Every pub in Tonbridge - No. 13 out of 15 - the George & Dragon

As part of my ongoing quest to visit 100+ pubs during the course of a calendar year, I realised I was inching close to another goal, not quite as impressive, or in the same league as the main one, but by an objective that was both achievable and relatively easy to complete.  The goal was also a simple one, as well as a logical one. The idea was to visit every pub in Tonbridge, but at the time of embarking on this quest, I had no idea how many public houses there are in the town. The answer to that question is there are a lot less public houses in Tonbridge than you might think, and if I told you there were only 15, then I’m sure you would have been as surprised as I was, when I totalled them all up.

I’ve spent the past five decades living in this pleasant, West Kent, market town, a period that is far longer than all the other places put together, that I’ve resided in. It’s also worth considering that there were five years preceding those 50, when I was employed in the town at a company that has long since vanished. Leaving aside all the other things that have occurred during that extended period, re-marrying, three house moves, the birth of a son and heir, saying a sad, but fond farewell to both my parents, running my own business, and then working for five separate companies – all in the private sector, then it’s not surprising that I’ve seen a lot of changes.

Some of those changes involve the continuing loss of pubs within Tonbridge and its immediate environs, and whilst some of those losses involved places that weren’t exactly National Inventory “Gems”, or places you'd wish to spend much time in, there were others that are sorely missed, even to this day. I haven’t got the time, or the patience at present, to rake through old records or revisit some of my own memories, but I might be persuaded to, one of these days.

Instead, I want to describe, briefly, a visit to pub No. 13 on the Tonbridge list, and pub No. 106 on my total list, so far, for 2025. The pub in question is amongst the oldest buildings in the town, and is a survivor, as well. The reason I have left it so late in the day are it’s awkward opening hours, and its position at the far end of the High Street, a location that makes it almost, but not quite, the most northerly public house in Tonbridge. I finally managed to set foot in the place yesterday, as being a Saturday the pub in question opened at the far more useful time of midday, rather than the usual weekday time of 4pm. The George & Dragon has, for as long as I can remember, been a sports-oriented pub with a large area to the left of the bar, dedicate to pool and darts. There are a number of televisions showing all major sporting events, spaced around the pub.  

Of more interest to me was the comfortable seating area, set around a substantial log-burning stove, to the right of the main bar. There is also and a large patio and garden to the rear of the building, although given the freezing temperatures we’ve been experiencing lately, this attraction is obviously reserved for warmer times of the year. There are regular quizzes and live music evenings and burgers and pizzas are served Wednesday to Friday evenings and weekends.  

In short, the George & Dragon is a no-nonsense pub, with decent, well-maintained furnishings. It is set up to work effectively for everyone, whether that’s families looking for a garden, groups wanting good pub grub or just a couple of blokes calling in for a pint. Beer wise, I was pleased to notice that Harvey’s XXXX Old Ale was available, alongside regular stalwarts, Harvey’s Best and Tonbridge Coppernob. Normally I would have jumped at the Harvey’s Old, but with a 5-litre mini cask of the beer at home, and still only half drunk, I opted for the Best instead.

Summing up, Tonbridge pub No. 13 proved well worth visiting, my only gripe being the lack of weekday, lunchtime opening. The G&D management obviously have their reasons for this and given the pub’s location on the northern edge of the town centre, I suspect there is insufficient trade to warrant opening. Things were different 40+ years ago when Mrs PBT’s and I worked on the nearby industrial estate, and the pub was sufficiently close for a quick pint, plus ham, egg and chips. Lunchtime drinking, especially on a Friday, was an accepted and relatively common practice, back then, but times change as does the work environment itself.

We’ll leave things here, although I am not expecting such a positive story from either of the two remaining Tonbridge pubs. For a start, both are “fizzers”, a term used by an old, and now sadly departed friend from my days with Maidstone CAMRA, who used the word to describe a keg-only establishment. One, is a back-street local, which once majored on cask, but is now just another rather, cliquey “sports bar”. The other is  the type of establishment that needs to employ “door men” or “bouncers” on Friday and Saturday nights. I shall have to pick a quiet time for visiting that one!