A Sevenoaks selection

On a rather cold Friday, I took the bus over to nearby Sevenoaks, with the express purpose of visiting a couple of pubs, at the top end of the town. By “top end” I am referring to the old part of Sevenoaks, that is close to the historic pile of Knole Park. Travelling over from Tonbridge by road-based transportation rather than rail was a deliberate decision on my part, and it wasn’t a money saving one either. You see, whilst I can travel by bus f.o.c. arriving in the town by motorised transport allows the option of reaching the precise area of Sevenoaks that suits your agenda. This is in complete contrast to arriving by train, because the town’s rail station is right at the bottom of the town (northern end), meaning a steep climb up to the centre of Sevenoaks.

This suited my agenda, as the pubs I had in mind are all at the top end of town, which is the oldest part of Sevenoaks. Travelling from Tonbridge, I took the No.4 Go-Coach service, a fairly new operator on the route between the two towns, although if I’m honest, I only boarded this bus because it came arrived a few minutes before the No.402 Arriva service that I planned to take. The bus dropped me at Sevenoaks bus station, a facility that is now missing from the majority of UK towns. The compact, but functional bus station has its own café, plus some all-important toilet facilities, handily situated for use, prior to boarding the bus home!

I’d originally bookmarked two pubs to visit, but after passing the recently re-vamped Chequers Inn (possibly the oldest pub in town), I couldn’t resist calling in for a quick look – and a quick beer! St Austell Tribute was my choice, but I could have gone for Harvey’s Best or “Chequers Ale” a house beer, brewed by Greene King apparently, and probably just re-badged, GK IPA. As mentioned, the pub had received a makeover, although apart from new carpets and comfy chairs, the two bars didn’t seem that different to what I remember.

I ended up drinking up quickly, because the quiet area I was sitting in, admittedly quite close to the bar, was “invaded” for want of a better word, by what seemed to be a pre-arranged, works reunion. Mostly female, with a token male participant, it was rather OTT and "lovey-dovey", for my liking. With hindsight I’d have been better off round in the other section of the bar, where a log-burner was radiating some welcome heat. No pictures, I’m afraid, as there was just too many people present, and not for the only time either, that day.

Departing via the rear entrance, which was close to the toilets, I crossed London Road and then turned into South Park. This road is home to Sevenoaks Post Office, and it's a real rarity these days to find a proper PO, rather than just a counter crammed into a local newsagents or convenience store. This configuration might be because there is still a postal sorting office to the rear of the Sevenoaks facility.

A short distance along South Park, and just opposite the sorting office, is the South Park Tap, a micro-pub which opened in May 2023 in a former café and sandwich bar. The Tap is a welcome addition to the town’s drinking scene and features a green-tiled facade leading into an attractively furnished and decorated interior. There are two drinking areas, set on different levels, with the rear one accessed down some quite steep steps. There is also a very small outside courtyard, but with temperatures hovering around 6° Celsius, I gave that area a miss.

With two Tonbridge Brewery beers on tap, along with one from Canterbury Ales (The Pardoners), there was a reasonable sized group of drinkers milling around the bar when I arrived. Unfortunately, by the time I’d finished my pint of Tonbridge IPA, there was only me, sitting by myself on the comfortable bench seating, opposite the bar. Something I said? I asked the young lad, sitting behind the bar and glued to his phone, how trade had been. 

He said business had been OK, and he was waiting for a pre-booked group of drinkers to turn up alter in the afternoon. As well as a well-kept pint served to me in a dimpled mug, the Tap had Tayto ready-salted crisps as part of their snack offering. Tayto crisps are a rare sight, on this side of the Irish Sea, but Mrs PBT’s and I enjoyed a few packs last spring, when our cruise ship stopped off in Cobh (the port town for Cork).

It was time to move on, and there wasn’t far to go to the third pub of the day. I’d walked past it earlier, when looking for somewhere to purchase a roll, or similar lunchtime snack. Tucked away, down a pedestrian access running between London Road and the High Street, is the Restoration, a Shepherd Neame pub. Formerly known as the Black Boy, the pub changed its name to its current one, a few years ago, and underwent a complete makeover at the same time. The name change is said to maintain the link to Charles II, known at the time of his reign as a “black boy”. Regardless of its name change, the pub dates back to reign of the aforementioned king, although given the extent of recent alterations, it’s difficult to confirm its antiquity.

The Restoration was certainly buzzing last Friday afternoon, primarily with “ladies that lunch”. The “Reserved” signs on many of the unoccupied tables, hinted at the expected trade, later in the day. Master Brew plus Whitstable Bay Pale were the two cask offerings, and I plumped for the latter, served to me by one of two pleasant and friendly girls behind the bar.  As with the Chequers, opportunities for internal photos were non-existent, so you’ll have to make do with a couple of exterior shots. This issue aside, it was good to see the Restoration enjoying a buoyant and vibrant trade.

I left the pub, and headed back towards the bus station, stopping at the town’s Bagel Station shop to pick up a cream cheese and smoked salmon bagel, served warm, straight from the griddle. This was my first visit to the Sevenoaks bagel outlet, and with the décor and signage practically identical to the recently opened Tonbridge store, I naturally assumed they were both part of the same group. Sorry for mentioning it, I thought, as the individual serving me was quite off when I referred to the Tonbridge outlet – so perhaps it is a breakaway store, that split away from the established one, after a falling out. People can get quite petty and protective, but in response to a perfectly innocent and well-meaning question on my part, why be such an arse?

That aside, the shop was doing a roaring trade, numbering office staff, shop workers and sixth former's amongst its queuing customers. I wandered back to the bus station, plonked myself down on a bench and got stuck into my bagel. A trifle too rich perhaps, but it was the combination written up on the menu board that caught my attention. I finished my lunch just before the 402-bus turned up, which was just as well, as eating on board is no doubt frowned upon. I’d already upset one individual at his place of work and didn’t want to upset another.

After a speedy journey back to Tonbridge, I waited for the connecting bus that would take me close to the top of my road. As I walked down the road, I bumped into the neighbour I’d spoken to earlier that morning. Nick has agreed to carry out a spot of tree work for me, on a couple of trees that have got a little out of hand. As we were both passing Bailey Towers,  he came over for a closer look, and on that note my trip over to Sevenoaks, drew to a conclusion.