighton-Boyce

Neil Harding

“I always thought getting your front wheels down while you’re still grinding was the coolest. Neil getting aggressive!” – John Sablosky June 21

Photo: Tim Leighton-Boyce

Jules Gayton

“I loved Harrow, those were very special days for me! The half pipe was my favourite, Waiting to drop in, standing with a bunch of friends pushing each other to get better was the best! I also loved the performance bowl and playing pinball, hahaha. I shot all the photos for my interview in Skateboard magazine there. Looking back now it was the perfect spot for the times. I have great memories of Harrow, made lifelong friendships there and got quite a few scars to remind me of the slams!” – Jules Gayton

Derek 'Jingles' Jhingoree

“Harrow Park has left a wonderful memory for me as it was the next level after Skate City, Meanwhile Gardens, Southbank, Mad Dog Bowl etc.. I always remembered us arriving at Harrow & Wealdstone station and the fun we would have trying to sneak out as all of us would rush the ticket guard & barriers so we could get off without paying. We certainly had some interesting results!! Those of you that read this will know & laugh as they know what they did!! The fun that all the pro Skaters had riding and partying there was awesome!! High Girls!!!😊

It pushed our challenges to the max often waiting for pro’s returning from the States with the new moves and seeing who can pull them off! The ultimate ride being the Performance Bowl where danger and an awesome rush gravitated us to do the most craziest things. Grinding the pool was also my favourite as I love grinding, flying out and carving coping. We spent most of our time with half pipe with its perfect transition shouting and cheering seeing our buddies land a new trick or a dangerous one. It was one of the best eras of our time. Truly missed.” – Derek Jhingoree “Jingles”

Photo: Tim Leighton-Boyce

John Sablosky

“My formative years were spent skating hard and hanging with friends at Harrow…and I turned out OK! It also provided me my first introduction to the word, “haematoma.” – John Wally Sablosky

Photo: Tim Leighton-Boyce

Lance Mountain

The summer of 1979 was our 2nd trip to England – my Fathers birthplace, this time it was just us 2 going to museums & skateparks that had recently been built. It was a major shift, an important time as it changed my direction when I got back home. I had skated for about 4 years by now, seen a few contests ( Bahne, Cadillac, Freeformer, Lakewood Pro just before) and a few pros at local parks but did our own thing in Alhambra, Ca. Not thinking it would be any more than local crew.

On the trip to England I skated many parks and met Seth Parker Gittins & his friend Pino Pool Tool, as I remember we went to Harrow together. Never spent enough time at parks but left a lasting desire to have more adventures. It was the summer Shogo was there, saw Mark Sinclair skate, met Jeremy Henderson & Sablosky. I had home made decks so skating was what it was but had brand new Powell Cubics wheels, so assuming I was because I had product no one had seen & did an invert (someone said), I was asked who I was sponsored by, this is one of the first times I thought that might be a real thing or direction. I came back home (California) with Henderson and Sablosky was asked if I was a British pro as well. It had changed my direction and possibilities. I traveled out more to parks, entered the skatepark contests. The trip to England, Harrow skatepark became one of the biggest turning points in my skateboarding, from doing it to being invited into being part of it. – Lance Mountain

Alex Turnball

“This photo is one of my favourites. Torn up Levis and Vans. That’s my Logos team mate Shane Cutts from the infamous Cutts family with the red Norcom helmet and if you look carefully, that’s half of Simon Napper on the extreme right of the photo. Si was like the British Tony Alva and was also a Logos team mate. We came joint first at the first big National ramp riding competition, the Bristol Rampage. In the pic I’m frontside grinding, my favourite thing in skateboarding. This was my brother’s deck I was riding, can’t remember the name, it was some custom ply job but it had Tracker mid track and I think Powerflex wheels. Can’t believe we were grinding coping with Half Tracks about 6 month before, as Mid Track had kind of just come out. No one had sussed as yet that wide trucks are good for pool riding and grinding. I guess for me the Harrow era was really the peak of my skating. We had decent gear, we had Vans (my first pair were second hand) and the level of skating in the UK was for the first time not a million miles from the level of the American skaters. I’d got into punk rock the year before. I still maintain me and Richard Heslop were the first skate punks: we had to be as we were the first punk rockers on skateboards. But It wasn’t straight punk as we’d been integrating the skate/Dogtown thing” – Alex Turnbull

Photo: Jim Rennie

Mark Sinclair

“Marc was really one of the most radical of the early stand out British skaters. I mean right at the beginning around 1975. This was when most of the good skaters were still starting out. Marc had that style and flair from day one; his skating was totally natural and unforced. He grew up in West London and lived in Trellick Towers. I remember hearing stories about him hanging off his balcony on the 20th floor by his fingertips as a kind of dare. If you knew Marc, this was not at all far fetched. He was a bit of a loner and was for me the most radical skater right from the beginning.
Marc, along with some of the other west London guys like Matt and Ben Davis, also had mad style with their dress sense, at a time when most people had no idea yet what cool meant. One of my most vivid memories was seeing him turn up at Southbank on a pair of roller-skates. This was the 70’s and rollerskating hadn’t happened in the UK at that point. I’m pretty sure no one had ridden any kind of bank in them in the UK, maybe even globally. Marc dropped in on the banks and started skating backwards on the transitions. It blew everyone away. He was kind of ahead of his time. In fact so far ahead that it kind of went over people’s heads at the time. If Simon Napper was the British Tony Alva then Mark was the UK’s very own Jay Adams”. – Alex Turnbull June 2021

Watch the video of Mark here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0AWeRZ0hwc

Notable Rippers

Tony Atkins, Simon Napper, Rodga Harvey, Johnny Turnball, Jamie Blair, Shane and Seth Cutts, Paul Sully, Bradley Vine, Clive Manderson and Swedish ripper Per Viking who for those of us that saw him skate will never forget (RIP)

