Pubs we've lost

[Deleted]

Walking back from the game today, and passing (at least) three ex-pubs, I thought it might be interesting (if depressing) to list all those that have disappeared.

I'll start with the few I know, and update this post as people add others. I fear the list is going to be a long one...

(Updated 7 Nov 2017)

The Fountain, corner of Tonbridge Road and Fountain Lane, Barming - now an Indian restaurant

The Admiral Gordon, corner of Tonbridge Road and Milton St - now a shop

Fant Arms, Upper Fant Road - converted to houses

Coopers Cask, corner of Lower Fant Road and Bower Lane - converted into houses

Anchor & Hope, Bower Lane, Fant - knocked down, replaced by houses

The Railway Hotel, next to West Station - knocked down, replaced by block of flats

The Railway Bell, Hart Street - knocked down

The Bull Hotel, Gabriels Hill - now a betting shop

Ship Inn, Gabriels Hill - became the Palace of Shame, then the Golden Boot

York's, just of Gabriels Hill (opp Golden Boot) - converted into flats

White Lion, Lower Stone St - knocked down, replaced with office block

The Brenchley Arms, Upper Stone Street - now a shop

Fortune of War, corner of Old Tovil St and Upper Stone St - turned into bedsits

The Eagle, corner of Loose Road and Old Tovil Road - knocked down

Papermakers Arms, Loose Road - closed

Kings Arms, junction of Loose Road and Old Loose Hill - turned into house

The Star, Linton Road, Loose - knocked down, replaced by houses

The Stones Inn, next to the old ground - knocked down

The Rose, Wheeler St - converted into flats

The Greyhound, corner of Wheeler St and Well Road - knocked down, replaced by flats

Royal George, corner of Well Road and Boxley Road - turned into flats/offices?

The Holly Bush, corner of Fisher St and Peel St - turned into houses

Fishers Arms, corner of Scott St and Perryfield St - turned into a house

Wheelers Arms, corner of Perry St and Albert St - turned into houses

The Ancient Druids, corner of Wheeler St and Brewer St - now an Indian restaurant

The Cricketers, corner of Mote Road and Kingsley Road - closed

Kingsley Arms, corner of Melville Road and Brunswick St - turned into flats

Rising Sun, Marsham St - turned into houses

Victoria Hotel, next to East station - being knocked down or converted into ME booking office?

The Wig and Gown, top of Week St, next to County Hall - knocked down, replaced with office block

London Tavern, Week St - now MuMu

Saxon Chief, Queens Road - knocked down, replaced with houses

The pub on the corner of Foley St and Allen St (no idea what it was called) - turned into houses

British Queen, Square Hill Road - knocked down, replaced with houses

Orchard/Orchard Spot, Spot Lane, Downswood - no longer a pub(?)

Old Plantation, Plantation Lane, Bearsted - closed(?)

Parkwood Tavern, Wallis Ave, Parkwood - knocked down, replaced with housing

The Blue Door, Corner of Sutton Road and Willington St, Parkwood - knocked down, replaced with care centre

All the (other) pubs in Shepway/Parkwood (apparently!)

The Little Gem, High St, Aylesford - closed, due to be turned into a house

Battle of Britain, Lenham Road, - Kingswood - knocked down, replaced with for houses

[Deleted]

Shudder to think what your posts would look like if all those establishments were still around.😉

[Deleted]

You can add The Eagle on the corner opposite the Fortune of War. Now demolished. Saturday nights on Old Tovil Road are a lot quieter since it closed.

The Brenchley Arms in Upper Stone Street now Hinges & Brackets.

[Deleted]

Holly Bush (Fisher St)
Fishers Arms (Scott St)
British Queen (Square Hill)
How far out of town are you counting?
Fant Arms
All the pubs in Shepway/Parkwood
Orchard/Orchard Spot (Downswood)
Old Plantation 

[Deleted]

Top post updated.

Thanks chaps. It's difficult to define the boundaries for this. Just saying in the 'town' might mean no Bearsted or Barming, for instance, but defining it as within the borough is no good either, as that goes out as far as Lenham one way, but doesn't even reach Aylesford the other way.

I'll just leave it as 'Maidstone' and hope no one (not mentioning any names - or three letter avatars...) gets too silly about it.

I forgot to include the British Queen - only found out about that recently (from Google Earth!), and had no idea that the Orchard Spot had gone. That, and the Plantation, were pubs that everyone knew, so I would have expected them to survive. It's beginning to look like only the town centre pubs and the odd village/suburb local will still be there in a few years time.

Just realised I missed the Holly Bush too!

[Deleted]

That's 30+ pubs gone in one relatively small town in the last decade or two - mostly in the last 10 years. A huge cultural change, as most of those were 'locals' and the centre of their immediate communities.

[Deleted]

Trying to track down a couple of ex-pubs, I've come across a couple of interesting sources (although no doubt there are more).

