Several years ago I wrote a post in which I described my reasons for staying in, and doing my drinking at home,
rather than venturing out and socialising with my fellow human beings in the
surroundings of a pub. The main reason was there weren’t any decent pubs left in
Tonbridge; the town where I have lived for the past 30 plus years.
Things are
changing though with the opening on Friday night of the beer café Fuggles, as I reported earlier and there are reports
of another exciting beer venture opening in the town, later in the autumn.
The past week though has seen me out on more occasions than
I can remember for many a year. Monday started with a trip up to London
for the British Guild of Beer Writer’s Summer Party. The event took place on the
Tattershall Castle;
a former river ferry, moored on the Thames, just off the
Victoria Embankment. It was a good event, and despite doing my best in order to pace
myself, bearing in mind I had to work the following day, I still felt
slightly jaded the following morning.
On Tuesday, I wisely had a day off the sauce, but come Wednesday,
I had an invitation for the "soft opening" of Fuggles Beer Café in Tonbridge.
Thursday was another alcohol free day, but on Friday lunchtime I called in at
the recently re-opened Greyhound at Charcott.
The pub wasn’t overly busy, and seeing as I was on my lunch
hour I only had the one beer; a very good pint of Dark star Hophead. The lull
gave me a chance to chat to landlord Richard about how plans for the pub’s
kitchen were progressing. The kitchen was coming along slowly, was his honest
reply, but he has been careful to involve the local authority in the project
from the start, thereby ensuring full compliance with the various requirements
once everything is up and running.
I felt very rather tired that evening; the sort of usual end
of week feeling after a busy time at work. Despite my tiredness I wanted to
visit Fuggles Tonbridge again for what would be their official opening. So I
wandered along to the north end of the High Street, arriving at around 8.45pm.
Fuggles opening night - photo by Jon Collins |
The place was absolutely heaving, with customers spilling
out onto the pavement, but I managed to make my way to the bar and even to find
a seat alongside one of my CAMRA friends and his son, who were enjoying the
excellent beer (and gin, in the case of my friend’s son), in the rather noisy,
but good-natured atmosphere of this welcome addition to the town.
I only stayed for a couple; Kent Brewery Simcoe 4.5% on cask and
Burning Sky Aspire 4.4% on keg, but both were good. My friends left a little
earlier, so I chatted briefly to the two couples who came and sat at the
recently vacated table. They were from the same area of Tonbridge as me, and
all were really pleased that the town at last had somewhere decent to drink at.
Saturday saw a friend and former work colleague visiting
Eileen and I. Our friend moved to London
twenty-plus years ago, following the closure of the company where we all
worked. He is a Tonbridge lad though, although he said that after his mother
died, he had little reason to visit the town.
We met at the station, and the idea had been to visit a few
pubs and for our friend to have a look around the town. Unfortunately he had
badly sprained a few ribs and was having difficulty in walking far, so we
put plan B into action and headed for
the Punch & Judy; the nearest pub to the station.
Posing tables - naturally |
I knew the pub had been closed for renovation, so was not
overtly surprised by the smell of new paint which greeted us as we walked
through the door; even so was rather surprised to learn from the landlady,
that the Punch had only re-opened the night before. It had undergone an
extensive re-decoration, on the outside as well as in, but the pub has been
given a pleasing contemporary look without distracting too much from its 19th
Century origins.
Our friend remembered the Punch as the Gardener’s Arms, and so do I
– just about. Back then it was a small, two-bar, back-street local, but now the
interior has been completely opened up, and the former conservatory area at the
rear has been incorporated into the main pub. This, of course, happened years
ago, and the recent renovation was more of a cosmetic paint-job than anything
else.
As the sun was at last finally shining, we decided to sit
out in the small, courtyard garden area at the rear. This also enabled Eileen,
who doesn’t drink btw, to indulge in her own individual vice of a cigarette or
two. There were two cask ales available; Harvey’s
Sussex Best and Tonbridge Coppernob. I went for the Harvey’s
whilst our friend opted for the more local beer. Both were in excellent
condition.
We spent several hours catching up, reminiscing and putting
world to right, but after a few pints were feeling a trifle peckish. I enquired
about, but the Punch’s landlady said they not in a position to serve food yet, as they had only opened the night before. A quick
look on line revealed that the Forester's Arms, just up the road, had pizza available
at all times, so given its proximity to the Punch, we decided to give the place
a go.
Eileen didn’t join us, as she had some shopping to do, but
my friend and I wandered up to the Foresters, which is the only Shepherd Neame
pub in town. Neither of us were strangers to the pub, although my friend’s association
with the place goes back 50 years or more.
I had been in the Foresters much more recently; in fact I wrote
about my visit here. My friend was impressed by the alterations which had taken
place, turning what was once an ordinary two-bar pub, into a
bright and airy pub, with a friendly welcome and something for everyone.
We ordered some beers; Whitstable Bay Pale Ale, served up in
dimple glasses. We also ordered a pizza each; a small one for me plus a large
one for my friend. The pizzas are specially prepared by landlord Tyson Marshall,
and were delicious.
We had one final beer before it was time for my friend to
depart, and this time we went for the Whitstable Bay Blonde, which was rather
good. After finishing our beers I walked back to the station with
my friend and said goodbye. I am sure I will be meeting up with him again, but
in London’s Kentish
Town, next time.
So ended a rather beery (for me at least), week. Today was spent
doing housework, gardening plus a spot of shopping, and tomorrow it is back to
work.
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