The Queens Head has an old photograph hanging on one of its walls displaying an assembly of hatted gentlemen and their dogs. Don’t be misled by the refined composure of the scene though, this pub used to be the setting for ratting – a grisly contest where bets were placed on how many rats a dog could maul within a certain time.
Around the mid-19th century, gentlemen and commoners alike (known collectively as ‘the fancy’) would gather in pubs like The Queens Head to watch the most ferocious dogs fight it out in the rat pit. A notorious bull and terrier called Billy is reputed to of killed 100 rats in 5:30 minutes – that’s one every 3.3 seconds!
Eventually towards the end of the century, with indictments led by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), rat baiting was eradicated and The Queens Head refashioned itself as a meeting place for pedigree dog owners (hence the picture on the wall). Interestingly, this meeting place for gentlemen to exhibit their dogs soon evolved into the society that founded Crufts.
Around the mid-19th century, gentlemen and commoners alike (known collectively as ‘the fancy’) would gather in pubs like The Queens Head to watch the most ferocious dogs fight it out in the rat pit. A notorious bull and terrier called Billy is reputed to of killed 100 rats in 5:30 minutes – that’s one every 3.3 seconds!
Eventually towards the end of the century, with indictments led by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), rat baiting was eradicated and The Queens Head refashioned itself as a meeting place for pedigree dog owners (hence the picture on the wall). Interestingly, this meeting place for gentlemen to exhibit their dogs soon evolved into the society that founded Crufts.