The Kings Head Hotel Gantry Harrow, is a sign hung from a horizontal beam commemorating the local Pub. The Gantry was placed on the green by the Harrow Hill Trust in 2013. The sign replaced an old 1980s gantry, although a gantry has stood on the same spot for centuries. The gantry sign denotes the Kings Head Inn which once stood on the site opposite since ancient times. The new structure was designed to be more faithful to the original gantry sign. Many subsequent signs have stood on the green since at least 1535.
King Henry VIII
The name of the Kings Head Hotel Gantry Harrow relates to King Henry VIII, whose portrait has been used on the King’s Head sign since 1770. It was believed to be the site of Henry VIII’s hunting lodge. Although the Kings Head Hotel stood as one of the oldest buildings in Harrow, it declined during 1980’s In 2001, the building was saved from destruction and turned into private flats. In the centuries before, the Kings Head Hotel was a centre for social activity for the local area, right up until the 1970s. Because of historical significance there are fewer than 10 gantry signs in the U.K. remaining, and is therefore of historical significance. The Campaign for Real Ale state that the Kings Head Inn is unusual because of its situation. The gantry, unlike most of which are usually next to buildings or across roads, is free standing. Carpenters Oak, a company who also repaired Windsor Castle after the fire, built the structure, and installed it. A local group of children from the Harrow Hill Trust placed a time capsule under it containing special items from their schools. The gantry was immortalised in a picture by 18th Century landscape painter Inigo Richards. There are many other interesting places in Harrow and you can read about them from the homepage of this Harrow Plumber website.