All hail the "Holy Goat"

Last October, I wrote a post about a Tonbridge pub, called the Somerhill. Named after the nearby country pile of the D-Avidor Goldsmid family - the local big-wigs, cum-Lords of the Manor, the Somerhill has experienced quite a chequered history over the past 40 years or so. I won't go over any of that now, but the reason for last autumn's post was the renovation work being carried out at the pub, which followed on from a period of prolonged closure. All sorts of rumours began circulating, whilst at the same time work on the building's exterior continue apace.

From what we could see the renovation looked to be of a high standard, and having secured the outside, with a re-laid roof, replacement windows, and several coats of paint - including changing the exterior colour scheme from creamy white, to a rather striking green, work switched to the interior. It was difficult to see what was going on internally, especially after the fitters applied a coat of white-wash to all the window panes.

Speculation grew as to the pub's owners, as well as its new name, especially after the sign was removed, although most locals thought that the original name would be retained. They were wrong on that count, but it wasn't until Mrs PBT's and I returned from our Norwegian cruise that the name of the renovated establishment was revealed, even though the sign is yet to be replaced (the substantial, and original, concrete post remains in place, topped by an empty, supporting metal frame). I'm going to tease you all a while longer, especially as you are highly unlikely to guess the pub's new name.

The pub finally opened its doors over the Easter period in what is described in pub/club/venue parlance as a "soft opening." With family commitments over the holiday period, it wasn't until Easter Monday that I finally had the chance to set foot inside the bizarrely-named, "Holy Goat"! Yes, you read that correctly, the former Somerhill is now named after on of the most unlikely domesticated animals imaginable. The pub was buzzing as I approached, with drinkers spread out across the Goat's three interlinked bar areas, including the "snug" and, given the fine weather, sat outside in the surprisingly extensive garden, at the rear. I'd already been warned by some CAMRA friends that the pub wasn't stocking cask, at least to begin with, but I was advised that "must stock" local beer Harvey's Best would be making an appearance in the not too distant future. 

The three staff members behind the bar had their work cut out keeping up with customer orders, and it was good to see the place nice and busy. It seemed that a limited food offer was also available, in the form of "hot platters", but I couldn't' really see quite what was on the menu. I would say the majority of the clientele were in the 30-40 year age bracket, even though I'm not that good at estimating peoples' ages, but what I wasn't impressed with was the arrival of a couple of "yummy mummies" with toddlers in pushchairs that took up a significant amount of space, internally. The two "little people" were then lifted out, and more or less left to their own devices - allowed to stagger, or perhaps I should say "waddle" around on their own whilst their entitled mothers, caught up with friends that were already present.

I know there has been a lot of controversy recently, regarding children in pubs, and this isn't really an avenue I want to go down, but unsupervised toddlers, barely able to stand and walk properly, should NOT be left to their own devices in a crowded pub environment, where drinks and/or hot food is being moved around. A number of slightly older youngsters, also found it amusing to run in and out of the toilets - again, in a totally unsupervised manner. As far as I could make out, nothing was said to the respective parents/owners, but with the bar staff rushed off their feet, the chance of a rebuke or reprimand was either missed, or perhaps felt inappropriate in the context of the re-opening.  

I shall leave the matter there, but having made my views clear, await the inevitable backlash. It's easy to understand CAMRA's reluctance to get involved on this topic, as parents, understandably, are very defensive when it comes to criticism of their off-spring. What I would say to the yummy mummy/mother earth types is, by letting your kids run wild, you are doing them  a disservice, and you are also spoiling things for the majority of parents who don't behave in this manner. With any luck, what I witnessed the other day, was just a glitch, although if it happens again, then I'm confident that pub staff will know how to deal with it. More to the point I don't wish to let a couple of isolated incidents spoil things for the majority of sensible and responsible parents. The same goes for the children themselves, as in common with adults, kids need barriers they can conform to and are happy with.

I shall keep readers informed on what is happening at the Holy Goat, and will advise, if and when cask is available. Finally, as one of three pubs within sensible walking distance of Bailey Towers, I have a vested interest in seeing this place succeed!