The first is a list of 'lost' pubs covering the whole country, broken down by county and then town - Maidstone has a page of about 25 pubs. Although the site is still live, the Maidstone page does not appear to be up to date, but there are pictures for most pubs and some have notes supplied by readers. www.closedpubs.co.uk/kent/maidstone.html

The second 'site' is a Google book preview of a history of Maidstone Public Houses by Irene Hales, who wrote several book on local history. The pages in the preview are fascinating, not just because of the photos and details Irene provides, but because the book itself is now history, as it was written in 1982. Many of the descriptions under the photos end with a line about what the building is used for "today", but, of course, that "today" was 35 years ago, and things have changed a lot, even in that relatively short time. books.google.co.uk/books?id=636IAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT136&lpg=PT136&dq=the+eagle+upper+stone+st&source=bl&ots=K0F8R-94iA&sig=I7sWkuIGGrfGGhwDKgTyU-I6a2w&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi_kYW-1eTWAhVoQJoKHTERAgcQ6AEIPjAE#v=onepage&q=the%20eagle%20upper%20stone%20st&f=false

That book also includes a list of pubs that were trading in 1882, and if you really want to get depressed, check out just how few of those are still in business today. And bear in mind that some of the pubs which are now closed weren't even built 135 years ago!

[porkystone]

What a stimulating thread this is, better than those that just involve ranting & posing ! For more beer related things, check out: www.mmk.camra.org.uk/

[pedant]

White Lion - Lower Stone Street, demolished and replaced by Miller House offices, now apartments

London Tavern - now MuMu pizza

Wig and Gown - outside County Hall, demolished and replaced by Invicta House offices

Bull - Gabriels Hill - now betting office

Papermaker's Arms, then Motley Hall - Loose Road, abandoned?

Blue Door - Sutton Road, care home?

[Deleted]

As far as I know the orchard spot is still operating as a venue for weddings and private functions.

[Deleted]

Has the Kingsley arms gone too now?

I know the star near Linton crossroads is now houses and that one between motley hall and the star ( can't think of its name) is gone too, as is the parkwood tavern

[Deleted]

Oct 10, 2017 15:43:36 GMT pedant said:

White Lion - Lower Stone Street, demolished and replaced by Miller House offices, now apartments

London Tavern - now MuMu pizza

Wig and Gown - outside County Hall, demolished and replaced by Invicta House offices

Bull - Gabriels Hill - now betting office

Papermaker's Arms, then Motley Hall - Loose Road, abandoned?

Blue Door - Sutton Road, care home?

Invicta house was originally Pendragon House and was owned by an insurance company before KCC bought it in the 90s and renamed it.

[Deleted]

Oct 10, 2017 15:43:36 GMT pedant said:

White Lion - Lower Stone Street, demolished and replaced by Miller House offices, now apartments

London Tavern - now MuMu pizza

Wig and Gown - outside County Hall, demolished and replaced by Invicta House offices

Bull - Gabriels Hill - now betting office

Papermaker's Arms, then Motley Hall - Loose Road, abandoned?

Blue Door - Sutton Road, care home?

The Wig and Gown! I've been wracking my aged brain trying to remember that! It was a very grand pub, if memory serves.

I didn't include the London Tavern in Week Street, as I assumed that, technically, it's still a pub - although I've not been in there since it's become MuMu (surely the stupidest name for any pub/restaurant??) I remember it as Badgers, then it became Quiggleys.

The Blue Door was actually the second version of that pub, having been built next to the original, which was then knocked down. One of the greatest bits of architectural vandalism in Maidstone (and it's up against some very stiff competition). There's a photo of both pubs in that list of pubs I gave the link to - it was originally known as the Bell.

[Deleted]

Oct 10, 2017 17:24:49 GMT rollingstone said:

Has the Kingsley arms gone too now?

I know the star near Linton crossroads is now houses and that one between motley hall and the star ( can't think of its name) is gone too, as is the parkwood tavern

Kingsley Arms converted to flats I'm afraid.

[Deleted]

Oct 10, 2017 21:11:46 GMT @johndaubneyslegs said:

Oct 10, 2017 17:24:49 GMT rollingstone said:

Has the Kingsley arms gone too now?

I know the star near Linton crossroads is now houses and that one between motley hall and the star ( can't think of its name) is gone too, as is the parkwood tavern

Kingsley Arms converted to flats I'm afraid.

I last went in there about seven years ago, it was being done up then .

I remember being 16 years old and being on Y.T.S and feeling all big as one lunch time during our weekly "training day" (where we would be at the YTS headquarters and not at our work placement, i.e tovil Tesco for £29.50 a week!)my mate and I went halves on a packet of ten Dorchester fags, both sparked one up to look grown up , went in the Kingsley arms and got served.....

... a blackcurrant and lemonade!