The Beau Nash Tavern - 30 years on

I'd been meaning to get over to Tunbridge Wells and the Beau Nash Tavern for quite some time, following a blog post from retired Martin. RM's wife grew up in the Tunbridge Wells area, and with her parents living at nearby Southborough, Martin and Christine are frequent visitors to the town. The post I am referring to was one where Martin related his thoughts about the Beau Nash and followed on from a lunchtime session he spent there with Mrs RM and her parents. Martin’s post reminded me that it was many a year since I last set foot in this charming establishment, so it was high time to put things right. Tucked away behind the Royal Wells Hotel, at the top of Mount Ephraim, overlooking the town, the Beau Nash is what is best known as a “Mews Pub.” By that I mean the pub would have started life as a set of stables, used to house the horses needed to transport guests, to and from the adjacent hotel. As in most locations in the UK, the majority of these stables would have been converted into living accommodation, as horse drawn transport declined.

My opportunity to visit the Beau Nash arose the other Saturday when I had to call in at what is now the nearest branch of the Halifax Building Society. I travelled over to Tunbridge Wells by bus, using my free-travel pass, and after disembarking at Five Ways, directly opposite the town’s Royal Victoria Place shopping centre, proceeded towards the Halifax. Despite arriving fully prepared with the necessary documentation, it became apparent that the Halifax was quite blatantly, attempting to discourage in-person visits, by promoting the notion that everything could be done online.

Unfortunately, they misunderstood my needs, as there ARE certain situations where human interaction is irreplaceable. All I wanted to do was to transfer funds from a recently matured ISA, into a new one, and having already found the online process for doing this, unnecessarily complex, wanted to speak to a member of staff who could guide me through this. It was definitely a real-life case of “computer says  no,” because the stony-faced employee was about as much use as a chocolate teapot. I witnessed another customer giving short shrift to the counter clerk who suggested he download the Halifax app. This gentleman, who looked considerably older than me, informed the cashier in no uncertain terms, that he used his phone to talk with people, and at his time of life, didn’t want to start learning about apps!

Full marks there, as his concerns resonated with me. It seems as if every organisation one deals with today, regards their app as the best thing since sliced bread and promotes it without thought or question, neglecting the fact that these features can quickly clog up the memory of a mobile phone. As the disgruntled customer walked away, I told him that I agreed with him. 

This didn’t appear to do me any favours, when it was my turn to talk to Nurse Ratched, although she did at least hand me a card with a helpline number printed on the back. She added that the people on the end of that line might be able to help, although she was still insistent that it would be easier to sort out my transfer request online. 

Feeling frustrated, rather than enlightened, I left the building society, crossed the road, and walked up the hill toward Tunbridge Wells Common. I paused on the way, to take some photos, including a few of two houses built on rocky outcrops, overlooking the town below. At the summit of Mount Ephraim, I passed the impressive looking Royal Wells Hotel, before turning into the narrow alley leading to the Beau Nash. When I first became familiar with this pub, back in the mid-1980’s, it was a well-regarded establishment known for offering beers that were unusual for the area. It’s hard to believe then that Harvey's was one such beer, despite being brewed just 30 miles away, down the road in Lewes.

As I walked along the narrow passage towards the pub, its bright green exterior seemed different to what I remembered, although it did look attractive in the bright mid-morning sunshine. I passed a couple of fellas, in morning dress with white, button hole carnations, fixed to their jacket lapels. They were obviously on their way to a wedding, but as it wasn’t clear who was the groom, and who was the best man, I wished them both good luck. They thanked me with a grin, whilst I headed toward the pub entrance. Before entering, I could see around the corner and into the courtyard behind. In a short while I would sitting out there too, but first I had a pint to order, plus a pub interior to reacquaint myself with.

The cool, and slightly dim interior of the Beau Nash, with its colourful stained-glass windows, did bring back a few memories, especially of the days when I thought Tunbridge Wells was a really exotic place to visit. Internally, there was much wood panelling, a solid wooden floor, wooden tables, chairs and sofas and which together with warm orange lighting, induced a cosy atmosphere. Apart from the bar staff, there were only a couple of customers inside, as most were sitting out in the courtyard, taking advantage of the fine weather.

I walked up to the bar where I was faced by an attractive looking bank of hand pumps, but only one beer. It was Harvey’s Best, of course, and given my previous knowledge of the pub, what else could it be? So, I ordered a pint of Lewes’s finest, alongside a bag of plain crisps, and headed outside, but not before I’d taken a few photos of the interior. I found a shady spot where I could sit and indulge in a spot of people-watching, whilst at the same time admiring the well-laid out pub garden, whose existence I was totally unaware of until that moment. It was set on two different levels, and nicely laid out on with contemporary, but comfortable furniture, with areas of shade as well as full sun. All in all, there was a general good vibe about the place.

I got stuck into my pint of Sussex, although I didn't rush because I knew I'd have to drive once I got back to Tonbridge, so could only have the one pint. Mrs PBT's wanted me to chauffeur her to the supermarket, to pick up some food shopping. I swear she does this deliberately to curtail my visits to the pub, as whilst we do need a weekly shop, let’s make do with one expedition, rather than several! Second rant of the day over, and after finishing my beer, I headed back along Mount Ephraim, passing the site of the long-demolished Kent & Sussex ("Kent and Snuff it", as it was jokingly called), but the site is now occupied by an upmarket, residential development. Not quite a "gated" one, but it might as well be. 

I’d probably just missed a bus, and there was quite a wait for the next one, so would my bladder hold out, even after a single pint? More importantly, would the public toilets, opposite Tonbridge station be open, or would the little "scrotes" have been up to their mischief, causing criminal damage? These little “treasures” will be old one day, and I sincerely wish they get caught in a place where there are no toilet facilities. Luckily, the facilities were open, and even more fortuitously, I only had a to wait a couple of minutes for the 219 bus, a service that saves a long, slow and tiring walk up Pembury Road, a thoroughfare that seems to go on forever!