The Old Queens Head

The Old Queens Head is a historic public house located at the junction of Essex Road and Queen's Head Street in Islington, north London. The building is a Grade II listed property, combining a nineteenth-century pub structure with important surviving elements from an earlier building on the site. Its present building dates largely from around 1830, after the demolition of an older pub in 1829, while the ground-floor shopfront is associated with about 1900. The interior retains early seventeenth-century architectural and decorative features, including a moulded plaster ceiling and a carved wood-and-stone chimneypiece. The building is a three-storey structure constructed in Flemish-bond yellow brick. Its exterior includes a stucco cornice, a stepped parapet concealing the pitched roof, and windows arranged across Essex Road, Queen's Head Street, and the curved corner of the building. The historic pub front has also been recognized in local planning policy: Islington Council has designated the shopfront to be retained. These architectural features give the venue significance beyond its function as a drinking establishment and make it part of the built heritage of Islington. The surviving interior details are particularly notable. An early seventeenth-century plaster ceiling is divided into panels by ornamental bands and includes emblematic decoration. The contemporary or near-contemporary chimneypiece contains both wooden and stone elements. Figures beside the hearth support an entablature decorated with carved scenes, while the upper section ends in a frieze and cornice. Historical descriptions also record oak panelling, decorated ceilings, and relief scenes associated with classical mythology. These features are remnants of the earlier building or its interior tradition and contribute to the pub's listed status. The Old Queens Head has accumulated local historical associations and legends. Nineteenth-century accounts linked the premises by tradition with Sir Walter Raleigh, although the historian Walter Thornbury found no sufficient evidence that Raleigh had a direct connection with the house. A more cautious explanation is that the property may once have been among taverns licensed under a system associated with Raleigh during the reign of Elizabeth I. Modern visitor literature has also repeated an unverified claim that the pub is haunted by a woman and a girl dressed in Tudor clothing. These stories are part of the venue's folklore rather than established historical facts. Since 2006, The Old Queens Head has formed part of The Columbo Group, a London hospitality group owned by Steve Ball and Riz Shaikh. In this structure, the venue operates as a destination pub within the group's wider hospitality portfolio while retaining its historic name and architectural identity. Publicly available reference material identifies the establishment primarily through its location, heritage, ownership, and building history; detailed information about its product range, commercial performance, staffing, and operating model is not established in the supplied sources.

The site occupied by The Old Queens Head has a history reaching back at least to the early seventeenth century. Although the current exterior is predominantly nineteenth-century, the pub's interior preserves architectural elements from an earlier structure. These include an ornamental moulded plaster ceiling and a substantial chimneypiece made from wood and stone. The decorative scheme incorporates panel divisions, emblematic motifs, carved figures, classical scenes, and a frieze and cornice. The survival of these features helps explain the building's architectural and historic importance. The earlier public house on the site was demolished in 1829. Historical accounts described that predecessor as a tall timber-and-plaster building whose upper storeys projected over the levels below. It reportedly had bay windows, carved supports, a projecting central porch, oak panelling, and richly decorated plaster ceilings. The principal room was described as having ornamental motifs including dolphins, cherubs, acorns, fruit, and foliage, together with a medallion and heraldic decoration. The fireplace was supported by carved figures and included relief representations of classical stories. While some of these descriptions concern the demolished building, elements of its interior tradition survived or were incorporated into the later premises. The present three-storey building dates from approximately 1830, following the replacement of the earlier pub. It is built in Flemish-bond yellow brick and has a stucco cornice and stepped parapet. The plan responds to its corner location, with windows facing Essex Road, Queen's Head Street, and the curved corner. The ground-floor pub front is generally dated to around 1900. Islington Council has identified the shopfront as one to be retained, reflecting the importance of the building's street presence as well as its interior. The venue became part of The Columbo Group in 2006. The group is owned by Steve Ball and Riz Shaikh, and the pub has since operated within that London hospitality portfolio. This later phase connects the historic premises with a contemporary group-based hospitality business while preserving its established identity as The Old Queens Head. The pub has also generated historical associations and folklore. Walter Thornbury recorded a local tradition connecting the property with Sir Walter Raleigh but rejected the claim as unsupported. He suggested only that the building might have been one of the taverns granted a licence under a system associated with Raleigh during Elizabeth I's reign. More recent visitor material has circulated an unverified haunting story involving a woman and a girl in Tudor clothing. Neither the Raleigh connection nor the ghost story should be treated as documented fact. The available reference material emphasizes architectural heritage and local history rather than detailed commercial chronology. Consequently, the opening date of the current trading business, founders of the original pub, menu development, major renovations, and financial performance cannot be established reliably here.

• 2006

  Joined The Columbo Group

  [1]The Old Queen's Headen.wikipedia.org

  The Old Queens Head became part of The Columbo Group, owned by Steve Ball and Riz Shaikh.

• 1900

  Ground-floor pub front added or renewed

  [1]The Old Queen's Headen.wikipedia.org

  The building's ground-floor shopfront is dated to approximately 1900 and remains an important part of its streetscape.

• 1830

  Present building constructed

  [1]The Old Queen's Headen.wikipedia.org

  The current three-storey pub building was erected at approximately this date, incorporating or retaining significant early seventeenth-century interior features.

• 1829

  Earlier pub demolished

  [1]The Old Queen's Headen.wikipedia.org

  The previous timber-and-plaster public house on the site was demolished, clearing the way for the present building.

A historic Islington pub positioned around its heritage building, distinctive period interior, and role as a London hospitality venue within The Columbo Group.

• Public house

  The Old Queens Head pub

  The core offering is the historic public-house venue on Essex Road. It provides a hospitality setting within a Grade II listed building whose surviving period features, including the early seventeenth-century ceiling and chimneypiece, are central to its identity. The supplied references do not provide a verified current menu or detailed beverage catalogue.

1. 1The Old Queen's Headen.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Old Queens Head official websitetheoldqueenshead.com