Kent pubs that closed in the 1990s
05:00, 10 December 2022
updated: 12:19, 10 December 2022
In 1990 there were 111 pubs per 100,000 people in the UK. By 2020 this had dropped to just 58.
Those that closed in the Nineties in Kent have been either demolished or converted for a variety of uses - including residential homes, a McDonald's and a GP surgery.
Using our archives and the dover-kent.com website, we've compiled a list of some of the Kent boozers we loved - but sadly lost - during that unforgettable decade...
The Fortune of War, Maidstone
The much-loved venue served its last pint after 274 years on New Year's Day 1992.
It was pushed to close due to rising rent and lack of custom, but in its prime hosted many bar sport teams and was a classic drinker's pub.
The site has now been turned into residential flats which still have some of the original pub features.
The White Swan, Lenham
The earliest records of The White Swan are in 1861 with a change of ownership.
The pub was run by Albert and Pat Wickinson between 1969 and 1991.
After they left it changed hand a few times, but had lost it charm, and closed in 1999.
Today the pub is a residential home.
The Mounted Rifleman, Luddenham
The Mounted Rifleman near Faversham has a vibrant history. Most interestingly, it had no bar.
There was just a cellar below and the landlord, John Austin, would bring up drinks on a tray.
There was huge uproar from locals when the closure of the pub was announced in the early 1990s and the news reached local TV.
The pub had been owned by the same family for well over 100 years.
It was sold as a private house. However, the painted sign on the front of the building has been kept.
The Rorty Crankle, Plaxtol
Originally called The New Inn, this pub was badly damaged by a bomb during the Second World War.
After repairs, it started operating under The Rorty Crankle, which means Happy Corner in Gaelic.
The pub closed in 1994 and is now a quirky house.
The Railway Hotel, Dartford
This pub in Greenhithe, near Dartford, closed in 1998 and became a McDonald's a year or so later.
It was open as early as 1851, and added the word Hotel to it name later on.
The McDonald's that is there now is currently closed, in order to add a drive-thru.
The Ship Inn, Maidstone
This inn started trading in 1538 on Gabriels Hill.
It closed some time in the 1990s and was turned into a café, but is now part of The Golden Boot, a luxury shoe store.
The large building is Grade II-listed.
Hotel St James, Dover
The Hotel St James was a guest and public house situated on Harold Street near the Dover coastline.
After suffering a deliberate fire in 1990, the 125-year-old establishment closed.
The historic building was demolished in 1998, and St James surgery was built in its place.
The First and Last, Margate
This establishment ran from 1826 to the late 1990s.
One licensee had a stuffed three-legged lamb which he kept in a glass cabinet on proud display in the brewery.
The building on Vicarage Place has been turned into flats but still boasts the beautiful old inscriptions from its hey-day.
The Startled Saint, West Malling
The Startled Saint was the local pub for the aircrews and ground staff stationed at RAF West Malling both during and after the Second World War.
The pub once served pints to Dambusters leader Guy Gibson.
The last pint was pulled in 1992 after a fairly short 61 years operating.
Plans were put forward in 2019 to demolish it and replace it with residential homes.
The Castle Inn, Faversham
This quaint inn along West Street, Faversham, was serving beer as early as 1450.
It was the first public house ever owned by Shepherd Neame who took over the site in 1711.
The pub closed in the late 1990s and the Grade II-listed building is now a private house.
The Trumpeter Inn, Ashford
The Trumpeter was formerly known as The Wellesley Inn but changed its name sometime in the late 60s to early 70s.
Located on Somerset Road in the centre of the town, the pub closed in the late 1990s.
After remaining abandoned for several years, it was refurbished as a Domino's pizza outlet.
Bouverie Arms, Folkestone
This old pub now stands derelict as the Precious Times nursery that once occupied the building in Cheriton Road was permanently closed in 2018.
The free house first opened in 1855 and saw lots of action in its time, including stabbings and thefts.
It sadly closed in 1997.
The Coach House, Canterbury
The first pub on the site (then called The Coach and Horses) was destroyed in the Blitz of 1942, and moved to another area of St Georges Street.
The building went through many deed and name changes in its time, before being changed from a pub to a Stagecoach South East booking office in April 1999.
The site was demolished in 2000 and is now occupied by part of the Whitefriars shopping centre.
The Royal Dragoon, Canterbury
This pub was named such to attract military men in the area after the Napoleonic Wars.
It was first opened in 1865 and housed a graveyard in the beer garden.
The headstones were removed sometime ago but the bodies still remain.
The Grade II-listed building is now a private residence, which holds on to its rich history with the name Royal Dragoon House.
The Admiral Beatty, Gravesend
Opening in 1946, this pub was located in Valley Drive, before closing in 1998 and being flattened the following year.
The site is now home to three houses.
New Town Tavern, Dartford
This pub in Fulwich Road opened in 1867 to serve workmen constructing a development in the New Town area of Dartford.
It was part of the Truman's tied estate in its latter days.
