King of Sardinia, Brixton Hill
(Affectionately known by customers as “The King”).
My Grandfather, Richard Simmons, was governor of the above public house; he took the tenancy in 1913. At the time it was owned by Hoare & Co, which later became Page & Overton. At this time it was an older type of building and was subsequently completely demolished and rebuilt to its present state by Charrington & Co., who were the then owners, in 1935. It is a very attractive and interesting building; one of the most unusual features are the chimneystacks, eight of them and every one of different brickwork. The pub was subsequently run by my grandfather’s eldest daughter and her husband (my parents) from 1933. After my mother’s demise in 1956, my father and myself ran the business happily together. “The King” was a very old-fashioned family pub, with a warm, friendly atmosphere, with piano music played every weekend and everyone joining in with a good sing-along.
In the earlier days “The King” was often frequented by famous stars of the day, such as Marie Lloyd, Vesta Tilley etc. My mother would accompany them playing the piano.
During World War Two the cellar was used by customers to shelter, but it was always “Business as usual” during the war years. It was a cheerful happy pub of a bygone era.
We left “The King” finally in 1969, thus ending our 57 years’ family residence there.
My name is George Pollard and I would like to dedicate this to the memory of my parents, Doris and George Pollard, who are sadly no longer with us.