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The Kings Head, Aylesbury
Aylesbury
HP20 2RW
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Danny O'Revey left this review about The Farmers Bar at The Kings Head
Lovely old inn hidden down alley, chunky tables, classic décor and sectioned off areas. Beers from Chiltern
On 18th September 2018
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1456 recommendations about 1434 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about The Farmers Bar at The Kings Head
An attractive old pub owned by the National Trust just off of Aylesbury’s market square, it was reputedly built in 1455 and, appropriately given the pub’s name, a number of kings have apparently stayed here over the years, including Henry VIII. There is a good sized central courtyard which was presumably for the benefit of horses at one time, but is now an attractive outdoor seating area. A courtyard bar has also recently opened here meaning that drinks can be purchased without having to return to the main bar within the pub.
The main bulk of the pub is off to the right as you approach from the market square and consists of several interconnected rooms. There is also a dining area off to the left which we did not investigate. Décor wise, it doesn’t have quite the olde worlde charm that you might expect, and whilst there certainly are still some notably old features, it has clearly also undergone renovation works over the years. Dark wooden boards were on the floor, whilst the low ceilings had the requisite black wooden beams, although these were fairly sparse in some areas. There were some areas of exposed brickwork although these had all been painted with dark grey paint whilst elsewhere was cream plasterwork. Several pictures of the local area were on the walls, and a number of old beer barrels had been pressed in to use as tables. Seating was a mixture of old wooden pews, a couple of old sofas and regular tables and chairs.
The menu offered a decent looking selection of pub grub dishes, with options such as grilled chicken, sausage and mash, burger, scampi & fries, and so on. Our beer battered haddock with chips and mushy peas was a pretty good dish, not as generous as some perhaps, but a tasty bit of fish and most enjoyable.
Beers on tap were predominantly from Chiltern Brewery, with their Pale Ale, Beachwood and Cobblestone and these were joined by Swannay Adrift. Ciders meanwhile were Stowford Press and Cornish Orchards Farmhouse. All in all, it certainly seems to be one of the better pubs in the centre of Aylesbury, not that that’s really saying much, and well worth popping in if you’re in the area.
On 8th June 2018
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1948 recommendations about 1861 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Boots left this review about The Farmers Bar at The Kings Head
An old inn owned by the National Trust, almost hidden up an alley off the market place. Bits of half timber, proper board floors and mix of pub and unpubby furniture. Various spaces & rooms in a variety of styles and sizes. Dreadfully middle class but it has excellently kept beers mainly from Chiltern, four out of six casks were from them, there's also six keg taps not from the national brand stable, some of these are from Chiltern as well. Mainly buff walls with a collection of prints and photos to engage the attention. Very pleasant but a little pricey for my northern pocket at £3.55 for a 3.9% beer but maybe ok for the area.
On 25th June 2017
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3269 recommendations about 2978 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Farmers Bar at The Kings Head
Just off the Market Square in the centre of Aylesbury, this is a marvellous example of an old coaching inn. The pub retains its courtyard and stable block, giving a clear flavour of how the inn would have operated in its prime. Today we find the place managed by the Chiltern Brewery on behalf of The National Trust, who own the property. Customers are directed to the Farmer's Bar, which is through a doorway to the right after you pass through the entrance arch, just before you emerge into the courtyard. The bar has a split level layout with the nicely curved bar counter over in the rear right corner. Comfy sofa seating is available near the entrance, in a recess to the left and close to the bar and has been supplemented by low stools made from small casks with the Chiltern Brewery's name on the side. Standard tables and chairs make up the seating options elsewhere, including in a lower section, screened from the main bar, to the front right. Lots of old looking beams criss-cross the room, with walls painted cream and red. Some old windows appear to have been retained, but there are also a lot of new windows with the brewery's fox and oak tree logo. One wall was dominated by a large photo of the Queen visiting Aylesbury and sampling beer from the Chiltern Brewery - it sounds implausible, but the photo offers compelling proof. Other interesting old pictures line the walls, especially in a cluster near the fireplace next to the entrance and it's worth a quick perusal before moving on. Doors to the rear lead out to the evocative courtyard, with the stabling block running around three sides and plenty of picnic tables have been arranged through the centre and under a sheltering canopy at one end, making this a great spot for a beer on a sunny day. Some shelves next to the servery housed a number of blankets, suggesting that customers are content to sit outside whatever the weather and books and board games were also stacked here for customer's enjoyment.
An encouraging selection of CAMRA certificates have been put on display opposite the bar and there were four ales available across the six handpulls. Three Chiltern beers - Beechwood Bitter, Gold and Pale Ale - were supplemented by Box Steam Summer Buzz and a cider in the shape of Tutts Clump Royal Berkshire. My pint of the Chiltern Pale seemed a little tired, but the locals were knocking the ales back quite happily. A good snacks cabinet on the bar counter had some tasty looking snacks on show, but we opted to eat from the wider menu, choosing a Kings Farm Sausage sandwich and chips, which set me back a disproportionately high £8. The staff were friendly enough and there was notably no background music, just the inane chatter of two very loud locals at the bar. A small Chiltern Brewery shop opposite the Farmer's Bar entrance stocks various beer related treats, should you want to take something home with you.
