The King and Queen (also known as Ye Olde King and Queen
and The King and Queen Hotel)
is a
pub
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
in the seaside resort of
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
, part of the city of
Brighton and Hove
Brighton and Hove () is a city and unitary authority in East Sussex, England. It consists primarily of the settlements of Brighton and Hove, alongside neighbouring villages.
Often referred to synonymously as Brighton, the City of Brighton and H ...
. The present building, a "striking" architectural "pantomime" by the prolific local firm
Clayton & Black
Clayton & Black were a firm of architects and surveyors from Brighton, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. In a career spanning the Victorian, Edwardian and interwar eras, they were responsible for designing and constructing an eclect ...
, dates from the 1930s, but a pub of this name has stood on the site since 1860—making it one of the first developments beyond the boundaries of the ancient village. This 18th-century pub was, in turn, converted from a former farmhouse. Built using materials characteristic of 16th-century
Vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture is building done outside any academic tradition, and without professional guidance. This category encompasses a wide range and variety of building types, with differing methods of construction, from around the world, bo ...
, the pub is in the
Mock Tudor
Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...
style and has a wide range of extravagant decorative features inside and outside—contrasting with the simple design of the neighbouring offices at
20–22 Marlborough Place, designed a year later.
English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses.
The charity states that i ...
has
listed
Listed may refer to:
* Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm
* Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic
* Endangered species in biology
* Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...
the pub at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance.
History
Brighton developed into a fashionable resort in the 18th and 19th centuries, with
Old Steine
The Old Steine () is a thoroughfare in central Brighton, East Sussex, and is the southern terminus of the A23. The southern end leads to Marine Parade, the Brighton seafront and the Palace Pier. The Old Steine is also the site of a number of Ci ...
as one of its focal points.
This was at the southern end of a large area of poorly drained, low-lying open space that later became known as Valley Gardens. The first residential development outside the four-street boundary of the ancient village was in 1771–72, when North Row was built on the west side of the open land.
It was renamed Marlborough Place in 1819. One old building was incorporated into the street: a farmhouse which was refronted in the
Georgian style
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British monarchs of the House of Hano ...
and became the King and Queen pub in 1779.
The name commemorated
King George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
and
Queen Charlotte
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and of Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until the union of the two kingdoms ...
.
Brighton was well provided with inns and
beerhouse A beerhouse was a type of public house created in the United Kingdom by the 1830 Beerhouse Act, legally defined as a place "where beer is sold to be consumed ''on'' the premises". They were also known as 'small' or 'Tom and Jerry' shops Existing pu ...
s at this time: the town had 41 by 1800, or one for every 30 households, and many private houses sold unlicensed alcohol.
At first the inn catered mostly for agricultural workers from the surrounding farms, although players and spectators involved in cricket matches on the adjacent open land also used the inn. (This trade ceased when the area was enclosed in 1817 to form parkland now known as Victoria Gardens.)
An army barracks stood behind the pub, and for many years its soldiers were supplied with alcohol through a secret hole and passageway in the rear wall.
The barracks, originally for infantry and later the home of the 1st Sussex Rifles and 1st Sussex Artillery Volunteers regiments, closed in 1870; the Blenheim Hotel and the town's first courthouse now occupy the site.
The inn's importance increased further in the early 19th century when Brighton's
corn market was established there:
it moved from another Brighton inn, the Old Ship Hotel, in or before 1822, and was held every Thursday.
On 1 October 1868 it moved again to the
former riding school of the
Royal Pavilion
The Royal Pavilion, and surrounding gardens, also known as the Brighton Pavilion, is a Grade I listed former royal residence located in Brighton, England. Beginning in 1787, it was built in three stages as a seaside retreat for George IV of t ...
, built in 1803–08 by
William Porden
William Porden (c. 1755 – 1822) was a versatile English architect who worked for the 1st Earl Grosvenor and the Prince Regent.
Life
Born in Kingston upon Hull, (Subscription required) he trained under James Wyatt and Samuel Pepys Cockere ...
.
Other 19th-century events included the inquest of a man killed during rioting in Old Steine in 1817.
The pub and most of the buildings north of it, as far as the junction with Church Street, were rebuilt in the 1930s.
Prominent local architecture firm
Clayton & Black
Clayton & Black were a firm of architects and surveyors from Brighton, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. In a career spanning the Victorian, Edwardian and interwar eras, they were responsible for designing and constructing an eclect ...
were commissioned to redesign the inn in 1931.
Their chosen style for the rebuilding was
Mock Tudor
Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...
, which was fashionable at the time, and the
bow-fronted two-storey Georgian exterior was completely changed
to form a "striking interwar interloper" amongst neighbouring buildings such as the Neo-Georgian
Allied Irish Bank branch and a series of four-storey offices.
The interior was also altered to the design of Ashby Tabb of the interior design firm Heaton Tabb & Company, who added
stained glass
Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...
and a
barrel-vaulted
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...
wooden ceiling at first-floor level, where a "children's room" was created. This later became a general function room.
