The pub has been owned by the local Donnington Brewery for well over a hundred years. It is one of the few pubs in Gloucestershire that has been selling the same beers for such a long period of time. For a long time the Queens Head held the honour of being the pub in the county to feature in the most CAMRA Good Beer Guides.
Gloucestershire Echo, Friday 4th July 2003 – Couple call time at pub: Landlord Tim Eager and his wife Kay are calling time at the Queen’s Head in Stow-in-the-Wold. The couple are leaving the pub in the Square after 16 years. Locals are sad to see them go.
Friend and fellow publican George Hope said: “Tim’s a colourful character and an institution, Once some customers came in and ordered a bowl of soup with four spoons. He sat them down holding a fifth.”
Mr Eager said: “There are fewer customers these days than there used to be. Sometimes I’ve had more dogs than customers. There’s been a loyal band of locals and daytrippers.” The couple leave on August 4th to move to Oddington.
Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard, 28th August 2003 – Pub is a popular choice: John Bate and June Cook have taken their places behind the bar at the Queens Head – one of Stow-on-the-Wold’s most popular pubs. They have taken over as tenants of the Donnington Brewery owned pub, in Stow Square, following the retirement of their predeccessors, Tim and Kay Eager.
Originally from Cirencester, John ran a printing business for 20 years before entering the pub trade two years ago. June, originally from Bourton-on-the-Water, trained in the pub trade after leaving school and has worked in it, on and off, for 15 to 20 years.
Having met in March 2003, they discovered they both enjoyed the pub life and so wrote to the brewery saying they would like to run a pub and were eventually offered the Queens Head. John, who aims to serve good food, said: “You do not turn down a Donnington Brewery tenancy. Their pubs are brilliant but, to me, the Queens Head is the jewel.”
March 2024
Stow-on-the-Wold and District Civic Society:
The Queens Head, Stow-on-the-Wold. Reproduced from an 1997 article and research by Veronica Clapham from the millenium book “Glimpses of the Past”
The antiquarian David Royce records that a trade token dated 1656 of the Queens Head, Stow, was found in about 1850. This seems to have disappeared, but since it must have been well established to bear that name, it is very probable that the Inn dated from the last years of Queen Elizabeth I. Much of the present building could well date from that time. There is no proof, however, as the deeds only date back to 1694 when the freehold was sold to John Gladwin, Blacksmith, of Stow, who was already occupying the premises. These had previously been occupied by one Richard Bould, but there is no reference to his being an inn-keeper. We must suppose that the original inn closed towards the end of the 17th century.
It continued as a smithy, passing from father to son until 1775 when it was bought by Daniel Ellis, who was a butcher and occupied the plot to the north. The two properties had always been owned in common. He let the southern part to Robert Andrews, and later in 1803 sold to William Hayden, inn-keeper. Although not mentioned by name, it probably reverted to the original name of the Queens Head at that time. Hayden leased the premises to John Palmer, who was still there in 1821, but he was succeeded by Thomas Churchill who took over an earlier mortgage on the property. In 1836, 1838, 1841 and 1846 there were rearrangements with the mortgage, but in 1848 the lenders foreclosed and the inn was put up for auction.
It was described as “The Queens Head Inn in the marketplace of Stow-on-the-Wold now in the occupancy of Mr. Richard Chapman (the licensee, not the owner) and consisting of two parlours, a dining room 20ft. square, bar, kitchen, back kitchen, larder, brewhouse, cellar with seven good bedrooms and attics. Outside there was stabling for 30 horses, a good yard, carriage house, pig sties and other convenient outbuildings adjoining and belonging to the said premises.” Solicitor – Brookes of Stow.
It fact it was Brookes who bought it, and his son sold it in 1861 to Richard Iles Arkell of Donnington Brewery who needed an outlet for his ales. It is still in the ownership of the Arkell family and tied to the Donninggton Brewery.
Licensing Details:
Owner in 1891: Richard Iles Arkell, Donnington Brewery
Rateable value in 1891: £16.0s.0d.
Type of licence in 1891: Alehouse
Owner in 1903: Richard Iles Arkell, Donnington Brewery
Rateable value in 1903: £16.0s.0d.
Type of licence in 1903: Alehouse
Closing time in 1903: 11pm
Landlords at the Queens Head include:
1835 Mr T. Churchill
1857 (Sept) ‘The license of the Queen’s Head, Stow, was temporarily transferred from William Roff to John Gallop.’
1885,1891 James Fisher (died in January 1901, aged 73, landlord of the Queens Head, Stow, for 43 years. He was also a well-known cattle dealer)
1901 (Feb) ‘The licence of the Queens Head, Stow, was transferred to Miss Sarah Ann Fisher’
1902,1919 Sarah Ann Fisher
1927,1939 F.G. Mills (24th May 1935 – ‘The death has occurred suddenly of Mrs Mary Jane Mills, wife of Mr Mills, licensee of the Queens Head Inn.’
1987-2003 Tim and Kay Eager (from the Royal Oak in Gretton)
2004,2010 John and June Bate