King Johns Head, 8 Albemarle street, St George Hanover Square W1S
St George Hanover Square pub history index
The interior of King’s Head / shelleys - in 2022
Kindly provided by Pam Wardle
The pub, now called the King’s Head remained known as Shelley’s on and off in various forms until the 1980’s. According to Westminster City Archives it was called Shelley’s Public House in 1930 and 1980 and Shelley’s Restaurant in 1963. **
A listing of historical London public houses, Taverns, Inns, Beer Houses and Hotels in St George Hanover Square; and includes such areas of London as Knightsbridge, Mayfair and Pimlico.
Residents at this address
1805/T Beauchamp, the Kings Head, Albemarle street, Piccadilly/../../Holdens Directory
1825/Mr Renshaw, King's Head, Albemarle street, Piccadilly/../../Licensed Victuallers Association
1829/John Renshaw/Kings Head, 9 Albemarle street, Piccadilly/../../Robsons Directory
1832/John Renshaw/Kings Head, 9 Albemarle street, Piccadilly/../../Robsons Directory
1836/Evan Evans/Kings Head, 9 Albemarle street, Piccadilly//../../Pigot's Directory *
1839/B. Duval/King John's Head/../../Pigot's Directory *
1841/John Duval/King's Head/../../Post Office Directory *
[On July 17th 1830, John Salmon, Westminster, a Widower, marries Victory Brazor, over 21 years of age, at St Mary le Strand]
1845/John Salmon, King John's Head, 8 Albemarle street, Piccadilly/../../Post Office Directory *
1848/John Salmon/King John's Head/../../Post Office Directory *
1851/John Salmon/../../../Kellys Directory
1851/John Salmon/Victualler/63/Halford Bridge, Warwickshire/Census *
1851/Victoria Salmon/Wife/51/Belgium/Census
1851/John Salmon/Son/30/Breckley, Derbyshire/Census
1851/Frederick Salmon/Son/23/St James Westminster, Middlesex/Census
1851/Victoria Salmon/Daughter/20/Marylebone, Middlesex/Census
1851/George Salmon/Son/16/Marylebone, Middlesex/Census
1851/Galeazzo Visconto/Visitor, Gentleman/37/Lombardy/Census
1851/Eliza Newson/House Servant/25/Orsett, Essex/Census
1851/Edward Bandersluy/House Servant/18/Mile End, Middlesex/Census
1856/Mrs Victoire Salmon/../../../Post Office Directory
1857/Mrs Victoire Salmon, King Johns Head, 8 Albemarle street, Piccadilly W/../../Post Office Directory
Frederic Shelley, my great great grandfather (1830 to 1886), was born in Brighthelmstone (now part of Brighton) in 1830, and baptised June 20th 1830. **
Parents were John Shelley and Mary, John being a White Smith at the time. He had five brothers, Robert, Alfred, Benjamin, Edmund and John and a sister Rebecca.
By the 1851 census, he is listed as a barman at the Black Cap, 171 Camden High Street, NW1.
It seems that Frederic’s first pub may have been the Monarch Tavern, 1 Caroline Place, Hampstead Road in the Parish of St Pancras. It was probably here that he met his future wife Jane Francis from Thurrock, Essex. Their daughter Fanny J Shelley was born in 1858/9 in St Pancras before they were married. (Confirmed by record of renewal of a music licence by “Frederic Shelley Victualler of the Monarch Tavern, Hampstead Road, St Pancras” – the pub is now called the Camden Assembly and the address is 49 Chalk Farm Road).
In February 1860 Frederic and Jane (still unmarried) took on the King John’s Head at 8 Albemarle Street/10 Stafford Street, Piccadilly, the pub I visited in December 2022. There is a notice in the pub’s entrance explaining that the pub was originally called the King’s Head, the “John” was put in by a previous landlord called John.
The Shelley’s (who married at Trinity Church, Marylebone) in 1863 and had their second child Frederic (our great grandfather) a week later.
The pub seems to have been extremely successful and was soon known simply as “Shelley’s”. (Even today there is a sign in the entrance referring to Shelley’s. A license to expand it was granted in 1867. It was run by Frederic and Jane until his early death at the age of 56 in 1886.
He is buried at Kensal Green Cemetery (ref: 30368), which is quite a famous cemetery where you can do tours. Frederic Jnr is also buried there but it looks like in a joint grave (ref /con/38448). It appears to have also had rooms to stay in.
In 1881 a well-known American actor of the time, Walter Montgomery shot himself in one of the rooms in which he was staying with his new wife. Frederic Shelley found the body and the inquest was held at Shelley’s and records what he said of the episode at the inquest. (Newspaper report from 8 September 1871)
During this time Frederic appeared to buy the adjoining pub “Blue Posts” at 32 Old Bond Street. This is now the Gucci store. The Blue Posts which was a pub until at least 1901 was mentioned in Frederic’s will.
