The Queen's Head was a pub at 144 Stockwell Road, Brixton, London SW9.

Queen's Head, Brixton
The Queen's Head, Brixton, London SW9
Queen's Head is located in London Borough of Lambeth
Queen's Head
Queen's Head
Queen's Head is located in Greater London
Queen's Head
Queen's Head
General information
Address144 Stockwell Road, Brixton
Town or cityLondon
CountryEngland
Coordinates51°28′02″N 0°07′05″W / 51.467282°N 0.118137°W / 51.467282; -0.118137
Openedc. 1786
ClosedJanuary 2024
Designations
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameQueen's Head Public House
Designated27 March 1981
Reference no.1064933

It is a Grade II listed building, "of Regency appearance with alterations".[1]

History

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The pub was originally named The New Queen's Head, and A History of Brixton asserts that it is in its original building from 1786.[2] Brixton Heritage Trails states its construction replaced an older pub with a similar name.[3] The "New" in the name was presumably to differentiate itself from The Old Queen's Head that was also in the same area, then known as Stockwell Green.[4]

In 1894 an accepted tender for "additions and alterations" was reported in the construction trade periodical The Builder.[5]

In the 1990s it was run under the name The Far Side,[2] but by 2001 it was called The Z-Bud.[3]

For some time in the 2010s and early 2020s it was a music venue, and is known as where Fat White Family rehearsed, performed, and put on their own night, Slide-In.[6][7][8] The band Shame also started to rehearse there shortly after.[9]

In November 2014 photos emerged of the then landlord dressed in blackface at a party there, with another guest wearing a Ku Klux Klan costume and performing a Nazi salute, causing public outrage that was reported in the national press.[10]

In September 2015 that landlord gave up the lease and it closed. Soon after it reopened under different management as a gastropub focusing on local ales and food, though still with live music and club nights.[11]

As of January 2024 it closed its doors to the public and is currently boarded up.[12]

References

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  1. ^ Historic England. "The New Queen's Head Public House (1064933)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  2. ^ a b Piper, Alan (1996). A History of Brixton. p. 16. ISBN 978-1-873052-07-5.
  3. ^ a b Brixton Heritage Trails. The Brixton Society. 2001. ISBN 1-873052-11-1.
  4. ^ "The Old Queen's Head, Stockwell Green". London Museum.
  5. ^ "Tenders - London". The Builder. Vol. 67. 29 September 1894. p. 291.
  6. ^ Pattison, Louis (9 December 2013). "Fat White Family: 'We want to make your skin crawl'". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  7. ^ Bassil, Ryan (14 January 2014). "Finally, a Night of Live Music in London That Doesn't Suck". Noisey. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  8. ^ Wilkinson, Matt (14 January 2014). "Fat White Family – 'Touch The Leather'". NME. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  9. ^ Wilkinson, Matt (1 July 2016). "Shame Interviewed: 'Our Instruments Would Go Missing And Come Back Blood-Splattered'". NME. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  10. ^ Morgan, Ben; Freeman, Simon; Moore-Bridger, Benedict (5 November 2014). "Outrage as Brixton pub landlord blacks up to host Ku Klux Klan themed party". Evening Standard. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  11. ^ "The Queen's Head". Time Out. 29 July 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  12. ^ Urban, Mike (14 May 2024). "The Queen's Head pub in Brixton/Stockwell is now closed and boarded up". Brixton Buzz. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
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