There has been a pub in Pebmarsh since the 1450s. The PCPL Committee aims, over the next few years, to research and document its historical role in our community. This area of the site will contain images and commentary gathered during our research.
John Hickford – Licensee of the King’s Head 1910-1914.
A family living in Southern Ireland kindly sent us this image of their ancestor, John Hickford (1881-1924), a previous owner of the King’s Head. He was born in Clare, Suffolk and fought with the 10th Hussars in the Transvaal during the Boer War. In 1909 married a Kate Louisa Sargeant and by 1910 he was running the King’s Head in Pebmarsh, with her assistance. The English trade directory “Kelly’s Directory” lists him as running the pub between 1910 and 1914. The front of the pub is clearly recognisable as the windows are unchanged.
Initial Renovation Work
The pub was officially purchased in June 2017. There followed months of renovation and restoration work including a substantial amount of re-wiring, repairs to the external render and overhaul of the windows, prior to the re-opening.
2018 Re-roofing Project
On purchase, the surveyor’s report identified serious problems with the roof. Between September and November 2018, without a single day’s operational closure, the entire building was re-roofed. Rotten timbers found inside the roof dated back to the Victorian era. Existing tiles were reused wherever possible and roof lines retained to ensure that the character of the building was sensitively restored. We are very grateful to the Enovert Community Trust for their substantial grant towards the cost of this project.
