The Kings Head was situated on a corner position at the ‘town’ end of Abbey Street on the junction with Woodside Street. In 1891 it was a beer house that was owned by R. Blinkhorn and free from brewery tie. Thomas Mills was the occupying landlord. The Forest Brewery of Mitcheldean (Francis Wintle) were owners in 1903. The annual rateable value was £19.0s.0d. and closing time was at 11 pm. When the Forest Brewery put their tied houses up for sale in 1923 the Kings Head, a brick built building, consisted of a ‘bar, two smoke rooms, sitting room, kitchen, a club room and three bedrooms, with a small stable and yard, store shed and strip of garden outside.’
In November 1956 it was reported that two boys aged 10 and 13 hit upon a good idea to get some money for much needed sweets. They went to the yard of the Kings Head Inn, Cinderford, and stole seven empty beer bottles and handed them in at the Prince of Wales off-licence in Pembroke Street. They then spent the money on sweets, the magistrates heard at Littledean Juvenille Court. But they hadn’t planned on getting caught, therefore the sweets left a rather sour taste in their mouths.
In the third edition of CAMRA’s ‘Real Ale in Gloucestershire’, published in 1977, the Kings Head is listed as selling Whitbread PA (Pale Ale) from hand pump.
The property was last in use as business premises – Morgan & Co., Chartered Accountants. There were two large bay windows with a central wooden canopied entrance.
The old Kings Head was demolished in 2004 and four bungalows have since been built on the site.
Landlords at the Kings Head include:
1874-1877 Robert Banks
1877 Alfred Cooper (address Newtown)
1887 James Annis or Anstis
1890,1891 Thomas Mills
1891 Edwin Roberts
1893 Leonard Jones
1902,1903 George Barton
1910 Hubert Harris
1960 Frank & Eunice Popejoy
1932,1939 Martha Fowler (Mrs Martha Fowler in 1939)