Clayton & Black extended the pub to the north in 1935–36, adding a two-storey section.
Although the King and Queen name was retained, the monarchs represented were changed at this time to
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
and
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key ...
, and their images were painted beneath one of the
gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...
s.
A contemporary report in the ''
Brighton Herald
The ''Brighton Herald'' (renamed ''The Brighton Herald & Hove Chronicle'' in 1902 and the ''Brighton & Hove Herald'' in 1922) was a weekly newspaper covering the boroughs of Brighton and Hove in southeast England. Founded in 1806 as the first news ...
'' newspaper praised the rebuilt pub, stating that it was "something more than a handsome, spacious building ... it is a gorgeous flight of architectural imagination".
The interior was altered in 1967, when the original three-room space was reconfigured to form a single room "in the form of a spacious medieval nobleman's hall".
This made it suitable for hosting large events, such as "Miss Miniskirt" contest finals (for several years)
and
revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own duri ...
s;
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...
visited one unannounced in 1982 while in Brighton for the Conservative Party
conference
A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic.
Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main p ...
.
There is a large courtyard and garden area, first used in 1968 when a new owner laid on regular barbecues.
The pub markets itself as a sports bar, with large screen televisions and several pool tables, and as a music venue; local DJ
Fatboy Slim
Norman Quentin Cook (born Quentin Leo Cook, 31 July 1963), also known by his stage name Fatboy Slim, is an English musician, DJ, and record producer who helped to popularise the big beat genre in the 1990s. In the 1980s, Cook was the bassist f ...
has played there, and there is a regular
karaoke
Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music is ...
night.
The pub was
listed
Listed may refer to:
* Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm
* Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic
* Endangered species in biology
* Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...
at Grade II by
English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses.
The charity states that i ...
on 19 March 1997.
This defines it as a "nationally important" building of "special interest".
As of February 2001, it was one of 1,124 Grade II-listed buildings and structures, and 1,218 listed buildings of all grades, in the city of
Brighton and Hove
Brighton and Hove () is a city and unitary authority in East Sussex, England. It consists primarily of the settlements of Brighton and Hove, alongside neighbouring villages.
Often referred to synonymously as Brighton, the City of Brighton and H ...
.
It is also within the Valley Gardens Conservation Area,
one of
34 conservation areas in Brighton and Hove.
On 24 October 2015 it was registered as an
asset of community value
In England, an asset of community value (ACV) is land or property of importance to a local community which is subject to additional protection from development under the Localism Act 2011. Voluntary and community organisations can nominate an ass ...
by
Brighton and Hove City Council
Brighton and Hove City Council is the local authority of the city of Brighton and Hove. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. It provides a full range of local government services ...
.
Architecture
The King and Queen has been widely praised for its distinctive, elaborately detailed architecture. Clayton & Black's "theatrical rebuilding", completed in 1932, created an architectural "pantomime"
of "olde-worlde Tudor"
elements incorporating "an impressive array of seemingly authentic details".
The architects used a "wonderful assembly" of features commonly associated with 16th-century
Vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture is building done outside any academic tradition, and without professional guidance. This category encompasses a wide range and variety of building types, with differing methods of construction, from around the world, bo ...
, selecting those which gave the most decorative appearance and allowed the widest variety of materials to be used.
The main structure is of red brick laid in the
English bond
Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar. Typically, rows of bricks called '' courses'' are laid on top of one another to build up a structure such as a brick wall.
Bricks may be differentiated from blocks by si ...
pattern; there is stonework to the ground floor, plaster and
timber framing
Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...
above, and a tiled roof with three
weatherboarded dormer
A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window.
Dormers are commonly used to increase the usable space ...
windows at the top (attic) storey, below which are the two main storeys.
To the right (north) side is a two-storey section dating from 1935–36.
The main section has five
bays
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a narr ...
of unequal width; the first, third and fifth project slightly and have large
gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...
s. The third bay, the largest, has an entrance with a
Tudor arch
A four-centered arch is a low, wide type of arch with a pointed apex. Its structure is achieved by drafting two arcs which rise steeply from each springing point on a small radius, and then turning into two arches with a wide radius and much lower ...
and double wooden doors, and there are smaller entrances in the fourth and fifth bays, again with similar doors featuring panelling and metal grilles set in
moulded doorcases.
Projecting forward between the fourth and fifth bays is the stone-dressed exterior of a stair-turret with a pair of Tudor-arched
stained glass
Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...
windows divided by a thick
transom
Transom may refer to:
* Transom (architecture), a bar of wood or stone across the top of a door or window, or the window above such a bar
* Transom (nautical), that part of the stern of a vessel where the two sides of its hull meet
* Operation Tran ...
and set in a recess with a
hood mould
In architecture, a hood mould, hood, label mould (from Latin ''labia'', lip), drip mould or dripstone, is an external moulded projection from a wall over an opening to throw off rainwater, historically often in form of a ''pediment''. This mouldin ...
