 The royal part of the name may have come from the fact that there was a carved king's head on the building, from a time when "The King's Head Inn" occupied part of the premises, but whether this represented King John or another king is not known.The head was attached to one corner of the exterior, but is now inside the building, and a replica placed on the outside.The property is owned by the National Trust and run as a local history museum by Axbridge and District Museum Trust with support from Somerset County Museums Service and Axbridge Archaeological and Local History Society.