1980's

Colin Taylor

“Memory of Harrow pool. Roll up to the edge of the shallow end, drop the rear truck over the coping lining up the hip, drop in, pump the wall to boost that speed for a rock n roll board slide, feeling each slab of that curved coping to a frontside rock n’ roll on the best transitioned wall of the deep end, Turning that around to frontside grind trying to get the most out of those Independent truck nylon copers, back to the shallow, Harrow Pool has lines. and for me made it my favourite place to skate. The noise the blue tiles made, the white marble coping that felt so nice while inverted in hand plants, and a hip to do frontside ollie’s off, Solid Surf is an awesome place to skate and a place I met some awesome skaters and friends.” – Colin Taylor

Photo: – Slob Air – Tim Leighton-Boyce

Rodga Harvey

“Left Harrow for a while then went back after the craze to find a group of skaters there who I joined up with, we become known as the H-Boyz. A group of people I spent many years skating with and had some epic times. We remain “Sworn to fun, loyal to none” to this day.” – Rodga Harvey

Photo: Backside Ollie – Steve Lilly

Robert Grose

“Harrow was a most unique park for our area, it had rough & smooth bowls that had in our eyes a good flow for bowls of the time. The half pipe was gnarly, & needed a firm hand in order to put the bowl under manners, but inevitably, got a hold of you & flung you off, if you did a sketch move or thought you were big, bad or brave!! The Performance bowl was the king of rides, with a gnarly 4-5ft vert that took many a skater into oblivion, but with practice, was one of the scariest, but most exhilarating rides of a young or old skaters life!! I skate there from time to time, it has in the concrete the very souls of all the rad skaters that ever rode the concrete waves of what we regard as the catalyst of our lives, it has launched some of us to stay within its wonderful confines, characters like Steve Douglas, Rodga Harvey to name a couple of boys, it even gives me cause to remember Jingles, who is rocking it in the far east with his music. I certainly find myself proud to be a Harrow boy, & long may we ride!! ‘Let the skate be with you’ – Robert Grose “Zeenie”

Photo: Layback Air – Mike John
Photo: Frontside Air – Steve Lily

Mick Forster

“A few Harrow words. Rough, smooth, kinked, deep, shallow, diverse, exhilarating, scary, challenging, unique…The H boyz were always fun to skate with, luckily we had a bloody good park too!” – Mick Forster

Steve Douglas

“I watched the park being built and the opening with TA and Mark Baker, when skating died in the early 80’s and the parks closed we did not care, we had our little group and we called ourselves the H-Boyz.

In 84 I moved from London to California with one thing on my mind was to turn pro, I was lucky enough to achieve that in 87 on my first pro board I had on it “Brewed in Harrow”
When I returned to the UK in 89 for the first time since my move away, I had the opportunity to shoot an add and of course there was only one place I wanted to shoot that, and that was back in Harrow. I may live in California still today but I am a proud H Boy.” – Steve Douglas

Photo: Pivot – Tim Leighton Boyce
Photo: Frontside Slider – Steve Lilly

Andy Ruffell

“Harrow Skate Park is important to me because I basically learnt to ride a BMX bike there! Before I started racing in 1980, I spent a couple of years getting on a train and heading down to Harrow to ride. Some of my best memories of my early BMX days are from riding Harrow, and working on crazy tricks like ‘getting air out the peanut’, ‘riding the wall’ and ‘aerial 360s out the halfpipe end’. It wouldn’t be too far out to say that riding Harrow changed my life. Nothing compared to the fun we had riding those bowls, everything was so new, it was like we were pioneers! I’ll never forget Harrow, it’s in my soul x
– Andy Ruffell

Winston May

“I remember my first trip to Harrow in 1981. It was a big ‘Harrow Day’ event. It was the first time I had seen many skate legends I’d only seen in ‘Skateboard!’ magazine before, people like mad Mark Baker, Rodga Harvey and Winston May. Winston looked the part with his red tee matching his red Rector shorts, the gold side panels of the shorts the exact same shade as his elbow pads. Even his rainbow tube socks going with the rainbow stripes on his Rector gloves! He looked good standing still but when he hit the performance bowl it looked like the concrete had been waxed with butter. He was so smooth and stylish, I was in awe! He was softly spoken but his skating shouted out loud”. – Mike John (Mad Mike)

Photos: Steve Lilly

Pete Dossett

The first time I went to the skate park was around 1982 they had a cafe and a super clean concrete skate park. I had a plastic board with ACS trucks and 70mm Kryptonics. I remember the performance bowl being absolutely huge and the pool was new. I could only roll around back then, I remember watching Rodga Harvey and Mick Forster skating the performance bowl and ruling it. I was 12 years old and I only went there a few times. I went back in 83 and 84 and used a BMX to get there and mess around on it. Matt Bain was always at the park going off on his BMX and then skateboarding. Started to rule all of us at the park and people made each visit amazing. I look forward to the clean Harrow skatepark! – Pete Dossett

Andy Peerless

“When Harrow skate park opened it was mind blowing for the UK at the time, lots of different elements to the park. The best moguls in the country and the best deep bowl, the performance bowl”. – Andy Peerless.
Photo: Tim Leighton-Boyce

Nick Zorlac

“A lot of young people have problems at home, due to financial worries facing their family or a whole host of other issues. Its nice for them to have somewhere to go and spend unlimited time if they want, doing things they want to do like riding or skating with like minded people. Without having to pay by the hour or getting constantly moved on. Being a skateboarder and actually having somewhere that you are actually ‘supposed’ to be is important. Harrow skatepark was always well and truly one of these places for me. Its not just another generic skatepark built to a small budget that ticks a box. It really is something unique and of significance. This skatepark is not only a feather in Harrows cap, but also the UK’s. It’s so good, that when it was time for me to leave home and make my way in the world, I moved to Harrow. 100% because of the skatepark”. – Nick Zorlac

Other notable locals from the 80's

Paul ‘Buz’ Robertson, Dave Hopkins, Jean Luc Harnay, Tim Jenn, Sean Fyles, Peter Oronero, Andy Vost, Steve Lilly, Grover, Chris Woolf, Yogi, Matt Bain, Rodney Allen, TC, Martin Thomas, John Povah, Yogi.

