The
Greyhound at Charcott isn’t the nearest pub to where I
work, although it is the second closest. It’s a
10–15-minute stroll away, with
a choice of two routes, one of which means keeping one’s wits about oneself due
to the way drivers treat a country lane, as a racetrack. That road is known as
Camp Hill, and I imagine here that the name refers to a former gypsy
encampment, rather than the former grass-track airfield that occupied the
flatland between the
B 2027 and
Camp Hill. Known both before and during the
Second World War, as
Penshurst Airfield, this rather primitive facility closed a
year after the cessation of hostilities, and today its use alternates between
arable purposes and sheep grazing.
With
the Greyhound a short stroll away from my workplace, and close to the route of my
regular lunchtime walks, it’s surprising that I don’t pop in that regularly. Tempting
though it is, the reason I don’t often call in, is simply because I find it hard
to stay awake, during the afternoon and even a single pint could see me dozing
off in front of my computer screen. Wednesday was different though, as the
Greyhound was the host venue for the company’s Summer Party. Despite holding an annual Christmas bash, yesterday’s event was the first summer get-together that the
firm has arranged during the 20 years I have been employed there.
Apart from a small number of employees, who didn’t wish to attend,
the majority of the workforce headed up to the
Greyhound at
2pm. I’d caught the
train in that morning, as whilst I wasn’t intending to have skinful, I still
wanted the chance to enjoy a few pints that afternoon. To say it was hot
walking up to the pub, would be an understatement on what has since proved to
be the hottest
June day on record. (I believe that today, was actually hotter!) Some keen members of staff were already there, having either driven up,
or bunked off work early. We’d all been handed a couple of
drinks tokens each,
although for those not driving like me, or not wishing to return to work after
(virtually no-one), the opportunity was there, to buy as many additional drinks
as they wished. I ended up with an extra token, given to me by a non-drinking
colleague, as did several others.
In view of the warm weather, the Greyhound had laid out an extensive
buffet selection of finger food, inside the left-hand part of the pub, although
given the glorious summer weather, and the pleasant shady (in parts) garden,
virtually all of us chose to take our plates of food outside. As well as our party of 40+
persons, the pub had its own individual customers turning up, both regular and causal.
It all made for an excellent and ultra-relaxed afternoon, and from many people’s
point of view it provided the perfect opportunity to mingle with people from
other departments and different areas of the factory.
Beer wise, there was a choice of three cask ales, with two from local
brewer,
Larkin’s, plus
Best Bitter from
Sussex-based,
Three Acre Brewery. There
was also a hand-pump dispensed, cask cider from
Charrington’s (weren’t they once
a brewer?). I enjoyed a cool, and well-kept pint of the rarely seen,
Larkin’s
Pale, plus one of
Three Acre Best. For my final pint, I opted for a chilled
pint of
Hofmeister which, like the other beers, slipped down a treat.
By 4pm, people were slowly starting to slip off, so after reviewing the
train times, I decided to beat a retreat of my own. I allowed plenty of time
for the walk across the former airfield, and grateful to the cooling breezes
that sprung up from time to time. I was grateful also that the train arrived on
time, and that the air-conditioning was running. I then had a hot wait for a
bus home, as there was no way that I wanted to walk back uphill to Bailey Towers.
So, all in all, an enjoyable and from the company’s point of view, a successful
event. There’s not much in the way of photos, as not only have I lost the habit
of snapping away wildly with my phone, but I wasn’t sure how my various colleagues
would feel at having their visages slapped across my blog. If you want to know more
about the smashing little country pub, that is the Greyhound, here are a few links to some previous articles I have written about the place.
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