A quiet Kentish backwater is home to a trio of historic pubs

Following the gentle teasing of the previous post, which was intended to set the scene for this one, we now move on to the main event.  This is where I take a more detailed look at the three historic pubs, I visited last Friday. Before I get going it's interesting to note that the youngest of the three pubs is the only one that features on CAMRA’s National Inventory of pubs with unspoilt interiors. I’m presuming this is because the two older pubs have been altered and knocked about somewhat, over the years.

I'm going to start with the oldest pub first, and this is the Olde Yew Tree in the tiny village of Westbere, overlooking the River Stour. It was quite a hike down a winding narrow lane leading off from the busy, traffic choked A28, and enjoy the tranquilly as the road to Westbere descended down towards the river. Fortunately, there were very few cars passing along this road and the only real sound I heard was that of an old boy cutting a hedge.

Westbere is obviously a place for the well-off, as evidenced by some rather splendid looking houses -   not too grandiose but in keeping with the tradition of this tranquil, rural, settlement. The Olde Yew Tree is at the far end of the village, not far from the church, and from the outside it was everything one might expect from an old medieval inn. It is an attractive, half-timbered building which is deceptively larger inside, than it is on the exterior – as I was soon to discover. What Pub gave an opening time of 11.30am, but 10 minutes away from midday the pub still looked decidedly shut. I walked up to the church and back to kill a little time, stopping to take a few photos along the way, and when I arrived back at the Yew Tree, shortly after midday, the lights were on.

I followed the sign that said the entrance was at the rear of the building, so I followed the path round, and stepped inside. I was the first customer, and the friendly licensee behind the bar greeted me warmly, asking me what would I like to drink? There was only one cask ale on and that was Shepherd Neame Master Brew, not my favourite beer by any stretch of the imagination, so rather than risk a pint, I went for a half. The landlord was quite chatty and happy to answer some of the many questions I had. I learned that the front part of the pub was the oldest,  and that it dated from 1348, explaining why the Olde Yew Tree can claim to be the oldest pub in Kent.

The section at the rear, which is where the bar is situated, is newer, although he didn't say by how many years. A step or two down from the bar area, is oldest, and also the main part of the pub. There are plenty of old beams, as one might expect, and I suspect that some upright timbers might once have been part of walls between a number of separate rooms. A building this old is obviously steeped in history, and Queen Anne plus an Archbishop of Canterbury are said to a stayed in the pub, although presumably not at the same time! The building was also used as a hospital to treat wounded soldiers, during the English Civil War.

The landlord invited me to take a look around and confirmed that it was fine for me to be taking a few photos, although pretty soon after I’d finished me inspection, other customers began arriving. I got the impression that the Yew Tree is popular with diners, no matter what the season, for whilst there is a warming pen fire during the winter months, there is a large and attractive beer garden at the rear of the property for when the weather becomes warmer.  

On leaving the pub, I walked back up to the main road – the old boy was still hard at it, cutting his hedge, when I walked by. As explained in the previous post, I took the bus back to Sturry station, and from there it was a short walk into nearby Fordwich. Until the middle ages this picturesque little town was known as “The Port of Canterbury'” or more accurately, the port FOR Canterbury, because it was indeed a port. It sat at the head of the Stour estuary and was both tidal and navigable. The town owned the quay and also a crane for off-loading cargoes, and derived income from duty on imported goods. Stone used to build Canterbury Cathedral, passed through Fordwich, having been imported from the French city of Caen.

By the late 1700's the estuary had largely silted up, and the town found itself stranded inland, due to restricted access along the River Stour, and by Victorian times it had become inaccessible to cargo boats. Fordwich finally ceased trading as a port in 1830, when a rail line was built linking Canterbury with Whitstable Harbour. At this point in time, the townsfolk built a narrow bridge over the River Stour and derived income from tolls charged on the carts and wagons coming into the town. These tolls were leased by the landlord of the George and Dragon, which brings us nicely to the next pub on my list.

Situated next to the River Stour, the George & Dragon is a multi-roomed pub that has been tastefully refurbished. It is one of 79 pubs owned by the Brunning & Price group , and whilst the chain is probably better known in the north-west of England, they own a number of pubs in the south-east. I’m not certain of the age of the George & Dragon, but its pale lemon coloured exterior seemed to compliment its obvious antiquity. It was quite busy when I made my way inside, and the layout of several bars, comfortable furniture, and plenty of wooden beams, helped create a feeling of unhurried cosiness, along with the warming glow from several open fireplaces.

The bar is at the front of the building, almost opposite the entrance, with a dining area to the left, and two separate rooms leading off to the right. There is another room, at a lower level, behind the bar, and it was here, at a small table, that I made myself at home – but not before buying myself a beer. Gadds’ No. 5, Adnams Southwold, plus a B&P "house beer," brewed by St Austell, were the beers on offer. I opted for the Southwold Bitter, as it is an Adnams beer we don’t often see in Kent (some of us aren’t that keen on Ghost Ship!). My pint was well conditioned and tasty, and I enjoyed sitting there watching the comings and goings. There was a good, mixed clientele, which included tradesmen, families, mothers and babies, plus the obligatory “ladies that lunch!”

Leaving the George & Dragon I turned the corner and headed into the centre of Fordwich, which is marked by the church of St Mary the Virgin. On the way I stopped briefly to ask a couple of builders, working on the exterior of a rather old medieval property, if there are any shops nearby. I was looking for a bakers, so I could grab a bite to eat, but the pair laughed and said the nearest shops were in Sturry. I knew that the food at my next destination, the Fordwich Arms would be expensive - £70.00 per head, for the 3-course a-la-carte menu, but salvation came in the form of Piper’s Crisps.

As the Fordwich Arms is an unashamed gastro pub, a better plan would have been to have called in there first, and then visited the George & Dragon on the way back to the station. Food prices would undoubtedly have been more reasonable there. A “schoolboy error,” as one of my colleagues would say, but never mind. The pub itself is a 1930s, red-brick building overlooking the River Stour, opposite Fordwich’s ancient town hall.  Internally, there is a large and attractive, wood-panelled bar at the front of the building, with an open fireplace at one end. A number of stools allow drinkers, who like that sort of thing, to sit at the bar. To the left of the bar there is a separate oak-panelled dining room, which has collected a Michelin star, along with some other prestigious awards.

The beer, and the Piper’s Crisps were much more appealing, as far as I was concerned, and whilst Taylor’s Landlord was the sole cask offering, it was in top condition. Definitely a 4.5, and pushing towards a 5.0, if I was able to submit beer scores to CAMRA. Mind you, it was a fiver a pint! Apart from me, there was one other punter, sat on a stool at the bar, with his dog sitting patiently at his feet, drinking a bottle of Newcastle Brown. He was on his second bottle by the time I left.

The Fordwich Arms is on CAMRA’s Inventory of Heritage Pubs, due to its interior of regional importance – the only one of the three pubs I visited that day, to have this achievement. It’s worth a visit, despite its gastro credentials, and appears to tick all the right boxes, as far as the foodie luvvies are concerned. I did read that before its conversion, at the beginning of 2018, it was an ordinary pub, where I definitely could have procured a lunchtime meal!