Headcorn gets the heads up

Headcorn is a large village situated on the floodplain of the River Beult, to the south-east of Maidstone, in an area known as the “Low Weald of Kent.“  It has a population of around 3,500 souls, and is one of the largest villages in the area. Headcorn can trace its history back to the 12^th Century, although there is evidence that the area was settled before this time. Parts of the parish church of St Peter & St Paul, date from this time, although much of the building is younger than this.

During the reign of King Edward III, the weaving industry became established in the area, and a century or so later, Flemish weavers, fleeing religious persecution in their homeland, were encouraged to settle in the area. The abundant flocks of sheep found in the Weald, provided a ready source of wool, and in common with larger settlements, such as Cranbrook, Headcorn prospered thanks to the weaving trade.

The railway reached the village in 1842, with the South Eastern Railway offering fast and frequent services to both London and the Kent coast. The rail connection provides an important east-west link, as with very few roads running along this axis, it is much easier to reach Headcorn by rail than it is by road. It was no surprise then that the village first entered my consciousness as a child, when I lived with my parents just outside Ashford, as Headcorn was one of the stations the London-bound trains called at.

Many years later, and now living in Tonbridge, I was able to travel to Headcorn by train, in just 22 minutes - a journey time that would just not be possible by road. For the same reasons, good rail links to both London and the coast, ensures that Headcorn remains popular with today’s commuters, but, as I discovered on my recent visit, there is far more to the village than a dormitory town for people working in the capital.

Last Friday, Headcorn station was the meeting for myself and a handful of other beer writers, who were due to visit Hukins Hops, just outside Bethersden. Dom, the tour organiser from UK Brewery Tours, had arranged for a taxi to take us to Hukins, but having purposely travelled on an earlier train, I walked into the centre of Headcorn village and, liking what I saw, decided to take a closer look on my way home, when there would be more time. So, after leaving my companions to await their train, I took a left turn at the top of the station approach, and headed along the High Street, towards the village centre.

It was only a 5-minute walk, but along the way I was pleasantly surprised by the number and diversity of independent shops, restaurants, and cafés. Without really counting, I noticed a hardware store, an independent off-licence, an Indian restaurant, a Chinese takeaway plus a obligatory Kebab shop. Next door to the pub (more on that later), was the rather appealing Bill’s Tea Shop. As far as I could make out, this was nothing to do with the “Bill’s” chain of restaurants that operates locally.

Of particular note was the Post Office. I say this because Tonbridge is currently without a permanent Post Office, after its current host (WH Smith), shut up shop. This is a ridiculous situation for a town the size of Tonbridge, but that's for another time. Opposite the Post Office, and fronting onto the High Street, is the George & Dragon pub, a substantial 19^th Century building, and one that I remember as a Courage pub, from limited past visits to Headorn. It still looks like one from the outside and venturing inside for what I believe was the first time, I can confirm that the G&D shows evidence of its past ownership, internally as well.

I got the odd, strange look as I approached the bar, even though I’d remembered to take off my hat (necessary for protection from the ferocity of the sun, whilst in the hop gardens). Harvey’s Best was the sole cask ale on offer, but given the high temperatures outside, I wasn’t feeling overconfident about its quality. I still went for a pint, as apart from a few samples courtesy of Hukins, I was gagging for a beer.

I had to wait a while, whilst the young girl behind the bar sorted out a glass of Fosters, for one of the regulars, who was due in shortly. The glasses kept in the fridge, with their frosted appearance seemed very Australian, although my remark that I didn’t want my Harvey’s served that cold, was met with a smile that was both pleasant and friendly. The Harvey’s itself was perfectly drinkable too, and served cool, rather than frozen, but rather than hang around in the bar, I headed for the enclosed and paved garden area at the rear. I found a spot that was shaded and settled down to enjoy my beer.

The latter wasn’t good enough for a second pint, although I was also conscious that Mrs PBT’s was expecting me home in time for our evening meal. I returned my empty glass to the bar, and after leaving the pub, headed along for a quick look at the parish church, at the far end of the High Street. On the way, I was looking out for the former Whitbread-Fremlin’s pub I remembered from past visits to Headcorn. These would have taken place during the early 1980’s, when I was living in Maidstone, and at a time when I was a member of the local MMK CAMRA branch.

I carried out a spot of research using a couple of old local CAMRA guides, and the most likely candidate was the green-painted building on the corner, where the High Street turns into North Street. This would have been the Kings Arms, a pub listed in the 2009 Gateway to Kent Guide, and with the address of No. 1 High Street. Described as a “Local community pub, offering bed & breakfast,” this outlet obviously ceased trading some time during the past decade, for reasons unknown – to me at least!

Looking at What Pub, the most promising, and most appealing pub in Headcorn today, has to be the White Horse, in North Street, an establishment that according to its website, offers a good range of beer, good food, and open fires in winter. The only other outlet in the village is a tiny micro, called Tap17 Micro-Bar. No cask beers are stocked, but the range of “craft beers” looks interesting. The only trouble is that due to its small size, visitors need to pre-book a table via Facebook, so count me out on this one as, in my book, this type of establishment is NOT a pub!

After this spot of “research,” I made my way back to the station, and caught the 16.45 train back to Tonbridge, and then, having clocked up over 15,000 steps, caught the bus back to the top of my road, using my “bus w*nker’s pass." The conclusion from my brief exploration of this attractive Wealden village, is that, even without a spot of hop-picking, Headcorn is well worth a further visit, or perhaps even two!