Pubs and Bars / A-Z Bristol pub crawl
Bristol A-Z Pub Crawl: The King William Ale House, King Street
Queen Camilla was in Bristol on Thursday, choosing to make her first solo trip since the coronation to Shirehampton Primary School.
Could there be pubs named after Camilla in years to come? We have plenty of Queen Vics; why not the Queen Cam?
Pubs named after queens haven’t fared too well in the Bristol area in recent years. The Queen Adelaide in Blagdon is now an Indian restaurant, the Queen Victoria on Stapleton Road is The Wild Goose and the Queen Victoria on Gloucester Road is now, incongruously, a Pret A Manger.
is needed now More than ever
How about Camilla’s husband? There used to be a pub called the King Charles in Bristol, but its metal letters have slowly been falling off since it closed and now none remain.
Just a stone’s throw from Stokes Croft on the corner of Charles Street and King Square Avenue appears, the King Charles was an Ushers pub which was originally called the King Square Avenue Wine & Spirit Vaults.
The former King Charles pub now has little clues to its former use
So there was no King Charles pub to visit as our A-Z pub crawl returns to the letter ‘K’, but where better to go than King Street?
Despite having opened more than 140 years ago, the former King Charles pub is a spring chicken compared to the King William Ale House which dates back to the late 17th century.
“Do you know when it’s going to be picking up today?” a visitor asked a member of staff soon after 7pm, when the only person inside was sat in one of the booths tapping on his phone in direct contravention of the digital detox rules in this Samuel Smith’s pub.
Inside this particular booth were two small hand painted stained glass windows showing the former bridge over the River Frome close to where Christmas Steps are today; and Bristol Bridge when it still had houses all the way along it and a chapel in the middle.
Stained glass in the King William Ale House showing Bristol Bridge and the River Frome
The King Bill may have been almost empty inside on Thursday evening, but every table outside was taken and that pattern was replicated along the length of King Street.
A rumour spoken about outside Small Bar is that Renato’s will soon return to the throng on a road that on a snowy day in February 2019 hosted Bristol’s last major royal visit before Thursday, when Harry and Meghan came to town to officially open the Bristol Old Vic’s new foyer.
The Sussexes are currently in the news for a high speed car chase through the streets of New York, while Camilla’s visit to Shirehampton on Thursday was rather more sedate.
We could yet be raising a glass to our new queen in a Queen Cam pub. For now, a pint in the King Bill will have to do.
A sign above the fireplace forbids the use of mobile phones, laptops and other digital devices
Samuel Smith’s pubs pride themselves on their traditional character
The King William Ale House dates from 1670 and was originally part of a row of three houses
The King William Ale House, 20 King Street, Bristol, BS1 4EF
All photos: Martin Booth
Read next:
- Queen Camilla visits Bristol school for first solo engagement since the coronation
- A-Z Bristol Pub Crawl: Hey Dude, King Street
- Llandoger Trow owners could take over derelict city centre
- Shock as Pret prepares to open in former pub
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