The Old Queens Head
The Old Queen's Head is a pub on Essex Road in Islington, London N1. Its shopfront is scheduled as "to be retained" by Islington Council. Since 2006 The Old Queens Head has been a part of The Columbo Group, owned by Steve Ball and Riz Shaikh.[1] It is a Grade II listed building.[2]
Listed building
The Old Queen's Head is a public house dating to about 1830; the pub front on the ground floor dates to about 1900. The interior contains some early 17th-century features from an earlier building on the site.[2]
The three storey building is of Flemish bond yellow brick with a stucco cornice; a stepped parapet hides the pitched roof. There is a range of three windows facing Essex Road and three to Queen's Head Street; one window faces the corner, which is curved.[2]
There is an early 17th-century moulded plaster ceiling inside the pub. The ceiling is decorated with ornamental bands around panels that contain emblems. There is a wood and stone chimneypiece of the same age. Figures on either side of the stone hearth support an entablature bearing two carved scenes. The upper part of the chimneypiece is similarly decorated, ending in a frieze and cornice.[2]
History
The previous pub on the site was demolished in 1829. It was described by Walter Thornbury, writing in the 1870s, as
a strong wood and plaister building of three lofty storeys, projecting over each other in front, and forming bay windows, supported by brackets and carved figures. The centre, which projected several feet beyond the other part of the building, and formed a commodious porch, to which there was a descent of several steps, was supported in front by caryatides of carved oak, standing on either side of the entrance, and crowned with Ionic scrolls.[3]
Thornbury describes the interior with the surviving fireplace in detail:
The interior of the house was constructed in a similar manner to that of most of the old buildings in the parish, having oak-panelled wainscots and stuccoed ceilings. The principal room was the parlour already alluded to, the ceiling of which was ornamented with dolphins, cherubs, acorns, &c., surrounded by a wreathed border of fruit and foliage, and had, near the centre, a medallion, of a character apparently Roman, crowned with bays, and a small shield containing the initials I. M. surrounded by cherubim and glory. The chimneypiece was supported by two figures carved in stone, hung with festoons, &c., and the stone slab, immediately over the fireplace, exhibited the stories of Danae and Actaeon in relief, with mutilated figures of Venus, Bacchus, and Plenty.[3]
Ghosts and legends
According to Absolute Publishing's London Visitor Guide, an unattributed rumour is that The Old Queen's Head is haunted like many London pubs, supposedly by both a woman and a girl in Tudor clothes.[4][unreliable source?][5][unreliable source?]
Thornbury, writing in 1878, also mentions the pub's alleged connection with Sir Walter Raleigh, though he denied its validity:[3]
Tradition had long connected this house with the name of Sir Walter Raleigh, though with no sufficient reason. In the thirtieth year of Elizabeth, Sir Walter obtained a patent to make licences for keeping of taverns and retailing of wines throughout England. This house may be one of those to which Raleigh granted licences, and the sign then marked the reign in which it was granted.[3]
See also
- London portal
References
- ^ "Schedule 3.1: Shopfronts to be retained". Conservation Area Three: Duncan Terrace/Colebrooke Row (PDF). London Borough of Islington. p. 6. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
- ^ a b c d Historic England. "The Old Queen's Head Public House (Grade II) (1195587)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
- ^ a b c d Thornbury 1878, p. 260
- ^ "London Visitor Guide". Arts, Entertainment & Listings. Absolute Publishing. Autumn 2008. p. 29. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
- ^ Swift, Tamara (September 2005). "Ghosts of Albion". 44 Essex Road (Islington). BBC Online. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
Bibliography
- Cromwell, Thomas (1835). Walks through Islington: comprising an historical and descriptive account of that extensive and important district, both in its ancient and present state: together with some particulars of the most remarkable objects immediately adjacent. London: Sherwood, Gilbert & Piper. p. 233. OCLC 227976083. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- Thornbury, Walter (1872–1878). Old and New London, A Narrative of Its History, Its People, and Its Places. Illustrated with Numerous Engravings from the Most Authentic Sources. Vol. 2. London: Cassell Petter & Galpin & Co. p. 260. hdl:10427/14805. OCLC 7218197.
