Above photo, circa 1906, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Above photo 1995. Kindly sent by Ray Hopkins.

King's Head, 2006.

Above photo, 2007.

Above photo, February 2015, kindly sent by Roy Moore.

Above photo, 2021.

Above sign 2014.

Information from http://www.ghostconnections.com/The%20Kings%20Head.htm 2006.

The Kings Head - nr.Maidstone, Kent.

The Kings Head Public House is a misleading building. It stands on a major route across Kent at a village cross roads and with the addition on the side of the current first floor function room above what could easily be taken as stabling for horses this could be mistaken for a Georgian fronted coach house. Even when inside the worn beams and open fire add to this appearance. In fact the current building is Victorian although a building or buildings previously stood on this site. It is believed they may have been inns too although historical accounts are vague other than theatrical performances took place here in the 18th Century.

Inside the building consists of a front public bar and rear restaurant areas divided by an open bar facing both rooms on the ground floor along with stair access to the private rooms above the main building and another to the function room which is above the ground floor kitchen in the annex.

Aim:

To investigate reports of paranormal activity at The Kings Head public house.

Background:

There are very few reports available in any sources known to the Ghost Connections Team. However it has been stated by staff that the kitchen fryers were prone to switching themselves on after having been turned off at the mains and that glasses have been reported to have fallen by themselves from shelves around the bars. The second of these reports only came to the teams attention on the night of the investigation so no plans were made to investigate this report. Simon, the landlord, had invited the team out of interest and not through any substantiated reports. In the light of these reports the team decided to investigate for themselves if the Kings Head is subject to any of the alleged phenomena.

Apparatus:

Video camera-

Sony DCR HC-24E with night vision and Sony HVL-IRM IR light

Sony DCR-HC30E with night vision and Sony HVL- IRM IR light

Samsung VP-D351 with night vision and Sony HVL-IRM IR light

Digital Camera-

Fuji 4900 Finepix

Fuji Fine Pix S5500

Nikon Coolpix 3100

Voice recorder -

Olympus VN-2100PC

Olympus DM20

Team: Kim, Paddy, Dave.

Guests: Anna, Rob.

Method:

Using visual and scientific methods combined with spiritual information investigate the background to alleged paranormal phenomena at this venue.

Investigation:

Due to the opening times of the public house this was a late night start and the team had previously visited an outdoor location and arrived early at The Kings Head to warm up prior to the investigation. Thankfully the log fire was on and Simon greeted us and left us to set up and run through what we intended to do leaving Anna and Rob to accompany us for the night.

A quick walk around established that the function room was not heated and on this night was substantially colder than the rest of the building. It was decided that this would be our first stop.

Whilst setting the equipment up downstairs some distinct loud clicking sounds were heard from the top of the stairs to the function room. Initial investigation indicated this may have been the escutcheon plate fitted to the mortise locks on the door at the top of the stairs. Whilst having planned to investigate the function room first this only fuelled our interest.

We set up camera's and recorders in the function room and sat in various positions around the large room. It took us some time to get used to the sounds from the kitchen below but eventually these were all accounted for. The passing traffic could be heard distinctly and the lights from it formed obvious patterns against the curtains which we drew to keep as much light out as possible. There was a red IR alarm light above the door which would pick up upon Paddy's movement although we could not see his movements with the naked eye in the darkness.

During the session here Rob would comment on a draft as though something was moving against his legs. There were no discernible drafts in this area. Paddy, sat with his back to the bar, senses a presence in or around the bar area.

Kim felt tingles down her back which progress to intense coldness and her right ear feels burning hot. She then experiences a stabbing pain above her right kidney.

Kim then experiences a headache in the area of her forehead.

During this time Dave has been asking questions for any spirit answers and inviting activity. He pauses during this and Paddy asks that the questions continue.

Simon is heard to leave the office part way through this vigil. The office is located off the staircase and he would later recount how he went downstairs to the pub and then up to the private rooms and to be. He states he was in bed when he heard us leave the function room.

