The Kings Head Inn

About The Kings Head Inn

The Kings Head Inn sits on the green at Bledington, a small village on the Oxfordshire edge of the Cotswolds. The building is 16th century and was originally a cider house. It looks out over the green, which has a stream running through it and a resident population of ducks and bantams, and the setting is about as close to the standard image of an English village as you will find.

There are twelve bedrooms, divided evenly between the inn itself and a converted courtyard building at the back. The inn rooms have more character, with Cotswold stone walls, exposed timbers and low doorways; the courtyard rooms are more even in size and quieter, being set away from the bar. All have en-suite bathrooms, free Wi-Fi and flat-screen televisions. This is a pub with rooms rather than a hotel, so there is no lift, no spa and no room service.

The bar has flagstone floors, settles and an open fire, and serves local ales alongside a food menu built around British pub cooking done properly, with seasonal produce and daily specials. The inn has picked up several Good Pub Guide awards, including Pub of the Year and, twice, Inn of the Year. Breakfast is cooked to order. There is off-street parking and a courtyard garden.

It suits walkers, dog owners and couples who would rather stay somewhere with a working local trade than a hotel bar. Stow-on-the-Wold is four miles away, Chipping Norton six, and Kingham station, with direct trains to London, is about two miles down the road. Blenheim Palace is a 25-minute drive, and Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon are each around 45 minutes.