Pints West 92, Winter 2011 - Bristol & District CAMRA

PINTS WEST
King’s Head - the last National
Inventory pub in town
CAMRA’s National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors is always being reviewed and now
the Bristol and District branch area has only one pub left on the main list, the King’s
Head on Victoria Street, but what a treasure it is!
Born in the troubled 17 th century, out of the carnage of the English Civil War, the
pub became something of a beacon in the hard-working area of Temple, surrounded by
weavers, potters, glass makers and even brewers.
Surviving town planners when they ripped the medieval heart out of the area with the
installation of Victoria Street (during which the King’s Head got a free transfer from Temple
Street to Victoria Street itself), the pub then had to endure the worst the Luftwaffe could
throw at it followed by post-war austerity.
Sixties and seventies brutalist offices then sprang up all around and only a petition
by regulars saved the pub itself from being demolished and re-developed, gaining it
Grade II listing just in the nick of time. The interior,
then scheduled for “improving”, had a minor miracle
performed upon it, it was saved!
A far-sighted manager from nearby Courage’s
brewery saw the potential of the interior and had it
restored and in so doing maximising its potential –
making it the perfect respite from all of those grotty
modern office blocks.
Many thanks to co-licensee Andy Price for taking the
time and trouble of guiding myself and photographer
Tim Belsten around this glorious homage to an earlier
time.
Mark Steeds
Photos by Tim Belsten
ì The Kings Head in its full 1900’s splendour
with “Home Brewed Beers” emblazoned in
enamel letters on Victoria Street fronting
window. Note the pre-blitzed tower of Temple
Church which clearly demonstrates how
closely the pub came to oblivion.
é The Kings Head circa 2011; note how
it’s lost its hip roof and gained an end
gable! Other buildings in the rank have
also had ‘makeovers’, and Neptune’s
statue, which you can just see right of
shot in Andrew’s postcard, has run off
to the Centre in the intervening years.
The National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors is
CAMRA’s pioneering effort to identify and protect the
most important historic pub interiors in the country. It
has been part of the campaign’s mission for the last
35 years to not only save real ale but also Britain’s rich
heritage of pubs. The main aim of the National Inventory
of Historic Pub Interiors has been to list those pub
interiors that have remained much as they had been
before the Second World War. They need to be protected
and cherished in order that future generations can enjoy
them - along with good beer.
ç I asked Andy of the Kings
Head what his favourite feature
was and he immediately
replied “the Burton mirror”, a
truly lucky survivor as it was
covered in 16 coats of emulsion
prior to restoration. The mirror
itself is gorgeous; locally made
by Fred Brean of Bedminster
and dated 1860.
To the left of the mirror is
an old faded Bristol Evening
Post clipping celebrating the
pub, and to the right is an
old gas pressure gauge that
enabled the landlord to adjust
the pressure within the pub to
accommodate fluctuations in
the supply – such as when the
street lights were turned on!
The rear view has had è
the “ghastly carbuncle on
an old friend” treatment
with the unsubtle addition
of a first floor height
cellar cooling unit.
Page 18
ì This fine pump array of ales bears testimony to the fact that the KH has been a constant inclusion
in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide. Andy is frequently asked what the old header signs refer to and I
duly asked what type of drink the ‘Hollands’ sign represented; “Dutch Gin” was the patient reply.
Almost the entire length of the pub is given over to these delightful galleries with their old signage,
‘pie crust’ upper moulding and acanthus leaf topped supports in beautiful rich mahogany. The narrow
counter is actually made of black veined marble and was covered in Formica before the restoration.