Pub history

The Water Poet

John Taylor, the Water Poet, was born in Gloucester ‘of humble parentage’ in 1580. Educated at the Crypt School, he became a London waterman, supplementing his meagre income by composing rhymes. He later penned lines for King Charles I. Following the king’s execution, Taylor opened a pub called The Mourning King, which he renamed The Poet’s Head.