A further noise would be heard near the stairs after Simon left us. It sounds like something falling upon something else. No cause was found.

After over an hour we left the function room and took a break by the fire to warm up before moving on.

It was decided that the next area to investigate would be the rear bar / restaurant area. The team and guests sat around a table in this area to conduct a vigil by way of séance. Three video cameras and two voice recorders would be used to record the proceedings.

It was noted that in the upper area of the restaurant there was a cat flap which led to outside. During the first session the resident cat would be heard to come in through the flap which was found to account for a couple of noises. He was seen to walk through the area and eventually settle on a chair that was within the teams view. No one else would be present in this area and there were no other animals in the premises. All outside doors were locked. There were various items of pub machinery located within the centre of the bar area for which the noises would be ascertained and noted. These would be discounted from any noises noted during the session.

Kim feels extremely cold during this and drained of energy.

Dave would feel his right arm raising from the table and pressure on his elbow from this movement. Kim, who was holding Dave's right hand, when asked about this, would not notice the movement on her left arm.

Both Anna and Rob would comment on feeling that their backs were colder than their fronts.

Dave feels a draft across his left wrist. Paddy (to Dave's left) cannot state if this was his breath or not.

After asking for some indication of presence a small noise is heard from an area off the of the raised area behind the team.

A faint sound of two voices is likened by Dave to 'two blokes having a conversation'. The direction given for this is also that given by Paddy as a cold sensation.

At this point the cat is seen and is known to be in. This discounts a couple of previous sounds believed to be the cat flap.

Anna comments that her shoulder hurts.

A temporary break is called after 50 minutes due to the team and guests feeling stiff and needing some exercise. After this short break the séance continued in the same location.

When we re-started the cat would remain on a chair behind the team and be visible to all. Any further noises could be investigated.

Paddy comments on a short pin prick type sensation between his shoulder blades.

Opening the invite to join the team to spirit Dave mentions those who have given information before.

A sound is heard from the area of the door to the ladies toilet which is likened to being like someone sitting on a leather sofa which is in the bar area by the toilet door. Paddy investigates this as the team continue.

Kim also comments on seeing a figure at this point in that area.

Having sat on the sofa Paddy returns to the table.

Another noise is heard from the same direction.

A bang is heard behind the bar area. This is not reproduced on request.

Dave feels as though his hair is being touched at the back of his head.

Further movement is heard from the area of the bar again.

A tap noise is heard from behind Kim. This is not repeated on request.

Rob comments that he has tears coming from his eyes.

At the conclusion of the séance it is established that the cat is still in the same position as it was at the start.

The investigation then concludes.

Results:

The noises that were heard during the testing of equipment and came from the stair case and initially believed to be the sound of the escutcheon on the door were later believed to be the sound of Simon in the adjacent office. Having said this they did not continue for long and were also briefly heard later after Simon had left the office. It would appear that if we believe we explained the first set then by circumstance we cannot explain the second as the likely source was no longer present.

The physical sensations felt by all in the function room cannot being explained. It was noted that the room was not heated and would have naturally felt colder than the rest of the building although whether this may have created the phenomena sensed is doubtful. The phenomena remains unexplained.

The séance in the rear restaurant produced sensations and noises.

The cause of the raising of Dave's arm is not identifiable although the involuntary movement cannot be ruled out with any certainty. It is unlikely though that this would last for so long a time or cause the rotational effect featured on the elbow joint contacting the table.

The sensations of cold backs commented on by Anna and Rob are frequently felt amongst the team in such circumstances. We believe they are likely to be accountable by the fact that we are facing each other closely and therefore heat transfer occurs to each other and the ambient temperature seems less.

There were no natural drafts felt within the building and as such the draft felt by Dave is not explained although it may well have been Paddy's breath. This cannot be discounted.

The noise for the raised area behind the team may have been the cat eating as its food bowl is located in the general area this came from.