By virtue of being the oldest courtyard pub in the country, this place merits a visit purely from a historic perspective, but there is enough going on here to make it an attractive prospect in its own right. It perhaps suffers a little from being one of the town's top tourist attractions and my beer could have been in better condition, but this really should be on your to do list should you find yourself in Aylesbury.
On 10th July 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Farmers Bar at The Kings Head
This old place is more than well described below. The Chiltern brewery that run it are one of the oldest UK microbreweries having started out in 1980.
The bar has six hand pumps with on my visit one unused, a cider, Boss Brave and Chiltern Beechwood, Pale & Copper Beech.
I went for the Copper Beech (£3.45) which was first class. My only reservations with this place are that it was a bit corporate and as a National Trust property is something of a tourist trap. These are minor gripes and I would gladly return.
On 6th September 2015
- rating: 9
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Farmers Bar at The Kings Head
With the historic King's Head inn dating from 1455, the buildings on either side of the narrow pedestrianised alleyway and courtyard are as quaint as you would expect from a National Trust property. The layout of the Farmers' Bar still retains many small rooms and seating areas, although the refurbished furniture and decor are rather more modern than I was expecting. There are also a good number of benches out in the yard too. As the Chiltern Brewery tap, three of their beers were on (Chiltern Ale, Beechwood Bitter and Gold, £3.45) plus Derventio Summer Solstice as a guest and Aspall's Waddlegoose Lane cider from a total of six handpumps. Overall, a slightly curious mix of old and new, but well worth a visit nevertheless.
On 11th July 2015
- rating: 8
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Farmers Bar at The Kings Head
Has it really been eight years? It has, although the place isn’t a vast amount different than I recall in the review below. I enjoyed the walk up the medieval cobbled passageway to the courtyard again, one of the more exciting pub entrances in the UK. Unfortunately the 15th century promise doesn’t really extend into the interior, which is not quite as antiquated and olde worlde as you might expect (in fact it’s semi-modern) which is a shame. Smartly-dressed and professional staff serving, with a choice of straight or handled glass. Three ales available from the modern curved bar on my Saturday evening visit, two from Chiltern and a guest from Ilkley along with a proper cider (Radnage?) and two idle pumps. Also some higher-end kegs (Meantime etc). Beer quality was fairly good. Bar snacks available and I had a very tasty home made sausage roll for £1.80.
November 2005
Lovely place (apparently dates from the 1600's and is owned by the National Trust), Chiltern Brewery ale (acts as a form of brewery tap) and a rather nice pint of Hooky's Twelve Days served by friendly, chatty staff. A number of rooms were done with a fairly sympathetic refit though it didn't feel cosy - perhaps it'll take a while to bed in. The dash to the icy outside toilets is a bit of a nightmare in the colder months but the courtyard in the summer makes up for it. Rating 7.
On 30th June 2013
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5081 recommendations about 5064 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Thuck Phat left this review about The Farmers Bar at The Kings Head
The Farmers Bar feels like what it is: a traditional bar in a town centre coaching inn and as such, must be a real drinking highlight in Aylesbury town centre.
Both the interior and exterior have been well described so I'll only add that the whole feels comfortable, solid, warm and traditional. This formula clearly works as on a chilly Tuesday evening in early January the bar was reasonably busy.
This is the brewery tap for the Chiltern Brewery and boasts six handpumps which featured on our visit: Chiltern Ale, Chiltern Beechwood Bitter, Chiltern 300's, Kelham Island Fairytale of New York and one cider. A decent selection across strength and styles and our beer was in good shape.
The first place I'd head to in Aylesbury town centre and I'd be happy to stay for a while.
On 23rd January 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 679 recommendations about 678 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Farmers Bar at The Kings Head
Walking up the cobbled passage to the side entrance ,you can appreciated the age of the building which is owned by The National Trust.Inside there is a nesting of rooms ,some at different levels with wooden flooring throughout .Around the semi-circular bar there is a very interesting collection of furniture with small comfy chairs,barrels cut into seats,polypins acting as stools,settles and sofas while the net curtaining give the whole area the feel of a lounge.
This is the brewery tap for the Chiltern Brewery and three of their brews were available besides a guest from Kelham Island and a real cider on handpump.The barmaid was very friendly and professional ,knew her ales on offer and gave out tasters.There is also a very informative chalk board describing the ale choice in some detail.The hops hanging down from a connecting archway rounded off the traditional feel to what is a smart place to eat or drink.No muzak,screens ,machines or other modern distractions,just the hubub of a popular place.
Most punters were in for the ale,and my Beechwood Bitter (£3.10)was in very good nick,a really interesting pint.The GBG listing is fully deserved.We didn't eat so cant comment on that,but this pub really should not be missed if you are visiting Aylesbury.A bit of a gem really.
On 19th January 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john mcgraw left this review about The Farmers Bar at The Kings Head
Very comfortable bar in a hotel that goes back many hundreds of years and is now owned by the National Trust.Outside drinking area in the courtyard.A range of Chilton Brewery ales on offer with one ever changing guest, which on my visit was an ale from Tring Brewery which was in tip top condition.10 minutes walk from the railway station
On 3rd February 2008
- rating: 10
[User has posted 2044 recommendations about 2025 pubs]