The Queens Head, Gillingham

Official site of The Queens Head - www.emberinns.co.uk

Official site of The Queens Head - www.emberinns.co.uk

The Queen's Head has been a Harvester for several years, but has always been that kind of chain food pub. In fairness it has improved since my last visit in that it no longer smells of stale chip fat. Historically, it was another of those businesses which moved from Brompton (where it had been since 1704 - the name is thought to relate to Queen Anne who acceded in 1702) as part of the slum clearances, along with the other pubs in Wigmore. The original building in Brompton was not demolished, though, and is now a private house. Today's Queen's Head is rather less grand, a mid-20th Century pile occupying a large corner plot with plenty of parking spaces for the clientele who don't want to walk the half mile from their houses. There is a single large L-shaped bar with a fake Victorian fireplace and mix of tiled and carpeted floors, patrolled by young staff who don't know what they're doing and insisted that the over-gassed, over-chilled Speckled Hen was a "quality real ale". There are tvs, gaming machines, loud "popular"music and loud children to entertain the hard-of-thinking. Unless you live nearby it's probably worth avoiding.