The voices heard by Dave did not feature on any recordings made and cannot be substantiated although it is known that no one else was in the area at the time. It is of interest that Paddy comments on a cold spot at the time in the same direction. The connection between the two observations is interesting and unexplainable as the two phenomena are unlikely to be caused by the same natural source.

Anna's shoulder pain is not explainable. Neither is the prickly sensation felt by Paddy later.

The sounds from the area of the sofa were unexplained. We attempted to re-create them by moving the sofa and sitting on it. It did not make any sound. There were no movable objects in this area and the nearby door to the ladies made no sound when opened. It is also of interest that Kim reports seeing a figure in this area at the same time. The illumination of this area by way of light coming in through a gap in the curtains was also explored and no similar effect could be created. The occurrence of these two effects together remains unexplained as does the fact that the same sound was heard again later.

The noise from the bar area could not be located. It was not a noise that had been occurring with regularity and although not occurring upon request immediately did recur later. Repetition of this noise in a short period yet not occurring at all within the rest of the one and a half hours we were in this area is worthy of note.

It is unknown what caused the sensation on Dave's head. The footage clearly shows that there were no features nearby that would have touched him during this time and it was of too long a period that a passing insect could not be responsible.

The noise from behind Kim only occurred once during the period spent in this area. Due to its sound it came from within the room and nothing was movable within this area to create it. It is interesting that it occurred upon request.

Robs tearfulness was commented on although no cause was found. When the session ended it was clear that tears had run down his face during the preceding few minutes.

During our stay a certain amount of information was forthcoming to the team of a clairvoyant nature. As Ghost Connections conducts scientifically based investigations we do not publish such observations, however, this information is held on a separate database and may prove interesting when compared to other peoples experiences.

Having said the above it is considered worthy of mention that part of the information forthcoming related to a person from an address two doors up from the public house. What was not known at the time and later came to light was that Rob was staying at the premises which is two doors up from the King Head! No conclusions have been drawn from this fact which may be entirely coincidental.

Camcorder footage, still photographs and voice recorders were later examined and nothing of note was found.

Conclusion:

The Kings Head provided an experience for us all. Whilst an amount of information was forthcoming of a psychic nature it is the audible, visual, and sensitive phenomena that can be commented upon.

Initially Simon was in the office. It is thought that initial noises can be attributed to him cashing up although the fact that similar noises occurred afterwards are unexplained.

The location of the cat has been verified and there were no other persons present downstairs with us. In this regard any other noises commented upon above cannot be explained as naturally occurring within the building.

Drafts and sensations of temperature or physical feelings are hard to explain although the timings of some of these with other events makes them worthy of note.

For a building that had little to offer in the way of reported paranormal activity there were unexplained events during our investigation.

We feel that The Kings Head is worthy of further attention at a future date.

Thanks:

Ghost Connections would like to thank Simon for the invitation to investigate The Kings Head and also extend our thanks to Anna and Rob for keeping us company for the night and contributing to the investigation.

From http://www.ghostconnections.com/Kings%20Head%20Third%20Visit.htm2007.

The Kings Head - Maidstone, Kent.

The Kings Head Public House was subject to previous Ghost Connections investigations at the invitation of Simon, the landlord, in February and April of 2007. Based upon our experiences on our previous visits we were to focus on the rear bar area on our return.

The known history of the building is described in our February report.

Inside the building consists of a front public bar and rear restaurant areas divided by an open bar facing both rooms on the ground floor along with stair access to the private rooms above the main building and another to the function room which is above the ground floor kitchen in the annex.

Aim:

To investigate reports of paranormal activity at The Kings Head public house.

Background:

Previous reports of electrical equipment operating in its own and objects being 'thrown' from shelves and pool tables had failed to be evidenced on previous visits but due to the narrow time frame available to the team on each occasion and other notes made the team returned. The team would also be alone on the ground floor on this occasion.

Would any of this alleged poltergeist activity reveal evidence of itself to the team on this visit? Would the presence of only three persons make any difference?

