Swan at West Peckham off to a good start

Regular readers may remember a post I wrote at the beginning of November, concerning the Swan, in the village of West Peckham. The post describes how a buyout, by the local community, successfully raised the sum necessary to ensure the future of the pub. This followed the retirement of the previous owner, and licensee and his decision to offer first refusal on the property, to a potential purchase by local residents, and other interested parties.

I reported that I’d purchased a minimum shareholding, consisting of 250 shares in the Swan Community Project Limited.  A couple of weeks later I received an e-mail thanking me for my contribution along with confirmation that the sum necessary to secure the pub's future had been reached. There was money left over as well, and this would be used, in the first instance, for improvements to the kitchen, as well as the pub’s toilets.

Now, on a rather dull, dank and chilly mid-December Sunday, I thought it would be worth calling in at the Swan, to see how things are going. Matthew came with me, as I wanted to stop off at the local car wash to give my vehicle a much clean, before it goes in for a service at the end of the week. I wouldn't normally bother but I think it helps those who are carrying out the work, if you present a clean vehicle. It creates the right impression and prevents those who are carrying out the work from getting too dirty. Matthew did the donkey-work with the high-pressure lances, that apply soap, before blasting it all off with clean water. I stood by and watched, although I did pay for the time used by the machine.

Afterwards, we drove along to West Peckham, a tiny settlement sandwiched between Dunk's Green and Mereworth. With a population of around 350 people, it’s not really large enough to be called a village, but with a large, central green, overlooked by the medieval church of St Dunstan, plus of course the Swan public hall, West Peckham punches above its weight. The local shop might have closed, but the settlement has its own village hall, and judging by the amount of parked cars, there was an event taking place there.

I don't think Matthew had been there before, although he recognised some of the buildings from that dreadful, PC remake of the "Darling Buds of May", featuring Bradley Walsh and Peter Davidson, amongst others. As you drive into the village, the vista of church, pub, village green, and surrounding houses opens up in front of you. Keen to see what was happening with the Swan, a couple of months on from my purchase, we just managed to squeeze into one of the two remaining spaces in the admittedly rather cramped, pub car park. I made a mental note that providing additional parking spaces, should feature high on the list of necessary improvements.

On the plus side, it was encouraging to see so many vehicles parked there, even though it meant standing room only, inside the pub. The area to the left of the bar is given over to diners, and it was definitely a full house there. The same applied to the section at the opposite end, although we managed to squeeze in immediately in front of the bar. My eyes lit up when I noticed a pump clip for Larkin's Porter, alongside a couple of Tonbridge Brewery beers. Larkin's Porter isn't exactly a session beer, and I was playing it safe by only having a half. To tell the truth it wasn’t the finest pint off this particular porter anyway, even if it represented the first time this winter that I’ve come across it. I imagine it was probably a case of slow turnover, as there was a definite tang to it, although I have heard reports that Larkin’s Porter isn't as good this season, as it has it been in previous years.

Another observation about the Swan, was that as well as practically bursting at the seams with people, the same applied to the number of dogs there. You might think this signified that the majority of customers were proper country folk, although I suspect that most of them had arrived by car, rather than on foot. This is a shame because the pub is situated on the Weald Way – a north-south route which runs from the River Thames at Gravesend, down to Eastbourne on the South Coast. Crossing this path at right angles, is the rather better known, and also longer, Greensand Way.

Despite the crush, I managed a brief chat with one of the people behind the bar. I assumed he was the manager, so much to Matthew’s embarrassment, I mentioned that I had bought a few shares in the place, and was happy to see that things were going well. I noticed from the opening hours displayed, that the pub is closed all day on Monday, which probably makes sense, especially during the winter months, and I think the same hours applied under the previous management.

So, after popping in to check on my investment, I shall definitely be making return visits to the Swan, although next time I plan to take the bus to Mereworth, and then walk along the lanes, the mile and a half so through to West Peckham.