. The glass depicts knights and medieval ladies.
The first (southernmost) bay rises to three storeys, of which the lower two have
canted
Cant, CANT, canting, or canted may refer to:
Language
* Cant (language), a secret language
* Beurla Reagaird, a language of the Scottish Highland Travellers
* Scottish Cant, a language of the Scottish Lowland Travellers
* Shelta or the Cant, a lan ...
bay window
A bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a bay in a room.
Types
Bay window is a generic term for all protruding window constructions, regardless of whether they are curved or angular, or r ...
s with
mullion
A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid supp ...
s and
transom
Transom may refer to:
* Transom (architecture), a bar of wood or stone across the top of a door or window, or the window above such a bar
* Transom (nautical), that part of the stern of a vessel where the two sides of its hull meet
* Operation Tran ...
s. The top storey, with its intricately decorated gable, is
jettied
Jettying (jetty, jutty, from Old French ''getee, jette'') is a building technique used in medieval timber-frame buildings in which an upper floor projects beyond the dimensions of the floor below. This has the advantage of increasing the availa ...
and features painted plaster reliefs of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn with another mullioned and transomed window between them.
Carved figures of the same king and queen are supported on brackets above the main entrance at first-floor level, in front of another medieval-style straight-headed window. Above this are gold lion and unicorn figures flanking carved
corbel
In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal jutting from a wall to carry a superincumbent weight, a type of bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in the wall, whereas a console is a piece applied to the s ...
s which support a three-light diamond-patterned window. On each side are smaller four-light windows of a similar pattern.
A carved
bressummer
A bressummer, breastsummer, summer beam (somier, sommier, sommer, somer, cross-somer, summer, summier, summer-tree, or dorman, dormant tree) is a load-bearing beam in a timber-framed building. The word ''summer'' derived from sumpter or French s ...
separates these from the
half-timbered
Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...
gable above. The second and fourth bays, slightly recessed, have plaster façades with applied carved timber framing and mullioned and transomed windows. The fifth bay, also plaster-clad, has two three-window ranges linked by a timber
balustrade
A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its con ...
pattern and set below an elaborate gable with painted heraldic emblems, coats of arms and similar. Rising behind this gable is a stone-
quoined brick tower topped with a chimney and another gable, from which two carved sheep's heads project.
The north wing is mostly timber-framed with
nogging infill.
There is
herringbone brickwork at first-floor level around the series of two-light windows.
Much use is made of decorative ironwork: the ground floor is mostly open in the form of an oak-braced carriage arch with a
portcullis
A portcullis (from Old French ''porte coleice'', "sliding gate") is a heavy vertically-closing gate typically found in medieval fortifications, consisting of a latticed grille made of wood, metal, or a combination of the two, which slides down gr ...
, and between the brick
piers Piers may refer to:
* Pier, a raised structure over a body of water
* Pier (architecture), an architectural support
* Piers (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name)
* Piers baronets, two titles, in the baronetages ...
which divide the wing into a series of bays are entrances with "fearsome
wrought iron
Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.08%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4%). It is a semi-fused mass of iron with fibrous slag Inclusion (mineral), inclusions (up to 2% by weight), which give it a ...
embellishments".
The tiled roof has two
gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...
d
dormer
A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window.
Dormers are commonly used to increase the usable space ...
s. The part of this wing facing inwards towards the courtyard has brick and timberwork with balustrades and gables, and there is an open gallery on one side.
Carved medieval figures are found in several places.
Inside, despite the opening out of Heaton Tabb & Co's original three-room interior in 1967, many 1930s features remain, including a wood and wrought iron bar, a balustraded gallery (with later glazing), moulded fireplaces, decorative coloured glass with heraldic emblems, tapestries, timber panelling with
linenfold
Linenfold (or linen fold) is a simple style of relief carving used to decorate wood panelling with a design "imitating window tracery", "imitating folded linen" or "stiffly imitating folded material". Originally from Flanders, the style became ...
carving, panelled doors with iron grilles, carved oak beams and
lintels
A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented structural item. In the case of ...
and medieval-style carved
settles.
A curved staircase leading to the first-floor function room apparently dates from the 1967 alterations; it has a
balustrade
A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its con ...
and stained glass inserts.
See also
*
Grade II listed buildings in Brighton and Hove: I–L
*
Pubs in Brighton
Public houses, popularly known as pubs, are a significant feature of the history and culture of the English seaside resort of Brighton. The earliest pubs trace their history
back to the 16th and 17th centuries, when present-day Brighton (now ...
References
Notes
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
{{B&H Buildings
Buildings and structures completed in 1932
King and Queen
Grade II listed pubs in East Sussex
King and Queen
Clayton & Black buildings
Tudor Revival pubs
Assets of community value