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Post by pedant on Feb 5, 2018 19:01:32 GMT
My 'reference' book has no mention of a pub at this address.
However looking through it again I came across a number I'd never known but it did remind me of The Seven Greys in St Peter's Street. Never frequented it, looked far too dodgy, but the building was still there in 1978 when the new bridge was opened. I presume it got demolished along with the rest of the Courage brewery shortly thereafter.
Courage brewery? 😮 Site had a long history of brewing from around 1800. Known as the Medway Brewery, became Style and Winch around 1899. Style and Winch amalgamated with someone else in 1929 and got subsumed into Courage some time later. Apparently demolished in 1975.
Replaced, mostly, by The Broadway Shopping Centre although the brewery did have extensive river frontage. Some buildings west of the railway line still remain.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2018 13:10:34 GMT
There were loads of breweries in Maidstone in the old days. As Pedant says, they were constantly being taken over or amalgamating, so the history is a bit confusing. The town was also famous for gin distilling - hence 'Maidstone Gin'.
My first ever visit to Maidstone was just after the new bridge opened and I spent some time leaning on the railing looking down the river (mainly because I'd just got new glasses and could actually see properly!). For some reason, I remember the buildings on the town side of the river (anyone remember the old Warehouse club?), which were knocked down for the insanely misplaced 'bypass', and, of course, I remember the sweet factory and the gas works on the other side, but strangely I don't have any memory at all of anything between the gasometer and the bridge.
By one of those strange coincidences, I ended up living there years later (Springvale), so this really bugs me. The old church was (is) still there (one of the oldest buildings in Maidstone) and what was left of the brewery was next door (where that craft pub is now), and we overlooked the gasometer and the building that had been the gas works social club. But the rest of the riverside area (where T K Max/The Range is now (and that god-awful hotel) was too polluted to build on (having been part of the gas works). I used to walk across there sometimes and it was remarkable for the fact that almost nothing grew on it!
Before that, I used to live in Barming, and often got the bus up from West station, so I spent many hours (or so it seemed) staring across the road at what was there before the Broadway Centre was built. And yet the only thing I remember was that there was a Christian Bookshop roughly opposite the bus stop. Just down the road on the station side (towards the bridges) there was an old shop called The Tin Soldier, which used to specialise in second-hand toys, etc. The guy that ran it took over the shop next door as well and called it Soldering On. Both were knocked down to make way for a badly needed car showroom - which in turn was demolished to allow McDonalds to put up the eyesore that is their drive-through 'restaurant' (does anyone ever need a McDonalds so badly that they can't be arsed to get out of the car and buy it???).
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2018 12:57:38 GMT
There were loads of breweries in Maidstone in the old days. As Pedant says, they were constantly being taken over or amalgamating, so the history is a bit confusing. The town was also famous for gin distilling - hence 'Maidstone Gin'. My first ever visit to Maidstone was just after the new bridge opened and I spent some time leaning on the railing looking down the river (mainly because I'd just got new glasses and could actually see properly!). For some reason, I remember the buildings on the town side of the river (anyone remember the old Warehouse club?), which were knocked down for the insanely misplaced 'bypass', and, of course, I remember the sweet factory and the gas works on the other side, but strangely I don't have any memory at all of anything between the gasometer and the bridge. By one of those strange coincidences, I ended up living there years later (Springvale), so this really bugs me. The old church was (is) still there (one of the oldest buildings in Maidstone) and what was left of the brewery was next door (where that craft pub is now), and we overlooked the gasometer and the building that had been the gas works social club. But the rest of the riverside area (where T K Max/The Range is now (and that god-awful hotel) was too polluted to build on (having been part of the gas works). I used to walk across there sometimes and it was remarkable for the fact that almost nothing grew on it! Before that, I used to live in Barming, and often got the bus up from West station, so I spent many hours (or so it seemed) staring across the road at what was there before the Broadway Centre was built. And yet the only thing I remember was that there was a Christian Bookshop roughly opposite the bus stop. Just down the road on the station side (towards the bridges) there was an old shop called The Tin Soldier, which used to specialise in second-hand toys, etc. The guy that ran it took over the shop next door as well and called it Soldering On. Both were knocked down to make way for a badly needed car showroom - which in turn was demolished to allow McDonalds to put up the eyesore that is their drive-through 'restaurant' (does anyone ever need a McDonalds so badly that they can't be arsed to get out of the car and buy it???). I'd thoroughly recommend a book called Images of Maidstone. Fantastic photos of the town from Victorian times up to the 1980s. Some great shots of the warves and timber yards along the river. If you're interested I'll look up the ISBN when I get home and post it on here. |