1990's

Keith Hufnagel & Aaron Bleasdale

“Other than a few industry events where he and I saw each other standing around, my history with Keith Hufnagel has been a series of serendipitous encounters at some of the world’s most famous skate spots and parks-UC Berkeley Tennis Court Banks, SF Townsend Gap, LA Wilshire Gap, and Harrow Skatepark in London. The latter occurred in 1994, during an Eastern sojourn where I was taking a Sabbatical from the formal world of skateboarding (the industry), and was passing through London en route to Russia, where I would enjoy near seclusion. I wasn’t leaving skateboarding, I was just taking my own version of it with me. So, whatever was to happen, was to happen. On this day, however, what happened was I made the trek out to Harrow to experience some ancient concrete. I love old skateparks, the ones built before anyone knew how to. They were just ideas plopped out of a dump truck and crudely troweled into some semblance of a skateable idea. And by the early 90s, they’d taken on the patina of a WWII bunker. To skate a 1970s park, even back then, was like going back in time. Except on this day local ripper Aaron Bleasedale was there. As was NYC’s Coco Santiago. And of course, Huf. I got to see a local interpretation of the space, as well as two bi-coastal maestros have at it. In addition to the rumbling of my own wheels, I got to sit and watch those guys lay modernist interpretations of flips and varials on banks made for carving and sliding. But the chunky surface would have no sliding anymore. Despite the coarse concrete and his tiny wheels, Huf managed to lift himself waist-high with a simple pop of the tail. It was effortless and just magnificent. A moment of silence between the rumbling up the bank and the deafening descent. Aaron and Coco were smashing it, too. But the image I was left with, that day, was of Huf in mid floater, arms just dangling, board levitating, gravity taking the rest of the day off. As did sound, and time. For the next several months, I kept that image in mind as I explored the streets fo St. Petersburg, finding places to pop, but never achieving such command of flight. Which was fine. I only needed the indelible, unfading image to chase, and the will to pursue it, day after day. Which I did, unsuccessfully, but without regret. And at every intersection, I’d glance around the corner half excepting to see Keith Hufnagel magically appear, serendipitously skateboarding with me on the other side of the world. In my memories, he is always skateboarding”. – Miki Vuckovich June 21

Photos: Miki Vuckovich

John Cardiel

ALL HAIL CARDIEL!

“Woke up in Harrow on a foggy morning in 1992 after the first overseas flight of my life. I was given sketchy directions to the skate park, finally found it behind what looked like to be a school football field. I was truly amazed since I had never been to a real skate park before besides Benicia at the time. Harrow had a real deal pool and a huge “half” pipe and also a four bowl ditch type thing. They were running a skate shop out of a Container and sold little microwavable snacks and stuff, it was like paradise to me!

I was stationed there for a week early before my friends showed up and was able to really get into that skate park, it was such an awesome oasis for me at the time being so far away from home and skating a real deal skateboard park which looked like an old dinosaur of sorts and had everything I had always revered looking through old skateboarder mags. It was a bit hard trying to navigate the kinks in the pool and Super hard to do tricks in the U pipe. I found myself learning to get rhythm through the four bowl clover ditch type bowls. Trying to find the right spots to get the best snaps. I will never forget Harrow skate park and all the magic that it gave to me, There’s something about old skate parks that hold the history of shred and continue to give up the stoke” – John Cardiel – June 2021

Photo: Tim Leighton-Boyce

Tony Trujillo

“This photo of TNT at Harrow was shot back in the late 90s on an impromptu filming tour organised by Deluxe. There were no set demos just some stoked out locals witnessing Tony, Max Schaaf and John Cardiel blaze through their parks” – Skin Phillips – July 21

Photo: Skin Phillips

Alex Moul

“Harrow skate park was a staple stomping ground for me as a young one, just like Southbank, always a fantastic vibe and although I was more into street rather than skate parks at the time, I could sometimes drag the likes of Matt Stuart, or even one time, the mighty Mark Gonzalez while in England filming for Blind – Video Days to skate the rails behind the Leisure Centre, Epic times for sure. THANK YOU and everyone involved at HARROW SKATEPARK” – Alex Moul

Peter Hewitt

“Moffett and I came to Harrow skatepark at the end of our European tour summer of 91. We arrived in the evening to a sea of crusty concrete. The place was empty and we quickly set up our camp site as the darkness set in. In the morning I woke to find we were sleeping on top of what looked like a peanut shaped pool that had been filled in and was covered in grass. 6 years later I returned to Harrow with Childress, Navs, Brauch & Pete Thompson and the pool had been dug out and was once again skateable. The concrete here has a rich history and when you roll around you can feel the soul of the park”. – Peter Hewitt

Photo: Pete Thompson

Rune Glifberg & Andrew Reynolds

“I only visited harrow skatepark once, back in 1997 with the Flip and Birdhouse teams. It was a time way before every major city was building those super-smooth, user-friendly parks you see today, so while Harrow had that gritty/flawed construction that was common in the 70’s, it was still a park that the Flip/Birdhouse guys wanted to make time for. If I had to guess, the mere existence of Harrow can be linked to the lives of thousands of kids over the decades who considered it their 2nd home- a place to escape. Just another reason to support your local scene. Rune Glifberg and Andrew Reynolds both shot at Harrow in the summer of 1997 on the same day” – Pete Thompson

