In Chiddingstone, at the castle gates

Last Sunday, on one of the hottest days of the year so far, I made a brief visit to the historic, Castle Inn, situated in the equally historic village of Chiddingstone. I’d been called into work unexpectedly, because the intruder alarm system in the factory was indicating a potential, unauthorised entry, and the mobile patrol officer despatched by the monitoring station, had contacted me, as one of the authorised key-holders. Fortunately, it was a false alarm, a fact I ascertained the following day, when I contacted the alarm company, but my presence in the vicinity plus the stifling hot weather, provided the perfect excuse to go looking for a pint. And where better than the aforementioned Castle Inn, less than 10 minutes’ drive away?

It must be at least a couple of years since I last set foot in Castle, despite the pub only being 10 minutes’ drive away from my workplace, but with narrow roads, and a lack of car-parking spaces, it’s not the sort of pub that leads itself to nipping in for a quick lunchtime pint. This is a pity, as this lovely old 15^th century inn, oozes both history and charm, in equal doses. Like much of the village, the Castle Inn is owned by the National Trust, after being bequeathed to the charity during the 1930’s. Parking has always been something of an issue, in a settlement which has remained largely unchanged since it was sold to the Trust, but normally, there are sufficient parking spaces by the side of the road, between the church and the village shop- post office. But on a baking hot Sunday lunchtime, opportunities for parking seemed few and far between. 

Fortunately, luck was on my side, because just down from where the road makes a sharp turn to the right, (in order to avoid the stately pile known as Chiddingstone Castle), there were a couple of spaces, close up to a hedge, and what’s more, there was plenty of shade available – a real bonus, on such a scorching day. After parking my vehicle, I strolled up towards the Castle Inn, pleased to observe that nothing had changed. But it had, because the pub hadn’t long re-opened, following an extended, and enforced period closure of that lasted for 16 months.

 The closure followed the unexpected discovery of a deep, and hidden medieval well beneath the building, which had collapsed. Unfortunately, what began as a structural concern quickly became a much more complex issue, as the collapsed well had led to both soil erosion and a significant amount of subsidence which made the building unsafe. With the pub closed, a team of structural engineers and dedicated conservation specialists was engaged to stabilise and restore the historic inn. The team worked tirelessly, to ensure the safety of this historic old inn, for generations to come, but with the renovation and restoration that followed such a long period of closure, it wasn’t until the beginning of June that the pub finally opened its doors to the public. You can read more about this unfortunate, but ultimately successful event in the Castle’s long history, by clicking here, on the link.

Chiddingstone, with its well-preserved row of old houses, and a church dating back to 1120, has been described as the most perfect surviving example of a Tudor village in the country. The settlement is allegedly named after the nearby Chiding Stone, a large sandstone rock formation, which tradition asserts was used as a seat of judgement, mainly to remonstrate overbearing local wives. What about the overbearing husbands? It lies well off the beaten track, and this has, no doubt helped preserve both its character and its charm. Ownership by the National Trust, has no doubt helped as well, particularly over the past 90+ years, or so.

Driving into the village from the east, and passing the entrance to the well-known Larkin’s Brewery, travellers will see on their right, the Grade II listed, church of St. Mary’s, which is said to be the fourth place of worship, built on the site. Opposite, is the village school, followed by the row of old cottages, mentioned above. One of these houses the village shop and post office, but separated from the others, at the end of the row, is the 15^th century Castle Inn, rightly described as Chiddingstone’s crowning glory. Next to the pub, and where the road veers off to the right, are the gates to Chiddingstone Castle, a former manor house with Tudor origins. The building was remodelled in the 19^th century to resemble a medieval castle – more about that later on.

Despite its slightly isolated location, I have made quite a few visits to the Castle Inn over the years, and several of these have been chronicled on this blog. But given the events of the past 16 months, I was slightly concerned as I approached the open door of the pub, although at the same time I was glad to get away from the intense heat, and into the cool interior of the pub itself. Fortunately, very little seemed to have changed, as I stepped into the staunchly traditional, Public Bar. 

With its quarry-tiled floor, low-beamed ceiling and log burning stove, (obviously unlit last weekend), the bar is the haunt of proper country types, who visit in their working clothes, often accompanied by their (working) dogs. It is a place where the world gets put to right and where the cares of everyday life can be forgotten for a while over a well-kept pint of Larkin's beer, brewed just a few hundred yards down the road. right-hand public bar and really is like stepping back in time to a simpler age. 

Larkin’s founder, head brewer and former owner, the late Bob Dockerty, was one of the regulars here, and a photo of him hangs adjacent to his favourite chair, next to the bar. It’s almost as though he was keeping an eye on proceedings. Other characters include farm workers, gamekeepers, foresters and other assorted “country folk”, but on Sunday the crowd was perhaps, a little more "refined." 

Given the tropical temperatures outside, or perhaps because of them, the Castle seemed a little quiet, but then my explorations didn’t take me through into the snug and adjoining Saloon Bar. What I did take a look at was the small “Private Bar,” immediately to the right of the entrance. I don’t think I’d ever seen this room before, but with its mis-matched tables and chairs, plus an antique bookcase and mirrors, it had that old-fashioned, country-house feel to it.  

Back in the Public Bar, Larkin’s Traditional plus the ubiquitous Harvey’s Sussex Best were the two cask ales on sale. I opted for the “Trad” as it’s universally known, partly because I was driving, but also because I fancied something a little lighter. I’m not usually a massive fan of Trad, but on that scorching hot Sunday, it really hit the spot. (I had the same experience, yesterday evening, at the Little Brown Jug in Chiddingstone Causeway, but that’s another story!) The biggest and most pleasant surprise though, was the price of the beer at a very reasonable £4.00 a pint. Not bad for an upmarket pub in a National Trust village!

 I ventured outside, to finish my drink, and to keep an eye out on the comings and goings at both pub plus country pile, and after finishing my pint, and returning the empty glass to the bar, I decided to take a peep at Chiddingstone Castle. 

The gate was unlocked, and there was no one manning it, or indeed requesting entrance money, so I followed the shady woodland path, through the trees, and towards a wooden footbridge. This spanned a cool-looking stretch of still water, covered with lily-pads and shaded on both sides by overhanging trees. The woodland suddenly opened up on the other side of the bridge, exposing Chiddingstone Castle, in all it glory.

I didn’t want to visit the castle, although on closer inspection one can see that it’s an obvious, Victorian fake. It has been owned and lived in by an eclectic mix of people: the Streatfeild family, Lord Astor, members of the military, during WWII, Long Dene School and the collector Denys Eyre Bower, who bought Chiddingstone Castle in 1955 to house his extensive collections of art and antiquities. His dream was to share his collections with the nation and to preserve them for future generations. 

After his death in 1977, a charitable trust was set up to honour his wish. I’ve never visited the place, unlike a number of my Japanese colleagues, no doubt drawn by the extensive collections of Japanese lacquer-wares, samurai swords and armour, plus articulated iron models of animals, all the result of a lifetime’s work by a gifted and dedicated collector. Today, the house hosts wedding receptions, plus other private functions, and is far more extensive than first appears. So, worth a visit, if you are in the area, either before, or after a beer or two at the Castle!