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Post by spurstone on Feb 7, 2018 16:48:55 GMT
Earls (but regaining the Market House)
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Post by porkystone on Feb 8, 2018 9:18:49 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2018 13:45:03 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2018 13:48:12 GMT
There were loads of breweries in Maidstone in the old days. As Pedant says, they were constantly being taken over or amalgamating, so the history is a bit confusing. The town was also famous for gin distilling - hence 'Maidstone Gin'. My first ever visit to Maidstone was just after the new bridge opened and I spent some time leaning on the railing looking down the river (mainly because I'd just got new glasses and could actually see properly!). For some reason, I remember the buildings on the town side of the river (anyone remember the old Warehouse club?), which were knocked down for the insanely misplaced 'bypass', and, of course, I remember the sweet factory and the gas works on the other side, but strangely I don't have any memory at all of anything between the gasometer and the bridge. By one of those strange coincidences, I ended up living there years later (Springvale), so this really bugs me. The old church was (is) still there (one of the oldest buildings in Maidstone) and what was left of the brewery was next door (where that craft pub is now), and we overlooked the gasometer and the building that had been the gas works social club. But the rest of the riverside area (where T K Max/The Range is now (and that god-awful hotel) was too polluted to build on (having been part of the gas works). I used to walk across there sometimes and it was remarkable for the fact that almost nothing grew on it! Before that, I used to live in Barming, and often got the bus up from West station, so I spent many hours (or so it seemed) staring across the road at what was there before the Broadway Centre was built. And yet the only thing I remember was that there was a Christian Bookshop roughly opposite the bus stop. Just down the road on the station side (towards the bridges) there was an old shop called The Tin Soldier, which used to specialise in second-hand toys, etc. The guy that ran it took over the shop next door as well and called it Soldering On. Both were knocked down to make way for a badly needed car showroom - which in turn was demolished to allow McDonalds to put up the eyesore that is their drive-through 'restaurant' (does anyone ever need a McDonalds so badly that they can't be arsed to get out of the car and buy it???). I'd thoroughly recommend a book called Images of Maidstone. Fantastic photos of the town from Victorian times up to the 1980s. Some great shots of the warves and timber yards along the river. If you're interested I'll look up the ISBN when I get home and post it on here. Another one that is buried deep inside one of my piles of books! |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2018 13:59:21 GMT
Incidentally, Some years ago (10, 15?) there was an 'official' history of Maidstone published, I think by, or in cooperation, with MBC. I've been collecting stuff on Maidstone history ever since I discovered that the odd-looking lamppost outside our house in Barming was actually an ex-trolleybus overhead wire support, so I eagerly awaited this publication.
But what a disappointment. I should have realised when they said that two academics had been working on it! The dullest, most boring history I've ever read (more accurately, tried to read).
When you look at all the books written by amateur local historians, often self-published, or only published in very limited numbers - packed full of information that they are eager to share with others and written with passion - and then compare it with the dry, dull, utterly boring 'official' history, it makes you realise what a mistake the council made.
But not the first time they'd do that...
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2018 16:10:59 GMT
That reminds me, I still haven't got my hands on one of the limited editions they did on the football club. Merely want to see if it's as bad as has been made out.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2018 0:13:33 GMT
That reminds me, I still haven't got my hands on one of the limited editions they did on the football club. Merely want to see if it's as bad as has been made out. Fred can lend you his! |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2018 20:18:59 GMT
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Post by pedant on Feb 22, 2018 20:32:38 GMT
You are correct in the location. Although I'm not sure that "pub" is accurate which presumably is why you put in parentheses? |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2018 21:55:52 GMT
Shepherd Neame taking it over.
White Rabbit currently closed, being turned into a steakhouse.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2018 21:22:01 GMT
Shepherd Neame taking it over. White Rabbit currently closed, being turned into a steakhouse. Maidstone being desperate for yet another restaurant... |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2018 21:24:19 GMT
"tank beer"  When Watneys did that back in the 60s it was called 'bulk delivery' and the sheer horror of it sparked off the real ale movement! |
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