Photos: Pete Thompson

Mike Frazier

I was in Europe for about three weeks in 1994 with Stereo Skateboards / Deluxe and we were in England. I rode for Airwalk shoes at the time and was getting paid a pretty good monthly check and was going to have a shoe coming out soon. Anyhow, my go-to shoe at the time was the Airwalk Jim shoe. It was a Stan Smith knock off, looked good, felt great and was the only shoe I could skate in that they made, I skated before we went to this park the previous day and caught my laces on a screw head knee sliding and blew my shoe out. I needed new shoes and went to a local skate shop and there were no Jim shoes to be found! I guess England just wasn’t feeling Airwalk. So I brought some Vans. Probably not the smartest decision. I always loved Vans shoes, and before I rode for Airwalk, I grew up riding in Vans. They had this SICK pair of red and white vans old schools at the shop … done deal! So the next day, we go to Harrow Skate park and I started trying this front blunt a couple times and Dave Swift was shooting it. It took a handful of tries, and maybe a slam or two, but I was psyched I made it. I didn’t think much of it, I never really expected TWS to use the photo of the front blunt, MUCH LESS put it on the cover!! Man, did shit hit the fan 3 months later when Airwalk saw it!! Here I was getting checks from my sponsor (Airwalk) and getting a cover shot in their MAIN competition at the time. Oh well.. I’ve always loved Vans shoes all growing up and I think the world of Steve Van Doren, and looking back on it I wouldn’t have done it any differently, I was stoked on how the photo turned out and it also got the ball rolling for me to ride for Vans at the time. This photo would have looked bad in a pair of white Stan Smith knock offs anyways.
Thanks for the cover Dave Swift! – Mike Frazier

Photo: Dave Swift

Mike Manzoori

“It was a wow moment when I asked Mike in 91 to ride for Santa Cruz Europe and I would be his team manager. Without delay, he simply said “Yep, why not, that sounds really cool to my new TM.” On every terrain, whether it be street, ramp, parks, contests, tours or demos, Mike delivered a consistent fast and burly winning approach to them and that’s what made him a perfect fit for Team Santa Cruz. This made my job super easy and enjoyable as I was lucky enough to have unique characters like Mike on board.
Memorably, on every skate session humble Mike always said his catchphrase without fail: “It would be a terrible waste not to eat a Caramac bar” as he promptly produced yet another one from his skate bag with a immense smile on his face. – Shane O’Brien

Photo: Frontside Ollie – Leo Sharp
Photo: Frontside 5-0 – Wig Worland

Max Schaaf

“I remember this was at the end of a long string of demos with Cardiel and Trujillo. We were all just so happy to skate this historical Park at the end of a trip and have some time to get into its nooks and crannies. That was a great session, I can still see the concrete dust coming off of Tony’s trucks as he attacked the lip”. – Max Schaaf July 21

Photo: Skin Phillips

Martin Herrick

Photo: Meany

Ginger Steve

“Harrow is the only skatepark that you can skate all day without even doing a trick! It has THE best lines of any skatepark. But it also has proper gnarly parts that really allow progression. It was the first park I ever skated and it has never got boring, unlike so many new parks aimed just at children. Harrow is unique and one of the reasons I wanted to skate and still do. I’m so glad I’m a Harrow skater!” – Ginger Steve

Matt Anderson

“I always find myself feeling proud to tell people I grew up skating Harrow. It taught me so much about skateboarding, control, balance, how to deal with unexpected changes in transitions, angles, how to see the lines in a skatepark, how to find the sweet spots to get speed and it taught me about fear and pain! you knew if you fell off it would take a piece of you and your board.
So many memories growing up there and friendships for life, you didn’t have to be good to be part of the scene, you didn’t even need to be local, it wasn’t about that, skateboarding, BMX, Roller skating, young, old, whatever, we were all just having fun. Harrovian (A person educated at Harrow) and proud of it.” – Matt Anderson

Lance Mountain

“I have been back a few times, once when there was a prefab street area, definitely twice in the 90s. These shots are from a trip with Skin I don’t remember, as well as a time I thought after? I went on my own, no one was there I walked around and ended up sitting on the grass at the entrance of the cut off filled in Performance bowl, (I think it was called). I just sat there thinking back that it was a whole different life, a different kid that was there over 20-30 years earlier. One of the strangest feelings I have experienced. This place had been part of changing everything. Places Like this change directions & futures of lives. Lets rebuild new different runs that will change the direction of many more kids. – Lance Mountain

Photo: Frontside Rock – Skin
Photo: Bailing out the Halfpipe – Skin
Photo: Fast Plant (Inset with Gunner – Ollie) – Andy Horsley

Gunner

“The first time I walked (rode) through the gates of Harrow Skatepark, it was the very early 80’s. My first impression was of disbelief, I simply couldn’t understand these kids on bikes jumping out of the crater like bowls. I was amazed!
I spent a lot of time at Harrow Skatepark since that very first day, moving onto the four wheeled ‘plank’ variety of transport around early 1987. It very very quickly became my second home. The best of friendships were formed, lifelong injuries were sustained and lots of dreams (however big or small) were fulfilled.
I have been very fortunate to have been ‘involved’ in Harrow in various guises over the years. From living close, so it was my local. To ‘work’ around the moguls on my first BMX. To being welcomed into the skateboard community at a young age. To have my first ever photo in a magazine, in the snake run (thanks TLB). To work in the skateboard industry, at NDUK. To witness numerous ‘heroes’ of mine, tear the place a new one. To then reconnect with my youth and revert back to my BMX again. And to witness my younger brother embrace the park like I once did many many years before.
From that first day in the early 80’s, there has not been a year where I haven’t walked back through those gates (sometimes climbing over them!) whether on a bike or board. That is over 30+ years of Harrow sessions, scars, fun and more importantly memories. And I’m not planning on stopping any time soon.
Harrow is and will always be a part of me. Thank you for the education. – Harrovian; one educated at Harrow -” – Gunner

Mat Fowler

Matt Bain

My dad used to work at the Leisure Centre, there was a big Skateboard Expo in the Byron Hall, must have been 77ish… My dad managed to get me a loan of Jeremy Hendersons actual skateboard instead of the poly props they were hiring out. After 30 mins or so, some older boys took it off me, Jeremy Henderson had an audience and was sitting on the floor telling about 50 kids how to skateboard, I tapped him on the shoulder and said “Oi Jez someone’s stolen your board” My big brother Tim and I went to the opening day of Solid Surf a year or so later, the main thing I remember was all these kids rolling down the snake run and slamming at the end, each time one crashed into the one before, a marshal sitting on the last hip would shout “WIPEOUT…!!!” till there were 10-15 bodies in a pile… Tim got hooked up by Blandford Sub-aqua Shop and was on the Blandford Bowl Riders team… A few years later we both got into BMX. Being 4 years younger, I spent every spare minute at Harrow Skatepark on my bike. I just used to like going fast and big, around 84 BMXing stated getting all fiddly and technical. That wasn’t really my thing so I got a skateboard, again spending most of my time at the park… Absolutely Loved it…!!!Still to this day, I think I was better on my bike than I’ve ever been on my Skateboard…Though I never regret swapping 2 wheels for 4…!!! SKATEBOARDING IS RAD…!!! HARROW IS RAD…!!! – Matt Bain

