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44 Medway Road / Twydall Green
Twydall
https://whatpub.com/royal-engineer
Above photo, spring 1961. |
Above photo date unknown, by Chris. |
Above photo 2011, from www.Flickr.com by Ben Levick. |
Above sign 2011. |
Above Google image, August 2018. |
Above photo, circa 2020, by Kristian Sigston. |
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From
http://www.kenthistoryforum.co.uk
The "Royal Engineer" is one of two pubs and a church that moved from
Brompton to Twydall in the late 1950s. At this time much of Brompton was
being redeveloped (so called slum clearances) and much of the population
was moved to the new housing developments in Twydall. The Pubs (and
Church) were moved to try and retain some of the old 'community spirit'.
The "Royal Engineer" moved from the Corner of Manor Street and Wood
Street to Twydall Green in 1959. It closed in the early 2000s (I think)
and is now (2011) scheduled to become a Chinese Restaurant. As the
notice on the pub blackboard says "another one bites the dust."
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East Kent Gazette, Friday 13 March 1959.
New Public House for Twydall.
The 12,000 people living on Gillingham's Twydall Estate are to be
provided with their third modern public house, the "Royal Engineer,"
which is to be built at the corner of Twydall Green and Goudhurst Road.
Chatham magistrates on Friday gave their formal assent to the new public
house by approving an application for a provisional transfer of the
licence of the "Royal Engineer" at Wood Street, Brompton, to the planed
new house.
The Wood Street premises will be pulled down to allow Gillingham Council
to completely redevelop plans in the area and the owners of the public
house are also prepared to surrender the licence of the "Good Intent,"
in Skinner Street, Gillingham.
Mr. D. O. Pepper assistant Solicitor to Gillingham Council said the
council had provided in their plans that three public houses should be
built in the total area. The building of the "Royal Engineer" will
complete that plan.
He said that 68 flats, 52 houses and 16 bungalows had still to be built
on the estate.
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Kent and Sussex Courier on Friday 9th September 1960.
"Bull" licensee takes over new inn.
Mr. Herbert Vaughan, formally of the "Bull Hotel," Tonbridge, has taken
over a new public house which continues in name only as a tradition
which is 130 years old.
He is the new licensee of the "Royal Engineer," Twydall Green,
Gillingham, a new house in a shopping centre of a large Council housing
estate.
It replaces the old "Royal Engineer" at Brompton, Gillingham, which
stood almost at the gateway of the Engineers' Barracks there and served
thousands of sappers stationed there.
The new house, designed on family lines, is about 5 miles from the old
one. The site of a uniform will be a rarity there.
Mr. Vaughan comes from a family of hoteliers and licensees and he
succeeded his father, who had been in the trade for 45 years, at the
"Bull Hotel" some years ago.
His wife, too, comes from the Breeze family, which is long connections
with the trade in Tonbridge. Mrs. Vaughan's family had the "South
Eastern Hotel" for about a quarter of a century, and her brother is
still there. |
I have another "Royal
Engineer" listed as at 30 Exmouth Terrace in nearby Gillingham.
This one closed some time after 2003, local knowledge required for exact
date please, and I am informed that it has had an extension added to the
right and after closure was turned into a Chinese before being made into a
Costa Coffee Shop.
LICENSEE LIST
VAUGHAN Herbert Cecil "Tom" 1962-12/Apr/1965 dec'd
SANDERS Richard Mid 1960s-early 70s
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