![](\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg0qAcP9bx35SPj5lNeGZ7VwnT1jplr3cQC0Z_rUPbfVqRI7M9gDVvm8hDKonrj080wgMKW1pQbBNjnbLXI8bsKiPkjHaevDNm6d1Tb1_DDqpjLZR3xJFCOLnh1gxBnxEZZ4JcizjXJGj9aELzGLyBFKZm_doXb1lnuUnlU1BRIBlvyGZwdOQMjleiLeSM\/s3879\/Robertsbrdg%20station.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div>\nWelcome to the long overdue next installment of Pub Friday<\/b> Friday<\/b> was actually a return visit to the pleasant, and quite large, Sussex<\/b> village of As I mentioned a short while ago, this was a return visit, The rail journey, through the Weald<\/b>, is always a pleasant Robertsbridge <\/b>too, hasn\u2019t been without its share of closure, Back to the positives, and the good news is that work on the So, with my train arriving at 12:05<\/b>, I decided to grab a The bar area occupies the far right of the building, and this To be fair, the landlady acknowledged my presence more or It was time to go, so I headed off through the village in a northerly
\nwhere, with Mrs PBT\u2019s <\/b>blessing I head off into the countryside of Kent, East
\nSussex<\/b> and occasionally posh Surrey<\/b> as well, in search of a few pubs gems to satisfy
\nmy need for \u201cproper\u201d<\/i><\/b> pubs or, better still find somewhere new that I haven\u2019t
\nvisited before. Pub Friday <\/b>also includes re-visiting the odd few pubs I
\nremember from my mis-spent youth, that I haven\u2019t visited in decades, and are
\nstill trading, as sadly many of them have fallen by the wayside.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/b><\/div>\n
\nRobertsbridge,<\/b> that also included a detour along a quiet rural lane, to a
\nclassic rural pub that I visited, for the first and only time, back in 2017.
\n<\/b>Does this fall into the definition of what Americans<\/b> would call a \u201cside-trip?\u201d<\/i><\/b>
\nRather than making use of my usual free, old-git\u2019s bus pass, this time I took
\nthe train. Reasons, a relatively fast, direct and frequent rail service from
\nTonbridge<\/b>, and I still obtained discounted travel using my \u201cSenior Railcard.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nand whilst there had been a small number of changes, both village and hamlet
\nwere as they were eight years ago. My departure from Tonbridge<\/b> was an hour
\nlater than intended, thanks to me not setting the alarm clock, although if I\u2019d
\nsurfaced just 20 minutes<\/b> earlier, I would have caught the 10:31<\/b> train, rather
\nthan the 11:31. <\/b>The earlier service would have brought me to Robertsbridge<\/b> just
\nafter 11am, which would have allowed ample time for a mooch around the village,
\nbefore making the 30 minute<\/b> or so walk out to Salehurst.<\/b> Never mind, I overslept,
\nand I don\u2019t do rushing at my age. The annoying thing is there is a semi-fast
\ntrain that runs on the hour, but unfortunately, Robertsbridge <\/b>isn\u2019t one of the stops on that service.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\none, and at this time of year, doubly so. As we passed through the various
\nstations on the route, I reflected on some of the pubs we have lost, over the
\npast decades. The Rock Robin, <\/b>just outside Wadhurst <\/b>station, now replaced by a
\nsoulless block of apartments, and the Etchingham<\/a>
\nArms,<\/b> just a short hop from Etchingham<\/b> station. The former pub is still visible
\nfrom the train, but it must be 20 years <\/b>or so, since it last welcomed
\ncustomers.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/b><\/div>\n
\nand I\u2019m sad to report that the status of the Seven Stars <\/b>remains the same. This
\nfine old 14th<\/sup> Century inn<\/b> was closed, when I first visited the
\nvillage back in 2016.<\/b> The pub is owned by Harvey\u2019s<\/b>, who were reported at
\nthe time as having difficulty in finding suitable tenants for the pub. Some
\nhave argued that this may be due to the high rent which the brewery were reportedly
\nasking. The Seven Stars<\/b> is not the first pub Harvey\u2019s<\/b> have had
\ndifficulties with in recent years as the Two Brewers<\/b> at Hadlow<\/b>, saw
\na succession of tenants come and go, and is now listed as long-term closed. This
\nstate of affairs isn\u2019t really befitting of a fine old independent family
\nbrewery like Harvey\u2019s.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nnew Robertsbridge<\/b> terminus, for the Kent & East Sussex<\/b> heritage railway, is
\nprogressing at speed with the building that will serve the recently installed
\nnew platforms, now looking like a station. Robertsbridge to Bodiam
\nReconnection Project.<\/b> If and when this stretch of line is re-laid, and the
\nrestoration project completed, it will be possible to travel by a heritage
\ntrain from Robertsbridge <\/b>via Bodiam<\/b> to the eastern end of the
\nline at Tenterden.<\/b> Much work remains before this \u201cmissing link\u201d<\/i><\/b> can be fully
\nrestored, but sidings and new track has been laid, adjacent to the main-line
\nstation, to allow locomotives and rolling stock to transfer onto the heritage
\nrailway from the London – Hastings <\/b>line.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\npint first, and push back the walk until later on. I also decided that the
\nOstrich<\/b>, which is just across from the station, should wait until last. This
\nmeant that a beer at the George<\/a><\/u><\/b> would be in order. Until the coming of the
\nrailway, the George<\/b> was the village\u2019s main coaching inn, and today this
\nimposing red tiled fronted building is probably Robertsbridge\u2019s <\/b>premier pub. It
\ndates from the 18th<\/sup> century<\/b> and, as might be expected, has plenty of
\nlow beams. There are views from the bar, back down the High Street <\/b>with
\nthe distinctive War Memorial clock tower,<\/b> erected in 1926, <\/b>featuring
\nprominently just across the green.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nis where most of the drinkers were gathered, in front of the large, inglenook
\nfireplace. They seemed disappointed that the fire was unlit and were not impressed
\nby the landlady\u2019s excuse that the pub had run out of logs. She reminded the
\ncrowd that temperatures had hit the high teens the week before, but they remained
\nunimpressed. I wasn\u2019t impressed either by the way the locals were blocking
\naccess to the bar, and although I was probably the only stranger in the pub, I
\nthought it bad manners on their part. <\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nless straight away and pulled me through an exemplary pint of Harvey\u2019s Best,<\/b>
\nbut the atmosphere at the George <\/b>was decidedly cliquey. With the Cheltenham
\nFestival<\/b> in full swing, racing seemed the main topic of conversation, but as
\nsomeone with absolutely no interest in the \u201csport of kings\u201d<\/i><\/b> it wasn\u2019t long before I beat a
\nhasty retreat. I imagine that things are different in the evenings, as the main
\npart of the pub is given over to diners. That said, there was only one couple
\neating, and they too, seemed to be locals. As an aside, the photo of the
\nfireplace dates back to an earlier visit. <\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\ndirection, following the road as it curved downhill. Looking at the numerous attractive
\nold buildings lining this narrow street, it\u2019s hard to imagine now the traffic
\nchaos that must have ensued before the construction of the bypass, when the busy
\nA21<\/b> trunk road ran straight through the heart of Robertsbridge. <\/b>As my route led
\nout of the village, I noticed to the right, the recently laid track that currently
\nterminates at Northbridge Street<\/b>, but in the other direction runs back
\nto the K&ESR\u2019s<\/b> new Robertsbridge Junction<\/b> station, mentioned earlier.<\/p>\n