He also had some sort of connection with The Goat Tavern which still exists and is right opposite the King’s Head/Shelley’s. The Goat Tavern appears to have been run for a while by our great grandfather Frederic Shelley Junior, his sister Fanny in 1881 and then again in 1884/5, his cousin Sarah H Shelley and his uncle Edmund Shelley (Frederic Shelley Snr’s brother).
Frederic Shelley was a steward of the Licensed Victuallers Association and also a Mason (as was his son briefly) of the St James Union Lodge from 1868. **
After his death, Messrs J J Orgill, Swann and Orgill were instructed by the Executors and Trustees of the late Mr Frederic Shelley to offer the “beneficial lease and Goodwill in Trade with Possession of a high-class Wine Vaults and Restaurant, fully licensed as the King John’s Head but better known as Shelley’s ………… held by lease for an unexpired term of upwards of Eighty Years at the ground rent of £200 per annum.”. There was also a sale of china, pictures, etc.**
In his will (updated a month before his death) which runs to several pages, it seems to say he owned Blue Posts as mentioned above. He left in the original will £27,577 and this was later adjusted in May 1888 to £33,780.
He had 9 children in all and his widow Jane moved to Reigate where she died in 1905.
1861/Fred Shelley/Victualler/30/Brighton/Census
1861/Jane Francis/Housekeeper/25/Harwich, Essex/Census
1861/Eliza Edmonds/Barmaid/22/Shaw, Wilts/Census
1861/Charlotte Baker/Housemaid/16/London/Census
1861/Charles Baker/Potman/24/Melbourn, Cambridge/Census
1861/Peter Vandenbourg/Courier/44/Belguim/Census
May 1862/Fred Shelley/Licensed Victuallers Association, Governor/../../Era
1867/Frederick Shelley, King Johns Head, 8 Albemarle street, Piccadilly W/../../Post Office Directory
March 1867/../ Outgoing Licensee /../../The Era
March 1867/../ Incoming Licensee /../../The Era
1869/Fredc Shelley/../../../Post Office Directory
1879/Fredc Shelley, wholesale wine and spirit merchant, 8 Albemarle street W/../../Post Office Directory
1881/Fredk Shelly/Wine & Spirit Dealer/51/Brighton, Sussex/Census
1881/Jane Shelly/Wife/45/W Thurrock, Essex/Census
1881/Fanny J Shelly/Daughter/23/St Pancras, Middlesex/Census
1881/Cordelia Shelly/Daughter/16/Westminster, Middlesex/Census
1881/Cecil Shelly/Son/6/Westminster, Middlesex/Census
1881/Arnold Shelly/Son/4/Westminster, Middlesex/Census
1881/Evelyn Shelly/Daughter/2/Westminster, Middlesex/Census
1881/Emma Jones/Barmaid/36/St Martins In Fields, Middlesex/Census
1881/Amelia Brown/Barmaid/37/Wandsworth, Surrey/Census
1881/Jesse Smith/Barmaid/27/Covent Gdn, Middlesex/Census
1881/Alice Smith/Barmaid/26/Nottinghill, Middlesex/Census
1881/Jesse Bruce/Barmaid/28/St Pancras, Middlesex/Census
1881/Ellen Day/Nurse/32/Reading, Berkshire/Census
1881/Alice Brazier/Nursemaid/19/Kensington, Middlesex/Census
1881/Margaret Wheeler/Cook/26/Bayswater, Middlesex/Census
1881/Louisa Spicer/Kitchenmaid/25/Lambeth, Surrey/Census
1881/Lucy Denman/Housemaid/25/Goswell Rd, Middlesex/Census
1881/Ellen Champion/Scullerymaid/22/Holloway, Middlesex/Census
1882/Fredk Shelly/Wine & Spirit Merchant/../../Post Office Directory
1895/William White/wine & spirit merchant/../../Post Office Directory *
1899/Frederick Arthur Rhodes/Shelley's Hotel/../../Post Office Directory *
1910/Mrs Agnes Mouflet/Shelley's Hotel/../../Post Office Directory *
1915/Mrs Agnes Mouflet/Shelley's Hotel/../../Post Office Directory *
1921/Cambrian Trading Co. Ltd/Shelley's/../../Hughes Directory *
1944/Pioneer Catering Co. Ltd/Shelley's Restaurant/../../Post Office
Directory *
1971/Chef & Brewer Steak Houses/Shelleys/../../BT Telephone Directory *
* Provided By Ewan
** Provided By Pam Wardle