The Kings Head, Belper

Official site of The Kings Head - kingsheadduffield.co.uk

Official site of The Kings Head - kingsheadduffield.co.uk

due to open august 2018

Traditional local, irregular in shape, with the bar and pool table in an unusual semi-circular single-storey front extension and a smaller lounge area further back. Also has an Italian restaurant and a compact patio seating area in the side yard. Accommodation available. I visited at the end of what must have been a successful mini-beer festival since only two of the four handpumps were still operational, and the four ales on gravity from a stillage housed in the barn were all gone. My pint of Vale Black Beauty (£3.20) was in good form, and I enjoyed by brief stop here.

An oddly shaped building, with an unsuspected lower ground floor which is only seen if walking round the corner into Chapel Street. The bar had five hand pumps, with just Bass and Sharps Doom Bar on offer when I was here, though there was also a guest ale available from a barrel propped up on the bar counter, which was Brampton Star of India IPA, though I didn't try this as there did not appear to be any attempt to keep the barrel cool. Wednesday night is quiz and curry night, and the landlord and his staff were busy preparing for this at the time of my late afternoon visit. There's a little bit of eccentricity about this pub, and this extends to the furniture, mostly sofas and easy chairs but from what I could see hardly two alike. There was a nice open fire in the large stone fireplace, and around the corner and up some steps was a pool table. This seemed like a good locals pub, but the beer selection was in the unadventurous-to-boring range, so my preference would be for the Pattenmakers Arms if I find myself in Duffield again.