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KING'S HEAD HOTEL
Date Opened : 1879
Date Closed : 2023
Address :
359 King William Street Adelaide
History
| THE KING'S HEAD INN | 1848 | 1876 |
| KING'S HEAD HOTEL | 1876 | 2023 |
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Labels
Hotel Photos
Schurgott Collection
Publicans
| The Kings Head Hotel, one of my favourite Adelaide pubs, has been a landmark since 1848, when it was first built by Thomas Shadgett on Town Acre 529. The original building was modest, but expansions were quickly made in 1849 to secure its license. Tragedy struck in 1851 when 15-month-old Caroline Gummow was fatally burned after a pot of boiling water spilled, one of the many sobering stories woven into Adelaide’s early history. In 1875, the small colonial inn was demolished and replaced with a grand two-storey Victorian hotel. Later alterations in 1885 added a sweeping balcony on the eastern side and a new dining room to the north. Despite these upgrades, the Kings Head remained more of a local’s pub than a city hotspot. By the early 2000s, however, the hotel reinvented itself as a champion of South Australian breweries, opening a bottleshop that sold exclusively local drinks. It quickly became a favourite with the growing craft beer crowd, and by the 2010s was often packed with beer lovers. Sadly, the hotel was sold during Covid, and the new owners’ ambitious redevelopment plans never materialised. Today, the pub sits dormant. For me, the Kings Head holds countless memories. I visited Sturt Street Cellars regularly, always discovering some quirky new beer. My brother’s wedding reception was held there, and the local microbreweries I’ve been involved with often premiered their beers at the venue.  |