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Creeting St Mary King's Head
Creeting St Mary King's Head
also traded as Admiral Vernon
North West, 52.16957,1.06494
closed 24th July 1959
opened 1746
last owner/operator: Cobbold's
6-8 All Saints Rd
grid reference TM 096 567
It's shown on this old OS map from about the end of the 19th century. interactive map
The pub's license was surrendered in 1959. The Listed Buildings Register erroneously says this used to be the Buck's Head. That was actually an earlier name for the Highwayman.
The King's Head front door opened into a narrow, tiled passage leading straight through to the back door.
Leading off to the right was the main bar, or tap room. The furniture here was very sparse consisting of one long table down one side, bench seats all round, a couple of chairs, and a rather dilapidated grandfather clock in one corner. The far side was dominated by a large red brick fireplace complete with elaborate iron spit. From this room was a door leading to a small, more nicely furnished public room (for ladies), a larger room which could be used for parties and one of the two staircases.
From the left, after going in the front door, there was another stair case and then you went down a narrow passage, some twenty paces to the beer cellar. Opposite this was a smaller public room called "the Coop" with a piano and an even smaller room that housed spirits, wine, crisps etc and the cash till. Beyond that the passage continued to the private kitchen/living quarters. Beer was all drawn straight from the barrels, there was no bar as we know them today, and to pick up and fill a glass and take it back to the tap room involved a trip of a good fifty paces. And people would often come to the front door with a jug to be filled with beer and taken home - this was popular with Sunday dinner.
Upstairs there were five bedrooms but no bathroom - it was a tin bath and outside toilets for everyone. Like all pubs it could be very quiet and we often kept a roaring fire in the tap room for just one customer all night. Then there were darts matches and parties which kept us busy. After Church was also a good time as a fair number of the choir and congregation would call in on the way home. In fact our best piano player was the Church organist Jacky Runnacles who would come and play after services and then have to bike home to Stonham.extract from an article is by Charlie Poulson, once the landlord of The King's Head Inn, Creeting St Mary - see full article here
The Listed Buildings Register erroneously has this as having once been called the Buck's Head. That was actually a former name for the Highwayman.
The King's Head was built in the late 16th century; we assume it was subdivided into two houses after closing.
The Vernon Arms is listed as an earlier name of this pub in an 1805 document. (from Neil Langridge)
The King's Head may be listed as possibly dating from 1828 - was the building rebuilt at that time?
Gallery
Historical interest
Died on 10 July 1835, Anna, wife of Mr William Moore, of the King's Head Inn, Creeting.Ipswich Journal, July 1835**
At the Needham Market Petty Sessions held in July 1875, the license for the King’s Head Inn was transferred from John Sturgeon to Henry Goldsmith. Ipswich Journal, July 1875**
Coddenham took on Creeting. All Saints in a friendly Quoits match played in the grounds of Creeting Rectory, the experienced Coddenham team ran out winners by 13 points. After the game the competitors were invited by the Rector to enjoy a tea provided by host and hostess Campbell, of the King’s Head…
Landlords
(Most pub, location & historic details collated by Nigel, Tony or Keith - original sources are credited)
(1891 census information from Dudley Diaper)
(** historic newspaper information from Stuart Ansell)
(*** historic newspaper information from Bob Mitchell)
Old OS map reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland.