The doors to the King & Queen are back open!… The pub in the heart of Highworth’s high street closed its doors for a full re-furbishment at the beginning of the month and to the joy of the town, the doors opened to show off its fresh new look, whilst still keeping its rustic old character.
Walking up the high street, you are greeted by a newly painted white exterior and a redesign of the old King & Queen playing cards sign above head with King & Queen chess pieces in a more contemporary look, but still in keeping with the surrounding architecture.
Walking through the doors, the fresh look is instantly welcoming, everything from new carpets, a full paint job from celling, walls, the bar, everything has a new fresh look. There are seven big screen TVs to watch live sporting events, state of the art funky fruit machines, including Bullseye, walk on through and you get to a brand new pool table, which is the only one in Highworth. Take a walk around the corner and you come to two state of the art Laser Oche Dart Boards with a stunning wooden surround. Even looking up and seeing the newly fitted rustic light fittings, everything has been thought about, you can see a lot of money has been poured into reinvigorating this 15th Century 500year old pub.
Out back, there is again a full fresh lick of paint, new decking, an outside TV for those that want to watch the sport out in the summer sun, in a gated safe environment for the kids to run about too.
The King & Queen has been managed for the last three years by landlord John and his wife Nicole who have from taking over set about changing the vibe and reputation of the pub which in the past had been known for being centre of trouble in the high street. Turning the pub into a family friendly pub at the heart of the community, and they have done a great job of this.
The couple who have two young girls and a boy on the way, wanted a pub that would be a safe and welcoming place for families to come in and enjoy a relaxing drink and socialise with other families.
Talking to John, he said: “I wanted the King & Queen to be a place where fathers could bring their kids in to enjoy a game of darts or pool like I did when is was a child with my dad, for families to enjoy an afternoon in the pub”.
The King & Queen will also be a place to come for a great night out for the adults too, by day a safe place for families, whilst in the evenings entertain adults with regular live music, DJ nights and bingo, and with a new late licence to stay open at weekends till 2am, giving the younger generation somewhere to enjoy a good night out without having the expense of heading into Swindon using taxis, with a pub within walking distance from home.
John’s want is to make the King & Queen an old fashioned pub for all to enjoy, and having spent the evening at the opening, he really has achieved that! The locals have really got to know John and his family, the bar staff are friendly and always smiling, the vibe of the Highworth community really showed at the launch, everyone coming together to enjoy a fun lively night out with the old trouble label for the pub well and truly put to bed. The King & Queen is now a fun, lively and safe place to come and enjoy a drink with family and friends. We will definitely be coming back to enjoy a drink and regular live music.
The King & Queen is what in the trade they call a ‘wet pub’ there is no kitchen, so its just drinks at the bar and snacks like a packet of crisps. Last nights launch had the awesome One Love Catering parked up in the beer garden providing fresh produced burgers, chicken burgers, rustic fries and much more.
Speaking to John about this, he said: “Being a wet pub, we don’t sell food, but that does give us the flexibility to bring in outside caterers like One Love Catering to give a wide variety of types of food, theres some great food vendors out there locally, Gurt’s Wings, Spud U Like, Bandido Burritos and you cant forget Andrews Butchers next door, so we have the ability to having a really great variety of quality food down the line”.
With the launch over, the first full day of opening is today (Wednesday 23rd July), with doors opening from 11am, with a great line up of live music and events coming just around the corner.
Friday 25th July: Charlotte Fox will be performing in the evening from 10pm.
Saturday 26th July: Highworth’s very own fantastic singer Chelsea Millard will be performing from 10pm.
Saturday 2nd August: The Roxi Foundation will be having their family fun day fundraising event with plenty of entertainment with live music, and even Stitch will be around to greet the kids, a truly fun day for all the family to come along to and support an amazing local charity.
Keep checking out the official King & Queen Facebook page and Instagram to keep up to date with events, live music, DJ nights, bingo and much more.
Facebook: Click HERE.
Instagram: Click HERE.
Opening Hours:
- Monday: 11am to 11pm
- Tuesday: 11am to 11pm
- Wednesday: 11am to 11pm
- Thursday: 11am to 11pm
- Friday: 11am to 2am
- Saturday: 11am to 2am
- Sunday: 11am to 11pm
Entertainment Swindon 
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