The Investigation Apparatus:

Video camera-

Sony DCR-HC19 with night vision and Sony HVL- IRM IR light

Samsung VP-D351 with night vision and Sony HVL-IRM IR light

Digital Camera-

Fuji Fine Pix S5500

Fuji Fine Pix S5500

Voice recorder -

Olympus VN-2100PC

Olympus DM20

Thermometer-

Calibrated thermometer with probe

Team: Kim, Paddy, Dave.

Method:

Using visual and scientific methods combined with spiritual information investigate the background to alleged paranormal phenomena at this venue.

Investigation:

Due to the opening times of the public house this was a late night start and the team had previously visited an outdoor location and arrived at The Kings Head ready for a third investigation.

As previously mentioned we had visited the back bar / restaurant area previously with some interesting findings but no explanation. We decided that this area would be the sole area of investigation for this evening.

The temperature in this area was measured to be 25.1 deg C. There was no fire lit and no other heating operating at the time the team were there.

Prior to commencing note was made of noises emanating in this area. There were two distinct noises from the bar. The first was the beer cooler under the bar on the other side. This would make a repetitive noise that was distinct. The second was the ice machine which at regular times would consist of a low humming noise accompanied by either running water or the sound of ice falling into a collection tray. As there sounds were distinct and part of the necessary functioning of the public house they were allowed to continue.

Any other noises would be noted.

The investigation itself would consist of silent vigils and séance experiments within the rear bar. On both previous occasions that the team had conducted investigations at the Kings Head the main area of noted noises or lights was the area of the lounge furniture near to the fireplace and ladies toilet door. To this end the team would situate themselves in this small area as it was deemed to be easier to investigate any anomalies noted.

Any suspicion over the cause of lights seen previously were attempted to be addressed by extinguishing all light sources or covering them.

Other factors may have come into play during the investigation which are commented on in the conclusion.

During the two sittings conducted the normal requests for production of phenomena were made and the following were noted.

Several taps were heard from the bar area.

Dave feels a slight draft as if being breathed on, on the rear of his right hand which is also confirmed by Paddy as being present on his left arm. They sat opposite each other.

Paddy believes that he hears a sound from the raised area of the restaurant. Dave feels his attention drawn to the same area.

Dave saw a flash of light like a pin prick on the ladies bathroom door. A repetition was asked for. It was not repeated.

Dave asked for a repetition of the tap and it was repeated. There was no regularity in its occurrence.

These were believed to have come from the area by the access hatch.

Paddy describes seeing a cat which comes through the open flap of the bar and into the restaurant area and rub itself against the bar as it did so. Dave also described how he saw the dark silhouette of a cats rear and erect tail as it reached the table where the team were sat.

Dave saw an area of luminescence about the size of a video camera float right to left across the bar vertical surface almost in front of his video camera which was on top of the bar pointing at the team.

Paddy thought he saw several things out of the corner of his eye.

Dave felt a push in his back at a time when Paddy asked if Dave was OK. Paddy was aware of Dave moving forwards.

Paddy then asked Kim if she moved her leg. This was denied and he described how he had a sensation of someone inserting their hand between his leg and Kim's (they are sat next to each other).

Dave mentioned that he felt very cold on his left side. A tap on the bar was heard when this was described. Asked if the person responsible can tap again it is not repeated.

The sound of something akin to voices from a television or radio could be heard faintly.

Dave felt another shove in the back. He asked that the same person cause the same sensation to Kim or Paddy. It was not repeated.

After a break during which the bar area was checked for sources for the taps a second session was started in the same area.

The temperature at commencement was noted as 25.8 deg C.

A hollow sound is heard by Paddy and Dave.

A repetitive thumping noise is heard.

Kim felt cold to the point of having goose bumps yet Paddy and Dave felt quite warm.

During this the same tapping noises occurred singularly although this time single taps occurred on request. For validation purposes it was asked that double taps be produced. These did not occur.

Results:

The source of the taps was not identified. Nothing was found that was readily loose enough to be susceptible to any movement in order to cause the noise. There were no drafts nor any persons or animals around to be able to knock anything in the area the noise was heard.

