Applegate opts for a Head start in Belton

A pub that is a proven favourite with sports fans has been sold. Acting on behalf of Heather Barber and Larry Arnold, the Ipswich office of agent Christie & Co has sold the King's Head in St John's Road in the village of Belton, near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. The business has been bought by Craig Applegate, an experienced licensee who also owns two other Norfolk pubs, the Feathers in Gorleston and the Sun in Bradwell. He has purchased the King's Head for an undisclosed figure. An asking price of £115,000 was sought for the remaining 19 years of the current 20-year lease, which commenced last July. The couple acquired the King's Head in December 1991 and, in the ensuing 12 years, they extended the trade areas to cater for a growing clientele. The property now comprises lounge and public bars, a function room capable of accommodating 200 people, four or five-bedroom owner's accommodation, car parking and a beer garden with patio and children's play area. The King's Head plays host to three darts teams and three pool teams and is a popular venue for local functions. The present division of trade is currently around 70% bar trade and 30% food trade, and there is scope to introduce letting accommodation. The pub attracts a strong local custom and also benefits from the region's tourist trade, as there are a number of caravan sites nearby and the River Waveney on the Norfolk Broads runs close to Belton. The King's Head was originally an 18th-century country inn. In 1900, it was extended and became the King's Head Hotel in order to cater for an increased number of customers visiting Belton Gardens. These were pleasure gardens laid out in the late 1880s to the side of and behind the King's Head, which attracted many holidaymakers from Great Yarmouth, which is four miles away.