Winstan Whitter

Getting a phone call at home from the legendary Tim Leighton Boyce in 1991 to have an Intro in R.A.D was like winning the lottery! He interviewed me on the spot, then asked where I would to have a photo taken. Well of course I said Harrow Sk8tepark because I loved that wooden kicker on the old concrete bank. I thought an Ollie grab which I had wired, would make a nice photo and here we are! Good looking out Tim, thanks for capturing the moment! – Winstan Whitter

James Hitchcox

I was born in 1977 on Stuart Road over the back of Byron Park where Harrow skatepark is located. My Dad also has his garage a stone’s throw from the entrance to the park. So I feel like it was inevitable that I would spend a huge part of my life at Harrow skatepark. It was a place to feel free and say and do and act however you wanted. It taught me bike control and a few stunts along the way. It was a hub for riders to meet up and then travel to other BMX spots around the country. As I was a local I got to witness so much greatness at the park, from local riders to riders who traveled the world to come and ride it’s iconic concrete formations. My life 100% revolved around Harrow skatepark, I made so many friends there, and it created the person who I am today. It gave me a reason to seek out other spots, other parks, to enter contests, go to events, choose riding holidays and gave me a lifestyle of excitement and fun. In return I was incredibly lucky to have sponsors that helped this lifestyle, which then turned into my job for a BMX company for 5 years, Then subsequently working with my own BMX companies for the next 12 years. I’ve always said you are a product of your environment and my environment was Harrow skatepark. The centre of the world as we used to call it… there is no better place than Harrow skatepark. – James Hitchcox

Mega Mark

“I was first introduced to Harrow Skatepark when I was 13 years old by a friend, from then on it became my life. All I wanted to do was ride my bike and get good on it, every weekend I got up at 5 o’clock in the morning and rode up to Harrow to ride and if I could get there after school as well, I would be there. I have made some amazing friendships there, met some of the most amazing people you could ever hope to meet, had some really bad injuries, some amazing laughs, and memories that will stay with me my entire life. As I was recovering from the worst injury I ever got there, I decided I wanted to start entering competitions, this led me to become British Champion three years running. Harrow Skatepark will always have a special place in my heart, it’s a really amazing place, there is nowhere like it in the world and there is none I think that is as much fun (it’s sooooo much more fun than sitting in front of an Xbox)! – ‘Mega’ Mark Langston

John Montesi

“1991 – get on an airplane Tampa Florida end up in England first stop Harrow skate park. Amazing concrete park definitely from the 70s. It had some modern stuff also made of wood. Got some mute grabs, ollie impossibles and 360 flips . Harrow was definitely an awesome experience for the vintage concrete design and the awesome street course” -John Montesi

Tom Penny

Photos: Tim Leighton-Boyce

Barry Keegan

“Harrow is not all about BMX’ing, it’s much, much more. It’s where lifelong friendships are made”. – Barry Keegan

Simon Evans

In the early 90s I went to harrow skatepark for the first time. My good old days were very grey (John Major) and Harrow was from an even earlier mud coloured time. It was built by an earlier civilization, and reminded me of an unwell Romford (another concrete skatepark I’d been to) I was younger and dumber then, and it was easier to make Friends. One of them was named Matt Stuart. He Lived on Harrow on the hill where the posh old fashioned kids went to school.
Matt was why I first went to Harrow, and often why I would return. It was his local skateboard base camp, and on the premises was two green shipping containers, where two men sort of ran the skatepark and had a skate shop. Their names were Ray and Gary, and they were men, big and strong and handsome like bouncers in a movie. Ray talked more than Gary. He had smiling eyes. Gary was the quiet one with something Italian about him. He had fuzzy hair like a black duckling Their container shop was called New Deal. It sat in the middle of the park like a helicopter put it there, these brand new bright green Boxes surrounded by ancient skatepark ruins, which many roller skaters and BMXers and the rare skateboarder rolled on. You know how when you live in a place or know a place well, you also remember how it struck you the first time, like a lightning bolt of novelty. These first impressions can be wrong, often are, as what you are seeing is story you’re making up out of your past. These were/are mine about Harrow. Today is 2021 – Simon Evans

Photos: Tim Leighton-Boycde

Scott Stevens

“Harrow skatepark is the place I first started riding BMX. It was with some school friends in the early 90s and I was absolutely blown away with what I saw. Harrow skatepark became the place to go every weekend to learn new tricks, to meet new people and to meet up with the best friends I ever had. Harrow skatepark has played a big part in my BMX career from riding for S&M and GT bicycles to traveling to new places with my friends. 30 years later Harrow skatepark is still the place to be, to meet, to chat and maybe do a bit of riding. I hope Harrow skatepark continues to inspire the people that use it for many years to come… just like it did with me”. – Scott Stevens

