Metro-land – the Chilterns commuter heartland, 110 years and counting

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Metro-land – the Chilterns commuter heartland, 110 years and counting

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It’s now 110 years since some whizz in the marketing department of the Metropolitan Railway first came up with the idea of ‘Metro-land’ – a term used to describe the suburban areas to the north-west of London that have become the commuter heartlands of Middlesex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

Promising more space, access to the countryside and leafy new housing developments, the area was an attractive proposition for people searching for a better way of life outside the capital. 

Of course, much has changed over the course of the last century. But the popularity of Metro-land was no passing fad, and places such as Rickmansworth, Chorleywood, Chalfont St Giles and Amersham are still regarded by house-hunters as highly desirable today. Rural tranquillity complemented by easy access into London and high-quality homes make the area an excellent choice for families and commuters alike.

Metro-land’s enduring appeal has seen the term make its way into popular culture – with books, films, songs, poems and, (arguably) most notably, a 1973 BBC documentary by Sir John Betjeman all inspired by the towns and villages along what has now become the Metropolitan underground line. 

Metro-land – what’s it all about?

The term Metro-land was first coined in a 1915 publicity booklet for the Metropolitan Railway, which in the preceding years had bought up large tracts of land alongside its line with the aim of developing it for housing.

Although partly written to attract day trippers, it was primarily aimed at encouraging middle-class commuters who could use the Metropolitan Railway's trains for regular travel – promoting a dream of a modern home in beautiful countryside with a fast railway service to central London.

The first Metro-land booklets included illustrations of idyllic cottages and descriptions of a semi-rural paradise where Londoners could escape the crowded conditions of the city.

Over the course of the next 20 years the railway’s development company and its partners built commuter estates along the line – from Neasden, Wembley and Harrow through to Pinner, Moor Park, Rickmansworth, Chorleywood and Amersham.

Characterised by mock Tudor country villas and semi-detached dwellings with steep roofs, bay windows and half-timbered gables, the developments proved a huge success – with the greater availability of mortgages also ensuring private housing was within reach for more buyers. 

Metro-land in popular culture

Such was the popularity of Metro-land that it soon found its way into public consciousness – mentioned in songs and poems even before the end of the First World War. 

By the 1920s it was so well known that it appeared in Evelyn Waugh’s novel Decline and Fall in the form of Viscount Metroland.

The 1980 novel Metroland by Julian Barnes – later made into a film starring Christian Bale and Emily Watson – recounts the experiences of growing up in 1960s suburbia and follows the life of central character Christopher Lloyd travelling on the Metropolitan line to and from London.

But it’s through the works of poet laurate Sir John Betjeman that Metro-land is perhaps best encapsulated. Harrow-on-the Hill, Middlesex and The Metropolitan Railway feature in his collection of poems – A Few Late Chrysanthemums – and describe the lure of Metro-land with its promise of an idyllic lifestyle. 

He reached an even wider audience with his documentary Metro-land which celebrated suburban life and saw him follow the course of the former Metropolitan railway line from its unofficial headquarters in Baker Street to Aylesbury.

 

Metro-land in the 21st century

Today, Metro-land, or Metroland, remains a popular choice for buyers. There have, of course, been changes – areas such as Pinner and Harrow on the Hill are now well established within London boroughs – but many of the attributes that first attracted would-be homeowners remain.

The Metropolitan line (the world’s first underground railway) continues to be the gateway to the Chess Valley and Chilterns, where the balance of town and country has been preserved. 

The Cedars Estate in Rickmansworth and the parkland setting of Moor Park are fine examples of Metro-land design, and properties are always in high demand. Chorleywood with its 200-acre common, Chalfont St Giles and Amersham with its eclectic mix of old and new are also popular.


Average house prices in Metro-land

The strength of demand means that average house prices along the Metropolitan line have seen robust growth. In Harrow, for example, as of the end of 2024, the average property cost £618,411 – a rise of 20.5% over the last five years.

In the Three Rivers district (including Abbots Langley, Chandler's Cross, Chorleywood, Moor Park and Rickmansworth) the average property price is £660,508 – a 15.1% rise since 2019. In Buckinghamshire (including the ‘Metro-land’ areas of Amersham, Chesham and Chalfont & Latimer) the average price is £556,690 – a 14.3% rise in the last five years.

Over a century later, then, the allure of Metro-land endures. Plenty of green space, fast connections into the capital, some excellent schools, high quality family homes and lots of amenities mean that this little slice of the Home Counties continues to be held in high regard.

 

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Further information

Contact Steven Spencer or Mike Lillitou

 

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