King's Head Inn, Aylesbury facts for kids
The King's Head is a very old pub in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England. It's famous for being one of the oldest inns with a coaching yard in the south of England. A coaching yard was a place where horse-drawn coaches would stop for travelers to rest. This building is so important that it's a Grade II* Listed Building, which means it's protected for its history.
The oldest parts of the building you see today were built in the 1400s. But its cellars are even older, from the 1200s! They might have even been part of a local friary (a type of monastery).
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History of The King's Head
The story of The King's Head began in 1455. Old records show it was called 'Kyngeshede' back then. The Great Hall, which is still standing, was built around the 1470s. It was a guest house for the wealthy Verney family, who lived nearby.
It's believed that King Henry VI might have stayed at the inn. This was when he was touring the country with his new wife, Margaret of Anjou. Later, a special stained glass window was put in the front of the inn. It shows the king and queen's family symbols, called coats of arms. Other symbols on the window belong to important people from that time. This old window is still there today, but it's carefully protected.
The Coaching Inn Era
From the mid-1600s, The King's Head became a very busy coaching inn. The front gate is smaller than the back gate. The back gate was made bigger to fit the larger carriages of the time. You can still see "wheel knocking stones" at the entrance. These stones helped guide the carriage wheels as they entered the yard.
Around 1750, the innkeeper, William Bell, changed the cottages into part of the pub. This made more room for stagecoaches and his servants. The courtyard was enclosed with more stables. This meant there was space for almost thirty horses! A metal hoop above the mounting block was used to light the way for coaches. Rags tied around it would be burned to create light. The walls were painted with limewash. This special paint lets the wood "breathe" and stops it from rotting.
The English Civil War Connection
During the English Civil War (around the 1640s), Aylesbury strongly supported the Parliamentarians. These were the people fighting against King Charles I. It's very likely that Parliamentarian soldiers visited The King's Head. Some people think that Oliver Cromwell, a famous Parliamentarian leader, was in Aylesbury around 1650. However, there's no clear proof he stayed at the inn.
There are stories that the inn is connected to other buildings by secret underground tunnels. People say these tunnels were used as escape routes during the Civil War. But there's no real proof of these tunnels. It's more likely that these "tunnels" are just old cellars.
After the Civil War, there weren't many coins around. So, inns like The King's Head started making their own money called trade tokens. William Dawney, the innkeeper in 1657, made these tokens. They could be used like regular money. You can see copies of these tokens on display at the inn today.
How The King's Head Was Built
In the Great Hall, you can see how the walls were built using "wattle and daub." "Wattle" means twigs and branches woven together between wooden posts. "Daub" was a mix of clay, lime, and horsehair. This mix was pushed into the wattle frame to make a strong, weatherproof wall.
Special Features of The King's Head
A rare clock called a "Tavern clock" is on the wall. It's also known as an "Act of Parliament clock." In 1797, a tax was put on all clocks and watches. Because of this, public clocks like these became much more popular for people to check the time. The bar area was added by the wealthy Rothschild family. They owned the property as a hotel in the 1800s. In a small, cozy room next to the bar, you can see an example of old Victorian era wallpaper. This wallpaper would have covered the whole room long ago.
In the late 1600s, The King's Head started receiving mail. Horsemen would drop mail through a hatch behind the mirrors. This room is called the 'Glue Pot.' This is because mail was once sorted and stamped here. Below some old meat hooks, you can see a square patch on the wall. This is where the hole for the mail used to be. It was just the right height for mail to be delivered by someone on horseback. The cobbled passage outside leads into the courtyard. This courtyard dates back to the early 1300s and was once the original market square. There are actually three layers of cobblestones underneath!
Ghost Stories
The King's Head is said to have at least three ghosts! One is called The Grey Lady. People say she stands by the fireplace in the Great Hall. Another ghost has been seen in the corridor near the red staircase. It's thought to be a maid who sadly fell to her death around 1900. There's also a ghost of a nun who has been seen in the Dining Room.
Rooms to Explore
The Georgian Room
This room is called the Georgian Room because of the style of its wall panels. These panels were made between 1714 and 1837, during the Georgian era. On the wall, you can see a Hussar's belt and satchel. These belonged to the Royal Bucks Hussars, a type of mounted cavalry (soldiers on horseback) from the 1800s. The belt would have held a fancy sword. The satchel is decorated with silver braid and has 'VR' (for Queen Victoria) with a crown.
The Gatehouse Chamber
One of the grandest rooms at The King's Head is the Gatehouse Chamber. It dates from the mid-1500s. But in the 1600s, Assize Courts met here. These courts heard criminal cases. Judges would announce their decisions from the front window of this room. This window would have looked out over the Market Square. Being on the first floor gave the judge importance and kept them safe from angry locals. One famous judge who visited was Judge George Jeffreys.
In 1700, local officials thought about turning The King's Head into an extra jail. But it would have cost too much money to fix it up. The most special part of this room is the ceiling. It was designed by a Victorian architect named George Devey in the 1880s. He was hired by the Rothschild family to make changes to the inn. He also moved the front window a bit to keep the view of the Market Square. He made the ceiling look like a "mock Tudor" style, using some of the original wooden beams. The black and white design is how Victorians imagined Tudor buildings looked. But real Tudor rooms were often very colorful! The large old fireplace was moved here from the Great Hall. It has old carvings, possibly made by soldiers during the English Civil War.
The Solar Room
The Solar Room is directly above the Great Hall. It was once the main bedroom. Local stories say that King Henry VIII stayed here and tried to win over Anne Boleyn in 1533. It's also claimed that Oliver Cromwell stayed here in 1651 after a battle. He supposedly received thanks from Parliament in the Market Square. However, there's no clear proof for these stories. But if Cromwell did stay at the inn, this is the room he would have used. Old flintlock pistols and swords were found in a "priest hole" (a hiding place) earlier in the 1900s. This suggests that soldiers were staying at the property at one time. The roof is mostly Victorian, except for an original wooden beam in the back wall. This room was first reached by a spiral staircase from the ground floor.
The Dining Room
The Dining Room was built in the late 1800s when The King's Head was a hotel. George Devey added the oak panels to this room. It originally had two fireplaces. In November 2003, the ghost of a nun was seen here. This nun had been seen before, but only by ladies. The dining room itself was built on land that once belonged to a church or friary.
The National Trust's Role
After being a hotel for many years as part of the Rothschild family's businesses, the property was given to the National Trust in 1925. There's a special plaque at the inn to remember this. The National Trust is now working to make the site a central place for the Aylesbury community. Visitors can still go to the inn and buy drinks, just like at any other pub.
The pub inside The King's Head, called The Farmers' Bar, has been run by The Chiltern Brewery since 2005.
