The King’s Head was an ancient inn, dating from the 1500s, and the 1789 Award map shows that it was a substantial building in the centre of the village. It served as a coaching inn for travellers passing from Derby to the north.
In the 1790s, the stables at the back of the inn were expanded to cater for horses used to pull wagons along the newly constructed Tramway.
There are no pictures of the King’s Head as a pub because it ceased to be an Inn around the time the Queen’s Head changed its name in 1837. Perhaps The Queen’s Head became the dominant hostelry and there was no need for two large pubs in the centre of the village.
The King’s Head was converted into a general store and grocer’s shop.
The King’s Head
The shop was run by Robert Greatorex who, with his wife, Hannah, lived in the attached house.
By 1861 the ownership of the grocer’s had passed to the Pratt family. Thomas Pratt, his wife Martha and their children, Louisa and Arthur lived there. The picture above was taken when the shop was called “Pratt Grocer and co”
By 1881, Arthur had married, and his wife Sarah and their child, Hedley lived in the house next to the shop. By 1891, Thomas was widowed and his son Arthur had taken over the business. By 1901, Arthur and Sarah had six children and Thomas still lived there and by 1911 Thomas had left. He died in 1918.
Arthur Pratt continued as the village grocer until his death in 1932, and the shop was taken over by Fred Marshall as a Greengrocer’s shop. He ran it with his wife Eugena and his sister, Sarah until, in 1971, despite vehement protests from the Parish Council, it was demolished.
A corner shop and green grocer’s were built, which later became the existing chemist shop, surgery and neighbouring houses.
The picture shows Marshall’s store when it had closed down, just before it was demolished.
