The King’s Head pub was a coaching inn that used to stand on Church Street. A pub is listed on Church Street in the 1841 Census, 1854 Post Office Directory and 1881 Census. It would appear that the King’s Head had closed by 1898 as there are no listings on or after this date.
The large archway to the left of the pub still exists, which would have allowed horse drawn carriages through into the courtyard behind the pub. Between the archway and the pub stood the village Reading Room. There was a hatch in the wall between the Reading Room and the pub which can still be seen today. Rumour has it that the ladies of the village weren’t allowed in the pub, so used to go into the Reading Room and have drinks passed to them through the hatch!
Opposite the pub was an area called Chamberlain’s Yard, with a number of cottages acting as the service buildings for the coaching inn, including a bakery, granary and an ostler, who would have looked after the horses arriving at the King’s Head and other inns in the village.
Landlords
1841: John Peake (Source: 1841 Census)
1854: John Barwell (Source: 1854 Post Office Directory)
1870s–1881: John (and Rachel) Shaw (Source: trade directories)