Salman Agah

“It seems every time we started a skateboarding tour overseas it started here at Harrow Skatepark outside London. New Deal UK, a distributor at the time would put us up in a little bed and breakfast spot not far from this skatepark. They truly had the best breakfast and we’d be in the dining room scarfing it up every morning. One memorable breakfast I had involved a left over conversation that Karma and I had the night before about who was a better drummer, the drummer for Metallica or No Means No. We argued our sides over English bacon, baked beans, over easy eggs, toast and tomatoes. I was sponsored by Real Skateboards at the time. Believe it or not, at this time many of us who were pros and ams didn’t ride the boards or wear the clothes that our sponsors made. There was a youthful rebellion in skateboarding that mocked and recoiled at the slightest hint of anything commercial. Look at my deck & my shirt in this photo because it tells that story. All the companies made clothes at this time due to the popularity of Blind Jeans. Here I am wearing Ben Davis, 101 Gabriel Rodriguez RIP shirt and most likely my deck was a H-Street, Danny Way (VW) DW deck. Nevertheless we were on the road skateboarding. We were inspired and we inspired others. These tours were a mix of eclectic characters. I remember being in a van with Buck Smith, Bo Ikeda, Ed Templeton, Mike Vallely, Brent Fellows, Karma, AP, Rick Ibaseta, Lance Mountain, Mike Manzoori, Cardiel, Jim, Tommy and the list goes on and on. New Deal UK and Harrow Skatepark was most certainly a jump off point for many many tours in the UK that bled into Europe. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. – Salman Agah

Photo: Tim Leoghton-Boyce

Tim Byrne

“Growing up in North London becoming a Harrow Local was never on the cards, until a trip to the Harrow Leisure Centre water slides as an 11 year old gave me my first sight of the place that would become my home every weekend for the next 30+ years. Riding from Finchley to Harrow every weekend before I could drive and living at friends houses for the weekend made me a local without even living in Harrow. Starting on roller skates, then realising skateboards were way more the route to go thanks to the influence of the New Deal boys, then having a go on a kids BMX and one ride through Bowl 1 got me hooked and I never looked back. Witnessing some of the legends of UK BMX at my local was definitely inspiring for me. Gerry Galley, Richard Brown, John Dye, Mason Smith, John Barnet, Martin Allmey, Stuart King, Paul Roberts, Scott Steven,s Bonce and many more riding my local was a treat. The most inspiring of them all though were both Rodney and Mark Langston. They took us young riders under their wing and looked after us, taught us the basics and set the vibe for Harrow for us all as we grew up. Harrow has given me many friends both across BMX and skate. An amazing group of people who are my brothers for life, with whom I have shared so many great times and life experiences. Having travelled to many countries around the world with my BMX there is a camaraderie with all riders, however being a proud Harrow local has something different. A unique group of people, and a skatepark which is welcoming for all that ride or skate through those gates gives that family feel no other park has in my experiences. As a Harrow local it means you can enjoy whatever you ride at whatever level. Constant banter, encouragement, good times and laughs and of course a good moan about life. No show offs, no one ups, just equal for all. Growing up at Harrow Skatepark has 100% shaped my life and made me who I am today and enabled me to experience BMX to the fullest and opened doors that I would never have seen had I not seen Harrow Skatepark. Life takes over as we grow up, we now have families etc so I don’t get there as much as I would like nowadays, but knowing it’s just 10 minutes down the road means I can go whenever I can and now get to see my own kids on their bikes. Seeing the excitement in their eyes takes me back to the day I was introduced to the best skatepark in the UK. An amazing park, fun, simple, and usable for all. The best locals of any park (maybe I’m biased) and 100% the best hip in the world… 3 to 1. (the locals will know!!). I will always proudly say I am a Harrow local, long may it live!” – Tim Byrne

Ed Templeton

“When I first got to Harrow I could sense it’s history. You could feel it emanating from the rain-worn concrete that felt like sandpaper to the touch. The grey and stoic undulating hips and nipples covered in faded graffiti from a bygone era, surviving all these years in spite of evolving time.
I could imagine the 70’s skaters carving and catching air through the snake runs and bowls in their primitive pads and helmets. Now it seemed like it was mostly used by kids on bikes or scooters. Sadly I was more interested in skating a small handrail adjacent to the park with local boy Alex Moul, but I did roll around the park and breathe in some of its legend. Suddenly I found myself really enjoying the curves of the small quad-bowl and the way the moguls in the middle would launch you up and into another bowl.
Addictive fun does not change with the times, it’s a constant, and that bowl was the drug I never wanted to quit. Photographer Tobin Yelland was with us on the trip and saw us all having a great time in the bowl and came to shoot some photos.
If my memory is correct there was a Toy Machine ad of Chris Senn blasting an air in this bowl too, complete with a local park grom on a bike at the bottom of the bowl flipping off the camera. So perfect!
But of course TWS had to censor the photo. We had intended to use a photo of me flipping off the camera as I floated through the air but Tobin couldn’t find the photo at the time we needed it and we ended up using a more conventional shot of me just doing a plain ollie over the hip.
I remember worrying so much about slamming and sliding on that rough cement. I bet if I wasn’t such a wuss I could have even gone higher. – Ed Templeton

Photos: Tobin Yelland

Chris Senn

“This was the same time as the contest at Wembley, me and the boys from Grass Valley and I want to say Donny Barley was there.. that was a long time ago 1997. I just remember all the kids kept saying “popn out!” To let ya know they were about to blast a fat air.. – Chris Senn

Photo: Mike O’Meally

Other notable locals from the 90's

John Dye, Stu King, Jerry Galley, Paul Roberts, Martin Allmey, Hospital Dan, Owen Williams, Scott Stevens, Elliot McGrath, Bonce, Richard Brown, Mason Smith, Lemsip, Mark Channer, Toby Shaul, Mat Fowler, Sam Silverstone.

2000's

Jake Brown

Some years ago we were on a tour of Europe with Blind skateboards promoting our video “what if?”. Us as riders had no real idea of where we were headed but we’re enjoying the ride as we were being taken to amazing places we’d never been to. One of those places happened to be Harrow skatepark , what a treat it was to ride something with so much history. We had seen photos and video from this place before but unless you go there it doesn’t do it justice, the last part of the park I skated was the pool and getting a clip was the main priority at each spot so I blasted the biggest air I could in this historical piece of greatness and the result was a cover of sidewalk magazine, my only other non Australian skateboard magazine cover. So I thank Harrow and Sidewalk for this amazing piece of mine and their skateboard history and look forward to seeing the new remodelled version for future generations to rip for years to come. – Jake Brown

Photos: Dominic Marley

Carl 'Potter' Wilson

“What can I say the first time I went there I was blown away by how good the park was. At this time there weren’t many very good UK skateparks around and to see and skate a park which was built in the 70s that still holds up as one the the best parks today. You don’t get bored at these places as there are endless lines and they are a proving ground of UK transition skating for sure. If you do something in the pipe then you have really done that trick in one of the hardest places it can be done. Love this place and the sessions that have gone down”.
– Potter

Mikey Patrick

You would be correct to assume that backside ollies are super difficult in this pool. Not a problem for Mikey Patrick though! This pic is from the 2008 ‘Harroween’ halloween jam.

