The first old pub at Leadgate you’ll encounter from the north is the Queens Head - no longer operating, but its stone banding and ornate door frame providing an explicit clue.

Interestingly the original Queens Head was slightly up the road on the other side. That one was likely built in the 1840s along with the rest of the village constructed to house the workers of Eden Colliery. The short row we find dates from a few decades after, and our pub appears to have claimed the name around 1875 when the old owner packed up bags to leave town and sold up.

From its earliest years the inn at this site was a centre of sports in the village. It had its own handball alley as well as a quoits ground (both found commonly in Durham industrial villages). Its place in Durham sports history is also cemented by the fact this was where the North West Durham football league in 1891.

References to the pub dry out in the past 50 years. It had apparently gone dormant for some years before being renovated as an antiques shop, hence the preservation of its facade. It now appears to be a residence.