It was Pub Friday again two days
ago, and seeing as I’d been such a dutiful husband, and sorted out — or “partially” sorted out, to be more accurate, the disorganised kitchen in our extension (the
“old kitchen”, as it’s now been designated), I felt fully justified the
following morning, in abandoning Mrs PBT’s to finish the job. Spoiler alert:
she didn’t finish it. I’ll be doing that next week, because despite my wife’s protestations to the contrary, I remain the tidiest and most organised of the
pair of us. Anyway, that’s enough of our domestic
shenanigans. The real question was: where to go?
I’m still working towards
beating last year’s target of visiting 106 different pubs over the course of a calendar year.
Before Friday, my total stood at 96, and seeing as I managed to tick off two
more that day, including one that was totally new to me, I’m now languishing at
98 pubs, with the aim of hitting the magic ton by next weekend. There are still
quite a few pubs left for me to tick off in Tunbridge Wells, but I fancied
going somewhere a little different. And what better idea than to hop on a train
along the Tonbridge-Redhill line, heading towards the latter town but alighting
one stop before that important rail junction?
That meant getting off at
Nutfield, a large village that is the final stop before Redhill. It’s a place that
I’d never visited before, not by car and certainly not by rail, and more
importantly, I realised I could pick up a pub in Edenbridge on the same outing.
The place I had in mind was a pub that I hadn’t set foot in for thirty‑plus
years. So that’s exactly what I did.
Before describing the day
itself, here are a few facts and figures about the Tonbridge-Redhill line, a
route that was once the main railway artery between the capital and the Kent coast.
Rather than bury myself in dates and statistics (which, knowing me, would have
taken all afternoon), I let my Copilot friend do the research instead, and this
is what it came back with.
The Tonbridge–Redhill
railway, historically known as the Redhill line, is
one of the oldest sections of main‑line railway infrastructure in the Southeast.
Its story is surprisingly rich for a line that today feels like a quiet local
shuttle, so make yourselves comfortable and read on. The Tonbridge- Redhill line opened in May 1842, after being authorised
by Parliament in 1836.
It was part of the South-Eastern Railway’s original London-Dover main line, running
from Redhill through to Tonbridge. Because it was intended for fast long‑distance
running, it was designed with few curves
and little concern for local population centres, which is why today, many
stations sit some distance from the villages they serve.
In 1868,
the SER opened a new, and more direct main line via Orpington and Sevenoaks, with
several major tunnels and faster running times. This relegated the
Tonbridge-Redhill line to local
service status. The line became part of Southern Railway in 1923, and then British Railways Southern Region
in 1948. Steam services ended in 1965
and were replaced by diesel multiple units.Electrification, 750 V DC third rail, was authorised in 1990 and completed in 1993–94, a process that allowed
the role of the line to shift again, to a diversionary line for both Eurostar,
as well as Southeastern services, before settling back into today’s all‑stations
shuttle.
I became a regular user of the Tonbridge-Redhill line, when
I moved to Tonbridge at the tail end of 1984, because coinciding with my change
of address, was me joining, a moribund CAMRA branch, and helping to get it back
on its feet. So, what was originally the Tonbridge & Tunbridge Wells branch
of CAMRA, eventually became West Kent branch. I shan’t go into any more details
here, but having re-established the branch and formed a new committee, we were
charged with surveying all the pubs in the area (keg as well as cask), with a view
to selecting suitable pubs for the following year’s Good Beer Guide.
Quite a task, but I was 40 years younger then, as were my
fellow new committee members. One stipulation we made was that future branch
meetings should be held at pubs that were accessible, as much as possible, by
public transport, and with few bus services operating into the evening, this
effectively meant places close to a station. It was during these surveys that I
first became acquainted with settlements along the Tonbridge- Redhill line, including
Leigh, Chiddingstone Causeway, Edenbridge and Redhill itself.
The latter town whilst not within the West Kent area, provided
an ideal meeting point for socials with one of the neighbouring Surrey branches.
