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<\/a><\/div>\nThe first stop on last Friday\u2019s<\/b> outing, was the lovely old Crown The Sussex<\/b> part of Groombridge<\/b> is a far more recent settlement. I digress, and the Crown Inn<\/b> is a pub I became acquainted And why not? \u00a0<\/span>for this As well as a restaurant the Crown <\/b>offers accommodation, in When I arrived on Friday<\/b>, there was a couple sitting out at It was very pleasant sitting outside, sunning myself, although He asked I wandered down the road, and across bridge over the river Grom,<\/b> I don\u2019t want the rather obvious connection I suppose one can\u2019t blame the pub\u2019s owners for cashing in on Last Friday<\/b> was slightly different, as I sat in the smaller A very nice-looking residence, mind you, and decked out,
\nInn,<\/b> overlooking the green in the Kent <\/b>half of Groombridge.<\/b> Living where I do, I\u2019m
\nbound to say that the Kentish<\/b> side is by far the most picturesque and
\nattractive part of the village, especially when one considers the tile- hung
\nCrown<\/b> along with the adjacent houses overlooking the green. The nearby Groombridge
\nPlace<\/b>, a moated manor house known for its formal gardens and vineyards, is
\nanother point of interest. This former tourist attraction is currently closed
\nand awaiting conversion into a boutique hotel and luxury spa. <\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nThe growth of this area was likely due to the arrival of the railway in the
\nlate\u00a019th<\/sup> century.<\/b> Groombridge Junction<\/b> was an important part of the rail network in this part of the country but it gradually lost its significance not just because of the infamous Beeching cuts<\/b>, but also due to a shameful lack of investment by the Thatcher government<\/b>, some 20 years<\/b> later. The “Iron Lady”<\/i><\/b>, of course, wasn’t a fan of the railways, and in 1985<\/b> encouraged a cash-strapped British
\nRail<\/b> to close the Eridge <\/b>line in order to save money. Although the savings were minimal,
\nthe sale of railway property, especially the\u00a0 impressive Tunbridge Wells West<\/b> station, generated
\nsubstantial revenue for the government, but not for British Rail. <\/b><\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nwith right from the start of my time working in Tonbridge<\/b>, and several years before
\nI actually moved to the town. This was because the company I worked for, operated
\nin the field of water treatment. We had a new piece of kit that the local water
\ncompany allowed us to have on test, at their Groombridge pumping station<\/b>. \u201cJust
\ndriving over to Groombridge<\/a> to check on the chart-recorder,\u201d <\/i><\/b>was code for disappearing, during work time, to carry out a quick
\ncheck of the equipment, a task that was then followed by a pint or two at the Crown Inn.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nsplendid old inn has a timeless atmosphere that seems to have changed very
\nlittle over the years. It reminds me of what pubs were like when I first
\nstarted drinking back in the early 70\u2019s. <\/b>Stepping inside, one is greeted by a
\nheavily beamed public room, overseen by a bar counter. A couple of open
\nfireplaces provide welcome warmth during winter, whilst a separate restaurant-cum-dining
\nroom leads off to the right and the rear. To the left of the bar, and the fireplace,
\nis what is almost a private or snug bar, adorned with some wonderful old
\nadvertising posters. I\u2019m not sure whether they genuine or repro, but they
\ncertainly add to the feel of this part of the pub.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nfour comfortable period rooms. Given the age of the building, I would imagine
\nthat the stairs up to the rooms must be both steep and narrow. I was a bit wary
\nmyself, when returning from the Gents,<\/b> as there are some quite steep steps down
\ninto the snug. (The same obviously applies to the Ladies<\/b> as well). So if you have
\nmobility issues the Crown<\/b> is probably not the pub for you. <\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\none of the tables overlooking the green, and with several other bench tables spare,
\nI thought I would join them. Thirst things first, and I popped inside, and
