|
Dating back to Elizabethan times, Coaching Inns
provided ale, food and lodgings to the weary traveller. They
primarily relied on the coach traveler for their business. As the
coach and horse was not a comfortable way to travel, the Coaching Inn
with its open log fires and fine ale would have been too tempting to
resist after a long day in a cramped, bumpy carriage. Coaching Inns
were a vital part of the coaching tradition, as they not only fed
travellers, changed horses and provided beds, but linked the coaching
system throughout Britain. Full of travellers from all over the
country, they became meeting places and provided an opportunity to
catch up on the latest news.
 The
Harrow Inn is by far the oldest in Wanborough. The earliest deed, a
lease by Thomas Bracker is dated 1747 when the pub was then known as
the "Harrow and Kings Head". In 1837 William Smith was a
maltster on the premises and the 1848 Kelly Directory lists "E
Smith, Brewer and Wholesale Wine and Spirit Merchant". In 1863,
the owner George Deacon leased the Harrow Inn to Arkells Brewery for
10 years which prompted a sale of the brewing equipment which
included a 4-quarter copper and 5 store casks of 730 to 1209 gallons.
Around this time, The Deacons, a farming family who had been
maltsters in the village since before 1848, opened the Wanborough
Brewery next door. In 1874, the Harrow was conveyed from G. to H.J.
Deacon in meaning it had now became the property of the brewery.
Brothers R. and R.C. Williams bought the brewery in 1876 which was
offered for auction on November 1879. Eventually the Harrow was
passed on to North Wilts Breweries and disposed of in their
Bankruptcy sale of 1896. The Lot included: The Harrow Inn, House
Adjoining, 3 acres of land, and a one-tenth share in the Patriots
arms in Chisledon. The Lot was bought for £1474.
 Directly
beneath the thatch in one of the attics, is an ancient wooden pulley
that would have been used as a hoist. Those who had drunk too much
would have been lifted to the bedroom window from where they were
bundled to bed. Coachman and Cattle drovers are claimed to be the
most common offenders. More likely the hoist would have been used for
contraband. In support of this theory, are the many concealed
cupboards in the eaves and suspicious looking spaces between the
bedroom walls. There is little doubt that the building was once used
by smugglers to conceal their illicit goods.
Downstairs in the bar, just above the main fireplace
are the remains of a "Dog Grate" or ("Jack")
(National Monuments Office listing). In the days well before the
RSPCA, a small dog would have been placed in a cage in the chimney
and by it's exertions a small fan was driven which provided the
necessary draught for kindling the fire below. The dog would have
been removed as soon as the fire had taken hold. Another version is,
the dog would have by means of a pulley attachment turn a spit inside
the chimney, to rotate the joint of meat cooking on the open fire.
Although the current landlords do not use this method today, the
grate remains a grade 2 listed fixture.
Home | About
us | Food | What's on
| History | Photos
| Links | Map |
