Ind Coope's brewery was established at Burton-on-Trent in 1856, and they built this pub in the late 19th century. Look up to see several 'IC' monograms at high level, and also two little plaques with stork's heads - the original name for the pub.

Through a series of mergers, Ind Coope became part of the Allied Breweries group, which also included Ansells and Tetleys. In about 1997, the pub was remodelled as the 'Fuzzock & Firkin', one of a chain which was being widely expanded by Allied at the time. Unlike earlier 'Firkins', however, this one never had its own brewery, and obtained its Firkin beer from a sister pub in Loughborough. The Firkin pub chain was mostly abandoned when Allied sold off its pub estate. Later, the pub was renamed 'Donkey'.

In 2025, a blue plaque was displayed in honour of Laurel Aitken, the 'Godfather of Ska'.