A Brief History of The King’s Head
Although listed as a mid‑19th‑century public house, The King’s
Head has far earlier origins. In the early 1700s it formed part of the
Methuen estate and was known as the George Inn.
Book your table and enjoy a warm welcome at The King’s Head
After a fire and subsequent rebuild, the inn was leased in 1742 to James Wheeler, whose family ran the pub for several generations and were also local maltsters. By 1826, during another James Wheeler’s tenancy, the inn had become known as The King’s Head.
In 1830 the pub passed to Walter Long, Lord of the Manor of Chitterne St Mary. Around this time the Wheelers were replaced by the Wallis family, who brewed beer on site using barley grown locally and malted in the buildings opposite the inn. Brewing and malting continued until 1910, when rising taxation made the practice uneconomic. During this period the pub was flanked by small cottages and shops, one of which housed a saddlery; traces of this earlier layout can still be seen in the wall behind the pub sign.
When the Chitterne estate was put up for sale in 1896, The King’s Head was described as a substantial village inn with multiple rooms, four bedrooms, outbuildings, stables, a former skittle alley and a walled kitchen garden, reflecting its importance as a social and working centre for the village.
After 1910 the pub passed to Bartlett’s Brewery of Warminster, with beer delivered across the Plain by horse‑drawn dray, before being acquired by Ushers Brewery of Trowbridge in 1920. Ushers modernised the building, replacing the thatch with tiles and remaining owners for over sixty years.
In the late 20th and early 21st centuries the King’s Head experienced frequent changes of ownership and periods of closure. Concern that the village might lose its pub altogether led to it being listed as an Asset of Community Value in 2017. This action ultimately ensured its survival, and on 20 December 2024 the pub was proudly purchased by the Chitterne Community Pub Group, securing its future at the heart of village life..