KING'S HEAD HOTEL
| 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.  |
 
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| THE KING'S HEAD INN | 1848 | 1876 |
| KING'S HEAD HOTEL | 1876 | 2023 |
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1941
State Library [B 10566]
c1875
State Library [BRG 238/1/170]
Plans for Hotel Alterations
Click here for a high resolution image
Front Bar before the Hotel Closed
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5.001.H428.0010
5.001.H428.0020
| Publican Name | Start Date | Finish Date | Hotel |
| Thomas SHADGETT | 1848 | 1849 | Kings Head Inn |
| Richard MARTIN | 1849 | 1853 | Kings Head Inn |
| John MARTIN | 1853 | 1861 | Kings Head Inn |
| John SUMMERS | 1861 | 1862 | Kings Head Inn |
| William NORTON | 1862 | 1863 | Kings Head Inn |
| William THOMSON | 1863 | 1877 | Kings Head Hotel |
| James Albert ELLERY | 1877 | 1879 | Kings Head Hotel |
| William Walpole CRANE Jnr | 1879 | 1882 | Kings Head Hotel |
| Henry BARNES | 1882 | 1886 | Kings Head Hotel |
| Mrs Mary BARNES | 1886 | 1898 | Kings Head Hotel |
| Robert W HILLIER | 1898 | 1900 | Kings Head Hotel |
| James WHELAN | 1901 | 1902 | Kings Head Hotel |
| Frederick CLARKE | 1902 | 1903 | Kings Head Hotel |
| George MARTIN | 1903 | 1907 | Kings Head Hotel |
| George Edward MORRIS | 1907 | 1909 | Kings Head Hotel |
| August KLUCK | 1909 | 1917 | Kings Head Hotel |
| Mrs Mary KLUCK | 1917 | 1917 | Kings Head Hotel |
| Mrs Mary OWENS | 1917 | 1924 | Kings Head Hotel |
| John Baptist HORAN | 1924 | 1931 | Kings Head Hotel |
| Arthur Godfrey HALL | 1931 | 1934 | Kings Head Hotel |
| Mrs Ellen Margaret VAUGHTON | 1934 | 1946 | Kings Head Hotel |
| Rowland Robert VAUGHTON | 1946 | 1950 | Kings Head Hotel |
| & William Rowland | 1946 | 1950 | Kings Head Hotel |
| Rowland William VAUGHTON | 1950 | 1953 | Kings Head Hotel |