We bought a pub

Regular readers of this blog may remember a post I wrote at the start of the year, with the title “Swan looks to the village for salvation”.  The Swan in question, is the pub of that name, which stands on the green of the tiny, tucked away village of West Peckham, roughly half-way between Tonbridge and Maidstone. Dating back to the early part of the 16^th Century, the Swan has been a pub since 1665, although not always under that name. 

So, what about the pub itself, and the tiny village where it is located? West Peckham is certainly tucked away, and that is no exaggeration because it is a rare “no drive through” village, meaning that the road into the village is the same route out of it. In other words, West Peckham isn't somewhere you can drive through, on the way to another destination, instead it is a place you have to want to visit.

Fortunately, the presence of the Swan on the Green is ample enough reason to drive, or walk (Greensand Way) to West Peckham, and despite its relatively isolated position, the Swan enjoys a strong and loyal local following, and also attracts custom from further afield. Until very recently one aspect that drew in additional trade was the range of the Swan’s house-brewed beers, produced in an old coal shed, at the rear of the pub. Up to eight cask ales, all named with a “Swan” theme (Bewick, Cygnet, Trumpeter and Whooper), had been brewed since 2000, but sadly, brewing ceased in the spring of 2023 as the self-built plant was said to be approaching the end of its working life.

Even without the house-brewed beers the Swan is a destination pub in its own right, given its attractive location on the village green, at the crossroads of the Weald and Greensand ways. In addition, the pub’s kitchen offers everything from “lite bites” to full-on family dining. One other claim to fame, but possibly not for the right reasons, is the Swan starred as the village pub, in the rather dreadful remake the H.E. Bates classic, The Darling Buds of May.  This was the production that instead of David Jason and Pam Ferris, featured Bradley Walsh as Pop Larkin and Joanna Scanlan, as Ma. (The least said about it, the better!)

Despite this illustrious trading record, and in spite of the Swan remaining a successful pub and popular restaurant, the decision taken, just over a year ago by the current owner and licensee Gordon Milligan, to sell up and leave the trade after 24 years at the helm, sent shock waves through the tight-knit local community. Fortunately, rather than seek to convert it into housing, Mr Milligan approached the villagers and asked if they wanted to take the pub on. Their answer was a resounding “yes”, so a steering group was set up with the aim of purchasing the building collectively for the village.

The idea attracted a lot of interest, not just within West Peckham, but from the surrounding west Kent area as well, and with this in mind the group was given six month’s exclusivity to come up with a plan. After agreeing a purchase price with Mr Milligan, the group then looked at sourcing funding from the Community Ownership Grant scheme, as well as seeking donations from villagers and local businesses. The aim was to set up a Community Benefit Society, known as the Swan Community Project Ltd, which will then own the Swan and be responsible for its future. The society is a “not for profit” company with a mission to operate for the benefit the Community, and in order to achieve this, any profits will re-invested in the project.

I concluded my January article with the words, “I wish the group every success and might even chip in myself!”  Well, now I have, because after signing up to the project, I've been receiving regular updates. I’d been meaning to attend some of the meetings the group was holding, but never really seemed to quite find he time. Then, during the third week in October, I received an email saying that the offer had just a couple more days to run, and that more investors were needed to reach the investment target.

That plea provided the impetus for me step up to the plate and after purchasing the minimum investment of, I’m now the proud owner of 250 shares in the Swan Community Project Ltd. A couple of days later, I received an email thanking me for my purchase, and confirming that, along with others, my investment was sufficient to secure ownership of the pub. Furthermore, because that final push had raised more than the committee thought, there was a sufficient surplus to put towards other purposes connected with the pub – kitchen refurbishment for a start. Consequently, the share offer has been left open until 7^th November, with aim of reaching the magic, half million pounds target.

I'm not quite sure what happens next, although the group is holding a “pop-up” meeting, at the pub, on 5^th November. I shall be traveling back that day from a trip to Bath, with members of the Beer & Pubs Forum, so won’t be able to attend, but I’m sure to find out in due course. In the meantime, the following statement from the group, encapsulates nicely, what they are trying to achieve with the pub.

 "The Swan is the hub of our community, a place where locals and those from the surrounding countryside, villages and towns can socialise and take part in quiz nights, music nights and other social events. It’s at the heart of our Village Fête, Produce Show, Bonfire night and many other Community events. As the only full-time provider of hospitality, food, and drinks for several miles it brings money into the local economy, supporting local businesses and tourism. It’s also a major employer in the parish, providing five full-time jobs and the first work experience for many younger members of the Community."