\nordered a pint of Sussex Best<\/b>. The other choice was Larkin\u2019s Traditional,<\/b> a beer
\nthat is not there amongst my favourites, as I would much rather see the brewery\u2019s Best
\nBitter<\/b> adorning the bar. That\u2019s just me, as the 3.4% Trad<\/b> is the best-selling
\nbeer by far, in the Larkin\u2019s cannon.<\/b> (Something about it being a low-strength
\nsession beer, that you can have a couple of without risking your licence.)<\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nsoon afterwards, a very thirsty looking rambler appeared, climbing up the hill,
\nwith a huge rucksack on his back, complete with a bedding roll and sleeping bag
\nslung underneath. This individual wasn’t your average rambler out for a country
\nstroll, instead this was someone who was doing some serious walking.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nif I would keep an eye on his pack while he went inside and ordered himself at
\npint. \u201cOf course,\u201d<\/i><\/b> I replied and when he returned, I asked him where he was
\nheading for, and where had he come from. It turned out he was following a route
\nof his own choosing, that didn\u2019t take in any of the better-known footpaths, but
\nhis route was taking him deeper into Sussex<\/b> for an overnight stop. Before drinking
\nup and returning my empty glass to the bar, I bid farewell to this intrepid
\nhiker and wished him well on his lengthy journey.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nwhich separates the Kent <\/b>side of Groombridge,<\/b> from the Sussex<\/b> side. I didn\u2019t
\nhave long to wait until the next 291 bus<\/b> heading towards East Grinstead,<\/b> came
\nalong. My destination was the village of Hartfield<\/b>, a large, and well laid out settlement,
\nwith a famous literary connection on the one hand, plus a rather tragic ending
\nfor a musical legend, on the other.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nbetween Winnie the Pooh<\/b> author A.A. Milne,<\/b> and Rolling Stones\u2019 <\/b>guitarist and founder member,
\nBrian Jones<\/b>, both of whom lived at Cotchford Farm,<\/b> to the southwest of
\nHartfield,<\/b> to overshadow this piece, so I shall leave you to do your own research
\nhere. What I will say is that the village pub, formerly known as the Anchor,<\/b>
\nhas recently been transposed into the Bear,<\/b> picking up on the Winnie the Pooh<\/b>
\nstories, written by Alan Alexander Milne,<\/b> during the 1920\u2019s. <\/b><\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nthe Christopher Robin<\/b> stories, but the Bear seems a strange name for a pub because
\nthere aren\u2019t any bears in this part of the world. Come to think of it, the
\nAnchor<\/b> is also an unusual pub name in an area where there aren\u2019t any ships! That
\nsaid, apart from the new name, little seems to have changed at this substantial
\ntwo bar pub, parts of which date from the 14th<\/sup> century.<\/b> According to
\nGoogle<\/b>, I last visited the Anchor\/Bear<\/b> 10 years<\/b> ago, although I thought I\u2019d
\nbeen to the pub since then. As Google<\/b> doesn’t lie, that 2016<\/b> visit would have been on an outing by vintage bus<\/a><\/b><\/u>, that I undertook, with friends from Maidstone CAMRA<\/b>
\nbranch. On that occasion we enjoyed a pre-booked pub-lunch in the spacious
\ndining area at the rear of the pub.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nof the pub\u2019s two bars, situated at the front of the pub, and reached from the street
\nby an attractive, colonial-style veranda. This feature is repeated in the building
\nnext door which, if you look closely, is a former pub. Known as the Hay Waggon<\/b>,
\nit was closed, and up for sale, back in 2016<\/b>, and today, it has become a
\nprivate residence.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nlike its neighbour, with Union<\/b> flags, to commemorate the recent VE Day, 80th<\/sup>
\nanniversary<\/b> celebrations. The article I wrote<\/a><\/u><\/b> at the time, records that many
\nyears ago I called in for a drink at the Hay Waggon<\/b> whilst on a cycle
\nride through the area. That would have been with the previous Mrs Bailey<\/b>, but I
\nonly have very vague memories of that occasion and am struggling to remember the
\nroute we would have taken, as we lived in Maidstone<\/b> at the time.<\/p>\n