A town has been left with just one pub after an historic haunt closed its doors.

The Monk's Head, in Snodland, has recently closed indefinitely, and left The Freemasons Arms as the only pub.

With thanks to The Malling Society and the Snodland Historical Society for information and pictures, here is a look at the pubs, past and present, of Snodland.

The Monk's Head

The Monk's Head, in Constitution Hill, is reportedly closed long-term as of June this year, although no time-frame has been given for a possible re-opening.

The pub dates back to the 1860s, when a man named George Barden moved to Snodland from a pub in Larkfield, which was also named The Monk's Head.

The pub was used to host the Hearts of Oak Benevolent Society, which was a medical club in the town, recorded in 1869.

Men from across the village would pay an entrance fee to join the club, and would then receive benefits in the event of sickness, death, or a wife's death.

The pub also hosted, in 1876, a branch of the Odd Fellows Lodge, an international fraternity similar to the Freemasons.

Barden's successor, Alban Burgess, was the landlord until 1893, when he moved to The Bricklayers Arms until his death in 1915.

Frank Victor Vickery was the landlord from 1970 to 1974, and had previously been the licensee at the Papermakers Arms, just down the road.

Now that the penultimate pub is closed indefinitely, the Freemasons Arms in Ham Hill is the only place for locals to grab a pint.

The Freemasons Arms

As Snodland's last pub standing, the Freemasons Arms has accomplished quite a feat.

The pub began its life in 1753, but it was known as The Bell until 1794, when its landlord John Herbert renamed it The Freemasons Arms.

Ambrose Gowar, the landlord here from 1854 to 1881, came from a family of pub landlords. He was the son of Richard Gowar, who became landlord of the Rising Sun at Holborough in 1847.

And Ambrose's nephew, also named Richard Gowar, was the landlord at The Bull, from 1878 to 1894.

Ambrose's widow Maria, then continued running the place after he passed away in 1882, until 1887.

While the Freemasons Arms is still alive and kicking, here is a look back on some of the pubs that have closed over the years.

The Bull and The Old Bull

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First records of this ancient pub that closed in 2014 date back to the 18th Century. During the period, there were two "Bull" pubs in Snodland – The Old Bull, on the east side of Holborough Road at its junction with the High Street, and The Bull, which was directly opposite, on the west.

The Old Bull is believed to pre-date The Bull, although its exact age is unclear. Its first reference was in 1727, in the will of a man named Richard Everest.

The Bull was then built in 1775. It was rebuilt several times, but the existing building on the corner of Holborough Road and Constitution Hill was erected in 1881.

The Old Bull is thought to only have been a pub for a short time, and became a grocer's or butcher shop in around 1800.

The Bull Inn across the road, which closed in 2014, has become a Co-op and a Post Office.

Residents disapproved of the historic pub becoming a supermarket after its closure, and local Lib Dem candidate at the time, Luke Chapman, launched an online petition against the proposed store.

At the time, an Enterprise Inns spokesman said: “Trade at the "Bull" has fallen to such an extent that we do not believe it can continue successfully as a licensed premises. After careful consideration, we decided to explore alternative uses and have agreed a lease which will secure the property's future and see it continue as a community asset.”

Chairman of Snodland Town Council, Cllr Anne Moloney, said: “We regret losing a pub but are happy to welcome a business that will offer good options to the local community.

“As a town we still have two pubs and two working men's clubs. I am yet to meet someone in the town who is opposed to the Co-op plan.”

Red Lion

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The only other ancient pub in Snodland, the Red Lion, closed in 2007 after a very long history. The earliest records of a house on that site date back to that of a man named Simon Spayn in the 15th Century. The next records, and the earliest surviving document for The Red Lion, appeared as a sale document in 1738.

John Hawkes was the landlord of the pub from 1810 to 1815, and his grandson and great-grandsons, both named Henry, were the landlords of The Rising Sun at Holborough from 1859 to 1881, and 1882 to 1900 respectively.

The pub is one of the oldest remaining buildings in the town, and it was once at the centre of the town before the Snodland bypass was built in the 1980s. Very few pictures remain of the internal structure of the pub, and the building was demolished in 2015. The Red Lion House now stands in its place.

The Snodland Historical Society was concerned with the lack of preservation of the building's history and is trying to find any possible photographs of the ancient pub.

