Blogging has taken a bit of a back seat for a while, as I
deal with the seemingly complex issues regarding my future financial position.
These seem to revolve around Pension Consolidation and Pension Drawdown. Having now done much of the groundwork, there does now seem to be some light at the end of
the tunnel, so with any luck I shall soon be able to set a firm date for my
retirement.
In tandem with this I’ve been sorting out various areas of
both house and garden, with the aim of making life easier, post-retirement. So,
I’ve been sorting out various unwanted kitchen gadgets, tools and garden stuff
(enough plastic flowerpots to start our own garden centre). There’s also the
now, thankfully shrinking, mountain of household paperwork that I’ve slowly
been feeding into the large, office-sized, shredder that we’ve got at work.
Clothes are another target area destined for the charity
shop, although the main clear-out, especially of “office-type” outfits will
have to wait until I retire. The garden is also in line for a makeover, as I
gradually convert our “little oasis of green” to the most low-maintenance plot
I can come up with, although here it’s going to be a case of “no pain, no
gain.” Basically, I’m looking for a garden that almost looks after itself, so that I don’t have to!
locally, there’s quite a lot going on at the moment, and we kick off with the
Cross Keys. The latter is a large pub, in a prominent position on the edge of Southborough, that has stood empty for over a year, but after being acquired by
new owners, is undergoing a refit plus a good spruce up. The pub is due to reopen following
refurbishment with a “fresh identity” and will trade as the Boundary
Bar & Grill. This will be under the ownership of two experienced business
partners, one of whom also runs the Imperial, (also in Southborough).
Moving a little further along the A26, we come to the former
Shuffle House, in the St John’s area of Tunbridge Wells. The pub has been
renamed as the Duck & Goose, but back in its Shuffle House guise, it acted
as the venue for my firm’s Christmas party. The shuffle tables remain as a
feature of the Duck & Goose, and from the photos on the pub’s website, the
interior appears as little changed, so why the change of name?
I also came across shuffle tables at the Mola Bar in the
Norwegian town of Alesund, which we visited back in March, when the settlement
was the first port of call on the cruise that took us beyond the Arctic Circle.
Shuffleboards take up a lot of space, but can provide a spot of measures
excitement, providing there’s sufficient room in the pub, or bar.
Moving on to a slightly more rural
location, we come to the Fleur de Lys, in the centre of Leigh, a former
estate village between Hildenborough and Chiddingstone. The Fleur has been
undergoing a major refit for the past nine months or more, and with progress
remaining painfully slow, there are still no signs yet of a definitive opening
date. The Fleur is reportedly owned by a wealthy, crypto-currency trader,
who bought and restored the nearby Hall Place, a grade II -listed, 19th
century, stately pile, complete with its own well laid out and extensive
grounds.
The story I picked up on locally (don’t forget I work in the neighbouring
village of Chiddingstone Causeway), was that the monied new owner of Hale Place
also bought the pub, because he thought it important that a village like Leigh,
should have its own pub. A philosophy I’m sure many people would agree with, so
why the delay in re-opening the Fleur?
Heading out towards Sussex now, in a
south-westerly direction, we come to the Brown Trout, sited close to the village
of Lamberhurst, and close to Bewl Water. The latter is a large reservoir which
opened back in the 1970’s. Following a period of closure, during which
the pub was extensively refurbished by our old friends, Stonegate Inns, we find
the pub-co seeking a new licensee to run it. This means there are hopes of the pub
reopening soon. The Brown Trout is a pub that I’ve only been in a couple of
times, as it’s a little tucked away, so it will be good to call in though, when it
does eventually reopen.
Travelling in the more or less opposite
direction, brings us to the former Whitbread Hop Farm at Beltring, where a
converted, former oast house, on the edge of the farm, has been bought from
former owners, Whitbread, for an undisclosed sum. Still trading under its former
name of Brooker’s Oast, this former Beefeater outlet, which had been due to
close following the winding up of the steakhouse chain, by owners, Whitbread, remains
open for business. The pub is now owned by an outfit
called, Queensway Inns, whose other two pubs are located down in Cornwall, making
this a slightly strange purchase. As one observer has pointed out, the
establishment appears to be operating much as before, so if you want a
steakhouse-type meal, this is the place to come.
On the borders between West Kent and Surrey, and standing proudly on Westerham’s
village green for more than seven centuries, is the Grasshopper on the Green, a
remarkable survivor amongst English pubs. Over the course of its long history,
the Grasshopper has seen 31 monarchs and 74 Prime Ministers come and go and yet
the warmth of its welcome remains unchanged. The pub now has new owners, in the
guise of Mike
& Nicola Vigar, who were loyal customers for 25 years before taking over the
reins. Compared to the grandeur of Westerham’s other two pubs, the Kings Head
and the George & Dragon, the much smaller Grasshopper, is cosier and much
more people sized, making it the establishment that gets my vote as the “best
in Westerham.”
This brings us to the penultimate pub
in the area, facing a new future, which is the former Spread Eagle, in the Hawkenbury
area of Tunbridge Wells. Until recently,
the site of the pub had been earmarked for redevelopment, but in a turn up for
the books, this attractive looking pub has now been listed by Stonegate, as
available for a fixed term tenancy with food-led potential.
The final pub is not actually in the
West Kent area, but I couldn’t close this article on re-opening public houses
without mentioning the Elephant & Castle in Lewes. Readers may recall me
going looking for this pub, on a recent visit to Lewes, only to find it, unexpectedly closed.
Now, according to the Brighton Argus, this Harvey’s-tied house is due to reopen
at the end of this month, under the stewardship of new landlord Max
Aben, with local couple, Liz Temperley and Pat Mundy, running the
food offering, under the banner of their already successful, Pat’s
Pizza operation. Unfortunately, this will necessitate me making what will be my
third trip to Lewes this year, although it will allow me to “mop up” a number
of other pubs that I’ve missed on recent visits to the East Sussex, county
town. It’s a hard life!!
