Editing Stanmore (section)

===Urbanisation===
[[File:Stanmore Village railway station.jpg|thumb|[[Stanmore Village railway station]]]]
The railways first reached Stanmore in 1890 when Frederick Gordon opened the [[Stanmore branch line]] to improve access to Bentley, in the hope of attracting more affluent customers. Great Stanmore Parish Council stipulated that Gordon's new station building should be of the highest quality, and so [[Stanmore Village railway station|Stanmore station]] (later renamed ''Stanmore Village'') was designed to resemble a small English church, complete with a spire and [[gargoyle]]s. Trains were run by the [[London and North Western Railway]] (LNWR). Gordon also purchased land near the station and laid out a wide avenue—named ''Gordon Avenue''—lined with new superior houses, in the hope of attracting wealthy Londoners to come to live in the country and commute into the city on his new railway. Despite his efforts, Gordon's business ventures at Stanmore were not successful, and in 1899 he sold the railway to the LNWR.<ref name="stb-stanmore">{{cite web|title=The Harrow and Stanmore railway|url=http://www.stanmoretouristboard.org.uk/the-harrow-and-stanmore-railway/the-stanmore-branch-line.html|website=stanmoretouristboard.org.uk|publisher=The Stanmore Tourist Board|access-date=7 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180207094027/http://www.stanmoretouristboard.org.uk/the-harrow-and-stanmore-railway/the-stanmore-branch-line.html|archive-date=7 February 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Gordon died in 1904 at his Hotel Metropole in [[Cannes]]. His body was brought back to Stanmore and buried in the family grave at the church of [[St John the Evangelist, Great Stanmore|St. John's Church]].<ref name="stb-stanmore"/>

[[File:Manor Stanmore.jpg|thumb|left|The manor house on Old Church Lane built in 1930, separate from an older manor house nearby]]
In the early years of the 20th century, as the population of London grew, Stanmore was affected by increasing [[urbanization|urbanisation]] and the small rural village was rapidly becoming a suburb of London. In December 1932 the [[Metropolitan Railway]] (MR) opened a new electric railway with a station at {{stl|LUL|Stanmore}} (now the [[London Underground]] station on the [[Jubilee line]]). This rapid, direct route into London presented strong competition for Gordon's old railway (by now run by the [[London, Midland and Scottish Railway]] (LMS)), especially as branch line passengers had to change trains at {{rws|Harrow & Wealdstone}} for London services. After years of decline, Stanmore Village station was closed by [[British Rail]]ways in 1952.<ref name="stb-stanmore"/>