Photo: Chris Johnson

Stevie Thompson

“After moving to Harrow in 2003, Harrow skatepark was a complete game changer for me. At a time where being scared of concrete skateparks was a thing and riding 7.75 boards, I was out of my depth the first winter months there. By the end of that summer it was a different story thanks to the likes of Ginger Steve, the weekly Sunday hangover sessions with Zorlac and Cates, that fucking beautiful imperfect pool, the epic bollox with the massive antihero logo on it. Herrick, some extremely rough concrete and hell of a lot of skaters living in Harrow at the time! I was now over the fear of concrete, could handle a bigger transition and had learnt to carve a bit. I owe a lot and am privileged to that park and to the Harrow crew for both taking me in and also getting to be part of the absolute carnage that was the House of Doom”. – Stevie Thompson

Photo: David ‘Styley’ Steel

Zarosh

When California based shredder Zarosh was about to visit the UK in around 2004, their mutual friend and mentor Preston “P-Stone” Maigetter (RIP) gave him Nick Zorlac’s phone number and told him to call him if he wanted to skate some vintage concrete. He did… Zarosh and Nick became friends, and not only has Zarosh stayed and skated Harrow many times since, but he also has been riding for Nick’s Harrow based brand ‘Death Skateboards’ since 2006.

Photo: Sam Ashley

Daryl Dominguez

Scott 'Horsey' Walker

“I found myself living in Harrow for 4 or 5 years and the park became my local. When you look past her more known heavy hitting parts like the pool and half pipe she’s actually quite the sweetheart full of fun nibbly bits and bobs. It’s such a unique place you can go have as much fun going balls to the wall and risking your life as you do burning around in circles pretending you’re Ginger Steve. It’s pure skate history and it needs to be protected and it’s story shared for the rest of time”. – Scott ‘Horsey’ Walker

Photo: (1 Foot Pivot Fakie) Chris Johnson
Photo: (Blunt) Dave Hopkins

Ben Raemers

“Even before I lived in London, I’d always try and make the pilgrimage to Harrow whenever I was in town, back then there wasn’t much like this up North, and it was always enjoyable scaring the shit out of myself in the pool or the halfpipe, quickly realising how Harrow attained it’s ‘proving ground’ status. The B&W photo was shot at the ‘Save Harrow’ jam back in 2008, I think it was the first time I ever shot Ben. There were lots of people killing the half pipe that day, but Ben really stood out, this one was for warm ups, he ended up closing down the session with a backside disaster revert, I remember thinking he was really something else. The backside noseblunt took 2 or 3 visits I think, I remember him trying it in the pissing rain on one of these… Ben was the nicest guy you could possibly hope to meet, but once he stepped on a skateboard he was a total maniac. Anyway, on the final visit he was really struggling to pull it in, but then out of nowhere Graham appeared (That’s him stood behind the opposite wall) and within a few goes Ben was miraculously riding away, I honestly couldn’t believe it. The whole time I knew and photographed Ben similar stuff would happen, but the standard of the stuff he would try was always so high that it was always shocking whenever he actually rode away. Miss you mate”. Sam Ashley

Photos: Sam Ashley

Dan Cates

When Harrow Skatepark was designed and built, the Ollie hadn’t even been invented yet! There were a mere fraction of the tricks that exist today and nobody had the slightest idea as to how quickly and in what direction skateboarding would evolve. Skateparks were a new phenomenon and as such nobody really knew what geometry worked yet. Building a skateboard park in 1978 was literally an educated guess at what might, or might not work. Taking these factors into account, you can start to understand why Harrow is so unique and why the skaters that learned their craft there are able to adapt to just about any terrain. This is my own personal list of Harrow MVP’s. Thanks for putting us on the map fella’s!

1. Ross McGouran.
2. Daryl Dominguez.
3. Gunner.
4. Matt Anderson
5. Ginger Steve
6. Mick Forster
7. Rodga Harvey
8. Steve Douglas
9. Nick Zorlac
10. Boots
11. Honorary mention: Martin Herrick – worst dude ever!

Never forget how important the friendships you make at your local skatepark can be. In many cases they will last a lifetime.

Photo: Sam Ashley

Rikki Gunner

“First time I remember going to Harrow skatepark I must have been about 4 or 5 years old. My brother used to work in the skate shop there (HSC) and Mum used to take me down there to see him. I was that annoying kid running down the snake run getting in the way! 30 years later I still get the same buzz riding through the gates and seeing the friends that I’ve gained through this place over the years. Harrow is a pretty unique skatepark and I think very few people get the chance to see its full potential. A lot of people dismiss it as it does not have the usual jump box, quarterpipe scenarios. It’s rough, bumpy and can bite back very hard if not respected! You can ride the same bit 20 times and hit 20 different transitions… For me, this is what makes it exciting.
Growing up riding there has definitely helped shape my style of riding and is a big part of what still puts a smile on my face everytime I pick up my bike”. – Rikki Gunner

John Rattray

“Ian Gunner and Matt Anderson worked for NDUK who were flowing me some boards and shoes in the late ‘90s. They’d come up to Scotland to skate and I stayed at their place in Harrow, or maybe it was Pinner, when they lived with Styley. I stayed with them at least once or twice when I went down to visit, skate, film clips and shoot photos.
I’m pretty sure I skated the Harrow park a couple of times with Matt and Ian. They both flowed around the place so beautifully. Proper masters of their craft working the lines there. The only photo I remember getting at the Harrow park was a mute grab to fakie over the hip known as “the bollocks”. Oliver Barton shot it. I cannot for the life of me remember why we were in Harrow that day but his theory is that it was the same day we shot the boardslide shove on that mellow rail that’s in the opening sequence of the WFTW Blueprint part. I more remember stuff that other people did. Mike Frazier front blunt in the capsule halfpipe still to this day is one of the rawest moves ever done. All said and done, Harrow’s one of the classic old British parks and I’m stoked I got to skate there. Maybe get to again one sunny day. John Rattray