The pub closed in 1995 and has since been converted into residential accommodation.
The White Horse, Herne Bay
This pub in Avenue Road began serving in 1838 but closed its doors permanently in 1994.
The site looks quite similar today, and appears to have been turned into flats.
The Prince of Wales, Gillingham
The pub opened in Mill Road, Gillingham, originally called Fox Road, in 1852.
It closed sometime in 1999 and was then turned into flats, but has kept many of its original features.
The Piccadilly, Chatham
Previously called the Tam O'Shanter, the pub changed name sometime around the 1970s.
It first opened in 1851.
After it closed its doors in the mid-1990s, the abandoned pub suffered a fire, leading to it being demolished and turned into flats. However the old sign still remains.
The Red Lion, Sandwich
The Red Lion, on Salt Pans, Stonar, located along Sandwich Road was a regular for travellers.
It also served the labourers at the Salt Pan Works nearby.
The inn was opened in about 1821 and continued operating until early 1990.
The site where the pub once stood now appears to have been taken over by a waste disposal company.
The Man of Kent, Sheerness
This establishment was operating some time before 1881 and had a saloon bar and a public bar, with three separate doors leading to different areas.
It was on 40 Clyde Street, and closed in the mid-1990s.
The pub is now residential flats.
The Chalk Tavern, Sittingbourne
Founded in 1899 as a beer house, this pub was owned by Whitbread, and was situated on Basset Road.
It sadly closed in 1998, and is now a private house.
Walmer Castle Tavern, Ramsgate
This pub at 9 Adelaide Gardens had a children's room and saloon bar alongside the main public house.
It shut down sometime near 1990, and is now a beautiful house.
The Stag's Head, Tonbridge
The Stag's Head at 9 Stafford Road started serving in 1821, and continued to do so for over 165 years until it closed in the 1990s.
The building remains abandoned and derelict to this day, with cracking paint and boarded-up windows.
The Lord Cornwallis, Royal Tunbridge Wells
This pub was demolished in the early 1990s to make way for a mini roundabout and a new Sainsbury's.
In its day, it was situated on the end of the Carlton Hotel, opposite the train station.
It opened on Eridge Road in 1937, with the building previously being part of the hotel.
The Chequers Inn, Biddenden
Traced back to 1855, the original building was demolished and rebuilt in 1892.
It is rumoured that during the demolition a box was found containing the mummified remains of a young infant.
The pub unfortunately closed and is now the Golden Kitchen Chinese restaurant, having previously also housed an estate agents.
The Rising Sun, Whitstable
The reason for this pub's closure in 1992 was that it was built on a spring and the footings had washed away.
So, it was knocked down and new houses were built.
It was found in One Harwich Street and first opened in 1863.
The Rock Tavern, Borough Green
This building has an interesting history.
When it was being built a large lump of stone was found which was too big to move, so they built the walls around it.
It went through the brick and was visible both inside and outside the pub.
The premises opened between 1861 and 1872. Sadly, in 1993 it was bought by developers and demolished.
It is now residential houses.
The Rose and Crown, Brenchley
The unique design of this pub's hanging sign can still be seen today. However, it is now a private residence.
The Grade II-listed building on Brenchley High Street stopped functioning as a pub in 1999 after 200 years of service.
The Lord Nelson, Dartford
This inn opened in London Road in the 1860s and continued operating until January 1991.
It was first converted into a Balti restaurant called Ghandi's Spice. However it didn't last very long, and in 2002 two terraced houses came in its place.
The Black Bull, Newchurch
The Black Bull had no car park and was located in a tiny village. It closed in 1995.
The pub in Mill Lane was owned by Shepherd Neame at its close, after 173 years operating.
It is believed to have been built from old ships' timbers, and is now a private house.
The Queen's Head, Snodland
The Queen's Head opened in 1858 in Snodland high street.
The pub had a large garden with stables in, and it's thought it was originally a coaching inn.
In 1991 the pub closed and was brought by The Mortimer Society.
It is now a care home called Birling House for adults with learning and physical disabilities, housing 29 residents.
The New Castle Inn, Alkham
This inn was in the tiny village of Ewell Minnis, just outside Alkham near Dover.
It opened as early as 1913, and served until 1995.
At some point the pub was known as The Castle Inn and it suffered a fire. It moved location down the road, changing name to The Newcastle Inn.
The Victory Inn, Dartford
It is unclear when this public house opened. However it was operating in at least 1902.
It unfortunately closed in 1998, and is now operating as the Pizza GoGo takeaway.
The Duke of Edinburgh, Bexleyheath
The Duke of Edinburgh in Broadway in Bexleyheath opened in 1869, and sadly closed in 1995 after is was purchased by the council and then demolished to make way for a new development.
The site now holds a nine-screen Cineworld cinema.
The Duke's Head, Bromley
This free-house was open as early as 1832, and was neighbours of fellow pubs the Forester and The Rose and Crown.
After closing in 1993, the pub was turned into a Northern Rock outlet, and then became a Virgin Money store in 2013, which it remains.
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