Most of us have either stopped at The Hare for a drink or a meal, or driven past it on the way towards Bushey without giving much thought to how long it has actually been there.
A licensed premises has stood on the Old Redding site since 1706, while the building there today dates mainly from the early 19th century. Over the years it has been linked to a local brewery, run by generations of landlords and even traded under a different name for a while.
A history going back to 1706
When the first licence was recorded, this part of Harrow Weald would have looked very different. Old Redding was surrounded by woodland, farmland and brickworks, long before many of the roads appeared. The route was used by carts, workers and travellers moving through the area, so a public house would have been an important stopping point.
Local history accounts also suggest the original premises were built using bricks made at a nearby kiln, linking it to an industry that was once a major part of Harrow Weald.
The building we see today
Although a licensed premises has existed here since the early 18th century, the current building is much younger.
Historic England dates it to the early 19th century. It has two storeys, a symmetrical frontage, sash windows, a tiled roof and a stucco exterior. The old stables beside the main building are also protected and are a reminder of the days when horses were still commonly used to travel through the area.
The building and stables were officially made Grade II listed on 25 May 1983.
The Clutterbuck connection
During the 19th century, the premises became closely linked with the Clutterbuck family, who ran a brewery on nearby Stanmore Hill. Clutterbuck became one of the best-known brewing names in the area and built up a large number of pubs across Middlesex and Hertfordshire.
Historical accounts show that the Old Redding site was owned by the family for part of the Victorian period, with beer supplied from the Stanmore brewery.
By the beginning of the 20th century, the company had become a sizeable local business. Brewing in Stanmore ended in 1916, before Clutterbuck was taken over by the Cannon Brewery in 1923.
Generations of landlords
The people who ran the pub over the years can still be traced through old directories and local records. The Foskett family are believed to have been there from around 1841 until the end of the 19th century. Records from the 1890s list Mrs Mary Foskett as the publican.
Other accounts mention Miss Ginn as landlady from 1914. Former professional footballer George Hill, who had played for Luton Town FC, is also reported to have taken over management in 1959.
For generations, the building would have been a familiar meeting place for people living and working around Harrow Weald.
From Blubeckers back to its old name
More recently, the site went through a period when it was no longer trading under its traditional name.
By the early 2000s it was operating as Blubeckers restaurant. A Harrow Council planning document from 2002 described it as the former Hare Public House. Following a major refurbishment in 2011, it operated as an independent restaurant with a separate bar.
Then, in July 2014, the old name returned when the premises became part of the White Brasserie group. That business later became part of Heartwood Inns, with the wider company rebranding as Heartwood Collection in 2023.
Who owns it today?
The business is currently operated by Heartwood Inns while the freehold is listed as belonging to MK SIPP Trustees UK Ltd.
Heartwood Inns Limited was previously known as The White Brasserie Company Ltd and now operates a number of pubs and restaurants around the country, including the White Bear in Ruislip.
The Stone outside the pub
There is another bit of local history just outside the pub. The large stone near the sign is a sarsen boulder, a type of very hard rock formed millions of years ago.
It is one of only three known publicly accessible sarsen stones in Harrow, with others at Wealdstone and Pinner Memorial Park. Experts believe the Old Redding stone may once have marked an old trackway which later became the A409, although its exact purpose is not known.
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Chris Mitchell is the founder and editor of Harrow Online, Harrow’s leading local news platform.
He launched Harrow Online in 2010 as a Facebook page sharing local news and information. Since then, it has grown into a trusted source for breaking news, crime, council decisions, planning, transport, business and community stories across the borough.
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