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Pub Tour of Faversham in Kent
The idyllic town of Faversham was the destination for our July pub tour, with short diversions to Rochester and Gravesend on our return journey.
The Market Place with its fine collection of Tudor and Georgian buildings was a few minutes walk from our disembarkation point and the location of our first port of call, the Bear. This splendid pub has been in the Market Place (at one location or another) since at least 1551 when Thomas Arden owned ‘Le Beare’. The present building can be traced as a pub from at least 1844 as it is mentioned in Shepherd Neame’s records. Today the pub has three rooms off a single corridor on the left hand side of the building. The second room along is a superb snug which contains 2 tables and because of its size, very little else. The Bear has no doubt seen its fair share of history and The Market Place has been centre stage for many events, not least preaching by John Wesley the founder of Methodism in 1738 following his arrival from America. Wesley wasn’t too impressed with the locals on that occasion as he noted in his diary.
‘tried to bring the Word to a crowd of people who were more savage than the wildest Indians I’d met in America.’
Just around the corner is the now redeveloped Ship Hotel which closed in the early 1990’s. The huge archway is a reminder of bygone travel when visitors such as ourselves would have chosen the coach instead of South East Trains Ltd. The large signboard with the establishment’s potted history upon is worth a minute of two of your time even if it is a fairly modern attachment. This large building was in fact formed from two separate pubs at sometime in its past and part of the inside featured a beautiful frieze depicting hunting scenes.
The Sun is not too far along West Street and is worthy of a visit. Once forming part of a 15th century hall the pub retains much character and could be described as ‘ale house’ style with bare floorboards and beams.
A fairly long walk was now required to reach our next port of call, the Shipwrights Arms in Hollowshore near the small village of Oare, known in earlier times for its gunpowder works. If a more pleasant location exists for a pub I don’t want to know about it. Located on the banks of the Oare and the Faversham Creeks it commands superb views (after a short sprint up the banks anyway!) over the surrounding marshes and countryside. A truly inspirational setting.
The feature of low ceilings and unusual floor-plan makes for a cosy atmosphere. The beer here is served as God intended, straight from the cask and a better selection would be difficult to find. For those of us with an interest in all things supernatural it was nice to find out that there is a resident ghost, supposedly that of a sea captain who is said to walk the boards on some wintery nights.
A taxi ride took us to the ancient Anchor in Abbey Street. A roomy, comfortable pub with a history
dating back to the 17th century. Owned by various ancestors of the Shepherd and Neame families since the late 1790’s it still sells their wares. There is an excellent beer garden and a small back room to compliment the two larger front bars.
At the other end of town was our last pub before catching the train to Rochester, the Elephant. This delightful boozer is obviously the local haven for the real ale enthusiast with numerous handpumps on duty. The Elephant has had various other names over its 200 year history including the The Brewers and the French Horn and at one time beer was brewed here by Herbert James Marsh.
A short train ride took us to Rochester, a picturesque little spot much favoured by Charles Dickens. Our one stop in the town was the superbly ornate Man of Kent, still sporting its ‘Style & Winch’ brewery livery. This friendly pub is also a haven for real ale drinkers and most of the clientele appeared to be from one CAMRA branch or another. The small beer garden at the back of the pub made an ideal place to soak up some rays and slide a few choice beers away.
Gravesend is a place of history and it’s weather-boarded houses make it an attractive stopping off point. For those historians amongst us, the local church of St George has within its yard the grave of the American Indian Princess Pocahontas.
The Crown & Thistle in the town is a much altered pub with a large beer garden at the back. A wide choice of ales were on offer including many from small microbreweries and made an excellent pub to finish off our day with.
Altogether the day was a great success with the chance to chat with old friends and new. The choice of pubs was excellent and we would like to thank society member Mick Slaughter for his expert guiding services!
Steve Williams
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