The electronic voices were later identified by consultation with Simon to be likely to have come from his television upstairs which he went to sleep having left on quietly.

The sightings of a cat are of interest. Previous reports have mentioned the existence of a cat at the pub. Between April and September Faberge the cat unfortunately left this world. There are now no cats at the Kings Head.

The luminescence and pin prick of light seen cannot be accounted for. All lighting was off or covered and traffic movement lights and reflections were all noted prior to the investigation commencing. There was no traffic passing at the time of these sightings.

Later discussion with Simon would fail to identify any source for the noise as he states the only noises there are the two that are referred to at the beginning of this report.

The sensation of being shoved in the back by Dave and the insertion of a hand between Paddy and Kim's leg cannot readily be accounted for. Dave's may have been imagination but then Paddy clearly saw Dave move forward on the first occasion. The insertion of the hand is of more interest as only Paddy mentioned it. Kim did not comment on it. Paddy made an observation that this may have been a muscle movement but was still unnerved by the experience. It cannot be explained with any certainty.

The slight raise in temperature is barely enough to note (0.7 deg C) but due to the time of day it would more likely have been going down and bears no relation to the cold sensations noted by Dave.

The repetitive thumping noise is also believed to have been the television upstairs.

Towards the end of the investigation the team felt very tired. This is unusual although may be by virtue of the warm temperature in the pub compared with the previous investigation that evening outside which was colder.

During our stay a certain amount of other information was forthcoming to the team of a clairvoyant nature. As Ghost Connections conducts scientifically based investigations we do not publish such observations, however, this information is held on a separate database and may prove interesting when compared to other peoples experiences.

Camcorder footage, still photographs and voice recorders were later examined and nothing of note was found. Any audio on camera or voice recorder was unfortunately unable to convey the noises heard as the bar equipment maintained an overall sound throughout and made interpretation difficult.

Conclusions:

The coincidences of noting the cat and similarities in the sensations of the team were of interest.

The sounds cannot be explained although a natural source cannot be ruled out.

We feel that certainly there are events occurring here that we cannot find answers for. The extent of sightings, sounds and information given clairvoyantly continues to interest us.

We cannot say for sure that we encountered anything that is definitely paranormal yet as mentioned above the extent of coincidental events is something we find of great interest.

For a building that had little to offer in the way of reported paranormal activity there were unexplained events during our investigation and another interesting night was had.

Further access to this site has now been offered and we look forward to a return visit.

Thanks.

Ghost Connections would like to thank Simon for the third invitation to investigate The Kings Head.

From http://www.ghostconnections.com/The%20Kings%20Head%20Dec%2007.htm 2007.

The Kings Head - Sutton Valence, Kent.

The Kings Head Public House was subject to previous Ghost Connections investigations at the invitation of Simon the landlord, in February, April and September of 2007. Based upon our experiences on our previous visits we were to focus on the barn.

The known history of the building is described in our February report.

Inside the building consists of a front public bar and rear restaurant areas divided by an open bar facing both rooms on the ground floor along with stair access to the private rooms above the main building and another to the function room which is above the ground floor kitchen in the annex. There is a previously un-investigated outbuilding to the side of the public house which is a ragstone constructed stable. The internal fittings are still evident and the building is believed to be older than the public house itself. Its actual age is uncertain.

The Investigation Aim:

To investigate reports of paranormal activity at The Kings Head public house and specifically cover the Stables on site.

Background:

The team have investigated the public house itself previously and on this occasion due to the age of the building had chosen to begin in the adjacent stable building. There is no history of any paranormal events occurring in this building.

Apparatus:

Video camera-

Sony DCR-HC19 with night vision and Sony HVL- IRM IR light

Samsung VP-D351 with night vision and Sony HVL-IRM IR light

Digital Camera-

Fuji Fine Pix S5500

Fuji Fine Pix S5500

Pentax K-100 Digital SLR

Voice recorder -

Olympus VN-2100PC

Olympus DM20

Thermometer-

Calibrated thermometer with probe

Team: Kim, Ian, Paddy, Dave.

