There are plenty of unusual stories buried in Harrow’s past, but this one is probably up there with the strangest.
More than a century ago, the landlord of The Queen’s Head in Pinner is said to have kept a bear in the stables behind the pub – and even took it out for walks.
The story is recorded by Historic England and centres on Dawson Billows, who was the licensee of the High Street pub in the early 20th century.
A bear behind the Queen’s Head
Historic England says Billows kept the bear in the pub’s stables and was sometimes seen walking it around the area.
There does not appear to be much detail about where the bear came from, how long it lived there or what eventually happened to it.
But the idea of someone walking a bear through Pinner High Street gives a very different picture of the area compared with today.
At the time, rules around keeping wild and exotic animals were also very different from those now in place.
The Queen’s Head has been in Pinner for centuries
The pub itself has an even longer history. The Queen’s Head, at 31 High Street, is Grade II listed and parts of the building are believed to date back to the mid-1500s.
Historic England says it was originally built as a house and was recorded as an inn by 1692, although it may have been serving drink before then.
There are also records relating to a cottage and garden on the site going back to 1536.
Today, the timber-framed building remains one of the most recognisable sights on Pinner High Street.
Coaches once left from outside the pub
Long before the arrival of modern public transport, The Queen’s Head was also linked with journeys into central London.
Historic England records that a coach once left the pub at 7.30am for The Bull in Holborn, returning from London in the afternoon and arriving back in Pinner at around 6pm.
An 1819 coaching guide also records a daily service linking London, Pinner and Harrow on the Hill.
So the Queen’s Head was not just somewhere to stop for a drink. At various points in its long history it was also a coaching stop, a meeting place and, rather unexpectedly, home to a bear.
It is difficult to imagine someone walking one down Pinner High Street today, but apparently that is exactly what happened.
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