Headstone Manor and Museum

About the museum

Headstone Manor is a medieval moated site in Harrow. The Manor House is Grade I listed and has an early medieval house at its oldest core, begun around 1310. The land belonged to the Archbishops of Canterbury, who used the manor as a residence until it passed to the Crown in 1546. The Great Barn, built in 1506, is one of the oldest buildings on the site, and the moat is still filled with water.

By the 1920s the buildings were in poor condition. Hendon Rural District Council bought the site in 1925, and it later passed to the London Borough of Harrow. Harrow Museum opened there in 1986, first using the converted Great Barn. After several years of restoration supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Small Barn and the Granary reopened to visitors in 2017.

Today the museum is free to enter. The Small Barn shows Harrow before the manor was built, the Manor House tells the stories of the people who lived there, and the Granary is the learning centre. The collection holds more than 15,000 objects, including material from the Kodak, Whitefriars Glass and Hamilton paint factories.

Highlights

• Grade I listed Manor House with an early medieval core
• Great Barn of 1506 and a water-filled medieval moat
• Small Barn exhibition on Harrow before the manor
• Collections from local factories such as Kodak and Whitefriars Glass
• Free entry to the site and the museum
• Family trails, an Art Cart and a Tudor-themed playroom

Permanent exhibitions

• Small Barn – An exhibition on what Harrow was like before the manor house was built.
• Manor House – The stories of the people who lived at the manor and of the wider Harrow area, arranged from the newest rooms to the oldest.
• The Granary Learning Centre – A children’s exhibition featuring Bill the Duck, with the Art Cart and a dressing-up area.

Founded

1986

Operated by

London Borough of Harrow

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Entry to the site and the museum is free. Card payments only are accepted on site since 1 April 2026. Complimentary carer tickets for events require registration with the Nimbus Access Scheme.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The Great Barn, Small Barn, Visitor Centre with the Moat Café and the ground floors of the Manor House and Granary are wheelchair accessible. The entrance through the sloping Small Barn has two wide manual doors that staff can open. The Grade I listed Manor House has small steps at some doorways, low thresholds and uneven floors; a platform lift serves the first floor, one upstairs room has a step and two rooms can only be reached by stairs. Blue Badge spaces are in the car park about 100 m from the entrance. Ear defenders, a symbol choice board and sensory backpacks can be borrowed from the front desks, and a visual story and an accessible floor plan can be downloaded. Assistance dogs are admitted in all buildings.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area

Explorer backpacks and the Bill the Duck trail are collected from the Parlour Room of the Manor House, and the free Nature Finders booklet is available from the café. The Art Cart offers drop-in crafts, the Bakehouse is a Tudor-themed playroom with dressing up, and the Granary Learning Centre has a children’s exhibition. Mini Museum sessions are held for under-fives, there are holiday workshops, and a new play area is in the park. Baby changing is available in the Granary, the Visitor Centre and the Manor House.

Getting there & parking

Walking directions from the three nearby stations are given on the museum’s Getting Here page.

Amenities & dining

• Café

The Moat Café in the Visitor Centre serves coffee, cake and light meals. Duck food for the moat is sold in the café.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

The Great Barn of 1506 and other historic buildings, gardens and the moat can be hired for weddings, Christmas parties and corporate events.

Plan your visit