Kings Head

Riddle me this: What has two open fires, a Skittle Alley, real cask ales, and a children’s play area? The Kings Head in Wickham right off Winchester Road.
This former coaching inn, turned village public house, has all the humble charm of a quaint gathering place with all the heart of the community, packed into a Fuller pub. Who would have guessed that it is clearly the nicest one in the tiny square.
If I could design a pub, it would look like this. It is absolutely lovely, with wall flowers of many colors running up the side entrance’s façade and a lovely beer garden through the alcove on the right. It is open plan seating, that goes straight back to the outdoor family area. The inside feels like an affluent country home and the prices match the vibe. There are plenty of beers and ales, though I opted for the cider. We played billiards in the back because although it was full overall, no one bothered to take advantage of the games area.
I really wanted to try the Skittles but we were out of time. The games section seems to double as a function room or perhaps as extra seating when it’s not rented out. A good place to go with group, then. Definitely a fan of the Kings Head.

There have been many a night when I find myself sitting in the beer garden of the Kings Head; a flurry of good ale and great company go by with a night full of laughter and dirty jokes passed around like each round of beer.
Though The King’s Head is a rather expensive pub it seems to be the only decent one in Wickham Square, the bar staff is nice (though I’ve gone enough to know them) and many of regular clientele are nice enough to let me pet their dogs and have idle conversation with them.
For the most part The King’s Head is a mixture of old and new, a meeting of traditional style pub trying to fit in with the changing times. The restaurant in the back is amazing, though the service is a bit lack luster. We waited quite a long time for food to come around, though we did go during dinner rush and they have a rather limited staff. I would advising coming here for a meal if you don’t mind waiting, but otherwise it’s a good place for a few pints in good company.