The Kings Tun

The Kings Tun is a pub in Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, operated as part of the J D Wetherspoon chain. It occupies 153–157 Clarence Street, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 1QT, and is listed on the Wetherspoon website as one of the company's London pubs. The pub's name is a deliberate reference to Kingston's early medieval history: the town was once known as 'King's Tun', meaning royal farm or estate, and at least seven Saxon kings are said to have been crowned there. Wetherspoon's own pub history for The Kings Tun explains that the Coronation Stone, next to the Guildhall, marks the spot where Saxon kings including Edward the Elder (899 AD) and Ethelred the Unready (979 AD) were enthroned. As a Wetherspoon house, The Kings Tun follows the chain's familiar format: a large, food-and-drink-led pub with long opening hours, an extensive menu of beers, ales, spirits, cocktails and pub food, and a strong emphasis on value pricing. The official page lists opening times from 8:00 am daily, closing at 1:00 am Monday to Thursday and Sunday, and at 1:30 am on Friday and Saturday. Facilities advertised include Wi-Fi, TV screens, a projector and screen, room hire, baby-changing facilities, meeting facilities and step-free access. Customers are encouraged to use the Wetherspoon app to order food and drinks to their table. The pub participates in Wetherspoon's wider promotional calendar, including the twice-yearly real-ale festivals, seasonal Christmas menus and cocktail ranges such as the spritz selection. The Kings Tun's own page highlights the autumn beer festival, with 30 real ales including five from international brewers, and the Christmas menu available from mid-November to the end of December. Ownership sits with J D Wetherspoon plc, the UK pub company founded by Tim Martin in 1979 and floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1992. The Kings Tun is therefore a single branded outlet within a much larger national estate rather than an independent business. Its identity is bound up with both the Wetherspoon brand and the local history of Kingston upon Thames, which the pub's interior illustrations and text panels celebrate.

The Kings Tun is a pub in Kingston upon Thames, London, operated by J D Wetherspoon. Its name is drawn from the town's early medieval past: Kingston was known as 'King's Tun', meaning royal farm or estate, and was an important market town in the Kingdom of Wessex. According to the pub's own history text, at least seven Saxon kings of England were crowned at Kingston, beginning with Edward the Elder in 899 AD and ending with Ethelred the Unready in 979 AD. The Coronation Stone, next to the Guildhall, is said to mark the coronation site. The pub's interior displays illustrations and text about this heritage, including a panel on the artist William Daniell, who was born in Kingston upon Thames in 1769. The pub forms part of the J D Wetherspoon estate. Wetherspoon was founded by Tim Martin, whose first pub opened in Colney Hatch Lane, Muswell Hill, north London, on 9 December 1979. Initially called Martin's Free House, it was renamed Wetherspoons in early 1980. The company grew through the 1980s from its north London base, and in 1990 held its first real-ale festival, a four-day event featuring six beers. In 1991 it opened The Tally Ho in North Finchley with a dedicated non-smoking bar upstairs, introduced its 'Cleanliness, Beer, Service' (CBS) scheme, launched Wetherspoon News, and opened Hamilton Hall at Liverpool Street station — its first central London and railway station pub. In 1992 it opened its first airport pubs at Heathrow Terminal 4 and floated on the Stock Exchange as J D Wetherspoon plc, with shares issued at £1.60. Against that background, The Kings Tun represents the mature phase of the Wetherspoon model: a large, high-turnover pub in a prominent town-centre location, trading long hours and offering an extensive food and drink range at value prices. The official pub page lists opening times from 8:00 am daily, closing at 1:00 am Sunday to Thursday and 1:30 am Friday and Saturday, and advertises Wi-Fi, TV screens, a projector and screen, room hire, baby-changing facilities, meeting facilities and step-free access. It also promotes Wetherspoon's national calendar of events, including the autumn beer festival — 30 real ales over 12 days, with five beers from international brewers in China, Denmark, Singapore, Ukraine and the USA — the Christmas menu, and the spritz cocktail range. The pub encourages customers to order via the Wetherspoon app. No separate founding date, founder or independent corporate history is recorded for The Kings Tun itself; it is a branded outlet within J D Wetherspoon plc, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. Its public identity rests on the combination of the Wetherspoon value proposition and the royal Saxon story of Kingston upon Thames.

• 1992

  First airport pubs open at Heathrow Terminal 4; the company floats on the Stock Exchange as J D Wetherspoon plc at £1.60 per share.

• 1991

  The Tally Ho opens in North Finchley with a dedicated non-smoking bar upstairs; the CBS (Cleanliness, Beer, Service) scheme and Wetherspoon News are launched; Hamilton Hall opens at Liverpool Street station.

• 1990

  Wetherspoon's pubs host their first real-ale festival, lasting four days and featuring six beers.

• 1980

  The first pub is renamed Wetherspoons.

• 1979

  First Wetherspoon pub opens in Colney Hatch Lane, Muswell Hill, north London, on 9 December; initially called Martin's Free House.

A value-focused, high-volume J D Wetherspoon pub in Kingston upon Thames, combining long opening hours, an extensive drinks and food menu, and local heritage theming.

• Real ale

• Guest ales and craft cans

• Spritz cocktails

• Christmas menu

• Pub food

1. 1The Kings Tun - J D Wetherspoonjdwetherspoon.com
2. 2History - J D Wetherspoonjdwetherspoon.com
3. 3The Kings Tun - J D Wetherspoon (pub history)jdwetherspoon.com
4. 4About us - J D Wetherspoonjdwetherspoon.com
5. 5The Kings Tun - Wikidatawikidata.org