The Kings Head, Bishop Auckland

Two rooms with bar in the middle. Two real ales, one of which was OK. Bit rough and ready with horse racing on the TV

The Kings Head is a a decent little twin bar, traditional, town centre pub dating back to at least 1855 when it was known as the Tile Sheds. The lounge bar to the right of the entrance is cosy enough without having much that particularly styands out other than a few odds and sods over the bar, an old picture of the pub and a collection of brewery mirrors (Hansa being most prominent). To the left of the entrance is the public bar with TV, Big Screen in the corner and pool table at the back but is also a pleasant enough bar you just want to sit and drink at the old sewing machine tables. A collection of cigarette cards are on display at the rear where a small corrisdor interconnects with the other bar. The jukebox was churninmg out a stream of T.Rex hits on my visit so I guess and I got the impression that it is generally a pub for the more mature element in town although the customers were a bit thin on the ground for a Friday evening. The staff were welcoming enough although the beer selection was a bit disappointing, just Mordue Workie Ticket on hand pump which admittedly was good enough for my requirements. Of my short trawl through the town centre pubs, the Kings Head came out as one of the more comfortable stops offs although a couple more ales would be needed for me to warrant a longer stay.