The Queen's Head Hotel

This pub on the High Street, which closed in 1991 and is now an assisted living facility named Birling House, was first recorded in 1858, when the landlord was Thomas Castle.

The land was owned by Thomas Poynder, and the building was designed to serve travellers using the railway, after the station opened in 1856. Thomas Castle and his wife had previously been at the Five Bells in Halling, but Poynder convinced them to move to The Queen's Head.

Thomas Castle died in 1861, and the Queen's Head was taken over by his widow, Sarah.

George Wisdom was the landlord in 1878. He married his wife Violet in 1880, and she passed away in 1889, aged 28.

George then became the landlord of the Star Inn in Rochester, but passed away in Tonbridge in 1893, aged just 36.

Now, the former hotel and coach house is run by The Mortimer Society and houses 31 residents.

The Victory

The Victory was demolished when the Snodland bypass was built in the early 1980s, but the first records of this High Street pub are from 1866.

In 1979 the building ceased to have residents because it was awaiting demolition, but it stood close to the Red Lion in its lifetime.

Prince of Wales

Much like The Victory, this pub was demolished in the early 1980s, when the Snodland bypass was built. But its earliest record is from 1870, when George Lurcock and his wife, Sarah, who had been the gardener and housekeeper to Mr Samuel Lee at Holborough, were the landlords. The next landlord, who had taken over by 1878, was George's brother-in-law William Chittenden, who ran the pub until 1900. William had previously worked as a bricklayer, and a gardener and coachman.

The Rising Sun

The Rising Sun, which, much like many other pubs in the area, was demolished in the early 1980s when the Snodland and Halling bypass was built, is believed to have started its life in 1847.

A man named Richard Gowar moved his business there and continued to own the building after being succeeded as landlord, before passing the property onto his son Ambrose, who had also been the landlord for The Freemasons Arms from 1854 to 1881.

Henry Hawkes married Richard Gowar's granddaughter Eliza Ann and took over as landlord in 1859.

Henry's grandfather John Hawkes was the landlord for the Red Lion.

Bricklayers Arms

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This Holborough Road pub closed back in January 1974, and is now residential housing, however it spent over a century as a beerhouse.

In 1871, the pub was named The Brickmakers Arms, and a man named William Moore was recorded as a bricklayer and beerseller at the location. His family had been living in the building for some time already.

The name changed to The Bricklayers Arms in 1883, shortly after William's son Arthur succeeded him as landlord in 1882. Arthur had previously been a butcher and by 1891 he was a butcher at Prospect Place, in the same road.

Alban Burgess, former landlord of The Monk's Head, moved to the Bricklayers Arms in 1893, and was succeeded at his death in 1916 by his widow, Emma Burgess, and then his son, Frank.

The Wheatsheaf (and the Papermill)

The Wheatsheaf was in the old Mill Street, which no longer exists. The pub was built by Charles Townsend Hook, who had taken over the Snodland paper mill in 1854 at the age of 22. The pub was built in 1868, outside the mill entrance, to serve the increasing number of workers in the town. It was let to the Wateringbury brewers F. Leney and Sons for 21 years, but after Charles died, his sisters, who were big advocates for the Temperance movement, closed the pub.

The only landlord during this time was William Mills. He and his wife Emma had 13 children who lived at The Wheatsheaf.

In place of where the pub once stood is the Smurfit Kappa Townsend Hook Paper Mill. The paper mill was expanded over the years and the pub was therefore demolished.

Another pub named The Papermill is believed to have been sited near to the paper mill in what was once Mill Street. Similarly, it only had one tenant, a Mrs Jane Munt. She is thought to have been the landlady there between 1744 and 1759.

The Papermakers Arms

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Finally, here is a look at one historic building that has stood the test of time, although this is not a pub but an off-licence. The Papermakers Arms is still trading in its Constitution Hill site, long since it was first recorded in 1871.

The first licensee recorded is Harriet Durling, an unmarried woman born in 1836. Her brother George took over in 1873, followed by the pair's other brother Joshua in 1874. Their father George Senior was a brewer in Meopham, and he was the keeper of the Plough beerhouse in Culverstone Green.

The licensee here in 1964 was Frank Victor Vickery, who became the landlord of The Monk's Head, a few doors down the road, in 1970.

Today, it has kept its name and continues to trade as an off-licence.

For more lost pubs, click here for the lost pubs of Maidstone, and here for the lost pubs of Medway.