The Home Cottage, owned by Young’s Brewery, was the pub of choice, given its
proximity to Redhill station. I also starting using the line for other purposes,
such as travel to work, where Penshurst station, provides an occasional
alternative to driving. The line is also useful for travel to and from Gatwick
Airport, even if it does involve a change of platform at Redhill.
So, what were the two pubs that I visited the other day?
First up was the Station Pub, in Nutfield which, as its name suggests, is literally
a stone’s throw from the station. Just walk away from the down platform, turn
the corner, and less than five minutes later, you will come across this large,
and much altered, late-Victorian establishment. The pub was built for the
Reigate Brewery of Mellersh & Neale, to serve the community that was growing
up around Nuffield railway station.
The Station Pub was much larger
than I had expected, although the name “Hotel”
ought perhaps to have given the game away. I’m assuming that in its heyday, the place must
have provided accommodation for travellers, and those stepping inside will be
greeted by a number of bright and characterful rooms, overlooking a well-laid
out, rear garden. Today, the pub proudly proclaims that it’s a drinks-focused
pub, with no kitchen and no fuss, but that doesn’t mean visitors will go
hungry. Instead, a range of regular, food “pop-up partners” bring something
special to the table when they visit. I didn’t find out when the food might be,
as having breakfasted just a few hours ago I wasn’t exactly hungry.
Outside, a couple were enjoying
the early October sunshine, while a group of fella’s sat towards the back of
the pub. I noticed a woman who I’d seen on the train, standing at the bar. She
seemed to know the barmaid and must have hurried away from the station to get
there before me. The pair paused their conversation to allow the barmaid to serve
me, offering a choice Taylor’s Landlord – complete with the new look pump clip,
a Hobgoblin ale of some description, and the ubiquitous Harvey’s Best. I opted
for the latter, but unfortunately, it wasn’t the best pint of Sussex that I’ve
had recently. It wasn’t off and it wasn’t flat, and if anything, it tasted too
young.
It was also overly chilled,
which didn’t help either, which meant I was struggling to finish it. I also realised
that my train back towards Edenbridge was due shortly, so I returned about a
quarter of the unfinished pint to the bar and apologised to the girl by explaining
that I wasn’t feeling particularly bright. A white lie I know, but one that
prevented a minor diplomatic incident, without bruising anyone’s ego! I then headed back to the station,
crossed the footbridge, and waited for the next service back towards Tonbridge.
The train was more or less on
time, and after passing through Godstone, it wasn’t long before we arrived at Edenbridge.
There are two rail stations serving the town, with the one at the top, and the one
I arrived at, simply called Edenbridge. From here it is about a 20-minute walk
down to the town centre, where, just beyond the centre of the Old Town, lies
Edenbridge Town station. This station is on a completely separate rail line
running towards Uckfield, via Eridge and Crowborough .
Returning to the pub visits, I
left the train at Edenbridge station (the top one), and walked through a new
housing development, which partly occupies the site of the former Albion pub, a
long-vanished establishment that I had only visited a couple of times before.
From there, I continued northwards, and away from the town, along the B2026. A short distance further, in the area known as
Marlpit Hill, is the Swan Inn.
The latter is a long
and fairly narrow, brick-built pub, that has been sympathetically modernised,
without losing its essential character. The sole cask offering was Taylor’s
Landlord, and this time still with the old-style clip. It was also in tip-top
condition. With the sun now shining, and the temperatures starting to climb, I
took my pint outside, into the extensive garden, at the rear of the pub, and
sat there enjoying the beer. One could tell it was Friday by the number of
builders’ vans pitching up, as the thirsty chippie’s, brickies and electricians
finished their work for the week, to be rewarded with a well-earned pint or
two.
It was time for me to finish too, so I made my way back to the
station, and boarded the 14:16 service back to Tonbridge, just ahead of the
manic hordes of excited school kids, about to be set free, at the end of another
busy, academic week.
