The Rose's revival, continues apace

I first became acquainted with Hadlow in 1979 when I ended up working in nearby Tonbridge. I was living in Maidstone at the time and my journey to and from work took me along the A26, and through the village. I remember counting four pubs as I passed through the settlement and being interested in licensed premises and brewing took the opportunity, over the space of a couple of years, of trying them all. Five years later, in 1984, I moved to Tonbridge, saving a commute of around 30 minutes each way.

Fast forward 46 years and there is now just one pub remaining in Hadlow, plus one to the south of the village. That pub is the Rose Revived, and it is situated just off the A26, in Ashes Lane, roughly half a mile before you come to Hadlow Further Education College. The pub’s name came about back in the 1970's, when a previous landlord bought what had been a rather run-down Charrington’s pub called the Rose & Crown.  After spending a lot of time, money and effort, he restored this lovely old inn, to something approaching its former glory – hence the Rose “Revived.”

Another story claims the name change may have come about because there was another pub, in the centre of Hadlow, also called the Rose & Crown. Whatever the case, the Rose Revived is a lovely old, building which is around 400 years old, and for as long as I have known it, the pub has always sold a very acceptable pint of Harvey’s.  In recent years the pub has been considerably enlarged and now incorporates a large reception-cum- dining room along with a conservatory, at the rear of the building.

It had been several years since I last set foot in the Rose Revived, but last Sunday the opportunity arose to call in for a drink. This came about after visiting the nearby, BP filling station, at Three Elm Lane. What’s the attraction of a petrol station, I hear you ask? Well, it’s one of the few garages locally with an airline, and about the only one that still accepts coins. Motoring organisations claim that tyre pressures should be checked weekly, but mine are lucky if they’re checked quarterly, although I do tend to check them, if I’ve got a lengthy journey coming up.

I suppose Southampton is a longish journey, and we’ll be heading down that way in just over a fortnight – more about that, another time. So, a quick air injection into the two front tyres, (the rear ones were ok), and then off to the Rose Revived. Matthew was with me, and needed little persuasion to stop for a pint, even though it was Pravha that he was drinking. I forsook my normal Harvey’s Best in favour of a most enjoyable pint of Fox from Exmoor Ales – a brewery we rarely see now, in this part of the country. There was a time when beers such as Exmoor Gold, Stag or Beast were quite common in the south east, but for some reason, this is no longer the case.

Being a Sunday, we expected the pub to be crowded, and with the Rose Revived a popular local dining spot, it was no surprise to discover car parking spaces were at a premium. We managed to squeeze in at one of the two over-spill parks, and prior to walking along to the pub, stopped for a look at the now sadly closed, Hadlow College Farm Shop. Visits to the shop had provided a welcome break during the monotony of the Covid lockdown, and as it was one of the few places with a regular and reliable supply of flour, during the early stages of the pandemic, we made quite a few visits there.

The shop alas, is no more, after becoming a victim of the financial crisis suffered by the group that was running Hadlow College. This came about when the college expanded from its traditional Hadlow base to take over the running of both West Kent College in Tonbridge and Ashford College. All were plunged into crisis in 2019 , when debts in Hadlow College had reached £40 million, while at WKAC (the corporation managing West Kent and Ashford colleges) they were in excess of £100 million! The Department for Education was forced to step in, resulting with the stricken colleges being taken over by other established, educational groups.

Returning to the pub, it was  relatively quiet inside, despite the number of vehicles in the car park, as the majority of customers were sitting outside in the extensive garden, enjoying the unseasonably good early spring weather – it didn’t last more than a few days, of course! Matthew and I found a convenient corner, at the far right of the main room, and in sight of the bar. There were lots of family groups in the pub, which was unsurprising given that it was Sunday lunchtime, and whilst there was the occasional little person buzzing about the place, they were, on the whole, well behaved. I wasn’t entirely sure though, about the two young children (boy and a girl), sat on stools at the end of the bar. Even with their father standing behind them, it did look a little odd. They looked like they were enjoying their bowls of ice cream, whilst dad finished off his pint.

Apart from that, it was a typical, family oriented, Sunday lunchtime. I took a stroll through the dining area-cum-conservatory, on my way back from the Gents, even though it wasn’t the most direct route. I do like to be nosey, and the various joints of roast meats, being kept warm on a large hot plate, behind the serving area, looked particularly appetising. The carvery at the Rose Revived, has a good reputation locally, and the Bailey family can speak from experience here, even though that was several years ago (the last time I visited the pub).

To sum up, it was good to see a country pub thriving, and it was also nice to enjoy a pint of West Country beer, from a brewery that we seldom see in Kent, these days. For people like me, who prefer someone else to drive them to the pub, the Rose Revived is easily reached by bus, with a half-hourly service (No. 7 Arriva), stopping right opposite the entrance to Ashes Lane.