The Harrow Inn is situated on High Street in Lower Wanborough, which iwas part of the Roman's Ermine Street. It is thought to be the oldest public house in the village, dating back to at least 1720, around which time it was known known as the Harrow and Kings Head. It was on a busy thoroughfare for travellers and in the 18th and 19th centuries the village was a popular resting place for cattle drovers on their way to London.
It had been built as a coaching inn. Coaching inns became popular in Britain from the mid 17th century and were typically located at roughly seven-mile intervals across the country depending on local terrain. They provided ale, food, a change of horse and lodgings for travellers.
In 1863 Arkells, a fast expanding family brewery on the outskirts of Swindon, were supplying the Inn with beer on a 10-year lease. By 1871 another brewery, Wanborough Brewery, was established next door to the Harrow Inn and in 1877 acquired the Harrow Inn. At a later date it was purchased by the Wiltshire brewery Ushers of Trowbridge, then by Whitbread, and it is now part of Enterprise Inns.
A detail of the Pendon model, easy to miss, is an exquisite model tandem propped up against a fence outside the pub. If you look at it closely you can see a perfect set of wheel spokes and other details. The model is of a 1936 Grubb ‘Pullman’ tandem, and was built in Perth Australia for Pendon by Adrian du Heaume.
Full details of Harrow Inn are here. As well as having the 'prototypes' of several Pendon models, Wanborough is an excellent base for exploring parts of the Ridgeway.