Photo: Oliver Barton

Other notable locals from the 00's

Chief, Grommet, Onyaka, Steak, Boots, Ross McGowan, Kev the Plasterer,

2010's

Sam Beckett

“I think i’ve only been to harrow a handful of times. Every time I went I was lucky enough to see some friendly faces and some stunts go down. I’ve always been relieved to come away with some smiles and nothing more than a few grazes. It was the first of the relics i’d ever skated. I had seen all these iconic photos there and was totally blown away the first time I skated it when I was around 15. Everything was so rough and seemed almost impossible to skate after spending the last 4 years at indoor wooden skateparks. But it opened my eyes to what’s possible and to how fun the crust can be”. – Sam Beckett – June 21

Photo: Chris Johnson

James 'Bow wow' Boughen

“Nothing quite compares to Harrow, it’s a rough and ready place that takes no prisoners. I first rode there as a youth when Matt Smith took me. I was scared and barely rode.

As time went on and my recurring face got recognised by the locals it was at that time I knew I was home. The Harrow locals are a different breed, all types of folk who are driven by one thing and that’s a kids bike. No fashion here, just having a good time and chatting rubbish.

The elder locals like James Hitchcox, Barry Keegan, Tim Byrne and Danny Payne really took me under their wing and shaped me into the person I am today. It’s not been just a skatepark for me it’s been an escape and it’s also been like a school.

No park quite has the flow like this place and with good pals like Matt Smith and Rikki Gunner to ride with I soon became sucked into that style of riding. This skatepark will always be my favourite and will always have a space in my heart”. – James ‘Bow Wow’ Boughen

Alex Halford

“We were shooting a project that focussed on the four-remaining showpiece 70’s parks that remain in the UK; Romford, Harrow, Stevenage and Livingston. After a glorious first day at Romford, our plans for Harrow were called off due to heavy rain so we decided to wait 24 hours and try again. Being granted a 3-hour window in the weather the following day, Rune, Raven, Beckett and Hatchell went to town on the Half Pipe and Moguls. With spots of rain starting to fall on the ageing concrete, a car full from Nottingham pulled into the carpark. From the boot Alex pulled out this vintage Cab set up and proceeded to pay homage with both this backside boneless and a hand plant, all under a blanket of thick drizzle.” – Chris Johnson

Photo: Chris Johnson

Ben Hatchel

“I only had the chance to skate Harrow once. I was on a trip in the area where we had been going to a few parks. Harrow and Rom were the first places I had seen a concrete U pipe in person. They’re more difficult to skate than they look. The videos of Harrow do not do it justice. For a park built in the 70’s they nailed it on the design! I hope the new skatepark turns out as rad as the existing one. I’m looking forward to seeing the new park get built”.- Ben Hatchell

Photo: Chris Johnson

Adam Sutcliffe

I’ve made friends and memories to last a lifetime there. It’s the best lump of concrete in the world! Simple :)” – Adam Sutcliffe

Geoff Rowley

“Harrow has always been a legendary place for me, timeless. I watched Ed T. shoot the cover of Welcome to Hell there with Tobin Yelland and only got to skate it one other time with Phelps, Sandoval and Pedro Barros. There is no skatepark on this earth quite like Harrow Skatepark in England. May it always exist.” – Geoff Rowley

Photo: Michael Burnett

Raven Tershy

The first time I went to Harrow was in the Summer of 1997. I’d spent the 3 days’ prior having my mind blown open at the infamous Generation 97 at Wembley Arena. As the event was wrapping up, we’d gotten wind that the travelling pros were heading to Harrow the following day, so naturally me and my mates wanted to do the same. Entering the park, we were totally overwhelmed and intimidated by the scale of the situation as the biggest names Skateboarding tore the place apart right in front of our young eyes.

During the ten years I shot for Sidewalk Magazine, transition skaters were the hardest group to document and feature. The same would have been true for street skaters if there were only 5 legitimate street spots in the country….Before the influx of amazing, modern and large scale skateparks and DIY spots that we’re now blessed with in the UK, the only legitate concrete transitioned proving grounds were Romford, Livi, Stevenage, Southsea and Harrow.

If you’d have told me in 1997 almost 20 years to the day later I’d return to Harrow and this time to shoot some of the best transition skaters in the world I’m not suremy 18 year old self would have believed you. Having someone of such notoriety as Raven Tershy flying around the halfpipe inches from your camera lens is something that I wish a single photograph could portray. You’ll just have to imagine the sounds as he rode up the much ignored ‘other end’ of the aging U pipe and the brief silence as his tail tapped and time stood still. – Chris Johnson

Photo: Chris Johnson

Ronnie Sandoval

“It was amazing to skate Harrow the summer of 2018. It’s kinda gnarly, but definitely reminded my of my home park Channel Street. Nothing’s too perfect or too smooth, but that makes it so much cooler when you get a trick. The pool with the bank into it was one of the crustiest things I’ve ever skated! That was my last trip with Phelper and over breakfast he told me about the lines that Cardiel did there 30 years before. Once you skate a park like Harrow, you get to be a part of history.You know you’re skating where thousands of skaters have skated before. It’s important to keep that opportunity going for the future generations.” – Ronnie Sandoval

Photo: Michael Burnett

Other notable locals from the 10s

Sam Gardner, Pigeon, Rambo

2020's

Notable locals from the 20s

Louis Mire, Darren Deez, Darren – Pocket Air, Dom the Pom.

Still surviving after 6 decades of abuse, one of the world’s most historical skateparks desperately needs to be rebuilt. The goal is simple to make Harrow the best skatepark in the world.

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