Method:

Using visual and scientific methods combined with spiritual information investigate the background to alleged paranormal phenomena at this venue.

Investigation:

Due to the opening times of the public house this precluded an investigation within the Kings Head itself initially. The team had decided to explore the stables initially and dependant upon the results achieved would move to the public house itself later in the night. We were to change this plan as the night progressed!

The stables were constructed of Kentish Ragstone and are a solid and forbidding structure. There are two entrances on the south side of which only one can easily be used. The original feeding rack still exists in places on the north wall. The floor is paved with stone and a steep ladder leads to the first floor hay loft. This was assessed and considered a little dangerous for us to use for an investigation.

The original hay racking against the north wall.

The team then chose to find the most convenient place to set up, which was dictated by the stored items. This place was found to be just inside the main doors. This area presented itself with the addition of light effects caused by passing motor vehicles headlights shining through the gaps in the wooden planking on the door. Having noted this we commenced our investigation.

We found it to be very dusty and therefore expected lots of orb type phenomena to appear in photographs.

The temperature was 9.6 deg C.

It was noted that passing traffic caused rows of lights to move across the rear wall where headlights shone through the gaps in the wooden planking of the door. Noises and voices from outside could also be heard with clarity. Other lights were identified as time progressed as shining through the gaps onto areas of the back wall. After closing these would not present a problem as these were floodlights attached to the public house.

Temperature rose to 10.2 deg C. then down to 9.9, 9.8 then 9.7-9.6.

The location of the thermometer was then changed.

Temperature settled at 9.1 deg and then to 9.0 deg C.

Paddy then noted a sense of a presence behind him followed by a cold breeze across his legs.

Temperature was 9.0 deg rising to 9.1 then down to 9.0 again.

The team took a break.

On return the temperature was found to be 8.4 deg C. rising rapidly to 8.4 deg.

Temperature rose again to 8.8 deg.

Kim and Ian commented on a strong draught across their legs coming from Paddy's direction.

A smell of spice is commented on by Kim.

A sense of someone moving about behind Paddy was noted by all the team.

There was a further break and upon return the temperature was found to be 8.3 deg rising to 8.6-8.7 to 8.9 deg C

Investigation concluded.

The Results:

There was little in the way of recorded anomalies on this visit although some information was written by the team in relation to feelings they felt. In keeping with our policy they are not quoted on the online report as an investigative method.

Sensations of presences seemed to be common place. This may be due to the amount of objects stored and misconceptions of shadows and structures although it is rare for the team to be so adamant about things of this nature.

The noise of movement behind Paddy took everyone by surprise and although any natural cause cannot be ruled out it was certainly interesting and was picked up on the audio and video footage. Nothing was actually seen to move and nothing was found to be noticeably in a different position.

It does seem that when little occurs in the way of notable phenomena then the team explore some experimentational methods a little deeper. The temperatures noted within the context of the report are of interest and a correlation can be noted.

Whenever the team were out of the building the temperature went down noticeably. When the team returned the temperature would rise rapidly by a marked amount and then spend some time fluctuating before settling generally after a period of about 15 minutes.

This means that the presence of the human body within an environment that is cooler can affect the ambient air temperature and cause it to rise within a certain distance of the persons. Our thermometer probe was about 2 feet from the nearest person. The temperature will then even out over a period of time.

What is interesting to note is that even after this period there were some marked fluctuations which cannot be accounted for. They are not of the largest of margins and may therefore be entirely naturally occurring but are unlikely in these instances to be caused by human intervention.

During our stay a certain amount of other information was forthcoming to the team of a clairvoyant nature. As Ghost Connections conducts scientifically based investigations we do not publish such observations, however, this information is held on a separate database and may prove interesting when compared to other peoples experiences.

Conclusions:

Another interesting study of a different building at the Kings Head.

Further access to this site has now been offered and we look forward to a return visit.

Thanks.

Ghost Connections would like to thank Simon for the fourth invitation to investigate The Kings Head.