External links
- Official website
- v
- t
- e
- Admiral Vernon
- Cross Keys
- Eastbrook
- Windermere
- former
- Assembly House
- Black Lion
- Bull & Gate
- The Camden Head
- Cittie of Yorke
- The Crown
- Devonshire Arms
- Dublin Castle
- Fitzroy Tavern
- The Flask, Hampstead
- The Flask, Highgate
- George and Dragon
- Greene Man
- The Holly Bush
- Museum Tavern
- The Old Bull and Bush
- Old Red Lion
- Old White Bear
- Ye Olde Mitre
- The Perseverance
- The Pineapple
- Princess Louise
- The Queen's
- Rising Sun, Fitzrovia
- The Rocket
- Ship Tavern
- Sir Richard Steele
- Spread Eagle
- The Washington
- Wells Tavern
- The Wheatsheaf
- The Winchester
- The World's End
- The Yorkshire Grey
- former
- Aragon House
- Black Lion
- Blue Anchor
- The Cock
- The Cross Keys
- The Dove
- Duke of Cumberland
- Eight Bells
- The George
- Golden Lion
- Hampshire Hog
- The Hop Poles
- Hope and Anchor
- The King's Head
- Laurie Arms
- Princess Victoria
- The Queen Adelaide
- Queen's Head
- Rutland Arms
- Salutation
- The Swan
- Temperance Billiard Hall
- The White Horse
- former
- Coachmakers Arms
- The Favourite
- The Old Fire Station
- Seven Stars
- The Castle
- Queen's Head
- Seven Balls
- former
- Anglesea Arms
- Bunch of Grapes
- Chelsea Potter
- The Churchill Arms
- Coleherne
- The Cross Keys
- Drayton Arms
- Elgin
- Fox and Pheasant
- Gloucester Arms
- The Goat
- The Greyhound
- The Hansom Cab
- The Hollywood Arms
- The King's Head and Eight Bells
- The Phene
- Prince of Teck
- Scarsdale Tavern
- The Shuckburgh Arms
- Windsor Castle
- The World's End
- Zetland Arms
- former
- Crooked Billet
- former
- Green Man
- former
- Admiral Duncan
- Admiralty
- The Albert
- Angel and Crown
- Argyll Arms
- The Barley Mow
- The Beehive
- Carlton Tavern, Kilburn
- The Champion
- The Cheshire Cheese
- The Clachan
- Coach and Horses, Hill Street
- Coach and Horses, Soho
- Coal Hole
- Comptons of Soho
- Crocker's Folly
- De Hems
- The Devereux
- Dog and Duck
- Duke of Wellington, Belgravia
- The Duke of Wellington, Marylebone
- The Duke of York, Fitzrovia
- The Edgar Wallace
- The Flying Horse
- The French House
- The George
- The Green Man
- The Grenadier
- The Harp
- John Snow
- Lamb and Flag
- The Marquis of Clanricarde
- The Marquis of Granby
- The Mitre
- Morpeth Arms
- Nag's Head
- Nell Gwynne Tavern
- Newman Arms
- The Old Bank of England
- The Old Bell
- The Old Shades
- The Only Running Footman
- Paxtons Head
- Pillars of Hercules
- Plumbers Arms
- Prince Alfred
- The Punch Bowl
- Red Lion, Duke of York Street
- Red Lion, Westminster
- St Stephen's Tavern
- The Salisbury
- The Sherlock Holmes
- The Ship
- The Ship and Shovell
- Silver Cross Tavern
- The Spice of Life
- Star Tavern
- Sun and 13 Cantons
- Swan Inn
- PS Tattershall Castle
- Two Brewers
- Two Chairmen
- The Victoria
- The Warrington
- Warwick Castle
- Westminster Arms
- White Lion
- The White Swan
- The Wilton Arms
- The Yorkshire Grey
- former
- The Bell
- The Black Friar
- The Centre Page
- The Cockpit
- Dirty Dicks
- East India Arms
- George and Vulture
- The Globe
- Hand and Shears
- The Harrow
- Hoop and Grapes, Aldgate High Street
- Hoop and Grapes, Farringdon Street
- Jamaica Wine House
- The Jugged Hare
- Old Bell
- Old Doctor Butler's Head
- Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
- Ye Olde Cock Tavern
- The Olde Wine Shades
- The Punch Tavern
- Rising Sun, Carter Lane
- Rising Sun, Cloth Fair
- The Ship, Hart Street
- The Ship, Lime Street
- Simpson's Tavern
- Staple Inn
- The Tipperary
- Viaduct Tavern
- former
- Bell Savage Inn
- Blossom's Inn
- Boar's Head Inn
- Bull and Mouth Inn
- The Fortune of War Public House
- The Intrepid Fox
- London Tavern
- St Paul's Tavern
- Swan with Two Necks
- The Devil Tavern
- White Hart
- Category
- Commons