 

 

 

 

5th November - time for a pint of Bonfire Boy

It was a case of “second time lucky” on Saturday lunchtime when it came to tracking down a drop of Harvey’s Bonfire Boy. The latter is the company’s seasonal offering for the month of November and was first brewed in tribute to the fire services who extinguished the fire which threatened to engulf the brewery in 1996. The beer is now brewed each year for the bonfire boys and belles who participate in Lewes's famous November 5^th celebrations. 

Described as "Bonfire Night in a bottle" Bonfire Boy is a dark amber, malty brew, with a smoky flavour and a slightly charred, bitter aftertaste. These are just the sort of attributes one might expect from a beer brewed as a tribute to November 5^th Bonfire Night celebrations. However, despite these obvious selling points, the beer isn’t that easy to come by, especially in the free trade, so it is here that the internet and social media play their part.

I am talking here about the availability of Bonfire Boy in cask form, as the beer is relatively easy to obtain in bottles – if you know where to look, that is. Last Tuesday I noticed on the Nelson Arms’s website that cask Bonfire Boy was on sale at the pub, a good sign for sure, but something with the potential to peak too soon, if you get my drift. By that I meant now that the beer was on sale and given that many other beer lovers would have looked on the Nelson’s website, as I did, there was a very real danger that the cask might run out, before I’d been able to get down to the pub and try it.

All too often the things we guard against have an unfortunate habit of coming true, and as I entered the Nelson late Thursday afternoon, my initial optimism and joy at seeing the Bonfire Boy pump clip indicating the beer was still on sale, quickly turned to disappointment as the beer an out, before my very eyes. I’d ordered a pint of this eagerly anticipated beer, and watched in eager anticipation as the barman pulled me a pint.“Oh, it’s gone,” he suddenly said, and not quite twigging what he meant, I foolishly responded, “What’s gone?” 

It was the Bonfire Boy of course, and the cask had obviously come to an end, even as the barman was pulling it. Talk about bad timing on my part! Had I been an hour earlier, or perhaps even just 10 minutes sooner, I might have been enjoying a pint of this elusive beer, but instead I had to have something else. Surrey Hills Collusion isn’t a bad pint, by any means, but when one is anticipating a beer that is full-bodied, malty and combining a smoky flavour with a well-balanced bitter finish, it was bound to be a disappointment. I stuck with just the one pint and made my way home. 

The following morning, an announcement on my phone, flashed up on the West Kent CAMRA Facebook page. It was from the Dovecote, at Capel – the pub where the recent Green Hop Festival had taken place, and it was sharing the good news that Harvey’s Bonfire Boy had just gone on sale at the pub. Good news indeed, but every reason to get over to the Dovecote and enjoy a pint, before it runs out at that pub, as well.

As luck would have it, that morning, I’d arranged to join son Matthew for a café breakfast – not quite a “greasy spoon” one, but one not far off it. So, after a cheese omelette, plus a couple of hash browns (Matthew went for the “big boy’s" breakfast), plus a visit to B&Q, I suggested we drive home via Capel. Matthew didn’t need much persuasion, especially as I was driving, so just after 1pm, we drove into the car park of the Dovecote and stepped inside. The pub was busy, mainly with diners, and I must admit the food looked pretty good, but I only had eyes for the cask end, which sure enough was displaying a pump-clip for Bonfire Boy.

I ordered a pint and made a comment to the landlord about how I’d narrowly missed the beer the day before. “You’ll need to be quick with this one,” he replied, "it only went on yesterday and as expected, is selling well". Mine host then confessed to having a sore head that morning, having sampled one too many the previous evening, before reverently placing the full, and attractive looking pint on the bar counter before me.

I’m sure you don’t need me t tell you that the beer was pure nectar, and as you can see from the photo, well-conditioned, and clear as a bell. Knowing I could only have the one, I savoured the beer, although I didn’t dally over it either. As Matthew and I sat there, the pub filled up some more, and the arrival of a party of lady ramblers, complete with accompanying pooches helped set the scene of this charming rural pub. The group had obviously pre-booked because a large table had been set aside for them, with space beneath for their canine companions. It was the perfect lunchtime intermission, and the end of a worthy quest – temporarily, as there must be more Bonfire Boy to enjoy before its availability slackens off, in favour of the next seasonal offering.