Second time lucky for Marden? Only sort of!

It should have been a case of second time lucky when I made a return visit to the Wealden village of Marden last Friday. This followed on from my Easter Monday trip, which was less than a fortnight previously, and was when I discovered that both pubs in the village were closed. Shut on a Bank Holiday, don’t these publicans want to earn a living? I’m assuming they did such a roaring trade over the previous three days, that it wasn’t worth their while opening on the fourth day of the long Easter break. Perhaps they did, but somehow, I suspect they didn’t, and whilst they might well have their own private reasons for not opening their doors that day, a spot of advanced notice on their websites, social media, or both might have others from the same wasted journey that I had.

Fortune favours the brave, as they say, so somewhat foolhardily I decided to give the West End Tavern and the Unicorn, another chance. The pubs are situated at opposite ends of the village, with less than 10 minutes walking distance between them, so determined not to be deterred, last Friday afternoon I once again took the train over to Marden. Unless there was a logical explanation for the previous occurrence, it seemed unlikely that both pubs in a thriving and prosperous village would be closed once more.

At Mrs. PBT's suggestion (she is always right, you know), I contacted one of the pubs, the Unicorn, to confirm that it was open. Yes, it was, and it was open all day, although there would be a break during the afternoon when the kitchen would be closed. Perhaps I should have phoned the other pub as well, but I decided against this. As before, I set off and walked down to Tonbridge station, where there was the same half-hourly service running. The weather was warmer than on my previous visit, in fact it was hot enough for me to wear my shorts for the first time this year.

I knew that the West End Tavern would not be open until 2pm, so I headed towards the Unicorn instead. The front door was wide open, reflecting not just the warm weather we were experiencing, but also as a welcome draw for customers. Harvey’s Best and Fuller’s London Pride were the cask beers on sale, and by way of a change, I went for the latter. Full-bodied, tasty and almost “chewy”, as one well known beer blogger would say. The same individual would also agree that the Pride was certainly drinking well that afternoon. Incidentally, that “drinking well” remark, has become a popular cliché amongst quite a number of beer bloggers, and writers, although heaven knows why?

More to the point, it was quite a while since I last had a pint of Fuller’s legendary, flagship beer, and as we don’t see that often, in this part of the country, despite our relative proximity to the capital, it would have been rude to have not tried a pint. The pub wasn’t exactly packed for early afternoon, but there were people sitting out in the garden at the rear of the pub, and there was a nice atmosphere about the place. I might have stayed and grabbed a “lite bite” to keep me going (Cooking Lager, please take note), but I was keen to try out Marden’s other pub, the West End Tavern.

I drank up, and headed of towards the latter establishment, feeling fairly confident that this time, it would be open. However, despite arriving sometime after the stated 2pm opening, I once again found both doors firmly locked, and no lights on inside either. I peered through one of the windows, and it looked pleasant enough inside. I didn’t notice any hand pumps, but they might have been tucked away somewhere. The food offering looked good, and reasonably priced - as evidenced by the chalkboard attached to the fence (see photo above).  But after finding the pub doors firmly locked, for the second time in a row, I never got the chance to sample the food, or the beer. What on earth goes on with the management of these places?

What to do next, then? Return to the Unicorn, leave the train at Paddock Wood and try out the pubs there, or return to Tonbridge? I chose the latter, as I wanted to call in at the Nationwide, and also get a bite to eat.  So, building society first, and Greggs second, where I procured a roast chicken baguette, dressed up with a dash of mayonnaise and a few sprigs of water cress. Another beer was next on the agenda, but having already missed the turning for the Nelson, I headed towards Fuggle’s but then stopped in my tracks when I noticed Ye Olde Chequers, straight ahead.

This imposing, half-timbered building is of the oldest constructions in the town, and also one of the oldest pubs. After the castle, the Chequers is probably the most photographed building in Tonbridge, and has been described as "one of the finest examples of a Kentish timber-framed building that can be found today". It stands on the High Street on a site just below the castle where an inn possibly stood in 1264. The present building dates back over 500 years to the late 15^th Century. The room on the first floor is said to have been used as a Justices' room and at times a hangman's noose dangled from a strong oak sign post that jutted out over the street.

Despite its impressive pedigree, the Chequers has never really lived up to its full potential, as far as I am concerned.  When I first came to Tonbridge, initially to work and then later on, to live, the Chequers was a two bar, Courage house, and over the years it never progressed much beyond this, apart from losing its two-bar status. These criticisms aside, it was a popular pub under the watchful eye of legendary, old-school licensees, Dave and Maureen, and this was especially true of the lunchtime trade. I remember the large, heated glass cabinet that was the first thing customers saw upon entering the pub. I found this rather off-putting, and I was never sure quite how long the food remained on display.

This was back in the day when workers, dined out at lunchtime, a practice that seems largely to have died out. Also gone, are the three or four-pint sessions at lunchtime, which is probably just as well in terms of efficiency and safety in the workplace. Today the Chequers is operated by Pendry’s Pubs Ltd, a company that is based in Ongar, Essex. I knew that as well as Harvey’s, I could get a pint of St Austell Tribute at the Chequers, so by way of a change I stopped off there, rather than continuing on to Fuggle’s.

In view of the warm weather, I took my pint out to the terrace area at the rear of the pub, where a few other drinkers were soaking up the sunshine. I joined them and enjoyed a pleasant and well-conditioned pint of Tribute, a beer that always seems overshadowed by its stronger stablemate, Proper Job. After that, it was the good old 219 bus home, after an interesting day, despite it not quite turning out as expected.